Making money by taking surveys can be an enjoyable way to earn a little extra income. If you have a little spare time and the patience to fill out questionnaires, it could be a terrific opportunity for you. While you probably aren’t going to replace a full-time income, taking online surveys for money is one of the best ways to bring in a few bucks here and there to pay for things like:
- A weekend away
- Dinner and a movie
- Admission to your favorite theme park
- That purse or pair of shoes you’ve had your eye on
- A new computer game
Additionally, many people use paid surveys to start a savings account or pay off debts like student loans or credit cards. Of course, how you choose to spend your newfound cash is up to you, but you definitely want to make as much as possible, right? In this article, we’ll talk about how you can make the most money with paid surveys.
What Are Paid Online Surveys?
Online surveys are digital questionnaires hosted by survey sites. These sites often pay their users a reward for participating. They are an essential part of product development, and market researchers use the information gathered from these surveys to create products and services that meet the needs of their customers.
You will be asked many different questions about your demographics, lifestyle, buying habits, and more. Much of the information will be your personal opinion. In exchange, you will be rewarded (typically with cash or gift cards) for the time spent on taking the surveys.
Is Taking Surveys for Cash Legit?
We live in exciting times, with new ideas and opportunities arising faster than we can keep up. And this is certainly true when it comes to work-from-home opportunities, a ton of which are popping up as the availability of online jobs continues to grow.
The idea of legit surveys for money has been around for many years but so have scammers. Unfortunately, due to the growing popularity of taking online surveys, there have been reports of scam sites that are associated with these services. This can be especially devastating for people looking forward to earning extra income but never receiving anything from these companies.
So is taking surveys for cash a legit gig? Yes, as long as you find the right survey company to work with. The first thing to keep in mind is that not all survey companies are reputable, and some are just trying to make a quick buck.
What Are Some Signs That a Survey Company Is Not Legit?
The Website Has No Contact Information
This is a huge red flag. While not all reputable sites will list their address and phone number, there should still be a way to contact support through a ticketing system or social media pages.
The Survey Site Has No Reviews
This is also a red flag that indicates the company is too new to be trustworthy. If you cannot find any consumer reviews on the site, it’s likely not a legitimate survey opportunity. For example, Branded Surveys has over 38,000 reviews on TrustPilot, a sure sign of an established and reputable survey company.
The Survey Site Asks You for a Membership Fee
If you are asked to pay a fee to join or become a member of any survey site, block them and move on. No legit site will ask its members to pay a fee (no matter how small) for participation. Sites that do this are only set up to steal your money and your information.
The Site Asks You for Too Much Personal Information
This one is tricky. That’s because even legit sites will ask you for specific information when you first join. This data is used to match you with particular survey opportunities created especially for your age group, occupation, location, or some other data. But a legit site will never ask for identifying information like your social security number or your bank account or credit card info.
The Site Promises Huge Earnings for Taking Surveys
If the site is advertising earnings that are too good to be true, they probably are. No legit site can operate for long by paying out exorbitant sums. They would go out of business. Legit sites pay their users between $1 and $3 per survey, on average. If a site is promising lots more than that, you can be assured it’s a scam.
How To Get Started With Paid Surveys
So now that you know what to look for when seeking out the best paid survey site, how do you get started? It’s easy! Once you find a site you want to work with, go to their registration page and sign up with your factual information and an email address that you access frequently.
After you’ve filled out the sign-up form, you will need to confirm your email address, and you’re in! See how easy that was? There are no complicated hoops to jump through or special skills required. It’s so simple that you can get started earning right away.
After You’ve Joined the Site
Once you’ve joined the site, you will notice you have a survey dashboard. This dashboard will list all of the paid survey opportunities available to you. The first ones you will see are called profile surveys. It’s imperative that you fill these out right away. Why? Your profile surveys will be used to match you with the most relevant surveys available for your demographics, for starters.
Secondly, just for taking the profile surveys, you will often be rewarded with points that you can later convert to cash or gift cards! So, right away, you will start earning.
How To Make the Most Money With Paid Surveys
Now that you’ve joined and filled out your profile surveys, the next step is to start making as much money as possible. Here are a few tips that can help you add to your balance:
Set Up a Daily Routine
If your schedule allows, set aside a time each day to work on your survey site. It doesn’t need to be huge chunks of time, just enough to finish a few surveys. Of course, there is no penalty for skipping a day, but some sites have promotions you will want to take advantage of. For example, Branded Surveys has its elite program, where participants can earn extra points for completing a certain amount of surveys within seven days. So, it’s often worth it to take advantage of these bonuses by doing surveys each day.
Be Consistent
In addition to a daily routine, it’s essential to be consistent. Those points add up to significant earnings the more surveys you take, so logging in often is the key to earning money fast with surveys. As long as you are consistently plugging away at the surveys available to you, you will earn steadily.
Check Your Email
Sometimes, unique survey opportunities are sent to your email address. If you check your email often, you won’t miss out on these additional chances to earn.
Check Your Survey Dashboard Often
You should also log in to your survey dashboard frequently. That’s because surveys usually have a quota for the amount of users who can participate. Once a certain number of members have taken the survey, it is closed. So the sooner you jump on those opportunities, the more you will earn.
Take Longer Surveys
Surveys can take anywhere between five minutes to an hour, but you may have guessed that the longer surveys pay more. This is due to the amount of effort you have to put in. However, it’s often worth it to take the time to fill out these longer surveys since they can double or even triple your earnings.
What About Taxes for Taking Online Surveys?
Survey earnings are taxable, just like any other job. Therefore, you will want to keep track of how much you earn in case you owe Federal or State income taxes on those earnings. A good rule of thumb is that if you make more than $600 throughout the year with one company, you will need to claim that on your taxes. We have a more comprehensive explanation of taxes and paid surveys that you can check out.
Should I Choose Cash or Gift Cards?
Once you have enough to cash out from paid surveys, you can choose to get paid either in cash or gift cards. Both methods have their advantages.
• Earning Cash From Paid Surveys
If you want your earnings paid in cash, you will typically need an account with an online payment processor such as PayPal or Branded Pay. With PayPal, your earnings are transferred into your PayPal account, and you can use them how you like. For example, you can transfer them to your bank account, spend the money online, or even use the PayPal debit card to withdraw your funds.
With Branded Pay, you link your account (don’t worry, it’s secure) to have your earnings deposited directly to your bank.
• Gift Cards for Paid Surveys
The next best thing to earning cash from surveys is gift cards. This is not an option that every site offers, either. Branded Surveys has dozens of gift card choices, from retailers, restaurants, movie theaters, airline tickets, hotels, and more.
Additionally, you can even earn Amazon gift cards for taking surveys. Many participants love this option since you can purchase nearly anything you desire from Amazon.
Can I Use Both Cashout Methods?
Absolutely! Each time you have enough accrued earnings to cash out, you can select the method that works for you!
Conclusion
Taking online surveys for cash is a legit money-making opportunity that can benefit you in many ways. It’s fun, fast, and free! Plus, as long as you find a reputable survey site to work with, you can earn over and over, week after week. We hope these tips for making the most with paid surveys help you reach your goals!
