One way to make a little extra cash while you watch TV or listen to music or podcasts is to do online surveys. Surveys ask you questions about various experiences or habits in your life and give you points for gift cards or cash for your time.
While almost no one makes a full-time income doing online surveys, it is one way to earn some free gift cards or spending money in your extra time. You can even do surveys while you are watching TV (or watching your kids during their TV time) and make some productive use of your free or leisure time.
If you faithfully check for surveys to take on a daily basis, it may be possible to make $100-200 a month in free gift cards or cash. Weekly or occasional use may get you $25 or $50 a month.
Ways to Spend Your Survey Earnings
There are probably as many ways to spend your survey earnings as there are survey websites and apps (I’m getting to that, don’t worry). Here are a few suggestions that can have a big impact on your budget throughout the year.
Stockpile gift cards or cash for Christmas.
$25, $50 or more in gift cards each month can make a serious dent in your Christmas shopping list when the holidays roll around. Imagine having Christmas paid for and not having to try to find hundreds of dollars in extra money each year.
Get some free stuff on while on vacation.
Vacations and traveling can be extremely expensive. I usually experience retroactive sticker shock when I come home and look at my receipts and checkbook and see how much money was spent. Wouldn’t a bunch of gift cards or cash put a dent in your vacation-related expenses and relieve some of that post-vacation pain?
Join a fun subscription program.
Maybe you’ve wanted to try Fabletics (yoga pants) or JustFab (shoes) and get new stuff every month without taking it out of your budget. Your payments from surveys could cover the cost of one of these subscriptions so you can indulge guilt-free. Another great subscription service to try: StitchFix quizzes you about your style and sends you monthly fashion picks that are tailored uniquely to you.
Start a date night tradition.
A monthly restaurant or movie theater gift card can help you afford a date night with your honey even when the budget may not seem to allow any extra expenses. Believe me, it will do wonders for your relationship to have special time together even if you have been married for many years.
Read more: This Guy is making money by doing NOTHING for the past two years!
Accelerate debt repayment.
This option may not seem like as much fun as some of the others, but if you are highly motivated to pay off your debt as fast as you possibly can, that extra money each month can help you get to your goal faster so you can be debt free all that much sooner. To up the fun quotient, I recommend drawing a chart that shows your debt repayment and coloring in the dollar increments as you go.
Invest for retirement.
Again, this option may seem boring. But if you save $100 a month over 35 years and earn 12 percent interest, you will have more than half a million dollars by the time you retire–and that could let you have an awful lot of fun! Your results may vary, not all investments earn 12 percent, but some earn even more than that, so you never know.
So why did I tell you how you could spend the money before I even told you where to find surveys? To motivate you to want to do them, of course! Here are some of the best sites for doing online surveys and some particulars about how they each work.
1. Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a true blue and very much revered surveying site. They have more than 4,000,000 surveyors, which is clearly an exceptionally respectable size. They aim to open the window of correspondence amongst buyers and brands. There are a few approaches to reclaim rewards: money by means of PayPal, MileagePlus miles, Alawar diversions, Amazon focuses or iTunes. You can likewise exchange rewards for donations to the American Red Cross.
2. Opinion City
Opinion city is a survey marketplace rather than one complete survey site. You can find various survey companies at one single space like survey junkies, Ipsos, and pinecone. This survey hub has already made it easier for you to search for the apt survey by making a simple comparison table on their website.
Your Earning: $1-$2/hour
Recap: Start making bucks just by subscribing to their newsletter which will directly link you to the weekly drawing on the FaceBook. Find all your favorite survey sites in one spot.
3. Survey Monster
Earn cash, prizes, and free product by filling out a survey from the comfort of your home. Unlike any other survey site, Surveymonster’s registration is free. With quick and easy step you will be able to get paid whether you are a student, work at home mom or any anyone looking for a side hustle.
Your Earning: $1-$2/hour
Recap: Another market research platform to let you earn while giving your opinion. And another bonus prize to get access to their top 20 survey sites, if you register this month.
4. Opinion Outpost
This site’s rewards for surveys are fairly typical: Amazon, iTunes or Paypal. What makes it stand out from the rest is the $10,000 quarterly prize drawing for a total of $40,000 given away each year. Some product testing is also offered.
5. Inbox Pays
Getting bored just by filling survey? Inbox Pays gives you the opportunity to earn bucks by reading emails, clipping coupons, playing games, shop online and many more. With a minimum threshold of $50 through PayPal, you can earn extra money by referring to your friend.
Your Earning: $1-$2/hour
Recap: Register free and get a chance to make money by reading emails, playing games, shopping, coupon clipping for groceries and of course surveys. Inbox Pays also offers you to try your luck at the spinning wheel.
6. Survey Premium
Survey Premium offers various rewards for giving out your opinion not just by money but books, gift cards, membership, merchandise, discounts, health and beauty products which is only limited to 1 per household.
Your Earning: Variety of product
Recap: If you are looking forward to earn more than cash look for survey premium as they reward you in various offers, all the rewards are based on your survey questionnaire. Win a Restaurant gift card worth $25 by collecting 100 coins.
7. Swagbucks
This site is my favorite, but only because I am familiar with it and have used it the longest. It may or may not be the best site for surveys. But the site is easy to use and your points show up right away, and they have a lot of choices for gift cards, as well as cash via Paypal. They also have “sales” where you can get certain gift cards for a slightly discounted points value at times. The other great thing about Swagbucks is that you can earn points in several different ways, including through online purchases, watching videos, and trying new products–the various methods to earn points can give you the chance to earn more even if the surveys aren’t always working out.
8. Ebates
A Great site to earn cash back every time you shop from the Ebates. Earn a welcome bonus of $10 Walmart gift card or $10 Ebates gift card. Ebates has given 1billion cash back with 2500+ stores. With double deals and everyday hot deals, you might be able to cash back as high as 18%.
Your Earning: $3-$4/ Purchase
Recap: The site helps you earn cash back on every single purchase from the stores like Bare Minerals, Amazon, kohl’s eBay and many more. Redeem your rewards through PayPal and gift cards. Earn an extra $25 bonus by referring to a friend.
9. E-Poll Survey
E-poll surveys are more entitled to entertainment surveys. From movies, music, TV to other entertainment industries. You are able to redeem your reward through cash and gift card. Survey often offers 500-1000 points which can be used toward Amazon, Starbucks or PayPal rewards.
Your Earning: $7-$9/hour
Recap: Survey with entertainment is the best match to earn money. You can be allotted to watch a TV show and write a review about it. You can go for its monthly drawing of worth $1000.
10. Ipsos I-Say
A few surveys on this site can earn you as much as $95 (for several hours of answering, typically), but most of them earn $1-2 and take 10-15 minutes. Offers cash through Paypal or gift cards to Amazon, iTunes, Walmart or Starbucks. The selection of gift cards is a lot smaller, but this site does offer various contests to win travel packages and other prizes along with your points.
11. VIP Voice
One of the unique things about VIP Voice is their survey which they make themselves on food, drinks, and fashion. Your registration will automatically enter you in a $1000 Sweepstakes. If you win the sweepstakes can be redeemed into a vacation, electronics appliances and more.
Your Earning: Rewards through sweepstakes like merchandise or vouchers.
Recap: Make big bucks by completing the survey and increase your level. The Point you earn depend upon your level. For the same survey where level 1 earns 25points, a level 5 can earn 200 points. Earn triple points for your first survey.
12. Global Marketplace
With its user-friendly site, you can earn cash for voicing out your opinion. Global marketplace offers survey for a variety of range. The site chooses to offer reward in cash which can be taken out through PayPal.
Your Earning: $2-$7/hour
Recap: If you are looking forward to surveys of movies, restaurant, and automobiles, give global marketplace a shot. There are various selection of rewards but depend on your country.
13. Inbox Dollars
This site does not work with points, instead offering cash only. Like Swagbucks, there are multiple ways to earn including reading emails, searching the web, redeeming coupons, and playing online games. Surveys are also offered each day and can add up to several hundred dollars a year if you take them all. At the time of publication, this site was offering a $5 bonus for signing up.
14. Moola Days
Make money online by completing the survey on moola days. With various option available like survey, shopping, completing the offers. You can get paid at least a dollar per survey. With its quick payment processing and low payout of only $15. Moola day is one of the good reward sites to look for.
Your Earning: $2-$7/hour
Recap: Get paid for referring to a friend or sign for free and earn $3 as a bonus. There are many options available other than taking the survey.
15. Insta Cash Secret
Insta cash secret is a unique reward site which not only does the surveys but also contains an eBook guide to increase your Instagram account efficiency. Rewards are to be redeemed from PayPal or gifts cards.
Your Earning: Take part in a group survey and earn up to $150
Recap: A unique blend of Instagram and survey, insta cash secret lets you earn $10 for a short survey and you could get a chance to earn up to $150 for group surveys.
16. Harris Poll
This major poll company offers $3-4 per survey, which should take about 20 minutes to complete. Rewards are paid as gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, or iTunes (others may also be available). There is also a chance that you could be chosen to participate in local panels for up to $75, which require you to go to the location of the panel for 2-4 hours.
17. Sir Vaigh
Sir Vaigh is another survey marketplace to connect you with different surveys. But what makes it different from other marketplace is that the site also offers other ways to earn money like pointclub and prizerebel which are also survey platform.
Your Earning: $2-$3/hour
Recap: Take a chance to earn $250 a fortnight with Sir Vaigh via PayPal, gift cards, and prehance. Sir Vaigh gives you the survey for giving your honest opinion.
18. E-survey Seeker
E-survey seeker has a lot of different jobs with a different payout. Join today and earn $25 for an instant survey. Join and earn for taking surveys, participating in the focus group and discussion group, become a mystery shopper to earn as high as $50, or choose real online jobs.
Your Earning: $2-$3/survey
Recap: With lots of opportunities available to earn, you can get as high as $25 with just only surveys and redeem reward via PayPal and gift cards.
19. Panda Research
Panda Research offers a bonus $3 for signup. You can choose to take a survey or read an email which has a maximum payout of $25. Payday is at every 1st and 15th of the month via PayPal. Disney, Walmart or Financial Issues are few of the products and topics which you are required to give an opinion of.
Your Earning: $2-$3/hour
Recap: Panda research offers additional bucks for referring to friends with free registration. Get access to surveys or read emails to make an earning.
20. Paid for Research
When you go for Paid for research site you will be first needed to complete to complete a simple process to start your opinion survey. Start your survey journey and earn as high as $100 with surveys.
Your Earning: $2-$3/hour
Recap: Paid for research is very much similar to other survey sites to give a listing of the survey to choose from and redeem your reward through sweepstakes, gift cards or merchandise. You might as well as get a discount offer.
21. Pinecone Research
This company offers points that can be redeemed on a virtual or prepaid visa card or gift cards. Additionally, the site offers sweepstakes with prizes as well as the opportunity to try new products and provide feedback.
22. MySurvey
Offers surveys and new product testing with a slightly bigger variety of gift cards for redemption, including Applebees, Macy’s, Chilis and CVS (great for keeping the drugstore rewards going and getting even more free stuff). Can also get cash through Paypal.
23. Vindale Research
One thing that makes this site different is that they only pay in cash via Paypal or check–no points to earn or keep track of. The site also says you can do the surveys on mobile devices as well as your computer and that hundreds of surveys are added each day.
24. SpringBoardAmerica
Not one of the oldest but surely one the most friendly and attractive site for surveys. Give your opinion and get your money transferred by Paypal. Springboard America gives you a lot to share your opinion on, which includes household brands, government bodies, not-for-profit organizations, and the media
Your Earning: $0.5 – $2/hour
Recap: Give yourself the opportunity to hear across boardrooms, media, and government across the nation and redeem these survey points for iTunes, Amazon gift cards, visa card, and cash as springboard America has a lot to offer. Join its $1000 draw sweepstakes who knows you might get lucky!
25. MySoapBox
Have you seen a survey who offers daily survey, teen survey, different reward cards, a chance to be a part of various studies and a chance to do a deed for a good cause? MySoapBox offers all the above mentioned. With a minimum threshold of $25, you can share your opinion on the things you use, buy, and do every day.
Your Earning: $0.75 – $1.5/hour
Recap: With 2000 points as a sign-up bonus, take part in various interesting surveys and redeem points with gifts card from Amazon, iTunes Starbucks, Target, Walmart, movies, restaurant and many more. So sign in, join in and cash out.
One Final Way To Earn From Surveys
Most store receipts now have survey links at the bottom that offer feedback about your customer experience. Many of these offer a chance to win a gift card or cash prize, but some offer free items or solid discounts on future purchases and may be worth spending a few minutes on.
Some Things to Keep in Mind About Surveys
Many surveys are looking for certain demographics, so you may start taking a survey but be told you don’t qualify or just be kicked out of the survey before you can finish it. This takes up time and may cut down your return on investment, and it’s just a reality of taking online surveys. The bigger the survey, the more specific the requirements will usually be, which can limit your ability to earn the larger rewards if you don’t fit that demographic group.
The lower point-value surveys are usually more general in their demographic requirements, so those may end up being better money-makers.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you are probably only making a couple dollars an hour, so devoting hours a day to taking surveys is probably not the most effective way to earn money. It’s always important to evaluate how you are spending your time and whether it’s the best way to do so.
You don’t want to ignore your kids or lose your job in order to complete surveys–it’s just not worth it. If you happen to be in a demographic that qualifies for a large number of surveys, you may be able to make more than most people, and in that case, it may be worthwhile to spend more time on them. Similarly, if you are homebound and have nothing else to do with your time, it may be worthwhile for you
