Online Surveys: Get Paid for Taking Surveys

Online surveys are a legit way to make extra cash. Find out which ones pay the most. Plus, get the pros and cons of each site.

Sometimes, there's nothing better than kicking back to watch your favorite TV show.

But what if you could earn a little cash while you do it?

Online surveys are a great way to do just that. You won't be rolling in money, but it's a fun and flexible way to fund your coffee habit.

As with all things on the internet, there are some scams out there. Stick to the end to learn about red flags, how to avoid them and why survey sites pay you to begin with.

🏆 Most Income Opportunities - Swagbucks

screenshot of swagbucks

Of all the survey sites reviewed here, Swagbucks offers the most opportunities to make money. You can earn points by watching videos, taking surveys, using their own browser extension, just for signing up ($5).

Swagbucks also wins for the trust factor. It's owned by Prodege LLC, an internet research company that also owns MyPoints, ShopAtHome, and InboxDollars.

It's BBB accredited with an A+ rating, has 14 years in the business, and has paid out over $770M in rewards to its members.

Eligibility: Swagbucks is available in the U.S., most of Asia and Europe, and some parts of Africa; you must be 13+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid referrals, cash-back program, grocery coupons, "Swagbucks Search" (their own pay-to-search engine), points for watching videos
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.25-$10 per survey (25-1000 points)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $1 (100 points)
  
• Payment Method: PayPal or gift cards
  
• Rewards Processing Time: 10-14 days

Common Complaints:

• Some payments take a while to show up
  
• Issues with redeeming points

$10 Signup Bonus

Member must "Activate" the Bonus in the Swag Ups section of your account. Bonus value is earned in the form of points, called SB. Get a 1000 SB bonus, which is equivalent to $10 in value, when you spend at least $25 at a store featured in Swagbucks.com/Shop. You must receive a minimum of 25 SB for this purchase, which you must complete within 30 days of registration. MyGiftCardsPlus.com and travel purchases do not qualify.

Click Here to Sign Up Now

Surveys are inherently mobile-friendly, but out of all the sites with their own mobile apps, this next pick was our favorite.

Best Mobile App - Survey Junkie

Screenshot of Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the biggest names in online surveys, with over 11 million active members and 9 years in the business.

Survey Junkie uses your profile info to find pre-vetted surveys that you qualify for. It will even award you points for surveys that disqualify you, meaning your time is better spent. Plus, its mobile app makes it easy to earn points on the go.

In terms of trustworthiness, Survey Junkie is BBB accredited with a "B" rating, which is more than a lot of online survey sites can say.

Eligibility: Survey Junkie is available in the U.S., Canada, and Australia; you must be 16+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, affiliate program, mobile app, focus groups and product testing (usually for high-performing members)
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.50-$3 per survey (50-300 points)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $10 (1,000 points)
  
• Payment Method: PayPal (available everywhere), gift cards and direct bank deposit (in the U.S.)
  
• Reward Processing Time: 3-4 days

Common Complaints:

• Some accounts closed unexpectedly
  
• Fewer surveys available
  
• Some payments take a while to show up

Take Surveys. Get Paid

Click Here to Join Now

• Take surveys and earn points
• Redeem points for PayPal or e-Giftcards

Highest Earnings per Survey - InboxDollars

Screenshot of InboxDollars

Owned by research giant Prodege Inc., InboxDollars has been paying cash for surveys for 22 years. You can earn money by playing games, reading emails, taking surveys, and just signing up ($5).

Like Survey Junkie, SurveyClub, and others, InboxDollars is a "survey aggregator," meaning it finds you surveys from third party sites. It also offers quicker, "starter" tasks to build up your cash balance sooner.

InboxDollars is BBB accredited with an "A" rating and has paid $60M to its 17 million active members.

Eligibility: To join InboxDollars, you must be 18+ and located in the U.S.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid referrals, cash-back program, and points for playing games and reading emails
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.50-$5 per survey (InboxDollars does not use a points system)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $30
  
• Payment Method: Check, Visa cash card
  
• Rewards Processing Time: Up to 14 days (or 7 days for Gold members)

Common Complaints:

• Low earnings per hour
  
• Easy to get disqualified from surveys

$5 Signup Bonus

Click Here to Get $5 Bonus

• Get paid to take surveys, play video games, watch videos
• Cash out to PayPal or gift cards

Most Surveys - LifePoints

screenshot of lifepoints

Of all the survey sites reviewed here, LifePoints had the highest number of available surveys. Just keep in mind that you won't qualify for every single one.

It's available in over 40 countries, making it a great option for international survey takers.

Like most survey sites, joining is free. Unlike most sites, LifePoints gives you 10 points each time you update your profile.

Eligibility: LifePoints is available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and 41 other countries; you must be 16+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid "diary" entries (really!), mini-polls, product testing, tiered rewards program, mobile app
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.50-$1 per survey (LifePoints has been inconsistent about their points-to-dollar exchange rate)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $5
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, gift cards
  
• Rewards Processing Time: Up to 10 days

Common Complaints:

• Points expire
  
• Vague about the points-to-dollar exchange rate
  
• No referral programs
  
• Poor customer service

Best Sign-Up Bonus - MyPoints

Screenshot of Mypoints

In addition to its high-earning surveys, MyPoints' cash-back program is a great way to stack your earnings (up to 40% back from stores like Target, Old Navy, and more). We'll be honest—even high-end credit cards rarely pay that much.

With over $300M paid out to date and 20 million active members, MyPoints also offers an impressive $10 welcome bonus to get you up and running.

Eligibility: MyPoints is available in the U.S. and Canada; you must be 13+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid referrals, cash-back program, mobile app discounts and coupons, and points for playing video games, watching videos, and book travel accommodations
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.36-$2.85 per survey (50-400 points)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $10
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, gift cards, and even travel miles
  
• Rewards Processing Time: 4-5 days

Common Complaints:

• Poor customer service
  
• Some income opportunities not worth the time

Earn $10 Amazon Card with Your First Purchase

Click Here to Join MyPoints

Chances are your friends like easy money, too. Don't miss the site below for the best referral program to maximize your earnings.

Best Customer Service - QuickRewards

Without the hassle of a points system, QuickRewards doles out plain cash for surveys, visiting websites, watching videos, playing games, and shopping online. With no points to keep track of, it's much easier to know what you're earning.

QuickRewards also has a positive track record for customer service, with many users saying they were able to speak with actual people instead of an automated system.

Eligibility: QuickRewards is available in the U.S. and Canada; you must be 18+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid referrals, cash-back program, points for using their search engine, watching videos, and playing games
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.50-$1 per survey
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $0 for Paypal, $5 for gift cards
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, gift cards
  
• Rewards Processing Time: 72 hours for PayPal, 1 week for gift cards

Common Complaints:

• Site errors while completing surveys
  
• Poor customer service

When there's no time to lose, find out why the site below is your best bet for quick cash.

No Minimum Payout - Pinecone Research

screenshot of pinecone research

Ever had one of your favorite TV shows canceled right after a juicy cliffhanger? You can partly blame Nielsen Holdings for that, the long-standing company that measures TV ratings.

Nielsen isn't just in the business of helping cancel good TV shows; it also owns Pinecone Research. Pinecone itself has an "F" rating from the BBB, mostly for complaints on everything from deleted accounts to poor customer service.

Another downside? Surveys are invite-only. And while they award higher earnings, surveys are the only income opportunity they offer.

Eligibility: Pinecone Research is available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Germany; you must be 18+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys
  
• What You'll Earn: Minimum $3 per survey
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $3
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, check, Visa cash card
  
• Rewards Processing Time: 3-5 days

Common Complaints:

• Little info available on website security
  
• Customer service only available via mail

If you're looking for a survey site with more contests and games (i.e., income opportunities), don't miss the site below.

Fastest Payout - PrizeRebel

One of the most annoying things about online surveys is how long it takes to get paid. Why should it take 2 weeks for the payment to go through?

PrizeRebel is one of the few websites that pay instantly. Plus, it offers a wide variety of income opportunities (surveys, contests, games, and more).

It will even award you 10 points just for signing up.

Eligibility: PrizeRebel is available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia; you must be 18+ to join, or 16-17 with parental permission.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid referrals, tiered loyalty program, contests and games, and points for watching videos, searching the internet, and purchasing from PrizeRebel retail partners
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.40-$0.60 per survey (40-60 points)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $5
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, gift cards, Dwolla cash
  
• Rewards Processing Time: Instant-24 hours

Common Complaints:

• Surveys only available in English
  
• Lots of emails

Fast payout is music to a survey-taker's ears. Fast sign-up isn't too bad, either. Combine PrizeRebel with this next site and you'll have the best of both worlds.

Fastest Sign-Up - American Consumer Opinion

screenshot of national consumer opinion

Not the patient type? Neither are we. Of all the sites on our list, American Consumer Opinion is the quickest to get you up and running. In just 2 minutes, you can enter your basic information and start taking surveys.

With 41 years of business under its belt (obviously predating the internet), American Consumer Opinion has paid out over $35M paid out to its 7 million active members.

Eligibility: American Consumer Opinion is available worldwide; you must be 14+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, product testing, affiliate program
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.05-$0.50 per survey (5-50 points)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $10
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, Hyperwallet, check, sweepstakes entries
  
• Rewards Processing Time: 1-2 weeks for PayPal; 8-12 weeks for Hyperwallet and check

Common Complaints:

• Fewer surveys available
  
• Accounts deleted before payment received
  
• Slow payment processing

Easiest to Use - SurveyClub

Screenshot of SurveyClub

Survey aggregators are great for giving you more surveys to choose from. But what's the point if you have to sort through dozens of surveys that you don't even qualify for?

SurveyClub wins major points for its filtering feature that combs through all available surveys to find only the ones you qualify for.

With 17 years in the business and 16 million active members, SurveyClub is a good option for those who are especially short on time.

Eligibility: SurveyClub is available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia; you must be 16+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid referrals, focus groups
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.10-$5 per survey
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $25
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, gift cards, prepaid debit cards, checks, sweepstakes entries,
  
• Rewards Processing Time: 3-4 weeks

Common Complaints:

• Slow payout time
  
• Takes a long time to reach the cash-out minimum

Higher Earnings per Hour - Opinion Outpost

screenshot of opinion outpost

Opinion Outpost is a smaller site (only 2 million active members), but don't count it out just yet. Plus, that could mean fewer people are competing for your survey spots.

With 11 years in business, it offers a user-friendly interface and a quick payout time (as little as 24 hours).

Eligibility: Opinion Outpost is available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Italy, Spain, and Germany; you must be 18+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid referrals, email offers
  
• What You'll Earn: $1-$25 per survey (10-250 points)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $10 for PayPal, $5 for gift cards
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, gift cards, MileagePlus travel credits
  
• Rewards Processing Time: 1-3 days

Common Complaints:

• Fewer income opportunities
  
• Little info about website security

If you're going to go all-in on any survey site, this next one is your best bet. See how they reward your loyalty with gradually increasing bonuses.

Best Loyalty Program - Ipsos i-Say Panel

i-Say is a survey site with 3 million active members, and its parent company Ipsos has been in business for 47 years. While it's not technically BBB accredited, it has an A+ rating from the BBB.

It offers plenty of surveys to choose from, including a substantial loyalty program that every user is automatically qualified for. The more surveys you take, the higher your bonuses get.

Ipsos also give you 5 points for every survey you don't qualify for. Looking for a site to really make it worth your while? Be sure to try out the site below.

Eligibility: i-Say is available in the U.S., U.K., and 85 other countries around the world; you must be 18+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, paid referrals, polls, sweepstakes, tiered loyalty program
  
• What You'll Earn: $0.45-$2 per survey (45-200 points)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $15 for PayPal, $10 for Visa cash card, $5 for gift cards
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, gift cards, Visa cash card
  
• Rewards Processing Time: 1-3 weeks

Common Complaints:

• Slow payout time
  
• Hard to qualify for surveys

Best Disqualification Points - OneOpinion

You could probably spend days searching every survey site to find the ones you qualify for. Luckily, OneOpinion helps you out by matching you with surveys from dozens of third-party survey sites.

While that potentially gives you more surveys to choose from, you won't qualify for them all. The good news? For your first five disqualifications, OneOpinion awards you 50 points each.

Eligibility: OneOpinion is available to the U.S. and U.K.; you must be 13+ to join.

Earning Potential and Payout

• Income Opportunities: Paid surveys, product testing, rewards program
  
• What You'll Earn: $1-$25 per survey (10-250 points)
  
• Cash-out Minimum: $25
  
• Payment Method: PayPal, Visa gift cards
  
• Rewards Processing Time: Instant, if you opt for a virtual gift card; 1-3 weeks for mailed gift card

Common Complaints:

• High threshold for cash-out
  
• No paid referrals

How Do Surveys for Money Work?

Here's the thing: companies really want to know how you think.

When businesses want that valuable customer insight, they usually hire a market research company to create surveys and attract survey-takers.

And that's where you come in. Here's how it usually goes down:

1. Choose a site to sign up with. Review the tips below to find legitimate sites.

2. Create your profile. You'll probably need to provide basic info like age, location, and an estimate of your income.

3. Get notified for surveys. Many sites notify you via email when a survey comes up that you qualify for.

4. Take surveys. There's (usually) no limit on how many you can take in a day. Most surveys take anywhere from 10-40 minutes.

5. Earn points, rewards, or cash. For each completed survey, a site will either add cash or a number of points to your profile.

6. Finally, cash out. When you reach the site's required minimum cash-out balance, you can get your money in either gift cards or cash.

Online Surveys: Tips and Best Practices

New to online surveys? Here are some tips and best practices that will give you the best experience:

• Don't use your primary email. This keeps your main inbox free from promo emails. Try not to use an email address with your name in it, either.

• Don't give fake answers or finish too fast. Survey sites can usually tell if you're phoning it in - they may even kick you out of the survey.

• Look for sites that are members of a marketing association. For example, the Association for Consumer Research. These sites are usually more credible.

• Check if your points have an expiration date. Some sites have a 1-year expiration policy on points. Others will expire points after a long period of account inactivity.

• Do your research. Before picking a survey site, review what their cash-out and payment options are to see if it works for you (our table below can help).

How to Earn More Money on Survey Sites

As with any side hustle, there are extra steps you can take to maximize your earnings with online surveys. Here's what to do:

1. Keep your profile up-to-date. Users with complete, up-to-date profiles usually get more survey opportunities.

2. Check for new surveys often. Many sites offer new surveys multiple times a day; wait too long and you'll miss out on surveys.

3. Use multiple sites. Not only will you take more surveys, but you can also rack up welcome bonuses, too.

4. Turn off your ad-blocker. You may be missing out on giveaways and promos.

How to Spot a Sketchy Survey Site

Not sure if a survey site is legit? If any of the following points apply to the site you're on, you should probably avoid it:

• It has spammy-looking links
  
• It asks for upfront payment
  
• It asks for too much personal info, like bank accounts or SSN
  
• It claims you can make a living with surveys
  
• It doesn't have a positive track record with the BBB
  
• It pressures you to buy a paid "membership"
  
• It doesn't feature a privacy policy
  
• It doesn't offer a way to contact Customer Support
  
• It has a domain name that looks like a close copy of another site (for example, "SurveyJunkies.co" instead of SurveyJunkie.com)

What Experts Say

Making a living isn't always glamorous. Lots of people are afraid of getting stuck in unfulfilling jobs.

In an unpredictable job market, you don't have to go it alone. As part of our series on gig work and employment, CreditDonkey asked a panel of industry experts to answer some of readers' most pressing questions:

• How can people keep their identities safe when signing up for online side jobs?
  
• How do you find your purpose and do what you love?
  
• Could gig work put an end to traditional employment?
  
• What jobs are the happiest?
  
• What will the future of work look like?
  
• Why are online surveys good for market research?

Here's what they said:

Bottom Line

If you already have a steady source of income, taking online surveys is a great way to make the most of your free time. When choosing a site, be sure to consider:

• How they pay out (gift card, PayPal, etc.)
  
• The required cash-out minimum, and
  
• Their overall reputation with other survey-takers

Finally, the best advice I can offer is to stick with it. Your earnings may take time to add up, but there are few easier ways to make money while watching TV or waiting for a dentist appointment.