Many folks out there are trying to make money from the Internet. If your e-mail box is anything like mine, the scams are out there and seem to know just how to find you. Are you tempted to give up and say “forget it, there are no online places to make money; they are all hoaxes’? Are there really places that you can make money online taking surveys? Isn’t this just too good to be true? Yes and no. I’ve written another article highlighting some of the better online survey companies, but have recently discovered several newer companies that I want to recommend.
There are several sites that offer small sums for taking surveys that you can use safely. I get on the average of 8-10 invitations total per day from these sites. Each survey offers a different amount based on how long the survey takes. Most surveys pay $1.50 to $5.00. I get about one survey request per week that offers $- $10 each. If I diligently took surveys daily, I might make $10- $15 per day total from each survey company. Here are my top 10 online survey companies with a brief description of how you will be paid.
Valued Opinions: Most surveys earn $2-$4 each and take about 20-25 minutes each. You are sent gift certificates from several online companies. I have received two $20 Amazon gift certificates. I have only taken about eight surveys. You could probably earn one gift certificate every few weeks with this site.
Reward Port: Reward port awards five points for reading e-mails. After 10,000 points you are sent a $25 gift card to Amazon. You can take a survey each day that earns you 100 points each also. There are ways to get points by trying different services. These opportunities don’t cost you anything or require a credit card. You may have to submit your e-mail. If you took the daily survey and opened all the e-mails, you might earn $25 a month.
Your 2 Cents: This company sends checks and generally offer rewards of $2 to $5 per survey. They don’t send as many invites, however. If you answered each survey, you could make about $20 per month.
Greenfield Online: This company pays for surveys with a deposit to Paypal. I receive about 2-3 invites per day from Greenfield but only every other one is paid. Greenfield pays $2-$4 per survey. Greenfield could probably net about $40 per month if you keep up with it.
Lightspeed Panel: Every survey from Lightspeed is paid. Lightspeed awards points which can are used to buy gift cards and products. They pay about 100 points per survey and the surveys take slightly longer. There are a great variety of gift cards available from Lightspeed. LIghtspeed is very reliable; you could probably get $25-$40 in gift certificates from Lightspeed in a month.
Opinion Outpost: This site sends out cash awards and every survey is paid. Each survey nets about $2 to $5. I typically receive at least one survey invitation per day. You could make $25-$40 cash per month.
NFO Mysurvey: points awarded for surveys; points can be used for music downloads and magazine subscriptions.
Zoom Panel: Points offered for all surveys; points can be used for gift cards.
Memomail: Points awarded for checking out sites and offers. You can also take a survey each day. Points can be used for gift cards.
Survey Savvy: This site sends out fewer survey invites, but each one is paid. Money is deposited into Paypal accounts.
You will be paid more for surveys with special requirements, like those that look for tech gurus or decision-makers. You must also qualify for some surveys by representing a certain population or working in a certain field. You must open and take the survey within a day or two for most of the surveys. The company reaches it’s quota and the survey closes. I have missed quite a few surveys because I didn’t take them in time.
Some survey companies want information from your children. If you feel comfortable, you can take the survey with the child and help them with the responses. If they are under 18, your permission will be required, but they can take the survey alone if they can understand it. I have never had to download anything or experienced any computer problems. You may be asked to view a commercial. It will take quite a long time to load on dial-up but it will not be added permanently to your hard drive. They go pretty quickly on DSL or cable.
The nice thing about taking surveys, is that they usually don’t take more than 15-30 minutes. You can take them anytime or anyplace you have access to a computer. Taking surveys is a great way to kill time when you are waiting with you laptop. It is also an excellent source of some income for SAHM (stay at home moms) seniors and shut-ins. See my article on FAQs About Online Survey Companies for more information.
