Online Survey Opportunities

One thing that I do to earn some extra money is taking online surveys! I was skeptical at first because the idea of getting paid to do something online seems like a perfect scam opportunity...and there are places out there that will scam you. On the other hand, there are also legitimate websites that will pay you for your opinion!

I have been doing this for about a year now. Originally, I signed up with nearly every site I could find. I have since weeded through the different sites and unsubscribed myself from ones that sent too many emails out, did not pay enough, or just were not enjoyable. I also had more time when I first started, because I would take surveys when my daughter was nursing. But now that she's running around the house, its a little harder to find the time! I do try to look through the survey emails every few days and take as many as possible.

The list I'm sharing with you today is based on my experiences, and I'm sure there are other people who have had different experiences than me. I will continue to tweak this to make a "master list" of all of the companies that I've used, even briefly, that are legitimate.

Two helpful things that I've learned to make survey-taking a more enjoyable experience. I have a separate email that I use only for survey websites. This makes it so much easier to see what survey opportunities I have and to keep things separate from my personal email. The second is an amazing program called RoboForm. This is free for download and will fill out forms on the internet for you! You input your information initially, and then all you have to do is click a button and it will fill in a form for you. You only put in the info you want, so I chose not to add my phone number and other more personal information. This really helps speed some of the basic surveys along.

Pinecone Research

This is my favorite website, but is also the hardest to join. They only open up membership for small periods of time, and I will let you know the next time they do. I usually do 3-4 surveys a month for Pinecone. The best things about Pinecone are that you never screen out of a survey, they are usually pretty interesting, and they always pay the same, $3.

As of 2/4 it looks like registration is open!! Click here to sign up!
Update: Pinecone registration is already closed! It fills up very quickly, but I will post ASAP next time I hear that it is open!

Lightspeed Consumer Panel

Lightspeed was one of the first survey sites I used, and I am still happy with them. Most surveys are between 150-300 points, which works out to about $2 each, though periodically there are higher value surveys (500 points each or more). The best redemption option I have seen through Lightspeed is giftcards for restaurants. To sign up for Lightspeed, click here.

Opinion Outpost

I seem to go through cycles with Opinion Outpost in terms of qualifiying for their studies. I had gone weeks without qualifying for a survey until the other day when I did 4 and made $8 in just over 30 minutes. I like that the screener questions are usually very short with OO, so you don't spend 5 minutes answering questions just to find you did not qualify. Also, you are given an instant win chance for $50 at the end of every survey for which you do not qualify. I have never won, but my sister did! OO uses a point system where 50 equals $5, at which point you can request a check or an Amazon gift certificate. Go here to sign up with Opinion Outpost.

MySurvey.com

When I first joined MySurvey, I was a little disappointed because I rarely was sent any survey opportunities (probably 1 every month or so). Over the last few months, however, I have gotten surveys weekly, some of which have been really interesting! I think it may just be that it took a little while to get me in the system. Surveys are usually very short (2 or 3 minutes max), and are worth around 10 points (10 cents) but will many times qualify you for a longer survey. Points are easily turned into cash (1000 points = $10) and you can request a check at $10. To join My Survey, go here.

Global Test Market

Global Test Market sends out a few screener emails a week. If you do not qualify for the survey, you will still be given Market Points (5 per screener). Sometimes they do send out surveys where the only reward is a sweepstakes entry, and I choose not to do those. You can request a check at 1000 points ($10). To join Global Test Market, click here.

American Consumer Opinion Panel


American Consumer Opinion sends out relatively few survey opportunities (at least to me...it can be different based on your demographics) but they are usually higher value surveys, and I feel like they tend to be more enjoyable than some of the lower value surveys. The minimum to request a check is $10, but you can probably hit that payout in just 2 surveys! To join American Consumer Opinion Panel, click here

Ipsos I-say

I-say has had some of the most interesting and interactive surveys that I have taken. This is another company that rewards you for taking a screener, even if you do not qualify for that particular survey. At the end of every survey you also have the chance to take part in a poll guessing game, and depending on how well you guess you are given entries into a sweepstakes of your choosing. You can cash out at 50 points ($5). To join I-say, click here.

Focus Forward

Focus Forward is one of the newest sites that I have joined. They offer both online survey opportunities as well as in person and over the phone focus groups. I have participated in their surveys, but have yet to qualify for one of the focus groups. You need to have $20 in your account in order to request a check. To join Focus Forward click here.

If you have any questions about online survey opportunities, feel free to send me an email at thriftylivingde@gmail.com!

As a full disclaimer, I want to say that some of these sites do give me credit when I refer someone, so many of the links I have posted are my personal referral links. I am not hoping to get rich through referrals, and so if you would not like to be referred, feel free to sign up directly through the various companies. If you heard about these companies through me or were motivated to sign up for online surveys because of the information that I have provided, I hope that you would use the links that I have posted! Thanks also goes to Carrie @ Money Saving Methods, who got me started with online surveys.