Surveys for Money: Should You Take Online Paid Surveys?

Taking online surveys for money is an easy way to make some extra cash in your free time, but don’t expect paid surveys to replace your day job.

In this article, we’ll explain how paid survey sites work, how much money you can reasonably make taking online surveys, and which survey websites are most worth your time.

How Do Paid Survey Sites Work?

Paid survey sites work by linking survey takers to surveys created by companies who want to perform market research. These companies pay the survey site to provide them with market research, and the survey sites pay users to take the surveys.

To begin, most survey sites ask users to fill out a profile that helps match them to relevant surveys. For example, the survey site might need the opinions of adults in a particular age range or income bracket.

For most survey sites, users can then complete surveys in exchange for points. After earning a certain number of points (this varies depending on the site), you can then exchange them for actual money or other rewards such as gift cards.

The payments are low, usually far less than minimum wage. But, the work is relatively easy, and you can do it at home. Even small amounts can build up if you take enough surveys, and some survey sites have referral programs and other incentives that can help you earn more the more surveys you take.

You won’t qualify for every survey, and can even be disqualified after starting a survey and answering a few questions. For example, the survey might want the opinions of people with different demographics. Some paid survey sites compensate you for the wasted time, but this is pretty rare.

Are Paid Surveys Worth it?

Paid surveys are worth it if you need a little extra cash, but not if you want to earn a decent amount of money. There are better side hustles out there to supplement your income. But paid surveys are a decent option if you find them fun. If surveys for money feel like work, you should look at a few alternatives.

Overall, paid surveys can provide some extra income, but the payouts are equal to less than minimum wage. Paid surveys won’t replace a job, but they can be worth it if you need a little extra money, or if you take them on the side while doing something else, such as watching Netflix.

Best Online Surveys for Money

Many sites offer surveys for money. Some are legit; others are not. Many paid survey sites ask for personal information, like social security numbers, date of birth, zip codes, and so on. You need to be careful about the information they share. Users should consider using a secondary email address for survey websites to avoid excessive spam.

Here’s a list of the best websites that offer surveys for money. The surveys for money sites are listed from best to worst, but all are legitimate, high-quality paid survey sites, and some may suit your needs or interests more than others.

PrizeRebel

In our opinion, PrizeRebel is the best site to get paid to take surveys. You can sign up for PrizeRebel via Facebook or through email. PrizeRebel connects users to various third-party surveys, so there are a lot of options to choose from.

Much like with most survey sites, on PrizeRebel you earn points for taking surveys. Each PrizeRebel point is equal to 1 cent. Survey prices vary, and some can pay $5-10 per hour. You need to earn a minimum of $5 worth of points to cash out for real money. Payouts are through PayPal or gift cards.

PrizeRebel also has a referral scheme that allows you to earn a portion of the points earned by people you refer to the website, which is a great way to earn even more money.

Sign up perks: 500 points for completing the profile survey

Average earnings: $2 per hour

Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is one of the longest-running and most trustworthy paid survey sites out there. It has a clean, easy-to-use interface. Survey Junkie has a good variety of surveys available daily.

If you sign up for Survey Junkie, you will instantly get a bonus 25 points to start. You can make an additional 50 bonus points for completing your profile survey. Completing the profile survey helps you qualify for more surveys as well, thereby increasing your earning potential.

On Survey Junkie, one point equals 1 cent. Users must earn over 1000 points ($10) before you can cash out.

Sign-up perks: 25 bonus points for joining, 50 bonus points for completing the profile survey.

Average earnings: $1.50 per hour

Opinion Outpost

Opinion Outpost is a great site to take surveys for money. It has a clean, straightforward interface that takes a lot of confusion out of finding surveys.

After signing up for Opinion Outpost, they will run you through an efficient screening method to help you qualify for more surveys. Many of the surveys are fun and easy to complete.

Opinion Outpost pays out through PayPal or via Amazon or iTunes gift cards. Each Opinion Outpost point is worth about 10 cents. You need a minimum of $10 worth of points to withdraw money.

Sign up perks: None

Average earnings: $1.50 per hour

YouGov

YouGov doesn’t have the same fancy interface that some of the other survey sites do, but it is one of the best places to take surveys for money.

After signing up for YouGov, you have to go through a thorough screening process, which takes a bit longer than some other sites, but ultimately helps you qualify for relevant surveys, and reduces the chances you’ll be disqualified from a survey after starting it.

YouGov also emails you when surveys you qualify are available, so you can be more passive in your survey taking compared to some of the other sites.

Users should beware that not all YouGov surveys reward points, so if your sole goal is earning points to exchange for cash, pay careful attention when selecting surveys to take. Additionally, there are a limited number of surveys available each day.

YouGov pays via bank transfer or gift cards, which may make it an ideal option if you can’t use PayPal.

You need at least 50,000 points to redeem money, but if you prefer you can get payments via Amazon gift cards with just 25,000 points. Each YouGov point is worth around 0.001 cents.

Sign up perks: 500 points for completing the profile survey

Average earnings: $1.50 per hour

OnePoll

OnePoll is a UK-based survey aggregator. The user interface is user-friendly and clean. OnePoll matches you with various brands, like Halifax, Kelloggs, and Philips. There are a limited number of surveys available each day.

OnePoll payout in cash, so they might be the best option for you if you don’t want to deal with a points system.

The downside is that the cash-out threshold is much higher than points-based sites, in that you need to earn a minimum of $40 to claim your payment. Surveys pay, on average, $0.25, so you should expect to do 40 or more surveys to meet this threshold.

Sign up perks: $5

Average earnings: $1.25 per hour

Lifepoints

Lifepoints is another great option for taking surveys for money. The company connects users with brands like Contiki and Popeyes. Lifepoints is easy to use and has a good interface. There are a limited number of surveys available each day.

Each Lifepoint point, also just called “lifepoints” is worth around 0.1 cents. Lifepoints pays out through PayPal or via gift cards. The payout threshold is $10 for cash and $5 for gift cards.

Sign-up perks: 10 points.

Average earnings: $1.25 per hour

i-Say

i-Say is a reputable direct surveys for money website. All their surveys are on-site, meaning won’t get redirected to third-party survey sites like you will on some other websites. i-Say has fewer surveys than other sites on this list, so we’d recommend signing up for at least one other site if you use i-Say.

Each i-Say point is worth 1 cent. You can redeem your payment after earning 500 points. The payment options are Starbucks cards, gift cards (Walmart or Amazon), or a charity donation to the American Heart Association.

Sign up perks: None

Average earnings: $1 per hour

Swagbucks

Swagbucks aggregates surveys from tons of different websites, so it has a lot more variety than some other options. That being said, they still use profile questions to match you with various surveys.

Swagbucks will disqualify users for some surveys based on their demographics. In addition, Swagbucks’ survey disqualification rate is higher than other surveys for money websites, so despite having more variety, depending on your demographics it might not work as well as other sites for you.

Swagbucks has a good mix of rewards. Users can earn Amazon gift cards or Paypal payments. One swag buck (SB) is equivalent to 1 cent.

Sign up perks: n/a

Average earnings: $0.90 per hour

Toluna

Toluna is a flexible surveys for money website. You can choose from many survey categories. This means it’s easier to find and take paid surveys on topics you’re interested in, which can make the process more enjoyable.

Toluna offers two types of surveys for money: profile surveys or longer surveys.

Profile surveys are available as soon as you sign up for Toluna. These surveys take 1 to 2 minutes and payout 100 points. These surveys use questions to find out more about you. Toluna then uses this information to match you with other surveys that will pay more points.

Longer surveys are accessed from Toluna’s survey center. These paid surveys will redirect you to third-party websites, but are legit.

You can earn awards, sweepstakes, or “gifites” with longer surveys. Three thousand points is equal to about $1. You’ll need about $10 (or 30,000 points) to claim payment through PayPal, an Amazon gift card, or a check.

Sign up perks: 500 bonus points

Average earnings: $0.75 per hour

Inbox Dollars

Inbox Dollars is a decent surveys for money website. They are transparent about the time each survey takes. Also, Inbox Dollars includes the dollar amount of each survey up front. The combination of these two aspects makes it easier to know what you’re getting into before taking a survey.

Inbox Dollars also connects users with other survey sites. When you click on a survey, you will often be sent to a different website. The third-party website’s quality varies. Some of them ask for too much personal information. So users should be careful.

Sign up perks: $5 bonus

Average earnings: $0.40 per hour