What are paid online surveys and how can we earn?
Companies doing market research are looking for various inputs from the users, which will help them in improving their product, services etc. So they send questionnaires, generally 5 – 40 minutes long to registered users. They will compensate you by awarding points (or equivalent), cash etc, for each completed surveys, which can be redeemed for PayPal cash/gift vouchers etc, when you reach a threshold amount.
Online paid surveys are a good source of extra income. You can do the surveys at home. You need to register on more than one sites that send regular surveys. Complete all the profile surveys in order to get more survey invitations. You will get invitations in the registered email. Try to do the survey as soon as possible as the quota may be finished soon. It is to be noted that you will not be able to complete all surveys as the companies will be targeting a particular group. There will a set of screening questions, based on which you will either get qualified or disqualified. Even if you are qualified and start survey, chances are there that you will be exited from survey in between as what the companies expect may be different. Be honest while answering the questions. Don’t get dejected as this requires lot of patience to complete a survey. Some survey panels compensate with minimum points or sweep stake entries for unsuccessful attempts.
Before looking at a list of legitimate paid online surveys, let me tell you how I started doing online surveys. In 2000, I casually participated in an online survey conducted by Brandquiver, and got a Motorola mobile phone in lucky draw. Since then I had started participating in different surveys and contests.
Mobile phones were just gaining popularity then. My service provider was Escotel. The call charges were around rupees 6 – 8 / min, if what I remember is true.
The amount paid per survey depends on the country we reside. I won $10 for a single survey from SurveySavvy. From AIP online surveys, I have redeemed 300 points for a Rs. 300 Flipkart voucher. Till date I have earned $30 in cash, mobile phone, gift vouchers worth $15 etc.
Some companies pay in cash either through cheque or through PayPal account. Many others give gift vouchers based on accumulated points. There will be a minimum payout limit or threshold after which only we will be able to redeem.
Many posts and websites claim that you can earn a big amount doing surveys. Based on my experience it is not true. There is no short cut to earn money without any effort.
A list of some of the best paid online survey sites
The following are the online paid survey websites which are worth registering with:
Toluna
Global Test Market
https://www.globaltestmarket.com
Opinion World
Xcel Online Surveys
Zippy Opinion
Viewfruit
Rakuten Insights (AIP Online Surveys)
https://member.insight.rakuten.co.in/
Vivatic
Viewpoint Panel
SurveySavvy
iPanelOnline
American Consumer Opinion
Tech Say
India Speaks (for Indians)
Most of the survey sites discussed above are open for International users while some of them are country-specific (e.g in for India Indians can definitely register at the above sites. Please check the respective survey websites for more information on the registration. After registration, you have to complete all the profile surveys in order to get more survey invitations.
Important things to keep in mind while doing survey
Participate seriously in each survey and give an honest opinion. Don’t speed through. Some questions will be to check whether the participant is genuinely taking part. Even participants are given a rating/quality score by some panels. Chances are there that even after attempting 10-15 surveys, you will only be able to finish one or two. Don’t get dejected at this. After accumulating points and redeeming them, confidence will increase. My tip is to register with at least 10 survey sites. The result may not be immediate, but you will start getting them in due course. Never expect a huge amount as a reward. If you are lucky then you can win some cash or points in sweepstakes. But we have to remember that there are thousands of other registered users. You can also refer your friends and relatives. Once they register and complete a survey, you will be given additional points. Check for their respective policies.
There are many websites or blogs which claim that you can earn thousands of dollars doing paid online surveys. Even I am getting lots of mails regarding such paid surveys. Before signing up, just read the reviews on Google. Those who are desperate to earn money will always fall prey to scam sites.
When you go through the survey websites discussed above, you will get a real picture on their payments and other policies. I would also like to tell that I am not promoting any such sites through this blog, but only sharing my experience as a survey enthusiast. There are several other paid surveys available for international users. Just do a search, go through the website and register. All depends on how much time you can spend
Visit the referral section for registration links. To know about other earning opportunities, read other posts in this blog.
Hai sir
I live in kerala. Can join these survey sites and earn money.
Sachin, you can join these surveys by visiting Referral Links section of the blog. For survey panels not listed in this section, you may join directly.