Survey Site Reviews for You
Keys:
Secure
Site - These sites offer encryption when you sign up so
your data isn't
plastered all over the 'net.
Refer a
Friend Program - These sites offer incentive programs when
you get
friends to sign up via email invitations.
You don't need to get a referral before you get paid. It's just an extra incentive offer.
Surveys
for Money
-
'Nuff said
Points
Accrual System - These sites have a
program where you accrue points through surveys and screenings and can
redeem them for cash or prizes.
American
Consumer Opinion
They lost my registration made me re-register. I did because they pay
out consistently.
ACOP's email for help wasn't all that great.
I suddenly couldn't get in to update my profile so sent them an email
asking if my registration was on file.
I got an auto-reply about what happens after I join which meant they
never really read the question and I had to fill out another online
profile.
Besides the login issues though, they're good about sending surveys
that fit your profile and they're pretty good about keeping their site
secure even if you're getting re-directed to another site.
Buzzback
Cash and prizes. You need to login every once in awhile to maintain
account activity.
Consumer
Link
Doesn't recognize the latest version of Firefox but is fine in IE. You
must have javascript enabled to participate.
ECN Research - Their traffic incentive application DRAGGED me through everyone else's survey membership sign-ups like a walk-through site (the kind where you think you're going to get a free iPod or whatever but have to give them information just short of what the IRS knows about you). I gave up after 3 pages of declining stuff, immediately unsubscribed from their list and they've been spamming me ever since. No link to them here. I don't want to be affiliated with something like that.
Want to know more about Freebie Trading? Check out "The Freebie Guy" and he'll tell you how to get started, no strings attached.
He also just got a partner and bought Calistyle101 - a site with a support forum (it's easy to get burned so you need savvy friends in this business) and video tutorials.
Esearch
Esearch is a reliable survey company that sends out invitations about
once or twice a month.
Incentive: Cash via Pay Pal or prizes - The details will be spelled out
in the email invitation so you can pick and choose.
Word of caution
- While esearch claims to keep your information
private, I could find no indication that the application/profile page
was secure.
User ID will always be in the email and keep these emails.
They are the only way to track your account.
Target audience is US, Canada, UK
Fusion
Cash
This is an incentive-based program where you try new products and
surveys, collect points (very slowly) and cash in.
I have yet to meet one person that's ever made it through to the cash.
Drop me a line if you have.
US only. Pays via PayPal.
Global
Test Market
They pay about 50 points per survey so the points add up fast.
Only one membership allowed per household.
1000 points can be redeemed for $50 - mails checks.
Refer a Friend program gives 20 points for each sign-up
Greenfield OnlineAS OF January 5, 2010, Greenfield has merged with Toluna which runs on a points system.
Toluna took over Your Two Cents in mid-2009 so keep an eye out for them as you will probably start to run into duplicate survey screenings.
100 points = $1.00. 100 point minimum per completed survey and 50 points for each friend referred. 1000 point cashout threshold. Pays only cash.
Ipsos Survey Panel
You'll get about 1 survey a
month. Complete one each month 3 months in a row and you'll get bumped
up to a VIP Membership which gets you entries to win a car at the end
of the year and also into a quarterly drawing for a trip for two.
It's a 50 point minimum to redeem them for merchandise and gift cards.
You can accrue points daily just by logging in.
There's a quarterly sweepstakes for $5,000 and a "Poll Predictor" game
for a chance to win other merchandise.
They are a global company with 6 million surveys given in over 100
countries each year.
Registration Page is authenticated by VeriSign.
Lightspeed Panel
Points accrual system with a redemption that starts at 100 points for music downloads and 575 for a $5.00 PayPal deposit.
Be sure and log in and check in on your account because your points will expire if not redeemed.
$5000 cash prize drawing every 3 months.
Mindfieldonline
An email confirmation will take you to an online login and then you can fill out a series of profiling questionnaires. They have a minimum cash-out of $5.00 USD
Music Research
Like music? Listen and win just like back in the day when they had things called "radio stations."
Sign up and start listening right away.
Nielsen
I signed up for this when I read about the perks, but blew it off when
I read on some forums that they stick you with a bunch of spyware.
Sorry. No link.
My Survey - My
Survey works
on a point redemption system. You must
accrue 1,000 points to be eligible for a cash redemption and you can
cash in points in lots of 1,000 for a cash or you can donate it to
charity or merchandise.
Log in every day for an entry into their daily 10,000 point giveaway.
Their recently suspended Refer-A-Friend program is back online
(3/01/2009) at 150 points for each referral.
There are great prizes to
be through their sister site called Sweepland.
You get points for surveys and then can decide how many points you want
to enter for each drawing.
You don't have to enter them all at once.
There's a $100 cash drawing every day.
Refer-a-Friend gets you more entries.
Opinion
Outpost
Points for cash redemption. Minimum of 50 points (equivalent of 5 bucks) must be accrued before you can cash it in.
They also now offer the same points-cash equivalent into your Amazon Account.
Refer-a-Friend program earns
10 points ($1.00) per sign-up.
You must take a survey once every 3 months to maintain your account.
Opinion
Square
OS wants to install software on your computer... not my style. The link
is here if you want it.
Resonance
Research
Good site. Payment is through PayPal or by check (they tack on a $1
processing fee for checks). Yes, they do pay.
Be ready to take a little time to explain your views. Accuracy and
honesty really count here because they will give you preference to
future cash survey invitations according to your responses.
Survey Savvy
A good site with consistent mailings and cash payouts.
Monthly drawings.
They issue checks for payouts.
Survey
Spot
A couple of things:
SurveySpot has a strange habit of dumping a load of emails on you and
also informing you that they have other surveys waiting for you once
you've completed one. These
are not always the same surveys. I found this out by once
flying through all of the "waiting" surveys and then clicking on
another email link. In fact, I've had monetary surveys waiting for me
that never showed in my email inbox. That's money I never would've
pocketed if I had just followed the email announcements.
You have to ask for your money. That means that you need to check your
account periodically. If the money accrues for too long, it will be
donated to charity.
Compensation is points accrual and cash out is now through PayPal. There's a minimum 1000 points for 10 dollars before you can request compensation.
If you prefer, you can donate the money instead.
Instant Win games including a $250 prize (I instantly lose but there are some nice prizes to be had.)
Test
Spin
Points accrual at a $10 minimun in either a PayPal payout or for
amazon.com gift certificates.
I just stockpile these for Christmas.
They're big into tech surveys - especially if you are a purchasing
manager.
Member of the BBB
Survey Scout
If you don't mind shelling out a little cash to save yourself some time, you can go to a place like SurveyScout and pay their membership fee and get more surveys than you could possibly deal with unless you wanted to put in about 50 hours a week.SurveyScout's database is well over 300 entries long and was updated March of '09.
I'm a member of SurveyScout . I wouldn't promote a site that I haven't had success with and I won't BS you by pretending that I don't have an interest in getting you there, but there's plenty more here for you to check out without ever going there .
Sometimes though, you sit at your 'puter and wonder if any of those pay sites are worth it.
For my needs, this one was worth the fee.
They also tell you how the surveys pay (cash, prizes or both).
I wouldn't discount the prizes section completely (like I used to do). Several offer "Cash Prizes" that I've won on so you could pick up money that way or maybe win something you can sell on Ebay.
Other things SurveyScout has is a column for regions. Sometimes if you live outside of a certain country, you're ineligible to take the surveys offered. This is another time saver. They also identify "specialty" demographics - things like sites for teens, regional (US) or statewide focus groups and surveys for people in a specialty field like health care. They will also list incentives and types of surveys - taste testers, product testers, mystery shoppers, in-house focus groups (which can be lucrative - I met a guy in a focus group that told me he made his car payment every month just participating in focus groups).
