Top Paid Online Surveys

Can you make money with online surveys? With thousands of people trying to find a way to make some extra money online everyday, paid online surveys sites are popping up everywhere. With so many out there (some good, some - well, not so good) it's hard to determine what to believe. In an attempt to clarify the ins and outs, and the myths and realities of paid online surveys, I have composed a series of questions and answers to help you sort everything out. We'll start with the basics and then get into the nitty gritty.

At the bottom of this page you will find my top recommendations for paid survey companies.

Question: Is this for real? Why would someone pay me to take online surveys?

Answer: Yes, this is for real. There are literally hundreds of legitimate market research companies out there who offer incentives for your opinion. Companies have come to these firms to get public opinions on their products or services and are willing to pay them to find out what you think. They then pass some of that payment onto you.

Question: What are the surveys about?

Answer: Just about anything that you can think of. You may be asked to review a movie trailer for a new movie, what kind of peanut butter you like, what restaurants you frequent, you name it. From barbeque grills to medical questions to appliances to what you had for dinner last night. There are sites for specific age groups, professions, hobbies and interests. The surveys are generally very interesting and these companies are looking for your opinion on how to shape their products.

Question: How does it work?

Answer: Each company works a bit differently, but here are the basics of online surveys. You will sign-up for a paid survey site. You will enter some basic demographic information (age, gender, etc…), and when they have a survey available in which they are looking for someone who fits your profile, they will send you an invitation to take a survey. The invitation will usually contain a link directly to the survey and the incentive they are offering for you to take the survey. Just click on the link and take the survey to qualify for the reward.

Question: What kinds of incentives are offered?

Answer: The incentives vary for each site, but generally the incentives take the following forms: cash, gift certificates (Amazon gift certificates being the most popular), merchandise (DVD's, small appliances, electronic gadgets, cookware, etc…), and charity donations. Each survey site will offer one or several of the above incentives for your participation in their surveys. Some will offer these straight out, for example "get paid $5.00 to take this survey", some offer these in the form of a drawing and others have a point system in which accumulated points can be "cashed in" for the items above.

Question: Can I get rich just by taking online surveys?

Answer: So many people ask me if there are going to be able to retire by taking online surveys. Well, that's just not going to happen. Where it is possible to make a decent amount of money by making referrals or by running a survey related website, you're just not going to be making a full-time salary by simply taking surveys. There are a lot of sites out there advertising that you can make thousands of dollars per week or make $45 dollars and hour for taking online surveys (you can actually make $45 dollars an hour for a particular survey, but you won't always make that much and it may only be a 10 minute survey).

Question: How much can I make?

Answer: That's really hard to say. It really depends on a number of factors. How many sites did you sign-up with? How often do you take the surveys you are invited to take? What is your demographic? Etc… But I won't just leave you hanging at that. I would say, if you sign-up for a number of survey sites, take the majority of the surveys you are invited to and are not limited in life experience, you could make perhaps $1,000 to $2,000 a year in cash or something equivalent. Mostly you will get smaller payments ($1.00 to $10.00) for a survey but I've seen them pay as much as $200. Treat this as extra cash, not a career. You can easily make enough to take the family out for dinner, buy a few extras, get a few nice things for around the house or save it all for your Christmas shopping.

Question: So, is it worth it?

Answer: Yes, it is. Whereas, it's not going to make you filthy rich, it's certainly an easy and fun way to make a few extra bucks. I find the surveys to be enjoyable to participate in and for the time spent, the compensation is pretty good.

Here are a few Top Online Surveys resources that I have reviewed overtime (All sites open in a new window so that you don't lose this place):

Survey Platinum
Survey Platinum is a new entrant to the Paid Surveys industry and they are already establishing themselves as a quality provider of paid surveys.

Company Says:
• Get paid $5.00 - $150.00 for taking Online Surveys
• Get Paid up to $250.00 for participating in focus groups
• Get paid up to $100.00 for participating in phone surveys
• Try new products for FREE and get paid, also.
• Get paid to read emails
• Get paid to drive a car
My Ratings - 9/10.
Visit Website Now!

Get Cash For Surveys
One of the rising stars in the Paid Surveys industry. Get Cash For Surveys claims you can make $10.00 in just 8 Minutes, over and over working from home.

Company Says:
"Take paid surveys and make up to $250 per hour cash.You are on your way to the relaxing and rewarding lifestyle of making money with surveys online..."
My Ratings - 7/10.
Visit Website Now!

SurveyScout.com - Paid For Your Opinions
Survey Scout has been around for a while and offer quality surveys. They also give you an instant $25 survey.

Company Says:
"Companies spend millions of dollars a year on consumer research, and you can get paid up to $150/hour for taking simple surveys and sharing your opinions. Join SurveyScout - where your 2 cents are worth more than you think!"
My Ratings - 7/10.
Visit Website Now!

TopOnlineSurveys.com
A new entrant in the market but not as good as the rest of the three above. The price for registration is the same as the above three.

Company Says:
"Top Online Surveys pays you $5 to $75 just to fill out simple online surveys from the comfort of your own home. Get paid $20 to $200 for participating in focus group panels for 30 to 60 minutes. THAT'S IT! No catch, no gimmick."
My Ratings - 6/10.
Visit Website Now!

You may also find some free Paid Survey Sites but they are mostly are a waste of time since their payout ratio is far more less compared to Premium Survey sites above. Your time is worth more than 2 cents a survey! These paid sites pay a very high amount per survey that can be anything between $5-$250 per survey. That's some easy typing money.

To save time and effort while filling out survey forms I use a free software called Roboform. May be you have heard of it. It eases the task of filling the forms by automatically doing it for you - better still its Free!