Have you thought to yourself, “Can you really make money taking surveys?” I thought about doing online surveys to make money for a couple of months before I pulled the trigger and signed up with some companies.

The answer to the question is, yes, you can absolutely make money with online surveys. This is not to say you will make BIG money from taking surveys online. I have personally made money doing surveys and I can tell you it is something that is quite easy to do.

You shouldn’t make less than $6 – $8 per hour if you fit into a favorable demographic. The problem is you will not have enough surveys to work for many hours each day, so it is a supplemental income opportunity, not an income replacement opportunity.

There are also the opportunites to test products for feedback. For example, I once was sent paper towels to use over a three-week period and provided feedback to the company regarding the products. This saved me a little money since I did not have to purchase paper towels for those three weeks, and I was compensated as well.

In this article, we will go over the pros and cons of using surveys for cash online, as well as 7 high quality companies to use for online surveys to make money, and 2 bonus companies!

Pros and Cons of making money with online surveys:

The PROS of using surveys for cash online include:

1. They are free!
2. Anyone can do them (no training).
3. They can be fun for certain people.
4. You can do them while watching TV or in your downtime.
5. You can make money with online surveys any time of the day.
6. You may receive free products to test.
7. You may be invited to focus groups for even more money.
8. Most surveys don’t take much time.
9. You get to provide valuable feedback to high quality companies.

The CONS of using surveys for cash online include:

1. Some people find surveys boring.
2. You will receive a ton of emails.
3. You will not make huge money.
4. Pre-survey qualification questions can eat into your time and reduce your hourly income.
5. Some companies use a point system that can be confusing.
6. You may not fit into the most favored demographics for companies, so you may have less opportunities for surveys.
7. Some surveys have restrictions to a specific location.
8. Not enough surveys to do it fulltime.

A tip about spam and using surveys to make money online

When you sign up for survey companies, you will receive a TON of emails. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, because many emails are opportunities to fill surveys for cash online.

Many people have a separate email they use for anything that may be spammy (I personally have two). I highly suggest using a separate email for these survey sites. If you don’t have one, it takes 2 minutes to create a Gmail account. You can create an account here: GMAIL SIGNUP

Once you have an email account for the plethora of emails, you should really sign up for multiple survey sites since you may only have a few opportunities per site everyday or every few days.  I suggest signing up for all 9 of these. 

7 high quality companies for online surveys to make money

Here are 7 high quality companies for online surveys to make money. Large, well known corporations, educational institutions, and non-profits, hire these companies to do market research via the surveys they provide.  They are broken down into the following categories:

1. Companies that pay cash/check.
2. Companies that pay cash and also provide other ways to make some extra money.
3. Two bonus companies that allow you to partake in rewards programs.

Companies that pay Cash Via Paypal and/or Check:

1.  Pinecone Research 

Pinecone Research is one of my favorite sites to make money with online surveys due to the quality of their surveys.  They do not send as many surveys as some of the other sites, but these usually pay a little higher than some of the other surveys, and they are very targeted to you.

 Click here to Signup for Pinecone Research: Pinecone Research Signup

2.  Global Test Market

Global Test Market is a huge, global, paid survey site.  It is one of the largest paid survey sites and is used by many high quality companies across the globe.  Like many of these sites, Global Test Market has a point system instead of just showing you the exact amount of money accumulated.  The point systems can always be a little confusing so make sure you write down how the point system works when you begin.

 Click here to Signup for Global Test Market: Global Test Market Signup

3.  Opinion Outpost

One of the great things about Opinion Outpost is how easy it is to cash out with a low account balance.  Some survey sites don’t allow you to cash out until you reach a threshold of $25+.  Opinion Outpost has one of the lower thresholds out there.

 Click here to Signup for Opinion Outpost: Opinion Outpost Signup

4.  Ipsos

Ipsos can be a good option to make money with online surveys.  However, the amount of surveys may not be that high depending on your demographic.  Like most of these sites, try it out and see if you are receiving enough surveys to make sense of using them.  If not, focus your time on the companies which provide a better return.

Sign up for Ipsos here: Ipsos-I Say Signup

Sites that offer to pay cash, and also include other options for making some extra money

5.  Swagbucks

Swagbucks is probably the most unique website on this list.  It has a fan base that can be obsessed with it.  Swagbucks uses SBs (swag bucks) to accumulate until you cash out.  You can cash out with PayPal or something like an Amazon gift card. They are not strictly a survey site (like many of the sites on this list).  They also offer opportunities to make a little extra money via cashback for online shopping, making a little money using their search engine, you can even play games and watch videos for a little extra cash.

Click here to sign up for Swagbucks: Swagbucks sign up (you will recieve $5 for signing up!)

6.  Inbox Dollars

Inbox dollars has some similarities to Swagbucks.  You can complete surveys, use their search engine or check emails to make a little money.  Some people love this site due to the extra opportunities other than surveys.  They also have an app that you can download.

Signup for InboxDollars here: Inbox Dollars Signup 

7.  Mypoints

MyPoints is another site where you can earn money doing their surveys.  They are not strictly a survey site like a few of the aforementioned sites.  With MyPoints there are also games, videos and shopping earning opportunities.

Sign up for MyPoints here: MyPoints Signup

Bonus Sites – surveys you can do for rewards

8.  VIP Voice

Some people like VIP Voice because the surveys are usually shorter and some are in the form of games.  You can use your points to bid on prizes like electronics, gift cards, or for a chance to win sweepstakes.

 Click here to sign up for VIP Voice: VIP Voice Sign up

9.  Harris Poll

You have probably been called by Harris Poll at some point in your life.  It has a top of mind brand name because of this; especially during elections!  If there is a negative thing to mention about Harris Poll it is probably their customer service.  But they will have legit surveys for you to take.

Click here to sign up for Harris Poll: Harris Poll Sign up

Here is a full list of links you may use to sign up for the companies:

1. Pinecone Research
2. Global Test Market
3. Opinion Outpost
4. Ipsos 
5. Swagbucks (you get $5 when you sign up!)
6. Inbox Dollars 
7. Mypoints
8. VIP Voice
9. Harris Poll

Thanks for reading!  You may also like these related articles by Stock Street:

Livin’ the 60/40 Life

Uber Hack – Get Paid for Your Commute to Work

Amazon Mechanical Turk; Is it a viable way to make extra income?

Clickworker – Is it a legitimate work from home job?

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This article contains affiliate links.  Read my disclaimer here: Disclaimer