Earn Extra Cash With Online Paid Surveys

When I started taking online surveys a few years ago, I was a bit skeptical.  Rightfully, I thought of it as an industry filled with scam artists.  While there are some websites that masquerade as market research companies, I know through trial and error and experience that there are legitimate market research companies, which will pay consumers for their opinions.  Market research companies usually conduct their research by administering a panel of questions over the phone, by mail, in person, or on the internet.

Companies are interested in knowing what consumers think of a wide range of products and services from food, clothing, electronics, etc.  The reason that they are willing to pay consumers for their opinions, is because the market research is usually targeted to particular groups of people.  In other words, these companies are wanting to gather facts from people in certain demographics. They know that your time is important, so they will pay you for it.

As a hypothetical example, a credit card company might be interested in implementing a new rewards program.  The credit card company will hire a market research company to ask panelists (survey takers) their opinion of the rewards program.  Of course, the market research company will only allow people to participate in the survey if they fit the specific demographics for the research project.  If you don't own a credit card then most likely, you don't qualify to take the survey.  This is a good thing, because the two companies want accurate results.  Also, you would not want to waste your time sitting through a survey that is not relevant to you.

This targeted research saves companies a lot of money in product research and advertising costs.  If companies know that particular products will not be received well by consumers, then the companies probably won't take unnecessary risks in developing and marketing those products.

You will not get rich or be able to quit your day job by taking surveys.  However, the extra cash earned does help. On average, survey websites will pay somewhere between $1.00-$5.00 per qualified survey completed.  There are a variety of payment incentives including check, gift certificates, or PayPal, although some market research companies only offer sweepstakes entries as a reward for completing their survey.

Besides the obvious benefit of getting paid for your opinions, you get to influence.  Companies that distribute and manufacture products take what consumers say into consideration.  Thus, participating in market research has a major impact on the types of products and services that companies market. If there is a way that companies can improve existing products, then they want to know about it. From time to time there are opportunities for panelists to learn what other panelists think, as well.

Now, if you are not the type of person that likes sitting in front of a computer for long periods, then it may not be for you. After hours of survey taking, you might get "numb booty" and your eyes will glaze over, as you click through page after page.  I admit that it can be tedious and boring, depending on the type of survey opportunity offered.  However, I have done some very exciting and interesting surveys in the past.

Here's a list of websites that I have found to be reputable and legitimate in their dealings with survey takers. Please read the terms of service for each website prior to joining.  Some survey websites accept U.S. residents only.


1. Opinion Outpost
2. Toluna
3. My Survey
4. My View
5. Opinion World

Related Posts:

Ten Things You Should Know Before Taking Surveys

Review of Toluna.com

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