Online survey sites are a fun way to earn a little extra money from home. I emphasize “little” because I don’t want you to think that you will be able to quit your job and work from home doing surveys…although that sure would be nice! I don’t have much time to do these anymore, but all the sites listed here are sites that I have used before and have had a pleasant experience working with. Back in the day, I would just do surveys at night while watching TV on the couch- by the time Christmas came around I had a nice little stash of cash, Amazon credits and Paypal deposits that made for some nice extra gifts!
Remember: It’s a good idea to create a separate email account for the purpose of signing up for deals, survey sites, and word-of-mouth marketing sites so your personal email account doesn’t become so jumbled that you miss out on important emails and great deals!
- Pinecone Research is the only survey site I still use on a regular basis. They email you surveys and you will ALWAYS qualify for them. Some surveys even result in a FREE product being sent to your home to test. Each survey earns $3 and is deposited into your paypal account. They are not always accepting new applications, but keep checking. Currently, they are specifically looking for Hispanic panel members. Once you are in, you stay in until you don’t respond to 3 consecutive invitations.
- National Consumer Panel is a really fun program that sends you a scanner (just like the one my husband always tried to steal from me when we were doing our wedding registry…) and has you scan your groceries after you purchase them! You earn points every time you scan, as well as by completing surveys that are sent to you online. You can redeem your points for a number of different prizes out of their catalog.
- Opinion Outpost is one of the easier survey sites to cash out from. You can use points earned by taking surveys for Amazon gift cards, Citibank gift cards, or a check by mail.
- Global Test Market Panel is very straightforward- take online surveys for points, redeem your points for cash as soon as you meet a minimum threshold.
- Mindfield Panel- Fill out profiles and wait for emailed survey opportunities. Each survey completed is worth a different cash amount. Once you have $5 in your account you can have a check mailed to you!
- Inbox Dollars- I actually haven’t used this one myself, so I asked you guys what your thoughts were on this company. The consensus seems to be that although it takes time to get to the $30 threshold where you can cash out, it is easy and worthwhile. You earn your money by taking surveys, opening emails, searching the web, etc. Right now they are offering a $5 sign-up bonus, so it’s worth a try, right?!?
- Ipsos I-Say- Ipsos i-Say survey company is looking for moms for their survey panels! Ipsos i-Say is a survey company that has been around for a long time and has a great reputation. I looked on a few survey review sites, and it looks like you can make around $10 per month with this survey company (and $120 a year will definitely help with the holidays!).
- If you sign up with these companies, you will have plenty of surveys waiting for you in your in-box…and a chance to make a little $$$ on your down-time. Have fun
what about secret shopping. i really want to do that!
Sarah, you should go to mysteryshop.org and they provide a list of mystery shop companies.
We just got the NCP scanner in the mail last Thursday. The kids are having fun scanning everything we buy. Can’t wait to see what we can earn.
A couple other good ones are Mysurvey and MyView. I got to do a project with MyView where I got over 100,000 points. I got a lot of gift cards with that!
Wow Anika! Just ONE project with that many points? That’s awesome!! How many hours do you think that project took?
Do you actually make enough to make it worth the time you spend? (I’m looking for a work-from-home situation.) Thanks!
Carrie – It’s more of a “coffee budget” or a “saving all year for Christmas presents” thing than something that really could be an extra income. If you are looking for work from home type jobs I would use this as an addition, but definitely not enough to be a true extra income.
How safe are these to do? I have concerns with giving so much personal information over the internet.
Andrea- I totally agree, it is almost impossible to tell sometimes whether something online is legit or not…but these are all companies I have used myself. None of these sites should ever ask for any personal info i.e. credit card, etc!
I have been using MyPoints for years and have earned a ton of gift cards. What I like about it is that you don’t have to do or buy anything (unless you want to). The cards come in handy to give as gifts or to buy Christmas gifts with. I would love to share an invite if anyone is interested !
@Kelly O I’d like an invite! My email is daricelevasseur1980@gmail.com. Thanks!
I would! Thanks!
Pinecone is my favorite too
yay page not found
The pinecone link doesn’t work. It takes me to a page with 3 questions- but the questions are not there, only the answers!
That’s weird, Sara Munoz Munoz- the pinecone link is working for me…I had no trouble with Chrome, maybe try that if you haven’t already!
I love this idea!! The last time I saw this posted on the site I went ahead and signed up with Opinion Outpost. The only problem is that it seems like it will take for-ev-er to make any money at it. The surveys only give you an average of 10 pts and take 20 minutes to complete. When I checked how many points it took to get the minimum gift card it said a THOUSAND
Any suggestions?
DeAnna – the surveys with low point values are probably just the “screener” portion of the survey where they decide whether or not you are the type of person they are looking for. Now, if you are selected to take the FULL survey, the point values are much higher. It can be frustrating to take so many surveys and never get past the screener portion, but if you stick with it, you might be surprised that you are receiving more surveys and your points are collecting faster. You may want to join a few different companies and see if you like one better than the other. My favorite is Pinecone research…but you may have a different opinion! Good Luck!
got to check it out
I use inboxdollars and my points. Love them both. I am so close to getting the $30. It does take about a year if you dont buy anything but hey for clicking links I will eventually get $30. My points i just cashed in my points for a $25 dollar gift card for childrens place. I just wait for free shipping and sales and I get free kids clothes. Swagbucks is a cool site similar to mypoints. I have gotten toys for my son and a $10 dollar gift card just for entering codes they post on facebook. Oh and smiley360 isnt really a survey site but they send you full size products to try and free coupons. I have gotten free soy sauce, free knorr chicken stock and free toothpaste all in the past year.