If you’re looking for an easy way to supplement your income without leaving home, you have strong opinions, and you’re good at expressing them, online surveys might be a good idea for you. You won’t be able to quit your job, but the money could help you make a few ends meet.
It will require a fair amount of time and effort, especially early on. But the labor investment diminishes, and the payout increases, as you spread yourself around to multiple survey sites and maximize your use of time.
Before you can take any surveys, you need to do a little research. Separating the bad sites from the good is crucial, and that comes first. Above all, don’t pay anyone. Money should be flowing in exactly one direction: yours. After that, figure out which kind of payout you want: A large number of sites only offer entries in sweepstakes drawings, rewards points, or gift cards, while many others pay you. If you’re looking for help with the bills, you want only the latter. Toluna, SurveySpot and Opinion Outpost are examples of some trusted sites that pay cash; all three use points-for-dollars schemes.
Now you have a list of good sites that pay in cash. Hopefully it’s a long list, because you’re going to need to sign up for ever site you can. Here’s why: Before you can take a survey, you’ll usually have a take a shorter survey that determines whether you qualify to take the regular survey. You often won’t qualify for the regular, paying survey, so you need to have more opportunities in the ready. More sites, more opportunities.
Once your inbox starts filling up with surveys, you start answering them. You may spend five minutes on a survey, or you may spend an hour. Pay is determined by length and the marketing firm providing the survey, among other things. It’s important to be complete, but you also don’t want to waste time you could be spending on more surveys.
