“If you don’t value your time, neither will others. Stop giving away your time and talents. Value what you know & start charging for it.”
–Kim Garst
Want $5 free for shopping? Sign up for Swagbucks.
Are you looking for an easy way to make money on the side? Taking online surveys is so simple, you can do it while you browse your favorite websites, watch TV, or even while you wait for water to boil while making dinner. Taking surveys allows you to make money on your own time while you’re doing other things.
How do online survey sites work?
Typically, survey sites ask you multiple questions about a new product or service. Sometimes, they also send you free stuff to try.
Businesses pay these survey sites to collect this information, and part of this money is paid to you.
Why do businesses pay for your opinions?
Marketing is big business. Companies are always trying to target the right audience for the product or service. In doing so, companies are able to cut their advertising expenses and increase sales.
With surveys, the whole point is focusing on different types of people, As a result, you don’t need special qualifications. You just need to be you.
How do you know which sites are reliable?
Maybe you’ve heard of people making money by filling out online surveys, and you’re interested. So you start looking for reputable companies but you’re completely overwhelmed. How do you know if a survey site is worth it? How do you know it’s not a scam or a waste of time?
Instead of wasting your time wondering what survey sites to sign up for, we’ve done the grunt work to find reliable companies so you can get straight to work making money on the side. We searched the internet for reliable survey sites that have been around for a significant period of time. We also made sure that our recommendations have a record of paying survey takers.
How much money can you make?
The earnings vary for each survey site, which is another reason to sign up for multiple survey sites. If you sign up for multiple sites, it’s not uncommon for readers to earn $10-$12 per hour. That’s not a bad wage for answering a few questions while surfing the web.
Should you sign up for multiple survey sites?
We recommend 11 survey sites in this post, which might seem like a lot. But in order to make the most money as a survey taker, you should sign up for as many as you can. Each survey site matches the information you provide about yourself to surveys that fit your demographics. You are only sent so many surveys per month per site, so the more sites you sign up for, the higher your earning potential. There is nothing to lose by signing up for multiple sites because signing up is free and usually requires only basic information and your email address.
The Best Free Survey Sites to Earn More Money in 2016
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is offering For Finance Sake readers a $5 bonus just for signing up. It’s the easiest $5 you’ll make all week.
Swagbucks is much more than a survey site. On Swagbucks, you can earn points (called Swagbucks) for taking surveys, watching videos, surfing the web, shopping online, and playing games. For example, just last week we did several online shopping offers for valuable items. We did an offer where we purchased wine, and received Swagbucks in return. The wine was about $30 after tax and shipping, but we received enough Swagbucks to redeem a $25 Amazon gift card. 4 bottles of wine for less than $5 out of pocket is a crazy good deal.
The earned points can be redeemed for gift cards to awesome places you actually care about, like Amazon, Walmart, Target, Gamestop, Chipotle, and more. You can also use the Swagbucks you earn to enter the Swagbucks Sweepstakes where you can win things like a $250 Visa Gift Card.
Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost is another high quality survey site, that is free to use. Once you sign up and confirm your email address, you can start completing surveys online.
You can redeem your rewards for cash through Paypal, for gift cards like Amazon and iTunes, or enter their quarterly cash giveaway. The payout is quick and easy with Opinion Outpost.
Global Test Market
Global Test Market has you fill out 5-6 surveys each month based on the demographic information you provide. After completing these, you receive Marketpoints which you can trade in for cash or gift cards. Global Test Market also allows you to donate your rewards to UNICEF as a philanthropic option.
My Survey
My Survey has been around more than 50 years, and paid more than $32 million to members in 2014 alone. The biggest selling point for My Survey is the simplicity of the site and the ease of use. It’s extremely easy to signup and get paid.
You receive reward points by taking surveys. There are over 200 reward partners, and you can redeem your points for cash, gift cards, e-certificates, or other vouchers.
Toluna
Toluna takes an interactive approach to online surveys. You are invited to participate in traditional surveys, but you can also answer polls, write product reviews, and just give your honest opinion about various products/services.
Toluna offers numerous rewards options. Anywhere from department stores to restaurants to entering monthly sweepstakes where you can win $4,500 or a brand new smartphone. There is also a unique reward option called Gifties. A Giftie is a virtual icon that, when clicked, becomes real if you are randomly selected as a winner. It’s sort of like buying a lottery card at the gas station. It’s a low number of rewards points that could turn into a really nice item. This option isn’t for everyone, but a fun little motivator if you’re feeling lucky.
VIP Voice
VIP Voice is different than other survey sites. You earn points that you use in either BidLand or SweepLand. Bidland is the auction portion of the rewards center where you can use your points to bid on items like kitchen appliances. The category for Bidland changes monthly. Sweepland is a sweepstakes style portion of the rewards center where you can win bigger prizes like Caribbean vacations, HD tvs, patio sets, and new laptops.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a newer online survey site that is very streamlined and easy to use. Their system is simple and users rave about how easy it is to participate.
The survey system is easy to get started – just sign up via email, then begin earning points by taking surveys. Once you accumulate points, you are able to cash out via Paypal or by purchasing various gift cards.
Univox Community
Univox is unique in that the points you accrue can be used to get paid via Paypal (cash), Amazon gift cards (as good as cash) and Virtual Visa gift cards (the same as cash for online purchases.) Univox is a no-fuss survey site you’re sure to love for its minimalistic approach to survey rewards.
You can earn more rewards through their referral system and customer service is readily available. Univox is also a BBB accredited site.
Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research is one of the largest online survey and marketing research firms out there. Many of their surveys pay top dollar if you are invited to participate.
Once you sign up with Pinecone, you’ll receive an email letting you know that a survey is available. Fill out the survey to earn points that you can collect to trade in for cash or prizes. Pinecone will also occasionally send you products to try. Pinecone hosts quarterly sweepstakes where the winner receives $4,500 and bi-weekly sweepstakes where the winner gets $500.
The Best Online Survey Sites of 2016 – Conclusion
While survey sites won’t replace your regular 9-5 income, they are a good source of extra cash. The sites mentioned in this post are well-established, and have been paying survey takers for several years.