Websites that Pay you to take Surveys
There are many websites that offer you the opportunity to take online surveys. Not so many though that are legitimately going to pay you. The majority of those that do are owned and/or operated by Market Research Companies. They invite membership to Online Paid Survey Panels which, once you have completed an application and joined, periodically email survey invitations.
International Market Research Companies include:
GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.). Founded in 1999 and with global headquarters in Bellevue, Wash., USA, GMI serves 1400 clients in the Americas, EMEA and Asia-Pacific. They power the Online PanelGlobalTestMarket.
Research Now. Claim to be the world’s largest permission based online data collection specialists, stretching across 37 countries, and comprising of over 6 million members. They own and manage theValued Opinionsfamily of Online Panels.
Lightspeed Research. In 1937, established the first 1,000 person mail panel in the US. In 1970, conducted their first telephone interviews, and in 1996 became a provider of online research. Under the banner ofLightspeedPanel, they now have deeply profiled proprietary Panels across 24 countries in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific.
Survey Sampling International (SSI). Claim to be the premier global provider of sampling solutions for survey research. They provide access to more than 6 million respondents in 72 countries. Their proprietary Panel communities includeOpinion World, Survey Spot (US) and Your Voice (Australia).
Toluna. With the 2010 acquisition of Greenfield Online, Toluna claim they are now the world’s largest online market research panel and online survey software provider to the global market research industry. Their online Panel operates under the same banner –Toluna.
Pureprofile. Founded in Australia in 2000, and launched in 2002, Pureprofile is now a global company with offices in Sydney, London and Mumbai. They have more than 550,000 Account Holders and 500 clients. Their online Panel, operating under the same name,Pureprofile, works with some of the world’s leading researchers – Galaxy Research, Synovate, Ipsos, and TNS 5th Dimension.
Then there are third party websites that simply host online surveys from Market Research Companies that either do not have their own online Panel, or are not represented in a particular country. The most prominent of these, operating internationally, isSurveyhead.
The above websites are all legitimate survey sites, and all pay rewards or incentives of some form. However, there are some big differences between the best and the worst of them. Before elaborating, I feel obliged to point out some of my observations and opinions are influenced by my demographic. Others are not, and would apply to all members of the Panel/s.
Firstly Toluna - this is the only site I would NOT recommend. They send heaps of email invitations, but I am screened out of most of them, sometimes after only stating my age and sex. This should not happen. The answers I provided in the many profile surveys they had me complete, means I should only receive targeted invitations for which I am LIKELY to qualify. Most of the other Panels seem to be able to manage this. In any event, the Toluna rewards (points accumulating to a threshold to claim an online voucher), is rather miserly compared to other Panels.
The others all pay in cash or gift cards to a range of popular stores. I will run through them all, highlighting major pros and cons:
GlobalTestMarket
Pros - Pay cash via check.
Cons - Some surveys are only for sweepstakes – read invitation carefully; Lengthy wait for check to arrive.
Valued Opinions
Pros - Numerous invitations with acceptable qualifying ratio: $20 threshold to claim a gift card easy to achieve; Gift card arrives promptly.
Cons - Took a while to get established, none now.
LightspeedPanel
Pros - Sometimes only two surveys required to reach $5 via PayPal; Reward you on your birthday.
Cons - Some surveys run much longer than estimated; if for any reason you “drop out” even at the end of a survey, that’s it – bad luck! No way back in.
Opinion World
Pros - Paying surveys pay well.
Cons - Not enough paying surveys (others only offer sweepstakes entries and a charity donation); Screening ratio is too high (particularly for paying surveys).
Pureprofile
Pros - Straight cash payments are “top end”, for completed surveys, screening consolation, and Paid to View; $25 threshold achievable monthly, and deposited in nominated bank account promptly.
Cons - Cannot rely on email invitations arriving – must log in to members area daily.
Surveyhead
Pros - Pays reasonably well on most surveys.
Cons - Not enough invitations; Mediocre screening ratio; Too long for a completed survey to be “verified” (up to 8 weeks); Then another long wait to be paid (cash via PayPal) when you finally attain the $30 threshold; Advertise on their site. I guess all these “cons” are a result of being a third party website.
Despite their shortcomings, these sites are the most reliable Global Online Paid Survey Panels you will find on the web.
Finally, a word of warning about a website deceptively suggesting to be a Market Research paid survey site. Ii concerns me that some prospective survey takers may naively fall for their spiel. I am referring to Vindale Research, which is not a real market research site, but use the practice of "sugging." This means "selling under the guise of research." Many of their so-called "surveys" require the use of a credit card to purchase items or services to review. For more information, see "What to do if you are a victim of the Vindale research scam" or "Vindale research scam: How to not become a victim."
