Online Surveys for Money finding legit survey companies vs. scams
The first thing you need to learn is the difference between survey companies that are 100% legit and ones that are complete scams. I know this because I spent some time in college trying out online surveys and I just got spammed with a bunch of junk because I wasn’t using the right companies.
The ones I’ve talked about on M$M are all completely legit – my goal has always been to only tell you about products/services/companies that can actually help you. Here’s my review and recommendation for reputable survey companies.
I’d say that before you try any survey companies out, Google something like “honest review of [name of company]” or just get straight to it with “is [name of company] a scam.”
How much money will you make taking online surveys?
I’ve seen survey sites advertise that you can make $5-$15 per hour doing online surveys, some even saying you can make upwards of $35 per hour. That $5 per hour? Forget it. Your time is worth way more than that. However, the reality with these surveys, and you’ll see why as you read on, is that you are more likely to make much, much less than any of those amounts. An article from Student Loan Hero found that most people who take surveys for money were only earning in the $1-$2 range. Yes, that is $1-$2 per hour. In terms of side hustle potential – scalability and one day being able to leave your regular job – this is no bueno.Then how do they advertise a much higher earning potential?
I know that’s where your mind is going, and a good question. The way these survey companies work, and I’m still talking legit ones, is by connecting you to the right surveys, the surveys you qualify for. Because you’re basically part of a company’s market research, you need to fit in the market they’re trying to hit. There are going to be some screening questions that filter appropriate surveys your way, but that doesn’t always mean you’ll be a perfect match. So, you start taking the survey, get five minutes or more into a series of questions, and then they might disqualify you. You still may earn something for that initial time investment, but it will be hardly anything. You’re not going to recoup that time you lost, and to do another survey you have to start all over, potentially being disqualified again. This isn’t a scam. This is just trying to be matched with the right survey – the one you might make $15 taking – and that’s going to take time. All the time you’ve put into finding that the survey needs to be factored into your per hour cost. And that’s one of the problems with trying to complete surveys for money, a lot of your time is spent just trying to find a survey that will actually make you some money.Taking surveys for money doesn’t always earn you real money
Many survey companies pay you in points instead of real cash. Those points can be used to redeem cash, gift cards, merch, etc., but it’s not like you get a check at the end of the week for your hours worked. There can also be a minimum you must earn before getting a payout. Swagbucks is a popular and legit company that pays in what they call SB. You take a survey, earn some SB, and redeem it. But, it might take something like 500 SB to claim a $5 Amazon gift card. This might sound harsh, but this feels a little like the Chuck E. Cheese model. You win 50 tickets dunking baskets, then another 200 tickets playing that weird game where the light goes around in a circle. 10-year-old you are like “I’m totally going to get that Sega!” But when you get up to the ticket counter you'll realize you actually need two million tickets for the Sega. There honestly isn’t anything wrong with this way of earning points or money, but it might not be what you expected.Taking surveys for money is NOT fast cash
If you do want to cash out your earnings, or if you’ve found a company that does pay in cash, it can take up to a month to receive your pay. If you really need fast cash, here are three other things you could do right now:- Yardwork – mow grass, shovel snow, rake leaves.
- List and sell something on the Facebook marketplace – appliances, gym equipment, clothes, electronics, etc.
- Check out the “gigs” section on Craigslist – You might move furniture, hang drywall, or clean a house.
- Not all side hustles are going to be fast cash, but waiting 30 days for a $5 check is a little overkill.
- Freelancing
- Pet sitting
- Flipping furniture
- And more!
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