It is amazing that online surveys are more than twenty years old now and return promises of a living or richness from surveys should be acknowledged as unrealistic. However, if you’re still keen on finding surveys that offer better-than-average pay and rewards, here are some valuable tips to consider:
- Legitimizing survey opportunities.
- Finding high-paid survey alternatives.
- PayPal-compatible platforms.
- Discovering websites that provide gift cards as a prize.
- Looking at focus group participation.
- Product testing ideas.
- Diary surveys participation
- Mystery shopping opportunities.
How do you actually find legitimate high-paying surveys?
First, the first part of the equation – finding legitimate surveys
Naturally, nobody wants to bother with surveys of some companies that are only pretending to exist. It is maddening to waste time responding to surveys only to experience payment problems. Then, how can you make sure that you are participating in paid surveys that are really legitimate?
We have covered online survey scams in previous articles, one of easiest way to search for legitimate survey websites is by visiting our free user generated list of the top-rated survey sites at SuveryCentral. This page auto-refreshes the list of survey sites that pay in your country sorted by the community ratings.
Do not depend on one person’s opinion about the quality of the site. Instead, read several reviews, survey the offered rewards, and decide for yourself. To join a survey panel and to become a part of their community, just click the green button on their listing to start reaping your rewards.
Now for the second part – finding high paying surveys online
Broadening the range to cover “high-paying market research,” adds more channels for profitable jobs. However, let us start by examining some ways to find the most lucrative online surveys.
Always state your specialty and anything that makes you unique!
After signing up to do online paid surveys, you will most probably face the section titled “about you,” “profile information,” or “profile surveys” in your account. These profilers are short surveys that collect some details about yourself to help survey companies to match you more accurately with surveys. Besides, a new survey that corresponds with your profile can bring you preferred invitations.
It should be noted that the completion of profilers does not mean qualification for all surveys. Certain users get frustrated as, though they match the profile, they still do not qualify for some surveys. But if you want to do the high-paying surveys, do them.
Not all profiles listed on the website must be filled. If there is no award for finishing them all, you may consider doing the ones you like. Nevertheless, if you have individual features or hobbies, it is a good idea to fill in profilers associated with that subject.
You might want to complete the auto profile if you have a classic car. Similarly, an IT worker can also benefit from filling in the employment or technology profile. Similarly, with a Disneyland fan, you may complete the tourist profile. Moreover, new moms are usually in high demand, so filling out the household profiler if you’re a new mom could be beneficial.
Although the list of highest paying survey sites may vary, here is a list of recommendations.
Paid survey sites that offer PayPal cash
The next online paid surveys pay you cash straight into your PayPal account. Do not forget to sign up for these sites using the email address linked to your PayPal account to claim your money. The process is simple: join these sites, do any surveys sent to your mail, and choose PayPal as your reward option when you are ready. Your cash will go into your account, increasing balances if any. Earning money from surveys is indeed possible with the following websites:
- PointClub has many different ways for a user to make money from their website, such as entertaining surveys. They have more than 80 reward options and one of them is PayPal. New members from the UK will get a £5 joining bonus.
- Survey Junkie offers frequent paid online surveys with low cashout; you need just £5 deposited in your account, and you can request a PayPal payment. Survey Junkie is available to the people in the UK with 20 million members.
- One of the old survey platforms called, Opinion Outpost, pays for surveys with PayPal cash too. Members typically receive payments within a matter of hours of requesting them. A payout of over £4 million is made annually.
Earning free gift cards
The types of gift cards include Amazon, Target, Walmart, or places that offer free food, and denomination. Gift cards are offered by many survey sites in return for survey participation. The majority of gift card rewards are given in the form of an e-gift card making it beneficial as received faster and not easy to be lost.
- Gift cards at Branded Surveys are in numerous forms, such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and many others. The joining bonus is 100 points (worth £1.00). Branded is for sale in the UK.
- Tellwut is a polling community that provides daily surveys and a good varieties of gift cards which include Amazon, Home Depot, Subway, and many others. Tellwut is in the UK.
- Pinecone Research is a well-known survey panel that offers high-paying surveys, with a £3 standard payout. They have a number of types of gift cards in their rewards catalog. Pinecone is found in the UK.
Consider focus groups
Due to their difficulty of qualification in comparison with questionnaires, lengthier time of the interview and activity, and sometimes participation in them in a particular place, the payment here is quite high. For instance, in-person focus groups pay £50 to £500 per hour, depending on qualification criteria. The average consumer usually turns out a £50 to £150 per hour range for professional services, yet for specialized professionals like physicians, earnings can exceed £200 per hour!
Getting a focus group selection is difficult, but the rewards of persistence are worthwhile. If you apply often and live in a big city, the chances of being selected are much higher.
Find in-person focus groups in your area
Convening in-person focus groups is synonymous with meeting at a specific time and location, usually in the headquarters of the market research company, and spending 60-120 minutes answering questions, brainstorming and participating in brief activities regarding a topic. Sometimes, there is a client who is funding the research and they can look at the participants through a one-way mirror.
In-person focus group providers include
LEO Surveys conducts online paying surveys in the USA and Canada and carries out focus groups in main city centers. Eligible volunteers who meet the study criteria are provided with information on these focus groups. Many earning options are there such as cash payment cheques, PayPal, gift cards, Visa prepaid cards, and more.
Find online focus group opportunities
Even though the income of online focus groups is generally much lower than those of the in-person focus group, they are usually easier to qualify for and do not require any travel. The payment for online focus groups is from £25 to £125 an hour. In the same vein, when a study is more particular, the potential pay is also higher.
The process of participating in webinar focus groups will involve the participants going online to the webinar focus group software and interacting with the other participants using an online chat platform. Such sessions may consist of question answer type online survey, media sharing, and moderated discussion via chat or webcam.
Online focus group providers include
- IpsosiSay conducts ad hoc online focus groups, besides offering paid survey opportunities for its panel members. Payment study notifications are sent to participants by email or mobile app. The rewards catalog has a wide choice of possibilities such as merchandise, cash, and many gift cards.
- The other major panel is that of TGM Panel which is an international community that also offers some good opportunities to partake in paid focus groups. Just join the platform and fill out surveys while waiting for an invitation to a focus group. The majority of rewards consist in payments to PayPal, with the limit of payout set at as little as £10.
Try taking video surveys
Video surveys have appeared as one type of new market research in the wake of smart speeds. Rather than typing responses, users respond to questions by means of a video recording, which can be completed on a cell phone or through a webcam. Researchers can present questions in text form using the software and the respondents can see the answers and upload them. Because of the custom nature of such surveys, they usually pay more than ordinary typed online surveys.
- The international community of LifePoints is formed by about 5,000,000 members who participate in surveys and video surveys on their platform. It only takes £5 for users to reach their first reward, which could be cash, Amazon gift vouchers, or many other options.
- In Toluna Influencers video surveys are provided on a periodic basis alongside the standard online surveys. They have been in place for many years; they offer cash, gift cards, and fascinating sweepstakes, thus servicing users all over the world. Signing up new members can seize an additional 500 points.
Major product tests can pay
At-home testing is also referred to as product testing and involves the delivery of product to your home which you will evaluate over a specific period. You then give feedback and tell your stories. Payment for these tests can be very big. Sometimes, you will get the product itself as your reward on other times you need to send back the tested product at the company’s expense and will get an additional cash incentive for completing the online questionnaire. Testing of large products such as vacuum cleaners would receive higher compensation compared to food assignments.
Product testing providers include
- YouGov is a reputed political pollster company. Besides their regular mobile, business, and IT-related surveys, they also sometimes conduct product testing surveys with rewards in cash, gift cards, and merchandise.
- Pinecone Research, a reputable panel, provides a flat rate payment of £3 per survey. Participants often keep the products that they test, and the community is preferred by many panelists. Examples of reward options are cash, gift cards, pre-paid virtual Visas, and many others.
- Founded in 2001, OneOpinion has been in this sort of game for quite a long time, and provides high-paying surveys and product testing for manufacturers. The major rewards of the panel are Amazon gift cards, PayPal cash payments and pre-paid credit cards. In addition, they provide daily surveys that are liked by many participants.
Survey diaries – longer studies with higher rewards
Diary surveys are a set of short surveys conducted after each task or at predetermined intervals. Respondents can complete them every day, several times a day, or at once a week over a period of time, as mandated by the study.
The purpose of survey diaries is to get immediate responses from participants after completing a task or at regular intervals. This ensures that the experience is captured in a timeless manner, preventing the possibility of changes in feelings or memories. Diaries may include many aspects such as food consumption, driving, or shopping.
Survey diary providers include:
- American Consumer Opinion
- PointClub (now offering a £5 bonus for new sign-ups)
- LifePoints (get free 10 points upon registration)
- Opinion Outpost
Mystery shopping – lucrative if you’re picked!
Mystery shopping is still one of the most sought- after activities for survey participants (though there are many scams, so one should be careful), however, if you happen to be selected by a reputable research company, the rewards can be very attractive. A mystery shopper, she or he is usually required to engage in a conversation with a store employee either while they are strolling through the aisles or at the time of check-out, the interaction being scripted. Following this, you will make a summary report on the employee’s knowledge, helpfulness, friendliness, and the store’s condition. Mystery shopping providers include: TGM Panel
Conclusion
Though online surveys can be trustworthy sources of money, there are thousands of people from around the world surfing the Web and this can often lead to small earnings. While the prevailing approach( less preferred by panel participants) of looking out for surveys that pay well is to go for survey panels that expose you to more research and not just take surveys, Look for websites that offer different types of research studies – those probably would be paying better. We encourage you to try different kinds of research since this will enhance your chances of achieving the objective of earning extra cash.