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Before I started blogging, back in college, one of the top ways I made extra cash was by doing free online surveys.
I didn’t get rich from taking these online surveys, but I made a good side income by spending a little bit of my time every day.
I still remember, I signed up for as many survey sites as I could and I always had surveys available to complete (below I explain why you also should register for as many as you can).
As I was saying, but one in a while I reached the minimum thresholdto check out and I received checks of $10, $50 or even $100 from taking surveys in just a couple of weeks. The task is easy and it can be done any time of the day at any place. You schedule your own time.
Here are some of my tips for doing online surveys in your free time. This list has my favourite online survey sites from where I take most of my surveys.
Join As Many Free Online Survey Companies As You Can
My recommendation for you is to sign up for all the free online survey sites below if this is a side hustle you like.
The reason why signing up for all of them is that each survey company will send you a few surveys to your inbox every month, so the more you sign up for, the more potential money you will make. You can always skip few surveys if you feel like you don’t have time for all of them. So, why don’t sign up for all seven? It’s easy and quick.
These free online survey sites are trustworthy and legitimate and can make a difference in your earnings. These are Vindale Research, PrizeRebel,Rakuten,Swagbucks,American Consumer Opinion, Pinecone Research, Survey Junkie
Just by joining all of them you will receive an extra $30 for free as a sign-up bonus.
Some extra free online survey sites which I use less often areQmeeand Inbox Dollars.
Never Lie When Signing Up For The Best Online Survey Sites
In the surveys, you will be asked sometimes some personal questions.
Always be honest with your answers. These survey companies want people who fit in the surveys prospect. They also have some verification questions during the survey just to check if you are saying the truth.
Sometimes by lying, you might miss a great opportunity because you don’t know what they exactly are looking for.
Make Sure A Free Online Survey Is Legitimate
There are many scam survey websites out there which are very easy to identify.
Below there are the free online survey sites which I use on a daily basis. They are legitimate and trustworthyand some of the best online survey sites out there.
Some tricks and signal to identify scam surveys to follow:
- Offer very high commissions per survey. If an online survey site is offering you things like $50 per 10 minutes of your time, most likely you will end up filling a survey and getting zero money. You will not be able to make a full-time job out of surveys but it’s a good way to make some extra money.
- Upfront fee required. WARNING! If a survey company ask you for money, just close it. I’ve tried many survey sites in my life and I’ve never needed to pay any starting fee.
- Surveys coming from nowhere. Sometimes you might receive random emails from randoms addresses you don’t know. Don’t answer those surveys, most likely they are coming from spammy scammy sites.
The 7 free online survey sites below are some of the best ones. You can start earning some side money from today! All of them are for free, to it will not hurt you give it a try.
#1) Vindale Research (you’ll get a $2.00 sign up bonus)
Vindale is my second favorite online survey company. You can earn a good extra money every month just by doing a couple of these surveys a week.
They are one of the best survey companies considering the payout and time spent. The best thing is that before taking any survey you’ll be able to see how much will they pay and the time to complete.
I only do the ones which pay between $2 to $20.
You can join Vindale Research here.
#2)PrizeRebel
I started using PrizeRebel a few weeks ago and I’m in love with it. PrizeRebel is a free rewards site where you are rewarded for completing tasks in exchange for gift cards and cash (such as surveys).
I already claimed over $100 in rewards and I can’t be happier. Every day I collect daily points and complete the available surveys. They also pay for watching videos and to participate in contests and games.
You can join PrizeRebel here.
#3) Rakuten(you’ll get a $10.00 sign up bonus)
Just by signing up with Rakuten (previously Ebates), you will receive a 3.0% cash back anytime you buy atAmazon.
I’ve received more than $300 cash back from Rakuten since I started using it a couple of months ago. It just became to be my favourite cash back company.
There are other products from which you can earn up to 30% cash back on every purchase.
Plus, if you sign up using my link you will get $10 when you make a purchase over $25. You can signup now and claim your $10 months later.
You can join Rakuten here.
#4) Swagbucks(you’ll get 100SB sign up bonus)
Swagbucks helps me earning gift cards which I can use at Amazon, and it’s very easy. You can also claim your points as a cash check.
They give you points for taking surveys, watching videos, using it as asearch engine (just like Google), online shopping and trying new promotion products.
Then you can redeem these points for gift cards. I already redeem 3 Amazon gift cards for $50 and it feels great.
You can join Swagbucks here.
#5) American Consumer Opinion
American Consumer Opinion is a really good survey company and I highly recommend it. Thepayment is straightforward.
If you just want to join one survey company, make sure it’s this one.
You can join American Consumer Opinion here.
#6)PineCone Research (guaranteed $3/survey)
PineCone Reseach has become one of my favourite survey sites. They have a minimum payment of $3 per survey, which is one of the best payouts in the market.
The best is that you don’t get disqualified from surveys. Plus you can manage your time efficiently knowing that you get pay always $3 or more every time you receive a survey.
Every time I do one of PineCone’s surveys, it takes no more than 15 minutes (great for when I’m commuting).
You can join PineCone Research here.
#7)Survey Junkie (I’ve made $70 last month)
Before you can earn money from surveys, you need provide some personal information in your profile (age, contact info and consumer preferences). Then, they’ll use this information to send you relevant surveys.
You can expect to earn about $1 to $3 per completed survey. It’s not much, but completing a couple of them every day you’ll get enough to pay a couple of bills per month.
You can join Survey Junkie here.
Bonus: More Survey Sites To Join For Extra Cash
Below there are a number of survey sites I’ve joined recently and that are giving really good results. I will include more as I am finding new trustworthy survey sites.
#8) Inbox Dollars(you’ll get a $5.00 sign up bonus)
Inbox Dollar is an online rewards site I recommend.
The ways I use to earn money are by taking surveys, playing games, shopping online and redeeming grocery vouchers.
You can join Inbox Dollars here.
You can join Inbox Pounds here. Only for the UK. (you’ll get a £1.00 sign up bonus)
#9)OneOpinion(available in US,UKand CA)
With OneOpinion you get points every time you complete a survey. Then, this points can be traded in for rewards (I always choose the$25 virtual Visa Debit Card).
If you prefer cash, OneOpinion has now added the option of having your rewards delivered directly to your PayPal account which I think I’m gonna try next time I accumulate 25,000 points.
You canjoin OneOpinion here.Must be 13+
#10) Qmee(surveys + browsing earnings)
Qmee is a simple internet browser app extension that allows you to earn some easy money on the side. Basically, you do your google/yahoo/eBay/amazon searches as normal and sometimes ads ad links come up on the side.
Clicking those ad links range from 5-20 cents that go into your Qmee PiggyBank. Paypal cashout has no limit and is instant.
It also has paid surveys which take about 5-15 min to complete.
Check out is via Paypal and it doesn’t have any threshold so you can take your money instantly from the first day. Read my Qmee review here.
You can join Qmee here.
#11)Harris Poll Online (always get points even when you are not qualified)
With Harris Poll Online you don’t earn cash but you earn rewards (which sometimes is better!).
The best thing is that if you don’t qualify for the survey, you will still earn points, so there is no lost time.
Online surveys typically take anywhere between 15-20 minutes to complete. Short surveys will take around 5 minutes, and very long ones are around 25 minutes. I normally do surveys that takeabout 15 minutes.
So far I’ve received two Amazon gift cards ($20) and some retail e-Vouchers.
You can join Harris Poll Online here.
#12) Mr. Rebates (7% Amazon Cash Back)
I recently found Mr. Rebates and I need to say I’m very impressed. They offer great discounts for Amazon, eBay, Groupon and many other stores.
Every time I want to buy something on Amazon, I do it through Mr. Rebates and I get a discount.
They also offer free products for you to try and review once in a while.
You can join Mr. Rebates here.
#13) TopCashBack(you’ll get a $10.00 sign up bonus)
Top Cashback is my second favorite cash back company. There are 20%-30% discounts in many hotels for when you are traveling. Also, you can get a free $5 Amazon gift card for a limited time by signing up.
This year I saved $275 on my car insurance by using TopCashBack. Also, I received $135 cash back for my current internet company.
You can join TopCashBack here.
You can join TopCashBackUK here. Only for the UK.
#14) Nielsen Mobile Panel (I use it as mobile App)
As a member of Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel you are able to earn money by completing surveys, sharing your opinion andusing the Internet as you do today.
You can even win some prices weekly and monthly, they give more than $10,000 in prices every month too.
You can join Nielsen Mobile Panel here.
#15)Live Sample Survey(you could make $100’s per month)
Another survey site which pays for completing surveys. Every time you complete a survey you have a chance to get an extra reward of $10,000.
It’s not my favorite survey site but every month I try to do a few surveys to boost my savings.
Once you enter your email you will be redirected to a Survey, complete it and your account will be set up.
You can join Live Sample Survey here.
#16)Shop Tracker($3.00 visa gift card signup bonus)
If you download the ShopTracker app (available for your computer or phone), sync it with your Amazon account, and you’ll receive a $3 Visa Gift card as a welcome bonus. It only takes 2 minutes.
The longer you participate with ShopTracker, the more reward you will earn. Just do your normal shopping as you usually do. They will also send you surveys once in a while.
It is not available for Mac yet. This program is only available for US residents.
You can join ShopTracker here.
#17) Global Test Market (earn money from your phone)
You’ll be rewarded for sharing your opinion. You’ll be able to take surveys about shopping, restaurants, cooking and more.
You just sign up and get surveys delivered to your inbox, fill these up, and receive your payment across PayPal or a paycheck (PayPal is quicker).
Don’t forget to verify your email to receive your first payment!
You can join Global Test Market here.
#18)EarningStation(I earn around $120-$180/month)
EarningStation reminds me to Swagbucks. The way it works is the same.
With EarningStation, you earn money by watching videos, taking surveys and shopping online. During weekends when I’m watching movies or sitting on my couch doing nothing, I usually spend some time with EarningStation.
They send you emails for surveys every now and then. You get points which can be redeemed for gift cards.
Once you signup for EarningStation, you can receive 1,000 SD (worth $10) just by signing up for 5 websites. The name of this offer is “Easy $10”, make sure is the first thing you do when you register.
You can join EarningStation here.
#19) My Survey(earn up to $200/month)
My Survey is an international program available in most of the countries.
They pay you real money for completing surveys, visiting sites, trying free offers and referring friends and advertisers.
The pay via Paypal or gift cards and there is no minimum threshold.
You can join My Survey.
#20) Survey Downline (up to $20 per survey)
Survey Downline is a paid survey site thatallows you to earn money by participating in their surveys.
The rewards range from $0.10 up to $20 per individual survey. You will receive survey invitations via email.
Survey Downline pays via Paypal once you reach the minimum threshold of $20.
You can join Survey Downline here.
Even More Survey Sites
Below are some other survey companies worthy of being mentioned:
- Panel Place
That’s all! You are now ready to start earning some extra money every month by taking some paid surveys.
Remember that by joining all of the above you will receive an extra $30 for free as sign up bonus.
Are you already a member of any free online survey company which is not in the list? Leave a comment below to share with us!
