As we all know, Mondays are the time that I update my readers on my first (of many?) projects with the goal of finding out how everyday joe bagadonuts can make some extra money on the web (That they are going to save and invest, right? RIGHT?!). The obvious choice for my first project was online surveys, as they require no particular expertise and a little freetime here and there.
With this in mind, I scoured the web for the most prominent and trustworthy survey companies. First of all there were a ton of sites to sift through. All sorts of nonsense and obvious scams (pay us 30$ and we’ll show you all the survey sites ever! Give me a break.) Thankfully after a few hours this weekend though, I was able to pick out 3 survey companies for my little project. Love em, leave em, this is what I got (Full disclosure here, some of these are referral links. Only those that I have used and received money from in the past.) :
1. Surveyspot
Surveyspot has thus far been my favorite service to use. Signup was a breeze, and I actually get updates on new surveys at least once a week (which falls in line with our goals listed in phase 1). So far I completed 2 surveys for a credit of 6$ My only gripe with them is that it takes 4-6 weeks for them to credit you for your survey. It took me a total of 28 minutes to do these surveys, which equates to an hourly rate of 12$/hour. Not something I’d quit my day-job for, but sounds solid to me for something I’m doing in my spare time. To be safe, I wrote down the details of every survey I completed, just to make sure I receive credit. You’ll also receive a number of survey opportunities that won’t pay directly but offer you a sweepstakes chance. I skipped them.
2. Your2cents
I’ll be honest here, Y2C’s site layout made me think I was going to have a seizure. I almost didn’t sign up at all simply because the site just looked so..well campy. I’ve heard some good things about it though, and in the end suffered through the terrible colors and signed on up. I was pleasantly surprised. I filled out all of my pertinent profile information, and a few days later I received a survey that I did in fact qualify for (Get used to being rejected, it happens a lot, but that means you don’t do the survey too so, no loss). With the bonus from my profile-filling, the survey I completed was worth 5$. I like the low-payout, and requested a check be sent to my house. I’ll keep you updated on when this is received. From what I understand Y2C does not send out surveys nearly as frequently as Surveyspot, but so far they’re OK in my book.
3. American Consumer Opinion
I almost didn’t include ACO because they hadn’t given me a survey yet, but sure enough over the weekend I managed to nab one. I earned a whopping 5$, and rather than have to request a payout, they simply said thanks and the check’s in the mail. That’s service, eh? I’ll keep you posted once this check is actually in-hand. I may even add an affiliate link.
So far, it appears that my goals have been met. I’ve achieved an hourly rate of over 10$ (well-over in some cases), have at least one survey in my inbox each week, and some of the surveys were actually fun to do (especially the video games one, thanks surveyspot!). I’ll update you next week as to who’s paid so far, what they’ve paid, and when.
In short, I think online surveys are an easy way to pull in a couple extra bucks each week. Due to the unpredictable nature of this type of income, I’d say it would be best invested or used for spending money rather than a source if income that you rely on. Enjoy!
-Xias