Online Surveys For Money Legit? 5 Tips For Choosing and Using Surveys

Are online surveys for money legit? Absolutely. Companies need to know what consumers like and dislike about their products. Public opinions collected in paid online surveys enable companies to manufacturer and sell products that satisfy their target market.

Big companies pay market research firms a lot of money to conduct paid surveys and it’s a good way for you to earn some extra money. It is even possible to earn a few hundred dollars or more every month, simply by providing your opinions.

Here are 5 tips for choosing the best paid online surveys…

1. Cash, Points or Prizes?

Some sites provide cash-redeemable points per completed survey instead of rewarding you with cash straight away. After you accumulate a specified number of points, you can cash out, usually after you have met the payment threshold, which is typically anywhere from $10 to $50.

The problem with earning survey points is that the cash value is often considerably low, which means you will have to complete twice as many surveys to cash out. There are also a number of paid survey sites that don’t even pay cash at all, but instead, allow you to exchange points for prizes. So if you want to earn straight up cash make sure you check into that before you sign up.

2. Payment

How and when does the survey company pay its members? Every site is different so it’s important to know how it works. A survey site usually requires a certain amount of money to be earned before you can receive your payment. It is recommended that you avoid sites requiring you to earn anything more than $20, otherwise it might take a while, unless you actively use the site.

Payment usually comes in the form of a check, but there are a growing number of sites paying through PayPal. Personally, I like getting paid through PayPal, because I save gas money and I like being able to quickly transfer the money directly into my bank account, but there are a lot of people who prefer traditional payments by check.

3. Sign Up Form

The sign up form for a survey site can help indicate if the site is potentially a scam or not. Do you see a field asking for your credit card number? If so, run for the hills. Legitimate survey sites never ask for your credit card number, simply because there is absolutely no reason for it. You are taking time out of your day to answer questions, so they should only be paying you, not the other way around. Never pay for surveys.

More importantly, avoid any sign up form requiring you to enter your social security number, otherwise you could be setting yourself up for identity theft. Some sites do require you to enter your social security number after you have earned $600, which is required by law for tax purposes, but either way, you will have to remember to report survey income at tax time and pay taxes.

4. Complete Your Profile Surveys

Most survey companies will ask you to fill out profile surveys after you sign up. Make sure you do that asap. Profile surveys are used for market research purposes and allow the survey company to provide you with invitations for surveys that you are more likely to qualify for because they are usually based on your demographics and the information you provided in your profile.

Some sites will pay you a buck or two for completing the surveys in your profile, but other sites do not pay at all for them. The sooner you complete profile surveys, the sooner you will begin receiving invitations for new surveys. It is also important that you answer the questions using only your honest opinions. That goes for any survey really. Don’t lie or answer no to every question otherwise you’re likely to receive less invitations, or none at all.

5. Use A Separate Email Address

Do not use your primary email address when signing up for paid online surveys. While some sites are good about enforcing spam policies, some are not and your inbox will get flooded with heaps of annoying spam. Even if the site says they don’t spam, I would still use a separate email address anyways.

Yahoo Mail is the best because you can create a new email address there quickly. Gmail is good too, but it takes longer and it is not the best when it comes to signing up to take online surveys for money.

Recommended Survey Site

CashCrate is a good place to start. No, it won’t replace your job. It will provide you with extra money. CashCrate is legitimate, safe to use and free. They provide surveys, offers, games and other tasks you can complete for cash. Check out CashCrate today and start making money online for free.