by kelly f
You’ve seen the advertisements and you’ve read all the hype on making money using your PC or Laptop just for filling in online questionnaires.
But what’s the real deal on the Paid Surveys option ?
Do companies really offer you cash simply for answering a few questions online ?
Can you really make money from this ?
Put quite simply the answer is yes, they do exist and they do pay for your opinion.
Market Research companies offer their Panellists cash, or points that can be converted to cash or shopping vouchers, for completing online questionnaires. The surveys cover a broad range of subjects and can include shopping habits, political and/or social issues, opinions on new or revamped drinks, snacks, detergents, or financial products.
Questionnaires can take anything from five minutes to half an hour to complete. Most of them take approximately twenty minutes, at the end of which you will receive a reward.
The amount you earn per survey depends largely on which company you are registered with, as some will pay more than others, and the length of the questionnaire. The more time taken ticking all the boxes, the more your reward will be. But typically you can earn anything from 50p ($1.00) to £5.00 ($10.00), averaging at approximately £1.00 or £2.00 ($2.00 - $4.00) per completed survey.
Some companies claim to pay more but if they only send you one or two surveys per annum then it just amounts to the same as the others.
If you are interested in taking part in Online Surveys then the first thing to do is sign up with a few Survey Companies. The more companies you join, the more money you will earn.
So, how do you find them ? If you do an online search you will be presented with a long list of sites that offer this type of work. But please steer clear of any that ask you for a sign-up fee.
A reputable company will not require a registration fee. Be sure to check each company’s terms and conditions, privacy policy and basic credentials. You should be able to find an address, email contact details, company registration number and whether or not they belong to any Market Research organisations.
You may come across websites that ask you for money in exchange for a list of highly paid ‘Survey Sites’ but never pay for a list of companies, a quick search on any one of the major search engines will give you the exact same results.
Once you’ve checked the Survey Company’s credentials and you are happy to join their panel you will have to go through the registration process. This can take as little as two minutes to complete but as long as ten, so be prepared.
You will need to enter some of your personal details such as name, address, age, gender and possibly your shopping/social habits. Some people feel hesitant at this request but the details are needed purely to enable them to match your profile with specific client requests, you will not be asked for your bank details.
Once you’ve been accepted as a panellist you should expect to receive surveys as and when they become available. These will arrive directly into your mailbox.
The briefing message will tell you what the survey is about, approximately how long it will take to complete and how much you will earn for your participation. You will then have the option to accept or refuse the invitation to take part in that survey.
So, how are you supposed to make a decent amount of cash from this ? A solution would be to join as many Survey Companies as possible in the hope that they will post you a dozen surveys per day. But in reality this isn’t likely to happen.
You should expect to receive between four to ten surveys to complete per week by joining a handful of Survey Companies.
However, the good news is that some of the sites offer rewards for introducing friends to their Panel of Researchers. This can be a one off payment per referral or a share of your referral’s income for a set period.
If you know a lot of people who’d like to become members then this could be a great way to increase your earnings.
You will receive payment by cheque, Paypal or shopping vouchers, which include HMV, Boots, Next, Argos, Amazon, WH Smith and more, once your account reaches the company’s threshold payment. Each company has their own threshold policy but on average it rests somewhere in the region of £5.00 to £50.00.
Paid Online Surveys are fun, relaxing and great for anyone who spends a lot of time on their PC or Laptop. They are not suitable for people who do not enjoy being online for long periods of time or for those who are impatient, as some of these surveys can be long-winded and repetitive. They are not a means to earn a full-time income.
In conclusion, the scope to earn a living from this low and the most you should expect to earn is some extra cash and high street shopping vouchers, which do come in very handy at Christmas!
