Online Paid Surveys

There are many companies that will pay you to participate in online surveys, focus groups, and even product tests. These are market research companies that are hired by large companies to find out what the public feels about their products and if their advertising campaigns are working. Large corporations spend billions of dollars every year on advertising, so paying you a few dollars to find out if their advertising is working is not that big of a deal.

There are several misconceptions about taking paid surveys online. Many advertisements will tell you that you can earn up to $250 an hour taking paid surveys. Although it is possible to be compensated $250 for participating in an important study or focus group, an average paid survey will normally pay you between $2 and $20. While some of the companies pay in cash, others pay with gift certificates or prizes and some will enter you into their monthly drawings for chances to win money.

There are basically two kinds of paid survey sites: one is paid survey directory or database, another is the actual paid survey company. A paid survey company, or market research company, is the actual company that will send you the paid surveys and compensate you for your participation. You will be notified by email whenever your participation in a paid survey is needed, while you can choose to take the survey or simply ignore it. You will be provided relevant information like how much you will be paid for taking each survey, and how long the paid survey should take to complete. A legitimate paid survey company is free to join and should never ask you to pay a fee.

Another type of site is a paid survey directory, or database. These are the sites that you go to find companies that will pay you to participate in online surveys. A typical survey database site can charge anywhere from $20 to $60 to access its paid surveys directory. Many people are fooled into thinking that when they join these membership sites they will automatically start receiving paid surveys. You should understand that these membership sites do not actually send paid surveys; they are only directories of companies that you join that send paid surveys online.

Recommended Survey Companies:

American Consumer Opinion - As a member of American Consumer Opinion®, you will have the opportunity to participate in surveys, test new products, and evaluate new commercials. You receive gift and cash awards. (Worldwide)
Survey Savvy - Take Surveys - Get Rewards! Take fun surveys for real cash and rewards while shaping the products and services of the future! (Worldwide)
Global Test Market - Join Global Test Market and get paid to influence the next generation of consumer services and products. Make a difference now! (Worldwide)
Opinion Outpost - Opinion Outpost is a research panel. You can earn points by taking surveys and redeem the points for cash. (US and Canada)
Lightspeed Panel - Complete surveys and receive Lightspeed Points that are redeemable for cash, online gift certificates and prizes. (US and Canada)
NFO My Survey - Give your consumer opinion and earn real payments and prizes. You will receive a lot of surveys from them and they are great at sending money. (US only)
E-Poll - Earn points for every survey you take. Use your points just like cash for gift cards to major retailers. You get 500 points instantly just for joining. (US only)

Recommended Survey Directories:

Paid Surveys Etc - Get great information on how you can start making more money online with the best "up and coming" paid survey opportunities. This program is many consumers' lover and receives TOP RATING for online paid surveys. Programs are very high quality and customer service is excellent.
Paid Surveys Online - Well-designed Online Survey Program that gives an excellent walk through teaching you how to make the most money. The database lists over 400 premium survey companies, and the surveys listed are of great quality. The rates are very good - $5 to $150 to participate in online surveys, up to $250 to participate in Focus Groups and up to $100 to participate in phone surveys.
SurveyScout - Companies spend millions of dollars each year on consumer research. You can get paid up to $150/hour for taking simple surveys and sharing your opinions.

If you are looking for a fulltime income online, paid surveys may not be the thing for you. Although you can make some good money taking paid surveys online, more than likely it will not be enough to make you rich. On the other hand, if you want to make some extra money without much effort then paid surveys is the way to go.

The key to getting paid to take surveys online is joining as many of these paid survey companies as possible. Most paid survey sites will only send a few paid surveys a month, so the logic is, the more paid survey companies you join, the more paid survey invitations you will receive, and the more money you will make.