Surveys are often touted as a great way to make some extra income on the side. I'm been participating in surveys off and on since I was in college. Quite honestly, most are less than impressive. When I first started taking surveys there was discrepancy between how much your points would get you in actual dollar value.
This meant some survey sites were great and others were less than stellar. It was also common for there to be a tiered system, meaning, the longer you held on to your points waiting to redeem, the more value you would get for your points.
This is not true anymore.
Point values have largely been standardized. Basically one point = one penny. So whether you are going through Swagbucks or Ipsos (the two I still actually do recommend) you're honestly largely looking at a waste of your time. Is 90 points for a 30 minute survey really worth it? That means you're making $1.80/hour. Or 45 points for a 20 minute survey - $1.35/hour. We're talking really meager pickins.
I participate in these when I have to be stuck sitting down ... which pretty much means, when I have to pump, or maybe during lunch. I mean, if I HAVE to be immobile for a few hours a day when I can't do much anyway, I might as well make that time count for something. So I do these surveys, and I read.
My by-far favorite survey site, though, is YouGov. The reasons why this one is superior are manifold.
- If they send you a survey, you pre-qualify. None of this taking 10 minutes to answer a bunch of questions and then get a consolation penny or nickel. Instead of one point equally one penny, however, it takes twelve points to make a penny. Even so, this is a better deal than the other sites! Read on to see how
- Every survey earns you at least 500 points. This means about $0.42/survey
- Their surveys ALWAYS take me less time to complete than they estimate. This is almost unheard of. Most survey sites say "20 minutes" ... it may take 20 minutes, but many times I'm going ok this is definitely more like 30 minutes ... or more. Additional time for no extra points decreases value.
- YouGov usually estimates their surveys to take 5-10 minutes to complete. This means you're making $2.50-$5.00/hour. Except usually the surveys don't even take me that long, which is a value adder. Score! This is easily double (or more!) the other survey sites out there I've found. I consider that significant.
- The options for redeeming your points aren't exhaustive, but they're still helpful - Michael's, CVS, Regal Cinemas, Lowes, Old Navy, Target, and more are all options for gift card redemption. (Note: I usually redeem in the 30,000 points for $25 gift card, 60,000 for $50 gift card is the same point value as the former, but takes longer to achieve. The store options do differ though. The best point to dollar value is the 100,000 for $100, if you don't mind waiting that long for redemption.)
For a long time I was super sporadic in answering these surveys, so it took me a long time (read, years) to earn enough for a $25 gift card. I changed my settings now to get survey invitations as frequently as possible. That was one month ago, and I'm already over a quarter of the way to my next $25 gift card!
This isn't your get-rich-quick-site, but it is a way to easily bring in an extra $100/year without much time or effort. That's nothing to sneeze at. They take marginal time, are actually enjoyable, and don't waste my time. This is one survey site I heartily recommend to everyone.
I like using my points for Regal gift cards. Going to movies isn't something that is in our budget - it's so expensive! - but it's something my husband really likes doing. This way we can have free date nights...Woohoo!
I like using my points for Regal gift cards. Going to movies isn't something that is in our budget - it's so expensive! - but it's something my husband really likes doing. This way we can have free date nights...Woohoo!
Bonus! If you sign up through my referral link, you'll earn an extra 2,000 points ($1.67) once you complete 3 surveys, putting you that much closer to earning your first gift card. It doesn't get much better than that, does it?
By signing up through my referral link, we both will receive 2,000 points credited to our accounts upon completion of your first 3 surveys. YouGov did not ask me to write this post and is providing me no further compensation. This post does contain affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I may receive compensation for referring business. All opinions are my own. Thank you for your support!
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