15 Legit Online Surveys That Pay Cash

Can you really make some extra cash by filling out surveys for money online? Yes! And there are online surveys that pay cash straight into your pocket!

If you are looking for ways to make extra money from home this year, you’ve probably heard about online surveys.

No, they aren’t a replacement for a full-time job or a good side hustle, and they aren’t as lucrative as focus groups, but if you can set aside 30 minutes to an hour a day, surveys can still help you make an extra $50-$150 a month. 

How do online survey sites work?

Major companies use surveys to find out what their customers like, the latest trends, and people’s opinions on new products and particular topics. And guess what, you can earn extra cash and great rewards for filling these surveys out!

Not only that, but survey takers influence the decisions of the largest companies on earth!

But that’s the great thing about taking paid surveys – they require very little effort, and you don’t need any specific knowledge or skills. You just need to be you and respond truthfully!

Which are the best online surveys that pay cash?

Because it can be difficult to find legitimate survey sites that will pay cash, I decided to test as many as possible and find out which ones are worth investing your time in.

I’ve been taking online surveys for a while now in my free time, usually while I am half asleep during breakfast, scrolling through my phone, or in the evenings when I’m too tired to do anything that requires too much brainpower, so I could share with you my results.

I’ve also included some key tips to help you make the most of your effort!

So let’s get started!

15 Best Surveys That Pay Chash

1. Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is a very straightforward and easy-to-use platform. It’s definitely one of my favorite ways to get paid to take surveys.

Simply sign up and fill out one or all of Survey Junkie’s profile questionnaires about yourself. When your profile matches the criteria of a survey, you will see an invitation on your Survey Junkie dashboard – the more personal information you provide, the more survey opportunities you’ll receive!

Rewards for completing surveys are based on a point system, and the points can be converted to real cash. You will need to reach 500 points (equivalent to $5) to withdraw your money through PayPal or gift cards.

Most surveys will bring in between 100 and 200 points, so it shouldn’t take long to reach the threshold.

Sign up for Survey Junkey now!

2. Swagbucks

Longtime members of the Gathering Dreams community will know that I love Swagbucks. 

Why? Because it gives you so many ways to earn extra cash!

Not only is it a great way to get paid for surveys, but you can earn rewards for watching videos and playing games; you can get cash back on your shopping; you can even get paid for browsing online!

Swagbucks pays you in Swagbucks (SB) points. You accumulate SBs, then convert them into PayPal cash or gift cards. 

I made over $200 in my first couple of months using it by combining all their ways to make money!

Swagbucks is more than just one of the best places for online surveys that pay, it is simply one of the best money making apps around.

Sign up for Swagbucks now!

3. MyPoints

MyPoints is another excellent survey site owned by the same company that runs Swagbucks. Similarly, you can earn points through surveys, cashback on purchases, watch videos, play games, and even browse the internet.

Both the website and the mobile app are user-friendly and easy to navigate. You can immediately see how many points you’ll earn and how long it will take to complete each survey.

I especially like how you can redeem your rewards in travel miles. This might be perfect for those of us looking for some extra income to fuel our travel habits!

As a bonus, join MyPoints today, and you’ll get a $10 Amazon or Visa gift card just for signing up! What’s better than free gift cards!?

Join MyPoints now and get $10!

4. Ipsos iSay

Ipsos is one of the largest market research companies in the world, conducting more than 70 million paid surveys per year in over 80 countries.

With iSay, they make getting paid for online surveys so simple. 

After you sign up, Ipsos will contact you once a day through email if you have available surveys. Most of the surveys offered earn $0.40-$1.50 each, but they periodically offer high-end, more highly paid online surveys, where you can earn $50-$100 for an hour of your time.

Some people say that they receive very few survey invitations from Ipsos, but I managed to make over 950 points ($9.50) in a couple of weeks without trying too hard. Not too bad!

One potential downside is that while gift cards and i-Say Market merchandise codes are delivered instantly to your email address, PayPal funds will take 3-4 weeks to arrive.

Read my full Ipsos i-Say review here!

5. Lifepoints

Fun fact: The parent company that owns LifePoints has been doing surveys since 1946. You’d assume they know what they’re doing.

It looks like they do since they claim to have paid out over $22 million to members in the last year alone!

Usually, LifePoints surveys will earn you between $0.20 and $5, though they do occasionally offer longer surveys with higher rewards.

But it’s not just surveys. Once you sign up, LifePoints will send you invitations through email and on your site dashboard to polls, product tests, product diaries, and more.

The payout for these is often substantially higher than for surveys alone, though each will tell you exactly how much you’ll earn from completion in advance.

Sign up for LifePoints now!

6. InboxDollars

One nice thing about InboxDollars is that there are no points to convert – InboxDollars rewards with cash! 

Instead of counting points as you take surveys, you are watching money grow. 

Generally, you can earn anywhere from $0.25 for a ten-minute survey to $4.50 for more extensive surveys. After you reach the payment threshold of $30, InboxDollars will mail you a check or a Visa cash card for the amount you have earned.

Signing up is very easy, and after you do, you’ll get $5 in your account!

I’ve found InboxDollars pays on time and is very reliable.

It’s no surprise that they currently enjoy a 4.5 rating on the Apple Store from more than 150,000 ratings.

Subscribe to InboxDollars now!

7. Branded Surveys

Among online surveys that pay, Branded Surveys stands out for the number of options they provide to redeem your rewards.

For straight cash, you can choose PayPal or bank transfers or get prepaid debit cards or credit cards. You can also choose from an extensive list of gift cards from Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buy, iTunes, and Starbucks!

Another nice thing about Branded Surveys is that when you start a survey and then find out you don’t qualify, you still receive $0.05, so you don’t walk away empty-handed.

For surveys you do complete, you will earn between $0.10 and $3 to start.

But check out the Branded Elite loyalty program, where a higher rating will earn higher rewards. For example, Gold Level members earn 19% more points on surveys!

Note: Branded Surveys is only available to residents of the United States, Canada, and the UK. 

Subscribe to Branded Surveys here!

8. Opinion Outpost

Compared to most other online surveys for money, Opinion Outpost is known for offering high relative pay.

Their average survey pays $1, not a bad baseline, when many others pay only a few cents, and can go up to $25. No wonder Opinion Outpost says they pay out $390,000 per month to members.

As a bonus, if you start a survey only to get disqualified, you will be entered into a quarterly draw for $10,000 each time.

And in addition to surveys, Opinion Outpost offers numerous other ways to earn rewards, such as focus groups, product tests, diary studies, etc. Just check the ‘Your Activities’ section on your profile and see what they’ve got for you!

Sign up for Opinion Outpost today!

9. PrizeRebel

If you’re going to try PrizeRebel for money-making surveys, you’re going to want to focus on two things – your account level and your quality score.

Your quality score measures how attentive and truthful you are when answering surveys – so take your time and don’t lie – while your account level goes up as you reach specific usage goals.

It’s simple, PrizeRebel can work very well for those who have a high-quality score and a high account level. For those who don’t, there is no point in using the platform; you won’t qualify for many, if any, surveys, and you won’t earn much of anything if you do.

One great part about PrizeRebel is the number of gift card options they offer to claim your rewards – over 500! – plus games codes for Xbox, PlayStation, and even League of Legends and World of Warcraft.

Subscribe to PrizeRebel now!

10. OneOpinion

Signing up for OneOpinion is quick and easy – you fill out the registration form (or talk to their BOT Emily). As soon as you confirm your registration via email, you can start taking surveys and earning points!

You can redeem your points for cash via PayPal or get a Visa Debit card sent to your address. They also offer Amazon gift cards. I particularly like the option of receiving an Amazon e-gift card instantly instead of waiting up to ten days for the physical version to arrive.

And with OneOpinion, even if you don’t qualify for a survey, they will still reward you with 50 points just for responding to the qualifying questions, which you can receive up to five times per day.

Join OneOpinion here!

11. Toluna Influencers

Toluna Influencers operates in some 50 countries and 28 languages, boasting 21 million members worldwide, not to mention an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.

The most popular part of the platform for many of its users is the longer surveys, where big rewards can be earned by responding to detailed questions on interesting topics.

As a whole, Toluna surveys can earn members between $0.25 for something short and $50 for something more comprehensive.

But what I especially like about Toluna is that you can earn bonus points by participating in the Toluna community, by doing things like creating or responding to a topic in their forum, creating a poll, or starting a ‘battle’ and letting the community decide between two options.

It’s a cross between surveys to make money and social media.

One potential downside of Toluna is that rewards can take up to 8 weeks for delivery.

Join Toluna Influencers today!

12. Survey Club

If you are looking to make money for surveys but find that you don’t get invited to take enough to make it worth your time, you may want to check out Survey Club.

Survey Club is an aggregator of online surveys that pay. They are sort of like the Expedia of money-making surveys.

This means a much larger pool of available surveys than any one survey site on its own.

But the best part about Survey Club is that they will invite you to much more than just surveys. They also offer access to focus groups, private panels, clinical trials, product tests, and mystery shopping studies from market research companies all over the world.

This is where the bigger money can be made. For example, many focus groups will offer between $50 and $200 or more for an hour of your time! 

Join Survey Club now!

13. Pinecone Research

What makes Pinecone Research unique is its exclusivity –  you can’t just sign up on their website. You need an invite. 

Once you do gain access, Pinecone is great. They offer more highly paid online surveys, and members are occasionally selected for product testing with even greater rewards.

There is, however, a slight catch. 

As a Pinecone panelist, you will not have the option to pick and choose which surveys you want to take – when they send you one, you are obligated to take it and can even have your membership revoked if you don’t. 

Some might actually see this as a benefit since you will only be receiving paid surveys you qualify for and will not have to go through the process of trying to find one you can complete before you’re disqualified.

Click here to check if you can join Pinecone Research.

14. Google Opinion Rewards

Fun fact: The Google Opinion Rewards app has received a 4.7/5 rating on the Apple Store from nearly 150,000 reviews!

Dan discovered Google Opinion Rewards quite a few years ago and loved it!

The amazing thing about it is that surveys take as little as 10 seconds, and you can earn money by answering as little as one question!

When you download the free app, you’ll need to grant it access to your location and provide some basic info about yourself. Then, Google will send you short surveys once in a while based on your Google searches, YouTube videos watched, and online shopping habits.

I just leave it running in the background on my phone and forget about it, then every so often I receive a notification with a couple of quick questions. It’s that easy!

You will receive between $0.10 and $1.00 per survey completed, which you can use at the Google Play store (if you’re using the Android app), or get cash automatically transferred to your PayPal account (if you’re using iOS).

Download Google Opinion Rewards!

15. YouGov

YouGov is a little bit different than the other surveys for money on this list. They focus less on consumer opinions and product choices and more on social, political, and cultural issues.

You’ve probably seen YouGov cited by mainstream media and politicians. 

If you are the type of person who likes the idea of paid surveys not only for the extra cash but for the opportunity to shape the world around you, then YouGov is probably the best place for you.

Plus, YouGov’s surveys are usually quick and easy (5-7 minutes), and they almost never send you a survey you don’t qualify for. 

Sign up for YouGov today!

Tips to maximize your time and cash with paid online surveys

If you want to make the most of earning cash with online surveys that pay, you need to follow a strategy.

DOS

1. Set up a separate email account

Your email inbox will be filled with new survey requests if you subscribe to many survey sites. You should set up a new email account or filters just for surveys to ensure survey emails don’t get mixed up with your daily emails.

2. Refer friends

Many of the best survey sites will give you cash or points if you refer friends, and some will even give you a percentage on your referred friends’ future earnings! When you register, check if there are any referral bonuses. You might be able to earn more by sharing your referral link with your buddies.

3. Keep a record

Make sure you have a record of all the survey sites you subscribe to. Write it down every time you complete surveys and have cash sitting in a survey account. This will help you track your payments and figure out which survey sites are most profitable for you and worth your time.

4. Sign up for several online surveys

The most common complaint about online survey sites is that they don’t invite you to take enough surveys, and when you are invited, you’re disqualified shortly after starting, making it hard to earn much money. The more online survey sites you subscribe to, the more chances you have to make money by survey! Once you find out which are the best surveys for you, you can ditch the others!

DON’TS

1. Don’t leave money in your account

If you leave money sitting in your account for too long, you might risk losing it. Survey websites are not protected by any insurance like banks. If they close down, you’ll lose your money. Plus, many survey sites have a period of one to three years, after which your available rewards will expire. Make sure you withdraw your funds as soon as you reach the minimum threshold. Some survey sites might also close your account if you are inactive for too long! So make sure you log in from time to time, especially if you have cash sitting there.

2. Don’t lie in surveys

Most survey sites will ask you to answer qualifying questions before you can take a survey. Sometimes you will not be able to take part in the survey based on your age, gender, etc. Do not lie, hoping you’ll have a better chance of being picked for a survey. If the survey company finds out, they can cancel your entire balance!

3. Don’t rush

Sometimes surveys will ask questions with nonsensical answer options or ask the same question more than once, just to see if you are paying attention. Some surveys will even disqualify you for going too fast. So, take your time!

4. Don’t take online surveys that pay very little

Once you start keeping track of the surveys you take, you’ll be able to figure out the best paid survey sites for you. Some survey sites will tell you exactly how long surveys take and how much you can make. Others might just tell you how much you’ll earn but won’t give you a time estimate. With a little effort, you’ll discover which ones offer you the most highly paid online surveys.

Start earning cash with surveys today!

If you like the idea of getting paid for online surveys, you can start today.

Just choose the survey sites from the list above that sound most intriguing, or sign up for them all and see which works best for you!

And then, leave me a comment below and let me know what kind of rewards you’re earning from surveys.