If you are looking for a way to earn extra cash easily and for free, one way you have probably heard about is paid surveys.
It can seem like a good way to earn because it is pretty easy to do and you can usually do it anytime and anywhere.
But are paid surveys safe or, in reality, something to stay away from?
This is a valid concern and one I have often been asked about. Remember, this is the internet we are talking about. Scams and schemes will always abound.
This is where this guide will come in. It will not only answer that question, but it will also explain everything you need to know about paid surveys. That way, you can settle your worries and learn more about how to earn from paid surveys.
This is based on my own experiences after having tested hundreds of paid survey sites and taken thousands of paid surveys.
As a bonus, I will include a few examples of great survey sites you can join to help you get started if you find out it is something you want to do. So, let’s go ahead and dive right in.
How to earn from paid surveys?
Before we talk about whether it is safe to answer paid surveys, we first have to discuss how to earn from them and why it is even possible that someone would pay you to answer a survey.
You see, paid surveys are offered because companies and brands are doing market research. They pay survey sites to conduct surveys to gather data they can use to improve their products and services.
As for the process of answering these paid surveys, it’s usually the same thing across all paid survey sites.
The first thing you have to do is to answer a set of qualifying questions. These questions are designed to gather basic information about you.
Survey sites do this to determine if you belong to the demographic the survey is intended for because they need to make sure the data they are gathering will be relevant for the companies and brands that requested it.
Let’s say for example a company requests for a survey about iPhones. Now, if you are an Android user, then your opinions about iPhones aren’t really that useful since you don’t use that device. That’s the logic behind the qualifying questions.
Once you finish the qualifying process, if you pass it, you will get to answer the actual survey. And when you finish the survey, you will receive the reward promised. But if you fail to qualify, you just have to move on to the next survey available. Some survey sites though will give a small compensation for your time even if you end up not qualifying.
Most survey sites use actual money as rewards for surveys. But there are also survey sites that use the point system. If this is the case, you will have to exchange the points you’ve earned for various rewards like gift cards, prepaid Visa or Mastercard, or even cash through PayPal and other payment gateways.
How much can you earn from answering surveys?
On most sites that I’ve tested, the amount you can earn will usually range from $1 to $10 per survey. There are some survey sites that pay more. But the one thing you shouldn’t expect is to get paid hundreds of dollars per survey. That is simply not possible.
Any survey site that claims to pay you that kind of amount per survey is a scam. Later on, I will show you an example of a kind of site you should avoid.
But back to the topic at hand – the amount of money you can earn from paid surveys will not compare to what you can earn from a full-time job. You can’t make a living out of answering these paid surveys even if you do it for the whole day.
You will eventually run out of surveys to answer. Plus, you have to consider that for every survey offer you get, there’s no guarantee to earn from it.
That being said, you can still earn a decent amount from these survey sites. You just need to be a bit patient and do it with the right expectations.
What are the risks of paid surveys?
There are several risks you need to be aware of before you join a survey site to make sure you do not end up wasting your time. Here’s a list.
#1 – Joining scam sites
The first one is if you join a scam site. If, for example, you join a scam survey site and you keep answering questions, but in the end, you found out that you are not able to withdraw your earnings because they will require some condition that will be quite ridiculous.
This is the most common scenario of scam survey sites. They promise very high rewards, and you will receive a message that you earned a certain amount once you finish the survey. However, when it’s time to withdraw your earnings, there will be additional conditions required to take out your money. Usually, they require you to make a purchase or spend money.
I have encountered many sites over the years that claim you, for example, can earn $500 daily from answering surveys and more. As I’ve explained earlier, it’s quite unrealistic to expect that kind of daily earnings because survey sites don’t really pay that much.
When you log in to a site like this and start working on their earning opportunities, you will really see high rewards going into your account on those platforms. The problem is, when it’s time to withdraw your earnings, they will require you to invite a certain number of people first to join the site before you can take out your earnings.
Now, let me just make it clear here. Any platform that will require you to invite a certain number of people to join is a platform you should stay away from. Great and legit platforms will never ask this from their members. They always allow members to withdraw their earnings without any additional conditions (aside from reaching the payout threshold).
Another indication that a site is a scam is the fake testimonials some sites post. But how do you identify fake testimonials? Well, usually, in my experience, the first thing you need to look at is the photo of the person making the testimonial.
They will usually be stock photos found on websites where you can purchase pictures. There are even sites where people can sell their photos to be used for websites. You can usually tell if it is a fake testimonial because the photos look staged and too good to be true.
You can also just Google the image if you are using Google Chrome. All you have to do is right-click on the image and hit Google this image.
The only good thing about this kind of risk is, all you will really lose is your time since most of these scam sites are free to join. But there is another possible risk that this kind of site poses and I will explain it next.
#2 – Compromised personal information
Usually, scam sites exist to gather the personal information of individuals so they can sell it to companies or other individuals. That’s how these scam sites make money. They sell your information to other entities.
Say, for example, you join a scam site. As you know, when you register to a site, you will usually have to provide your email address and full name. Then after a couple of weeks, you receive an email from some company that you are not familiar with inviting you to buy a certain product or service.
You wonder why they have your email and why they know your name when you have not encountered them before. More likely than not, this company got your email address from a scam site you’ve joined. They sold it to the company that sent you the email.
That’s just one example of how your personal information can be compromised if you join the wrong sites. This, in my opinion, is the biggest risk of paid surveys. That’s why when you join a survey site, always make it a habit to read its privacy policy first. You can usually spot dubious details in the privacy policy of scam sites.
Which survey sites should you join?
Now that you know the major risks of paid survey sites and how to avoid them, your next step is to find survey sites you can join safely.
Because there are many survey sites that are 100% safe and where your information will never be compromised.
I have earned a lot from legit survey sites over the years.
Here are a few examples of great survey sites that I’ve personally tested and been paid by many times myself. I’ll give a brief summary of what these sites have to offer.
There are many more legit survey sites, and the best is to check out the best survey sites in your country, as the best options will vary from country to country.
But below you can also read about a few options I have had good experiences with and that are available in many countries.
#1 – Surveytime
One of the best survey sites you can join if you are looking to get paid quickly is called Surveytime. This survey site has a decent number of surveys available. And best of all, they don’t have a payout threshold.
Every time you complete a survey, you will get $1 regardless of how long the survey is.
When you complete the survey, the reward will be credited to your PayPal account right away (in some countries, you can also choose other rewards).
It’s also available globally, so you can register as a member regardless of where you live.
#2 – YouGov
If you are looking for a survey site that has a specific survey panel for your country, one of the best sites you can join is YouGov. It is available in most countries. The surveys will be available in your local language.
Plus, they have a decent number of surveys available, so you’ll be able to earn a decent amount. The threshold you need to reach to withdraw your earnings will depend on the reward you want to redeem and the country you live in. But usually, you can get paid via PayPal, or you can redeem various gift cards as a reward.
#3 – Toluna Influencers
Toluna Influencers is available in more than 60 countries, and it has specific survey panels for each country. So, you can expect the surveys to be in your local language as well.
It has a good amount of surveys available, and they pay rather well. The payout threshold is usually around $7-$10 (depending on your country) which is a fairly low payout threshold. So, it will not take too long to reach.
You can get paid via PayPal, or you can redeem various gift cards as well. Plus, it has a mobile app you can use so you can answer surveys on the go.
#4 – Surveyeah
Another great survey site you can join is called Surveyeah. And just like most of the examples I’ve given, it is also available in many countries.
While you will not necessarily get surveys every day from this site, it does pay a decent amount per survey ($0.30-$5 per survey). The payout threshold you need to reach to withdraw your earnings will depend on the country you live in and the reward you want to redeem.
For PayPal withdrawals, though, the payout threshold will usually be $10 in most countries. So, it’s a pretty manageable threshold, in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
So, to answer the question posed by this article, YES, paid surveys are safe provided of course, you join legit sites. So you shouldn’t have to worry about anything.
But just to play it safe, remember the pointers I’ve discussed on how to spot scam sites.
Also, you can check out the best paid survey sites in your country here. You can see which ones are legit and easily find the best ones for your country.
And if you have questions about any site, just leave them in a comment here on my website, and I will get back to you asap.
If you have any comments, questions, or know of other risks posed by survey sites that were not discussed in this guide, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.