If you are looking for a way to earn by taking paid surveys, you have maybe heard about Survey Junkie.
But is Survey Junkie legit and safe and really a great way to earn? Or is it one of the scam survey sites to stay away from?
I have joined the site to test it myself and have compared it to the hundreds of other survey sites I have tested.
Let me just reveal right away Survey Junkie is legit, and I have been paid by it myself many times. This does, however, not mean it will necessarily be the best option for you.
This in-depth Survey Junkie review will give you all the details about what it really offers, how the opportunities are, who it is for, and more, so you will know exactly what to expect if you decide to join.
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What is Survey Junkie, and what does the site offer?
Survey Junkie is a survey site that has been around for a while.
It now has more than 20 million members, so let me reveal right away that it is a legit site, and you can get paid for sharing your opinion and more as a member.
But that a site is legit does, however, not mean it will necessarily be worth joining for you. So let's go over what it offers and how good the opportunities are, so you can see if it will be for you or not.
Option 1 – Survey Junkie surveys:
Survey Junkie is, first of all, a survey site, and the main way you can earn on the site is by taking the online surveys it offers.
It has a decent amount of surveys available. The list of available surveys is regularly updated, so if you at some point cannot see any available surveys, just try again a few hours later.
Like most other survey sites, you will not qualify for all the surveys you are offered.
That is just how paid surveys work, as the companies that pay for you to take them often look for the opinions of specific demographic groups.
So do not give up if you are disqualified for several surveys – it happens to everyone.
I have often seen people ask how to qualify for more survey on Survey Junkie.
The thing is that you cannot, as such, use any kind of trick to qualify for more. But what you can do is fill out your profile info on Survey Junkie.
It will give you a better chance of matching with the surveys, but there is no secret trick to qualify for all the surveys, and sometimes it can take a little patience to find the ones you qualify for.
Also, when you first join, you will get paid to take the profile surveys, so it will also help give you a great start.
And overall, Survey Junkie gives decent opportunities to earn on paid surveys.
Option 2 – Product testing, focus groups, and more:
Many people think Survey Junkie is only offering paid surveys, but it actually has a few other great opportunities to earn.
It used to be very clear when you first joined that you could do other options like product testing, online focus groups, phone interviews, and more.
However, Survey Junkie has changed this, so you will not really see any info on the site about this. But by being a member, you might still get invites to options like this once in a while.
You should just not expect to get invites for this very often, and the regular paid surveys is the main way to earn.
But if you manage to get access to a focus group (online or in-person), product testing, or similar, it usually pays quite well. Depending on the task, you can often earn between $5-$150 per task, so it is definitely something to make sure to participate in if you ever get invited.
Option 3 – Survey Junkie Pulse (extra surveys + passive earnings)
Survey Junkie has a way for you to potentially qualify for more surveys and also to potentially earn passively in the background.
They have an extension for your browser called Survey Junkie Pulse. You just need to install this in your browser after signing up.
This is an extension that will learn more about you while you browse, and that way, you will eventually get access to exclusive surveys you will otherwise not get access to. So it will learn about your interests and then offer you extra surveys based on this.
Also, you supposedly can earn passively as it uses the collected data for market research and, in that way, is similar to Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel.
It will not collect any sensitive data, so if you want access to extra surveys, it can be worth considering installing this extension. You can also install it on several browsers and on different devices.
Once there is a new Survey Pulse survey available, you will get a notification in your browser.
Just be aware that it takes a little time for it to start finding these surveys, so you will not start receiving surveys through it right away.
As an additional bonus, you will receive 150 free points just for installing it. You will get them into your account once you have had the extension installed for 30 days.
Option 4 – Joining bonus:
Something I really like about Survey Junkie is that you get a joining bonus and a few chances to earn some easy money right away.
Just by joining, you receive 25 points (equivalent to 25 cents).
If you fill out your profile (which will only take a couple of minutes), you will get another 50 points. Also, by confirming your email, you will get 25 points.
There are also a few short tutorials you can see to earn an extra 10 points and some extra profile surveys where you can earn a total of 40 points.
So, in total, you will be able to earn your first 150 points in just 5-10 minutes after joining.
It is not a huge amount, but it still gives a very good start and a nice way to get your earnings kickstarted.
Click to Check Out Survey Junkie for Yourself
How to use Survey Junkie?
I have created a tutorial of Survey Junkie, so you can get an inside look at the platform and see exactly what it offers and how to use it.
Below the video, you can find more details:
How do you get paid?
When you take surveys on Survey Junkie, you get paid in points. These can then be exchanged for a number of rewards depending on where you live.
1 point is worth 1 cent. So 100 points are worth $1. The payout threshold is 500 points ($5), so this is the amount you need to earn to request a payout.
There are survey sites with a lower payout threshold, but $5 is a good low payout threshold for a survey site. However, just be aware that for some reason, this payout threshold is only valid for new members who have joined after September 2019. If you joined before that, the payout threshold is $10.
You can get paid in cash through PayPal in all countries where Survey Junkie is available. Just be aware that in some countries, you need a verified PayPal account.
You can also get paid in e-gift cards to, for example, Amazon, Target, Walmart, Sephora, iTunes, and Starbucks in the US.
In the US, you can also get paid directly into your bank account via bank transfer if you prefer this. There are not many survey sites that offer to pay into your bank account, so great it also has this option.
So overall, some very good cashout methods, in my opinion.
How much money can you make?
Survey Junkie gives some decent earning opportunities. But it is important to join with the right expectations.
It is NOT a way to make a full-time income or get rich easily.
It is a great way to make some extra cash and have your opinion heard, but survey sites, in general, will not make you a full-time income, even if you join as many as you can.
If you join several sites, it is possible to earn some nice extra cash, and it is completely risk-free, but you just need to do it without expecting to be able to make a living from it.
I would suggest you also join other survey sites in addition to Survey Junkie, as this alone will give you limited earning opportunities.
You can, for example, check out the list of the best survey sites here and join a few extra to boost your chances of earning.
Can you use it on mobile?
One thing I also look for when testing a survey site is how easy it is to use on mobile devices, as taking surveys on your mobile makes it easy to do whenever you have a few extra minutes.
A great thing is that you can download the Survey Junkie app and get easy access to surveys on the go through that.
The website is also fully optimized and works well on mobile, so you can also just use your browser to log in on your phone if you do not want to download the app.
So if you would like to be able to take surveys on the go, it is possible with Survey Junkie.
Who can join Survey Junkie?
Survey Junkie is only available in a few countries. These are: the United States, Canada, Australia, and the UK. You have to be at least 18 years old to join.
It used to only be available in the US, CA, and AU, but it recently opened up for UK residents also.
If you live in one of these countries, it can be worth joining as a way to earn some extra cash.
If you do not live in one of these countries, you can instead check out the best surveys in your country here.
Can you get support?
How good the support tells a lot about the reliability of a survey site.
I have personally been in contact with the Survey Junkie support staff a few times, and I have received very quick and good answers.
Also, I have seen how quickly the support staff answers on forums and social media.
That also tells a lot about the company and is, in my opinion, a good sign. But let me also just address a few complaints I have seen.
Survey Junkie complaints
I am overall pretty positive about Survey Junkie myself. But I still decided to look into any possible complaints.
I saw a few complaints about the company on Trustpilot. You can see an example of one in the image below.
What is worth noticing is that Survey Junkie replied to the complaint within a day and came up with a possible solution. That is, in general, the case when people have issues they complain about, and this is definitely important.
Most complaints I saw were from people who felt they did not qualify for the surveys often enough or did not make money enough.
This is the reason I already mentioned earlier that when taking paid surveys, it is important to do it with the right expectations. And on more or less all survey sites, there will be surveys you do not qualify for.
If you are not aware of this, you might end up being disappointed.
But overall, the Survey Junkie reviews on Trustpilot are very good. The overall rating is 4.2 stars based on more than 44,000 reviews.
In general, I do not solely rely on Trustpilot reviews as they can easily be manipulated, but in this case, most of the reviews seem genuine, and the overall good rating also corresponds with my own positive experience of Survey Junkie as a safe and legitimate company.
Final verdict – scam or legit?
I think it is already clear that Survey Junkie is legit.
But this does not mean it will necessarily be the right option for you.
So let's finish this review by summing up the pros and cons so you can get a better overview before deciding if you should join or not.
Pros:
- Free to join
- Offers several ways to earn
- Low payout threshold
- Good reward options
- Fast support
Cons:
- You will not qualify for all surveys
- Only available in 4 countries
Overall, Survey Junkie gives you a good way to earn some extra cash by sharing your opinion. It is a good idea to also join other legit survey sites at the same time to increase your earning opportunities.
But Survey Junkie is definitely one of the legit sites worth considering if you live in one of the available countries.
It has great reward options, a low payout threshold, reliable and fast support, and some great extra ways to earn high rewards if you qualify for the focus groups, etc.
How to join Survey junkie?
It is very easy to join Survey Junkie. You just click the button below and will be taken to the sign-up page. Remember, you can only join from the US, CA, AU and UK.
Signing up only takes a few seconds. And remember, by verifying your email, you will right away get a joining bonus.
If you have any comments, questions, or have any experiences with Survey Junkie yourself, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.
Site seemed OK until I tried to get paid. They want a photo ID and a selfie. There are many other better sites. Never had this request from other sites. I emailed them to tell them to cancel my account. They don’t have any direct way to cancel that I could find.
It is quite normal for survey sites to ask for some kind of verification before paying as they experience a lot of fraud and Survey Junkie is one of the sites with the most security as far as I have seen. But if you do not feel comfortable with that, then definitely go for other sites instead.
Just a followup. They emailed me back with this message: “If you do not wish to complete ID Verification, we are able to verify your account with a phone call as an exception”.
I feel as though already having given my name, address, phone number and email is sufficient identification of my identity. Who would do surveys and then ask for payment in some bogus PayPal account? Doesn’t make sense to me so I am moving on. I would not trust them going forward. As always thanks for all your helpful advice and YouTube videos.
Best Regards, Robert
Thanks for sharing.
But think you would be surprised how many people are trying to cheat survey sites:-) In most cases they are trying to pretend they are from countries they are not and this is a huge problem for survey sites and therefore many of them have extra security check.
But luckily there are many other great options if you do not want to use SJ.
i have the same problem gettinmg paid, i have pay pal, my real id, my selfie and now they want additional info and will call me Mon-tru- friday to speal with me, I thionk its a stall to pay me, and it is only 7 dollars I want to rerdeem. Not a good enought excuse from them, just send the money to my pay pal account is all I ask them to do
Who has time to sit around monday tru friday to get an answer. Wahsy iif you missthe call? Kevin you should let them know, you recommended them.
I always do a thorough check on sites before signing up and I use several sites. My go to sites are Paid Viewpoint, Swagbucks, Prize Rebel and Branded Surveys. They are all excellent sites and don’t make you jump thru hoops to get paid.
I like to add a site now and then just to check them out and try something new. None of the before mentioned sites ask for unreasonable ID confirmation to pay you. They are all at the top of their game in this industry in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing your experience about this. I agree that all the sites you mention are great.
Hi Mikael, I was wondering if you know what to do in those cases where you complete a survey but are not given the points, but instead get one of those messages about why you’re not getting paid for it, even though you’re pretty sure you did nothing wrong. The only place I see a survey number is on the very first screen where you click to join the survey, after that I see no way of documenting the survey number to use as a reference when emailing customer service. Any advice would be much appreciated!
The survey platforms’ support should be able to see the surveys you have started and that way find the survey.
Thanks Mikael, much appreciated. Keep up the great work!!
You are welcome.
HI, I am living in Australia. I am unable to redemption my points. Can u pls suggest.
You need to contact their support about this. But make sure you do not use a VPN or anything like that because then you will not get paid as that goes against their terms.
They are now asking for photo identification and a selfie if you want to receive payment. Totally ridiculous to ask you to send this over the internet. They don’t advertise this … you don’t learn this until after you try to redeem payment.
Survey sites have a big problem with fraud in general, and that is why they have to ask for verification before paying people. For example, a lot of people are asking their country to get access to surveys in countries they do not live in, but if they allowed this, the market research they would gather would be worthless, and they would quickly go out of business. That is why they ask for verification and you should expect to have to verify your identity in some way before getting paid by any paid survey site, to be honest.