The Only 4 Survey Sites That Are Actually Worth Your Time

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I have the entrepreneurial gene. I’m always working on something new that will move our family forward. And I’m always thinking of ways to make the most money for the least effort.

But not everyone wants to start their own business or write for hours a day. That doesn’t mean you can’t make some extra money.

Time is the #1 excuse I hear for why people can’t make more money to pay off their debt faster.

I know you have a lunch break. I know you wait for the water to boil for those rice and beans. I know you poop.

You may not have time in your day to start a side hustle but you have time in your day to do some surveys. I’ll be blunt, surveys are the least effective way to make money. I wrote about it a while ago. But they are better than nothing.

You’ll be really disappointed if you want to make an extra $500 debt payment with your survey winnings. But if you view it from the right angle you’ll be pretty pleased with your work doing surveys.

You can get gift cards to the grocery store or for a restaurant. You can save up for gas money for this summer’s road trip or for Christmas gifts.

Doing surveys works much better if you have a goal you’re trying to reach vs. just doing them willy-nilly.

There are hundreds of survey sites out there and you could sign up for all of them and never hit the minimum to cash out. That’s why I recommend only four! Four survey sites on rotation allow you to always have a survey available but not too many that you spread yourself thin.

And which of the four do I recommend? I’m glad you asked. These are the four I trust. I’ve tried them out, read reviews, asked around and they’re legit. They actually make payments. I know this because these links in here are my referral links, I get a couple bucks when people I refer cash out.

And I get notifications about my referrals cashing out so I know they’re making money.

So here are the only four survey sites I recommend because they aren’t full of surveys you don’t qualify for and they’ll provide you enough surveys to actually be able to cash out.

1. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is my top dog, my favorite as far as survey sites go because they’re more than a survey site. You can get points for watching videos, answering one-question polls, playing games, and shopping online.

Each point is equivalent to a penny and can be used to buy gift cards to basically anywhere including Amazon, Paypal, and plain ol’ Mastercard Rewards.

Sometimes the cards will go on sale for 2-12% off.

You can leave Swagbucks videos playing on your tablet while you work (just check in every few minutes to play the next) and get points back when you buy stuff online. I still prefer Ebates cash back to do this but if you’re close to cashing out and you need a boost, they have around the same conversion.

Pro tips for excelling at Swagbucks:

• Subscribe to the Swagbucks Reddit page for all the insider deals
• Follow SwagCodeSpoilers on Twitter to get SwagCodes sent to your phone
• Link your card so transactions at certain local retailers will get you swagbucks
• Participate in “SwagUps” before they expire

Definitely, sign up for Swagbucks before you try any other survey site. This one can keep you busy but if you do run out of things to do (or get bored) it’s nice to have other options.

2. MySurvey

One of the oldest survey sites on the web is MySurvey. It’s also one of the easiest to qualify for so I’m confident you can do enough surveys here to keep you busy.

One of the perks of MySurvey is that in addition to gift cards, you can be paid out in direct cash or PayPal transfers. The minimum to cash out is only $10 (1000 points) and the average survey pays out $.50 cents to $1.25 when converted from points.

You can get about 30-50 points for a 10-minute survey and 150-300 point for surveys over 30 minutes. You can also get products to test from MySurvey with high rewards. I’m not sure how competitive they are.

Some users have complained that MySurvey “caps” them at $10 per month, which isn’t confirmed but hey, it’s why there are four sites on here and not two.

The more you log in to MySurvey the more surveys you’ll receive, checking in once a week will keep you on the list for the best surveys. And best of all you’ll never receive any spam email from them. That’s why MySurvey is my second pick for best survey sites.

3. i-Say

i-Say has a lot of incentive for you to do more surveys with them. Their loyalty program gives you bonuses after completing 5, 10, and so-on surveys. Complete 200 surveys in one calendar year and you’ll get 600 bonus points.

100 points on i-Say are equivalent to $1 and can be redeemed in the form of gift cards or donations to your favorite charity. You can redeem as few as 500 points which can go really quick with

It can be a little difficult to qualify for surveys in i-Say. Some get a few per week and some only 2 per month. Surveyors recommend only doing surveys you know the est. time and points on. 45 points for 10 minutes and 90 points for 20 minutes are good to attempt.

It’s definitely worth signing up for i-Say as a backup.

4. PaidViewpoint

Surveys on PaidViewpoint take only 2-3 minutes and pay out .10 to $2. There’s a $15 minimum to cash out which could take you a while to accumulate but it’s all cash. And there’s no taking half a survey to find out you don’t qualify, when you’re in you’re in.

To get to $15 faster they have a referral program and for every time your friend cashes out you get 20% of their earnings for life.

I don’t recommend making PaidViewpoint a priority but if you’re out of surveys in the first three or only have a few minutes it’s a good fall back. And once you hit the first $15 I’d bail and focus more on Swagbucks.

Honorable Mention: Pinecone Research

I’m awarding an honorable mention to Pinecone Research because they are a legit research company that pays well, $3 per survey and no cash out minimum.

But it’s hard to get approved for their site. I include it so you can apply and if you get in I highly recommend participating. If not, then you’ll have enough to do with the first four sites.

To sum it up:

I definitely think Swagbucks can keep you busy enough but if you’re looking for more start with MySurvey, then iSay, then PaidViewpoint. Try applying to Pinecone Research and definitely stick with them if you get accepted.

Happy surveying my friends!