Jasmine Birtles
Your money-making expert. Financial journalist, TV and radio personality.
Online surveys: easy cash for paid surveys
Joanna Robinson
4th Jan 2024
Paid online surveys can help you make money while you’re in front of the computer.
If you have some free time in your lunch break or a spare half an hour in the evenings, why not fill in a few online surveys for money?
Paid surveys are simple, effective ways to make some cash, and some online surveys even let you win prizes every now and then.
Use these handy links to skip ahead to the part of the article that interests you. Otherwise, read on…
- Online surveys for money: is it worth the hassle?
- MoneyMagpie’s three online survey golden rules
- Online surveys for money: How to get started
- Online surveys for money: Our recommendations
- Make money from your smartphone or tablet
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We Rate the Top (paid) Online Surveys.
- Branded Surveys
- Swagbucks
- InboxPounds
- Valued Opinions
- Opinion Surveys
- Ipsos i-Say
- Panel Base
The Top Online surveys FOR MONEY
The online surveys that pay are the ones we’re discussing, and that we think are worth your time.
ONLINE SURVEYS FOR MONEY: IS IT WORTH THE HASSLE?
Whilst doing online surveys for money won’t provide you with a steady, substantial income, paid surveys are a great way to make cash for very little effort. Lots of our readers find the best paid online surveys are the ones they can put towards the bill for their summer holiday – not bad coming from the odd half an hour in front of a computer.
Online surveys could be right for you if:
You’d like to make in excess of £50 a month for very little effort
You’d like the chance to win large cash prizes, vouchers and holidays
You spend a lot of time in front of your computer anyway
You’d like a fun and flexible way to make money from home
Moneymagpie’s three golden rules for online surveys
Rule 1: NEVER pay to join online surveys. Use our list of recommended sites below, and let us know immediately if you come across any paid surveys that ask you to pay to join them (you can leave a post at the bottom of this page). The list also includes some of the best paid online surveys.
Rule 2: Set up a separate email account just for emails from online surveys. That way your personal account won’t be flooded with online survey related emails (which can get frustrating!).
Rule 3: Be aware that you won’t qualify for all online surveys. Companies that offer paid surveys are often after a ‘sample group’, which means they only look for a particular number of people within a specific age range or area, or who use a certain product. This means you won’t be able to complete some online surveys simply because you’re too young, too old or simply the wrong sex! So don’t take it personally, but do sign up to lots of online surveys to increase your chances of being selected.
ONLINE SURVEYS FOR MONEY: How to get started
Step 1: Register with several online survey companies 
You can sign up to as many sites offering online surveys for money as you like. In fact, the more sites that offer paid surveys you sign up to, the more money you’ll make. See our list below of recommended online survey companies.
Step 2: Check your inbox in your free time
Most paid surveys are sent to you via email at random times. If you have online surveys for money waiting for you, keep in mind that some will close by a specified date or when enough people have taken part so get your skates on or you’ll miss out!
Paid surveys can take anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes to complete. When you receive the email it’ll tell you roughly how long the online survey will take and give you a link to a new window where the survey will begin.
Step 3: Trade your points for cash or vouchers
With most online survey for money companies you earn reward points as you go. Obviously the more active you are, the more points you will earn. Depending on the site, you can convert your points into vouchers or cash. You may also get entered into prize draws as well.
Step 4: Start enjoying your little pot of extra cash and goodies each month!
ONLINE SURVEYS FOR MONEY: OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
Here are the sites offering online surveys we approve of. They’ve all received a thumbs-up from online survey users, but if for any reason these paid surveys fail to impress you then please do let us know at the bottom of this article. And always remember our number one golden rule: NEVER PAY TO JOIN AN ONLINE SURVEY SITE!
Online survey sites
Make money from your smartphone or table
Swagbucks
With online surveys that pay, you can make money from the comfort of your sofa just using a smartphone or tablet. For example, you can download the Swagbucks app and start making money by completing surveys (as well as all the other fun ways Swagbucks lets you make money.)
MobileXpression
MobileXpression provides one of the easiest ways possible to make money. All you have to do is download their software onto your phone/tablet and you’ll immediately start earning points you can redeem for a reward.
The goal of MobileXpression is to get a better idea of how people use the mobile internet and determine the rank of certain websites, much like TV uses ratings.
If you fancy getting easy rewards on top of doing online surveys for money, then sign up for MobileXpression here now.
Paid online surveys reviewed…
Branded Surveys
Facts
- Available to people based in the United States, Canada, and the UK
- Age requirements 16+ years old
- Average earnings of $0.50 to $5 per survey
- Payment method is via either Branded Pay (direct deposit in the United States), PayPal cash, gift cards, prepaid Visa card, or charitable donations
- Need a minimum 1,000 points to cash out
Good
+ It has a 4.5 out of five ‘star rating’ on Trustpilot
+ When you register as a new member, you’ll earn 50 points, then another 50 points will be credited to your account after filling out your profile (a $1 sign up bonus in total)
+ Once your account is created, you can immediately start taking surveys, which can be worth up to $5 each
+ Branded Surveys’ loyalty programme, Branded Elite, offers the opportunity for anyone to earn bonus points on a weekly basis
Bad
– The website design isn’t as straightforward as other survey sites
Sign up with Branded Surveys here.
Swagbucks
Facts
Points redeemable for gift cards or for cash through PayPal.- Get five points for signing up
- Earn ‘swagbucks’ (SB) by answering surveys and polls, watching videos, playing games, searching the web with the SB search engine and with cashback shopping
- At 450 SB, you can get a £3 Amazon Voucher; 720 SB gets you a £5 Amazon voucher. You’ll need 800 SB for £5 in cash; top prize of £100 cash will cost you 16,000 SB. To earn a £100 Amazon Voucher = 14,400 SB, while £100 at M&S = 13,600 SB.
- Polls earn you 1 SB
- One-minute surveys earn you 4 SB
- 15-minute surveys earn you 70 SB
- 20-minute surveys earn you 80 SB
- Earn 10 SB for signing up to promotional emails
Good
+ Lots of surveys to take
+ Earn SB by just answering quick questions about your preferences/lifestyle
+ Prize redemption is straight forward and you have the option of getting points converted into cash and not just gift cards
+ Loads of well known brands and shopping sites to earn cashback with, such as eBay, Iceland, Dunelm and Notonthehighstreet.com
+ Didn’t receive any emails (these can be turned on for extra Swagbucks)
Bad
– Sections of the site encourage you to place gambling bets in exchange for high payout swagbucks but you ultimately spend more money placing the bet than you would get for your bucks
– Most of the offers in the “Offers” section cost you money or require you to subscribe to something; most free offers are only worth 1-2 SB each
Inbox Pounds
Facts
- You’ll receive rewards for activities such as reading emails, taking surveys, playing games and signing up for offers
- You can earn rewards from using the site’s web search facility
- Joining and engaging with other sites can also earn you rewards
Good
+ You earn 40p for completing your profile (took less than two minutes)
+ You earn cash, not points
+ Presented with five surveys to complete on activation of account
+ Received a few emails within the first 15 minutes just telling us how much we’ve earned and encouraging us to go to the site to earn more
Bad
– Layout is a little messy, but not too difficult to navigate
– To earn rewards from joining a game site and taking part in competitions you are required to deposit money first
Valued Opinions
Facts
- Allows you to work towards gift card for popular retails (like M&S, Amazon and Argos)
Good
+ Easy to navigate
+ Lets you earn up to £5 per survey
+ A new feature on their website allows people to find a survey for themselves from their dashboard
Bad
– Like all online surveys, you have to wait for a survey that is appropriate for you, which is often luck
Opinion Surveys
Facts
- Surveys take anywhere between five and 30 minutes
- You earn an entry into a £1,000 prize draw for each completed survey
Good
+ Easy sign-up with simple personal questions such as age, gender, nationality and education
Bad
– Sometimes you don’t get entered because you weren’t what they were looking for
– Some of the surveys are quite slow to load
– We haven’t been emailed with further survey opportunities since signing up
Ipsos i-Say
Facts
280 to 980 i-Say points gets you a £2, £4 or £7 donation to “Help Nepal” charity- 1,380 i-Say points earn you a £10 leisure voucher (redeemable at Beefeater, Bella Italia, Café Rouge, Pizza Hut, London Eye, Hastings, Marriott, Chessington Park, Legoland, Madame Tussauds, Sea life, London Pass, and many others); a £10 compliments voucher (redeemable at retail stores such as Argos, WHSmith, Topshop, Accor Hotels, Interflora, TGI Friday’s, and many more); or £10 gift vouchers for either John Lewis, Amazon, iTunes or Zalando
Good
+ Short sign-up with very few questions
+ Profile completion takes only a few minutes and includes lots of lifestyle questions
+ Colourful, easy-to-navigate website with clear information
Bad
– We were rejected as “not the right demographic” after completing our first survey. No other surveys were offered.
Panel Base
Facts
You have to wait for surveys, and will receive a notification by email when one becomes available- Rewards range from £0.25 – £10.00 for a successfully completed survey
- Once you have reached the redemption threshold of £10 you will be able to withdraw your rewards
- Rewards can be withdrawn by having them paid directly into your bank account, as vouchers sent to your address, or as charitable donations
Good
+ Easy sign-up with normal personal questions (name, age, location, house details, income, employment)
+ Good rewards with a threshold which isn’t too high
Bad
– Fully completing the profile questions will take a few hours
– After spending several hours on the site we were only offered one survey
Which one are you going to try? Do you agree with our reviews? Have you had a different experience? Let us know in the comments below.
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I filled out online surveys (although not for money, but competition entry)
Sadly they sometimes presume too much like you automatically buy certain things! I understand that often that what the survey is for but surely they would also like input from people who don’t buy the product & why!
I have better things to do with my time than filling in surveys that at the end of the day will land you with tons of junk mail.
I have done surveys in the past and it is a lot of work for little money. However if you do it when you have a few spare minutes it can add up. The most frustrating thing is when you get part way through a particular survey and it finishes early because you are not in the bracket of people they need.
I used to do surveys all the time. Stopped because you spend ages answering questions only to be told you don’t fit the criteria. Then they award you 5p.
I have tried the surveys in the past, but i found that I really like the no effort involved like the ones where they monitor your internet use and where you visit and pay by paypal, its not a lot of money but if you dont touch it until christmas your paypal balance has quite a bit for those stocking fillers!
I’ve never entered surveys for guaranteed cash but I have done surveys to be entered for a prize draw when I receive an email asking me to do so but only if it’s a short survey
I used to do the YouGov surveys but it takes a long time to get your money as you have to accumulate £50 before you can cash so got disheartened in the end!
I occasionally do surveys, usually quick ones with competition entrys. I have done some of the others in the past but I haven’t got the patience, I don’t fit into enough of the categorys they’re looking for alot of the time and I just think my time is better spent elsewhere. I think the rate of return is just not worth the effort. Good luck to anyone who is making it work for them though!
For not much effort you can build Paypal credits, cash and vouchers. They can be time consuming so rather than doing them all I stick to three – Pinecone which reward me with Paypal credits,YouGov and GFK media view (which I’ve been doing for years now)
Never tried surveys before,but after reading this article will investigate more