Online Survey Jobs: Are they safe and legit?

Taking part in legit online survey jobs can be a great way to earn some extra cash.

But did you notice what I mentioned, “legit”?

Yes, it is crucial to know whether an online survey company is legit or not before you invest your time and energy.

But don’t worry, I have covered everything you need to know in this article.

Straight to the point,

In general, survey jobs are one of the safest and genuine ways to make some extra income online. However, there are certain companies that pay very little to users. So, make sure to do a thorough analysis before joining any survey company.

Doing online surveys need patience since they are not merely some get rich quick schemes.

For some, it could be very quick or fast, while for others, it may take time.

The task can be as simple as watching TV or listening to music.

But it is also important to note that the hourly rates obtained from participating in the job are not the same as the regular wage.

Yet you can use these simple tasks to accumulate into some nice pocket money for the holidays, for home improvements, or reinvest in some passive income business models.

So, expect pocket money but not a full-time income.

With that being said, let’s look at how these companies work.

How do online surveys work?

Let me explain to you in simple terms!

In a nutshell, Online surveys connect brands with their potential users to help them gather feedback on their products and services. By taking part in the survey and providing honest feedback, the user gets paid a certain amount.

Now let’s look into it in detail.

Basically, three parties are involved here:

  • You
  • Companies/Brands
  • Survey websites

Companies invest a lot of money in testing an idea or a product before introducing it to the market.

Market research helps the company to save a lot of money by forecasting it’s potential and decide where to manufacture or not.

So, you, as an individual, provide your honest opinion to the companies to validate their product. 

When 1000 people like you share your opinion, it becomes valuable information for the company to take a decision on the product.

The survey sites simply connect you and the company that needs market research. 

So. whenever you complete a survey, you will earn a certain number of points that you can redeem as cash or gift coupons.

The more surveys you complete, the more money you make.

Along with that, you will also be provided with opportunities to earn more points by doing other simple tasks like watching videos, playing games, testing websites, etc… which are again to verify the user experience.

In a nutshell, you are getting paid to help companies do their market research.

There are plenty of online surveys out there, and most of the time you can easily signup with just an email address.

However, it is vital to join the right survey companies, and that’s the purpose of this article.

Recommended Survey Companies (Click To Sign Up):

PrizeRebel

Survey Junkie

InboxDollars

How to find if the survey job is legit?

You can quickly determine if a survey company is legit or a scam by looking at the following factors on their website.

Validating these things is very important before joining a survey company.

A genuine and foolproof online survey will reliably pay its consumers in real cash as opposed to points for their daily online as well as mobile activities.

Providing transparent terms and conditions on the usage of personal information.

Good companies will not sell your personal information and only use it to offer relevant surveys that fit your location, age, and gender.

Real online survey email invitations will give out information on the kind of study conducted, the length of the survey, and the set incentives for completion.

Legit sites for taking part in surveys have several mentions that include marketing association memberships on the survey panel websites.

Most well-known associations are ESOMAR from Europe and Insights Association in the United States.

Indicators that a survey job company is a scam

You do not find a clear page of the survey company on their website. This is a clear indication of a possible scam website.

Survey websites without an SSL certificate, it’s a small lock icon you see in front of the URL.

If you don’t see them, then 100% you should stay away as any of your information like card details are not secure.

Survey invitations that feature advertisements to win cash or products or many others; Emails of a similar nature indicate they aren’t coming from legitimate market research companies.

Companies that promise you a full-time earning potential just by taking online surveys. This will set a wrong expectation, and you are more likely to be disappointed.

How much do online surveys really pay?

Each survey site has its own way of calculating the pay for the surveys. However, on average, you can expect to make between $0.25 to $2.00 per short survey.

In some cases, you can earn $50 to $75, but for that, you need to reach the top level and fit in the requirement to take those surveys.

What are the Pros and Cons of online surveys?

Now let’s look at some of the pros and cons of online surveys.

Pros:

  • Simple and easy to get started with online survey jobs. 
  • No technical experience is required to take surveys. So, it’s entirely beginner-friendly.
  • It can be done at your own pace, which is convenient and hassle-free.
  • Most online survey jobs can be taken from your mobile. So, you can earn some extra cash by just using your smartphone.
  • Additional gift coupons and rewards in addition to the cash that you earn by completing surveys.
  • Most legit companies have no signup fee to take surveys. It’s completely free to join.
  • Opportunity to earn more by referring your friends and family.

Cons:

  • You cannot expect to make a fulltime living by taking online surveys. Expect to make some side income.
  • Most popular survey sites are not available worldwide. (PrizeRebel is available across the globe, and they pay via PayPal)
  • Some survey sites have a minimum payment threshold to withdraw the money to your PayPal account. Mostly it’s around $10, and it should not be a big deal.
  • Some survey sites do not offer PayPal or direct deposit, and you can only withdraw as gift coupons like Amazon gift cards. If you shop on Amazon quite often, you should not have a problem otherwise, think twice before joining those companies.
  • You need to move up the ladder to take high paying surveys, that pay $10 to $50 per survey. So, you to be in the program for a while to get those opportunities.
  • Unnecessary promotional emails that annoy. Make sure to unsubscribe to those emails by changing the settings in your account or by clicking the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the emails.
  • Sometimes you will not have surveys to take and will have to wait for a few days. This will frustrate and stop the rhythm. So, make sure to join multiple legit survey sites to have a consistent earning.

Conclusion

Online survey jobs are legit when you join the right survey company.

If you want a side job that needs minimal effort or in case you have only fifteen minutes or less to spare, take up online surveys.

Also, if you like giving your opinion for free and you currently don’t earn extra money in your free time, you shouldn’t be left behind.

But make sure to be cautious and keep away from any online survey sites that promise life-changing income.

It can be tempting because some sites offer to pay you more money when you share your political beliefs or health history, but it could be that you want to keep such information private.

So be careful while joining survey companies but don’t miss out on an extra income.

If you are really interested and you decide to take on online surveys, try the following safe online survey sites: PrizeRebel, Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, Inboxdollars and LifePoints.

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