Is Making Money Taking Surveys Legitimate?
Everyone could stand to boost his bank account with a little extra cash, especially if it's easy cash. Companies that realize this advertise programs that pay you take surveys. In exchange for a little of your time, you can make hundreds of dollars a month, some claim. While there is some truth to these claims, it pays to know the whole story.
Other People Are Reading
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Survey Methods
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The three main types of paid surveys aree online, phone and in-person. Each involves you voluntarily answering questions for a company's research. For example, you might answer questions about your income level, gender and shopping habits when taking a survey sponsored by an electronics company. It may not be apparent what company sponsors the survey you take as the survey company acts as the surveyor.
Business Records
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One of the quickest ways to find out whether a survey company is legitimate is to check it out with Better Business Bureau, a nonprofit organization that specializes in helping consumers make educated purchases. The BBB website features a directory of businesses and charities and gives ratings to businesses based on consumer reviews. Since a business must opt to appear in the directory, and because not every business that's listed has a rating, you may not be able to find information on all survey companies. Still, BBB accreditation is one sign that a survey business is likely legitimate.
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Payment Methods
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Before you sign up for a paid survey program, read the company's payment methods carefully. Even if a company is legitimate, it's payment methods may not make its survey program worth your while. For example, some online companies, such as Toluna, reward you with points that you can put toward purchases with select companies or exchange for cash. Others, such as CashCrate, pay only in checks that you receive in the mail once you earn a certain amount of money. Making yourself aware of the payment process will prevent you from believing a company to be a scam when it's not.
Earning Potential
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Ads for paid survey programs sometimes make impressive claims, such as that you can make thousands of dollars per year participating in surveys. What the ads don't always say is how you might make the money. For example, CashCrate offers an affiliate program to its users that allows you to make additional money every time you refer a new user. With such a program, it may be possible to make thousands of dollars per year. Aside from such programs, your earning potential depends on how much time you spend taking surveys.
Personal Information
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Since paid surveys largely serve as marketing tools for businesses, they often ask for personal information, such as your physical address, phone number and email address. The company may then share the information you provide with other companies. This can result in a mountain of emails, phone calls and text messages from companies you never directly contacted. While it may be tempting to consider such correspondence as spam and the survey company to be illegitimate, read the terms of use and privacy notice before you provide your information. Often, you consent to share it with other companies as soon as you submit it to the survey company.
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