I’ve been promising this post to Renee for ages (I think she’s beginning to suspect I’ve forgotten about it), so here it finally is.

For a couple of years now I’ve been signed up to a number of paid survey sites where I am emailed links to surveys, and get a certain amount of points or $ for completing them. These are then turned into gift cards or cashed out. It’s free money for answering questions, usually when I’m sitting in front of the TV, and who doesn’t like free things? Over the years I’ve easily redeemed over $300 in gift cards/cheques for stores like Coles Myer, Kmart, Target, Bunnings, Sanity, the list continues.

SO, without further ado, I present to you my list that I have gathered over the last few years. A few tips, firstly:

• Create a separate email account for the surveys. You WILL get spam, hence the separate account. I’ve used Gmail, it doesn’t need to be fancy.
• Try and check it daily. Surveys have expiration dates and it’s best to get in on them straight away. Plus, if you forget and come back to 300+ emails, it’s not fun to sort through the valid and dead links.
• You will be screened out of surveys. Don’t get disheartened, just move onto the next one. The ones you do get through will add up.
• I’ve also found that as you increase the number of surveys you complete, the more invitations you get as they will start to recognise you as a member who continues to participate.
• As long as the site is legit (a quick Google will sort this out for you), you may as well sign up. Sure, you may not get many – but eventually over time they will add up for you.

Pureprofile – Has quite an extensive profile to fill out. Not only do you get surveys, but you also get $0.10 per website click they advertise. Minimum cash out is at $25, I have made about $130 from this one so far.  No referral link as yet – they’re revamping their referral program.

Valued Opinions – I’ve received a number of gift cards from these guys, ranging from Sanity to Coles Myer to Bunnings depending on what I needed at the time. Surveys are worth $1.50-5, so they do add up quickly. They also send out a number of surveys the longer you’ve been there. No referral link, but they do have a program where I can email it to you.

GlobalTestMarket – I’ve been a member of this site for years. You get points per survey (35-60) which can be redeemed for a cheque. 1000 points  = $US50, although they do send the cheque out in local currency. The referral program has been removed.

RewardsCentral – Emails are sent out, and you get 10 points for clicking on them. You also have the chance to earn bonus points – 2 points a day for a web click, and 3 for answering their poll. It does add up, particularly if you join the account with MyOpinions (discussed below). They’ve also got an eBank where you can deposit points, as 3300 points = $30 (minimum cash out). Rewards are sent by cheque. [ referral ]

My Opinions – The ‘survey’ site of RewardsCentral, offers 100+ points per survey and generally send out a few a month. As I touched on above, this can have huge potential to add up quickly, and you can link the two accounts. [ referral ]

WDYT – This is largely similar to RewardsCentral, where offers are sent to you, and you get 5-10 points for clicking on them. I highly suggest signing up for the ‘Premium Membership’ as this allows them to send you more emails per day. They’ve recently also brought in TurboRewards which gives 100+ points for each survey you complete. Rewards are in the form of gift cards (Target, Myer, Bunnings, and Kmart) and cashout is at 2000 points ($20).

MySurvey – This was formerly known as LightSpeed Surveys but changed names recently. One of the best things about this company (apart from the regular surveys) is that they have a PayPal cashout option – 575 points = $5, straight into your PayPal account. I’ve earned easily over $120 from these guys which I have been using to fund my online shopping.

YourVoice – Your typical survey point – points are given for surveys, which are then redeemed for vouchers. Whilst I don’t get as many from these guys, it’s still worthwhile as they will add up over time (and keep the flow going).

MyView – Another site where 2000 = $20 (are you beginning to see a trend?) The surveys are quite frequent though, so even if you do screen out there isn’t too long of a wait until the next one. Rewards are in gift cards – iTunes, JB Hifi, Bunnings, Coles Myer – again, the variety is great if you want to mix it up a bit.

OpinionsPaid – A bit of a mix between a survey site, who have a side of forums (which appear to be largely focused on said surveys).  I haven’t used the forums, but I’ve had a few surveys come through here. You earn ‘Zoints’ which are redeemed for gift cards.

Your Opinion – Not as busy as some of the other companies, but still have sent me a number over the last few months. As per the norm, points are redeemed for vouchers. This one doesn’t have a referral link but I can send one through email if you wish.

Zoom Panel – A US-based site which has a higher screen-out ratio (due to geography) but nevertheless still worth signing up for. One of the things I like is they have ‘folios’ of reward options which include things like headphones, not just the normal gift cards.

CafeStudy – Tend to send out 2-3 emails a month, but they’re a bit more community orientated. A minimum of 5 points is given per survey, with a minimum cashout of 200 points ($20). Payment is made by cheque which is almost as good as cold hard cash.

Opinion Matters – I thought this one had been quiet, but skimming through my emails it appears as though they’re still somewhat active. 100 points = $10, and cashout at $20 minimum is in the form of PayPal.

Survey Head – Another US-based site, and once I stopped ignoring these invites because I mistakenly thought I would be screened out, they started adding up. The payouts are sometimes smaller than others, but there are more surveys which adds up. The survey amounts are given in $US but they do also provide a $AU conversion. You also get $5 as a sign up bonus, which doesn’t have any restrictions.

Survey Village – I’ll be honest, the cartoon drawings on the home page always bring a smile to my face. They also have a huge range of gift cards for redemption, more than the norm – including Rebel Sport, Diva, Dymocks, Mitre 10, Rydges, and SportsGirl. Again, points are given for surveys which you can then turn in and redeem.

I have, in the past, been a member of other programs, but I’ve either unsubscribed because of spam, lack of viable surveys, or they just weren’t worth the time. There are probably a few others floating around that I haven’t touched on but I’ve found these to be the most successful out of them all, and hopefully it’s helped some others 🙂

By all means, if you want to sign up please don’t feel obliged to use my links, I’m putting them there merely for pimping purposes 😉 But they are great ways to get extra points especially if your family/friends are interested in getting on board.

If you would like me to send you a referral from the ones that don’t have a link, let me know – from memory there’s about 3-4.

And hey … who doesn’t like free money/gift cards/vouchers for killing some time and not doing a whole lot?