Survey sites, and other online sites which help to make or save money in some small way.
The links I provide here will be my referral links, unless the site doesn't provide one. If you don't want to use my referral, either click the link, then remove my referral at the end (in your browser address bar), or look up the site on google.
I'll include as much information about each as I'm able to provide, and there will probably be links to other sites with more useful info. about the sites. I'll also mention the ones I would avoid, and why.
Before I go on, I'd like to mention a few forums which can be of great assistance when aiming to be thrifty. If you'd like to make a little money, enter competitions or just ask some friendly, helpful people advice, you can't go too far wrong with these. All the ones I've mentioned here have a 'main' site (to which I've also linked), not just a forum.
With a huge amount of traffic, members and posts it's MoneySavingExpert.com. You can find out just about anything on this forum. A slight word of warning though: whilst it is an amazing site, visited by predominantly helpful members, there are a few members lurking ready to pounce on unsuspecting visitors who haven't quite thought their question/post out very well before posting... Should this happen to you, don't worry. For every 'bitchy' member you come across, there's a handful of nice ones. Keep at it: it's worth it: the wealth of information on MSE is simply not worth passing up!
Smaller but perhaps less scary is Frugaller. It's a friendly place frequently updated with offers, comps., etc.. They also have a great tool on the main site to help you find the best CashBack opportunities!
The last one I'll mention here is Peazyshop. You're likely to receive a warm welcome here, so why not pay a visit.. Their main site is mainly a blog, with updates and suchlike.
Well you're certainly not going to get rich from doing online surveys, and if you have ideas of giving up work and living off your survey earnings, I'm afraid you need to rethink. However, if you'd just like a few extra pennies here and there, or like the idea of having credit in your amazon or paypal accounts, then online surveys can help.
They take as much of your time as you're willing/able to give. Personally, I don't check 'survey-site email' daily, and sometimes I don't even check it for over a week. This means that some surveys will have expired or reached the required number of participants, so I delete those. If you really want to make the most of them, you need to check your preferences in your survey site profile, and set it to send you emails as regularly as possible, then check your email daily and do as many surveys as possible. This way, you can potentially make a nice amount. On the subject of profiles, you need to make sure your survey site profiles are up-to-date, then you should get more surveys sent to you, and also you should get less surveys that simply don't fit your demographic (don't think that's quite the right word, but it sounds good. lol). This isn't guaranteed though: I generally keep my profile reasonably up to date, but I still get some through that I partially complete, then am told I don't fit the criteria.. such is life.
Save yourself some potentially wasted time and stress and research the site you're thinking of joining before you sign up. Survey Police is a good resource, and if the site's not mentioned on MSE, chances are it's not worth bothering with. Check both, since SurveyPolice is USA-based, whereas MSE is uk-based ;)
The Good:
These are the survey sites I've been a member of for quite some time, and am happy with. I've received payments from the top 6. I'm 'sporadic' when it comes to surveys. I do them when I feel like it, don't worry about how much credit I have, and cash it in when I notice I can. I therefore cannot say which are the best, from a point of view of how quickly you can earn. I have ordered them with my favourites at the top though:
- Pinecone
- Global Testmarket
- Valued Opinions
- Toluna (used to be Test & Vote)
- IPSOS
- Harris Interactive/Hi-epanel (It was 'Media Transfer' when I joined)
- I haven't reached payout for the following:
- YouGov - They've seriously revamped their site. There's loads of profile info. to put in, and although they're kinda getting you to do mini surveys for free, it's rather addictive. You can review loads of stuff and see what others think too - of your opinions as well as other stuff :o Here's my signup/referral link if you're feeling kind enough to use it. I can get up to 200 points credited when you've done 5 'non-profile' surveys apparently... :)
- Panelbase
- PureProfile - not reached payout
The Bad
Ones with a bad reputation. Don't waste your time.- Ciao/Greenfield. Very low pay e.g. 10p for a 30 minute survey. Simply not worth your time.
- Opinion World. You won't earn much with them either. You'll usually be entered into a competition (allegedly) ...
- ItsYourView/NewVistaLive. Only read about this one. Not one I'm going to try!
- OTX. One of the worst survey sites ever, according to the reviews on Survey Police! (scroll down to the bottom to see the reviews).
- OnePoll - I emailed them re. a survey that I seemed to have been 'screened out' of, after completing the survey, which took over an hour! I was impressed with their quick response, and they kindly said they'd credit me with the 20p that I would have received for completing the survey... 20p for over an hour... not so impressed. Not sure if I'll bother with this one anymore. The credit I have was built up quickly after joining, and I haven't heard a dicky bird from them since: they don't seem to send survey emails. My credit is under £5, so I think I'll cut my losses and not waste any more time with OnePoll.
The Ugly
Ugly..? Well I couldn't resist a reference to one of my favourite films :D These ones are ones that have something about them that I don't like. I would advise you to read around and make your own mind up. Just be wary though.
- i.think inc. Don't think they ever even bothered sending me any surveys. The site is listed on WoT as 'amber' too.
- fgi research. Similar experience as with i.think.
- Opinion Square. Similar to above two..
- Juicy Brains. I had a nightmare with this site, trying to get properly registered/logged in. Several unhelpful replies later from 'Cedric' and I gave up. Judging by what I've read about it closing down and members losing credit, I'm glad (that I quit). I believe it's up again, but haven't checked it out since. I noticed too that it's a survey site run for and on behalf of Procter & Gamble..! :o
- Fair Exchange. Got it on my list of sites to avoid, but forget why. I've had a little 'mooch' for more info.. Found something about someone reaching payout then not being able to log in. Found nothing good. The site is amber on WoT too, with mentions of spam, so that'll do for me.
Honourable mention:
- Lightspeed Panel - Now MySurvey. I liked Lighspeed and was paid, but I wasn't aware of the changeover, and can't access the (new?) site, so can't say anything about them. I haven't read anything which tempts me to bother trying to get my account back, so don't think I'll bother.
I don't use these nearly as much as I should!
- GreasyPalm. This little CB site is at the top of my list. It's not one of the better known, or more popular ones, but I joined it a few years back, and I keep forgetting about it, but it doesn't forget about me (aww). I joined a few years back, and rarely use it, but my credit is still there, despite me not logging in for over the specified period (6 months). I've reactivated my account several times, and the credit is still the same. Bless :)
- TopCashBack
- Quidco. Haven't earned anything here, and I've read it's not as good as TCB, so I'll stick with that and GP.
There are loads of competition sites on the net. Before you rush off and enter lots of comps. hoping to win fab. goodies, a word of warning. There are comp. sites around that aim to gather your data for their own ends. Your personal information is very precious. The interweb is a wonderful place, but as with anything else in the world, there are people around who have no scruples in how they get their grubby paws on cash. You will have to be truthful when entering competitions, or there's no point. If you do win something, they will need to be able to contact you. However, you don't just want to go giving out your personal info. to any old Tom, Dick or Harry, so you must excercise caution.
I use Firefox web browser with some useful add-ons. One of these is AdBlock Plus, and another is WoT. These two extensions are a must-have in my opinion. WoT will tell you whether a site is safe (and will indicate this in searches), and AdBlock Plus blocks those annoying (and sometimes dangerous) ads which appear whilst you're surfing. I also use LinkExtend for a little extra information about websites, and NoScript, which blocks what many nasties use to infect your system: scripts. It takes a bit of getting used to, and you need to physically allow scripts on sites, which can get annoying. However, it really adds to your protection. I find it very interesting too, to see what other sites the sites I'm visiting use.
Why am I waffling on about these things? Well, they'll help to stop you getting spammed and scammed. Speaking of Spam. If you're going to get into comping, you should have a 'throw away' email address. I would strongly advise you against using your usual email addy. If you end up getting loads of unwanted spam, you need to be able to dump that email address, and get another. There are plenty of free email providers out there, such as gmx, gmail (googlemail), Yahoo!, hotmail (live/msn), etc..
I recently came across SpamGourmet which allows you, once registered (free), to create email addys on the fly.. each addy you create will only receive a certain number (specified by you: up to 20) of emails before going 'poof'. The emails get forwarded to your 'proper' email account. Cool idea. Worth a try!
In a similar vein, a disposable phone number would be handy. Some compers have a PAYG sim/phone, which they set up voicemail on, and they check it regularly to see if they've won anything.
You will easily find comping sites, and if you don't know where to start, MSE's 'Comping for Cash' is a good place to start. For now therefore, I'm just going to put up a list from MSE's Comping Guide, of comp. sites you should probably AVOID!:
- 2minutedraw
- 4FreeUK
- ABCWins
- Clash Club/Clash media
- Club La Costa
- Comps.PickMeUpMagazine.co.uk (Magazine comps seem to be unaffected, but any comps which direct to this site are run by a data collecting company Data Media & Research Ltd)
- Consumer Lifestyles
- Consumer Opinions
- Craftomatic Beds (Comps appear to be just a way to get a salesman into your home, especially if vulnerable/alone)
- Emailinform
- EZ Prize Giveaway
- Fair Exchange
- GetMeATicket
- GetYourBillsPaid
- GreatUKsurveys
- Guide2Win
- InstantPrizeDraw
- Just-Rewards
- MyChild (Pester with phone calls quite badly, but Compers have won with them - suggest do not give a phone number!)
- MyConsumer
- MyFamilyUK
- MyOffers
- NoizeMakesEnemies (Caution: Your profile with name, address, phone number & email appear to be on show with no way to make it private!!)
- Opinioniser
- Optimax (phone calls, letters & emails!)
- Premier Christian Radio (Lots of postal junk mail even when you opt out of future contact)
- Prize4U
- Plum Offers
- PrizePunch
- RewardsToday
- Simple2Win
- Space Kitchens (see thread here)
- Tickbox
- Topfox
- Toyhound
- UK-PrizeDraw
- VoiceInACrowd
- Vouch4me
- Weatherseal
- Weather Wherever
- Willowbrook (chairs) (have pestered with phone calls quite badly on some comps - see here and also here)
- Win 4 Now
- Win24
- Zenith Windows (linked to Weatherseal above)