Are Online Paid Surveys A Scam?
It’s true that there are a hundreds of survey sites online and not all of them are reputable, but once you are able to identify the legitimate market research companies from scam sites, who will have started on a path to earning a regular income from an enjoyable pursuit.
Paid surveys are not a scam in themselves. Surveys are own of the earliest and most used type of market research mechanism and are a critical part of the marketing process that all major businesses undertake to develop their business.
The scam arises from unscrupulous companies who convince consumers to part with their cash to sign-up to their website service which enables consumers to get access to a list of survey providers and first refusal on lucrative surveys. However in many cases, the information provided is no different than that provided on information sites such as GetPaid4Surveys.
It has also been known that some scammers create false survey sites in order to collect consumers email details in order to sell the information on without your consent. Luckily this is extremely rare as it is difficult for scammers to gain a presence in the search engine results however you should always be wary of emails from unknown companies who try to get you to sign up to their surveys. Always check any website you visit carefully and use the advice given in our survey FAQs to aid you in your search for legitimate market research companies.
Some critics argue that paid surveys are a waste of time. However it cannot be argued that online surveys as an industry continues to experience extraordinary growth as people realise how they can make money from time that would otherwise be wasted. There are a wealth of experienced online surveyors who continue to use online market research as a means for generating a healthy income stream.
Taking online paid surveys is not for the old-fashioned, the conservative, or those afraid to take a risk. You need to retain a sense of open-mindedness, flexibility and determination to get the most out of it. Once you get started and the first time you get paid, you will feel more confident about the process and start to sign up to more and more surveys and other online marketing activities. You never know, it may open up all kinds of different avenues such as mystery shopping, professional blogging, freelance writing, you may even decide to set-up your own market research company or survey website! Many people starting with the odd paid survey and have developed their own computer skills enough to develop their own online business.
Maximising your ability to earn money is made possible by joining as many online survey panels as possible. Each company will usually only send out a dozen or so surveys each month and therefore if you want to be able to make the most amount of money, you’ll have to join as many panels as possible to make sure you receive as many survey requests as possible.
Most market research companies also provide online or offline focus groups. Focus groups are research forums consisting of a group of people sat in an online meeting room and having a discussion about a particular product or service under the watchful eye of a research moderator; focus groups tend to provide a higher reward than surveys and can be a lot of fun.
Another service provided by market research companies is product testing, this is where you will be sent a free product and asked to test it then post your opinion on the site. Again with product testing the rewards can be high and you get to test some great products.
Take at face value any guarantees of legitimacy such as testimonials and photos of cheques. These do not give you any guarantee as to the legitimacy. Spend some time looking for the small print. Legitimate companies will be open about their use of your data in their privacy policy and their terms should spell. They should also provide clear contact information. You should also quickly google the company to see if there are several negative comments about their service.
Always look for survey providers from information sites such as GetPaid4Surveys. Registration is free and these sites are impartial when it comes to the information they provide. However, remember to read through each sites carefully and always check the terms and conditions or small print where applicable.
Paid Surveys for Teenagers in the UK
Paid surveys aren’t just available to adults. Some market research surveys are specifically designed to gauge the interests and opinions of teenagers for particular types of products that are likely to be the main users. UK marketing laws lay down strict guidelines to companies on how they can and cannot send any marketing communications to children and in most cases registration for these types of surveys requires authorisation (and registration) from the main carer. In most cases, only Teenagers over 16 years of age can join panels directly. Remember to check the terms and conditions of the panel programme thoroughly before you complete your registration.
The following list provides a few examples of market research companies where for specific surveys Teenagers can join:
The Great UK Survey
Ten Reasons Why Online Surveys Can Be Fun
- You can do them from the comfort of your own home, whilst watching TV with a glass of wine in your hand, in your lunch break or maybe if you have 5 minutes spare at work whilst the boss isn’t looking.
- You choose when to do them. Amnesiacs can enjoy doing online surveys in the middle of the night
- You can choose the survey topics that appeal to you – your pub quiz specialist subject or perhaps just a topic that really gets your goat. Get it off your chest, it’s a great stress reliever!
- You get to receive new product samples or watch new films or ads before anyone else.
- Working from home doing paid surveys means you are your own manager, you don’t have to commute and you can wear what you like.
- You get to spout off about the brands and products which really annoy you and wax lyrical about all the great brands and products that you love
- Somebody actually listens to your opinion
- You can earn bonuses from market research companies for completing a minimum number of surveys.
- Expand your consumer horizons, learn from the opinions of others and become an expert market researcher
- Getting paid for filling out a survey is enough to put a smile on anyone’s face.
A Beginners Guide to Online Surveys
If your a beginner to taking online surveys, you could be forgiven for thinking it is a complicated business. Rest assured, after a spending a few moments reading through the articles on the site, you will feel empowered to start surveying and start earning.
There are a few quick rules: Don’t register with sites that charge fees and promise the earth, if it sounds to good a deal, it probably is. There are plenty of free market research sites out there, take a moment to give them the once over, if it all looks good, go for it. The aim of our articles and FAQs is to give you the advice you need to get started and answer questions such as following:
Which sites should I join?
How much money can I make?
How long do the online surveys take to complete?
How old to I have to be to join?
and many more.
This is where survey review sites like GetPaid4Surveys can come in very handy. Sites such as GetPaid4Surveys are owned by consumers who have done surveys or are british companies who have worked in the market research industry. They feature reviews of market research companies and a directory of legitimate companies that you can trust.
Take a second to check out our articles and survey FAQs
Gift Vouchers for Completing Paid Surveys
Filling out paid online surveys can be a worthwhile activity that you can do outside of your existing job and therefore allows you to make some extra cash whenever you have some spare time. In fact many market research surveys require respondents in full time jobs as it can influence their views towards certain questions. When it comes to reward, there are a great deal of market research companies that pay you in non-cash reward formats (such as points or gift vouchers or prize draw entries).
Gift vouchers are certainly worth having as they will have a monetary value that you can use to save money off every day items and will allow you to buy clothes, CD’s, DVD’s, books, food or electronics both online and on the high street. Many UK research companies will pay you with common High Street retailer vouchers such as HMV, Sainsburys, Amazon, WHSmiths, Argos, Boots etc.
Many companies prefer to do this as it means they do not have the hassle of storing your personal financial information or bothering with cheques or bank payments which can take time to process and might result in bank charges.
Professional Survey Respondent – Is It A Regular Job?
A common question people ask is whether completing online surveys alone can provide enough of an income for someone to pursue it as a regular job. The dream of many people is to quit the daily rat race, become more independent and take control of their lives. The internet has enabled people for the first time to pursue alternative income streams and online surveys is just one such avenue. However whether you can earn enough to live on is something that you would need to consider in light of a number of considerations.
GetPaid4Surveys is an organisation created from individuals who have in the past worked directly for survey companies and have had years of experience in this sector. In our opinion, there is no way you can say how much money you could make. How much you earn and whether you could get by on any income generated will be determined by how dedicated you are to pursuing these kinds of activities as well as the requirements of your lifestyle. We don’t believe that you could ever earn millions but you could get by so long as you don’t enjoy a lavish lifestyle. The economic performance of the market research industry and it’s future growth will also play a part in how many paid surveys are available. However with the right amount of effort and determination it can be possible to become a professional survey respondent and if you don’t make enough for a full time job its certainly possible to turn online surveys into a great part time job.
Ultimately it is a question of choice and commitment. As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Increase Your Income By Joining International Research Panels
In the UK there are somewhere between 40-50 prominent market research research providers that pay UK based panel members for their participation in online surveys, focus groups and other research activities. Some of these companies also run international panels and surveys. In other countries, most predominantly the USA and Canada, large global multinational research agencies look to recruit UK members to their international panels and these provide even more opportunities to earn money through market research. So if you’ve spent some time and have some experience completing the UK panel surveys we would recommend joining these international panels to increase the number of surveys you would be eligible to participate in.
One advantage to joining International survey panels is that many of them will pay you in cash as they will not have the option to pay you in high street vouchers or entries into prize draws. The cash you earn will often be sent to you via cheque or using an online payment service such as Paypal once you’ve accumulated the minimum amount.
Some examples of international survey companies include GlobalTestMarket and Ipsos.
How to Avoid Scam Survey Sites
The web is filled with hundreds of survey sites that offer cash, rewards and gifts for completing surveys and there are millions of web users who see it as an easy way to make money. However not all paid survey sites are genuine. Differentiating legitimate survey providers from scammers can sometimes be tricky. There are a few bad apples who do not pay their panel members for taking the surveys and it takes a certain amount of diligence and experience to find the good from the bad sites. Here are a few tips to help you:
1) Using a free paid survey site such as GetPaid4surveys is a good starting point for doing your research. Here you can find a handpicked list of all the reputable companies who are bona fide research providers. Once you have found a research company, read the testimonials of its subscribers and take a good look at the site.
2) Never send your registration fee or any other payment through cash or give your bank details during registration (it’s OK to give your bank details to receive payment after you have completed a bone fide survey).
3) If you do provide your bank/ credit card details for receiving payment make sure that the site has proper security certificates from companies like Verisign and that the page which you give details on has ‘https://’ at the start of the address to ensure that your data is encrypted before you submit your details.
4) Make sure you read the legal disclaimers, terms and conditions and privacy policy so that you are aware of who the company is. You could also google the company to see if there are any negative reports of scamming associated with them.
5) Often paid survey companies mention guaranteed payments. They may also display document images as proofs. Many of this are fake. Sites that go to extraordinary lengths to prove their creditentials are often fake and provide lots of fake testimonials. Beware of such sites.
6) Be wary of being charged to join market research panels. Make sure you read their privacy policy and terms and conditions carefully. There are a small number of survey providers that charge a small free and promise that you will earn a fortune from completing surveys, which is dubious to say the least. Firstly, the chances of earning tens of thousands from surveys is slight. Moreover you have no guarantee of the quality of the service you are buying. There are plenty of free survey information sites such as GetPaid4surveys which provide this information free of charge and who do this as a public service. If you do have to pay, it is safer to choose an online payment method such as Paypal as the payment method.
7) Only register with a site that has a privacy policy. Choosing UK based sites (companies registered in the UK) can sometimes be a safer option than choosing obscure international sites. Take a look at the site carefully (google them to see if any comments have been made about them), those sites managed by large companies or reputable market research agencies are more trustworthy simply because you can be a little more certain of getting paid. Real survey invitations from reputable market research companies will include the length of time it takes to complete the online survey and also what incentive you will receive. Some market research companies may ask you to download a small piece of software to track your internet habits. It is ok to download these but always check that you are downloading from a reputable company before you do it.
Ten Top Tips on Making The Most from Paid Surveys
1) Sign up with as many market research sites as possible. This will both allow you to receive a wide range of different topics and allow you to hit the payment threshold at each survey site much quicker meaning you will end up with a regular income stream. When registering with a paid survey site ensure you complete the initial ‘screener’ or profile survey if there is one available, this will increase your chances of being invited to surveys in the future. It’s a also a good idea to keep your profile updated in the future. Make sure you check out our Paid Survey Directory. Investing a few hours at the beginning of the process will quickly pay off as you will be overwhelmed with a deluge of survey invitations from market research companies eager to get their new panel members filling out surveys.
2) Always set up a separate email account to receive survey invitations. This will ensure that you don’t miss any paid surveys and also any offers that are sent will not go straight into your personal email account. Regularly check your e-mail so no invitations are missed or surveys fill up before you get to them. Always check your spam / junk folder for your latest surveys.
3) Fill in all profile information. It’s very important to complete your profile information on each site so that the market research company can quickly assess your profile and personalise the online surveys and focus groups that they wish to invite you to. This will make sure that you are sent relevant surveys which make your lifestyle and means who aren’t sent things which are completely irrelevant. When a market research site is selecting which group of people to invite to a survey they will always check for particular profiles. If your profile is not regularly updated its likely that you will miss out on some opportunities to earn extra money. Without any detailed profile information, market research companies are more likely to not invite you to new surveys when they are released. More often than not, surveys are only open to specific profiles.
4) Ensure all information you give is correct. There’s no point lying in the hope that you will receive more money. Giving information that is incorrect is quickly picked up as the surveys include questions aimed at verifying information that you have provided earlier in the survey and what you provided in your initial registration as well as in other surveys. Others have software that will detect straight away that you were lying and throw you out of the particular study. Focus group invitations are often provided on the basis of previous attendees performance. Researchers aren’t concerned with what your answer is, only how you have answered it and whether you have answered truthfully. The online focus group environment allows researchers to clearly identify respondents who are answering truthfully from those who are not actively participating or giving misleading opinions.
If a paid survey is sent to you that is obvious that it’s not aimed at you there’s no point lying to get the money. Many market research companies may compare your previous answers, whilst others have software that will detect straight away that you were lying and throw you out of the particular study. In some circumstances if you fraudulently provide incorrect answers, the survey provider may close your account and you may lose your rewards.
5) Don’t avoid the voucher and prize draw sites. Shopping vouchers are just as valuable as cash and can be used as presents for family members. Prize draw sites can often provide a higher chance of winning as entrant numbers are usually quite low in comparison to national bingo or lottery sites. Filling out the odd prize draw survey can, over time, drastically increase your chance of winning and the surveys are usually shorter in length.
6) Don’t forget to collect your cash. It sounds silly but it can so easily be done. You’ve gone to the trouble of completing the surveys but thousands of people forget to redeem their points. Years later they remember but it could be too late as sites very often have a redemption deadline. Furthermore, if the site closes down in the future, any money you have earned will be lost so just put in an outlook or calendar alert to remember to redeem your rewards periodically.
7) Look for online survey sites that reward you with either cash or vouchers as you will earn more money in a faster time from these. However these might not be the most lucrative. Always make sure you are signed up to participate in focus groups, telephone surveys and product testing if these options are available to ensure you earn as much extra cash as possible.
8) Keep an eye out for surveys or online focus groups that involve some kind of product testing. These kind of studies invite participants to watch an advertisement, film trailer or give their opinions on a new product to be released. These are well paid and can be great fun but aren’t as numerous as other surveys. Being an active participant in other surveys indicates to research companies that you might be an ideal candidate for these types of studies..
9) Keep a log of surveys you’ve taken. Some people keep notes or even a spreadsheet to ensure that the right amount of cash or points is credited at the correct times. Most will pay you on time but keeping your own log helps you to keep track of the surveys you have completed across multiple accounts and helps to prompt you to chase survey providers if they haven’t paid you or investigate non-payment. We will shortly be launching a new website tool to help you keep track of all the surveys that you complete so that you don’t have to.
10) Remember to enjoy the process of filling out surveys. Your responses don’t always have to be dry and boring. Injecting your personal slant on an issue gives market research companies a sense of the underlying emotions that consumers feel when trying to answer a certain question.
Remember to complete your registration at Getpaid4Surveys and you will get highest priority on receiving the latest survey requests to your inbox as and when they are released.
Being Paid with Reward Points Instead of Cash
There are many different ways in which market research sites will reward you for completing online surveys. The different ways range from cash, gift vouchers to prize draws, sites that pay you in reward points that are later redeemed for one of the above methods is becoming increasingly popular. Many people think points systems are a scam but they are used by legitimate companies for legitimate reasons. The main reasons market research sites use reward points are:
Loyalty – Members are encouraged to reach a certain number of points before they can redeem for cash. This encourages future participation and improves the quality of the survey responses as this method dissuades those survey respondents who are only in it to make quick cash and who don’t give honest answers.
Companies offering points may be able to offer a better value reward. So by reaching a threshold of points a survey company can provide the user with a high value gift or item rather than many smaller payments.
Some survey panels that offer points as payment can also offer their members specific points schemes such as Airmiles or Nectar points. This allows collectors to save up their points and get much more valuable rewards.
Points schemes can also be used internationally, so if the particular survey sites has a base of users worldwide then points would always be the best option.
As you can see there are many advantages as to why market research companies will pay you with reward points for taking online surveys. This should be taken into account when registering with survey sites in the future.