Want to Make Extra Money Now?
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I've been writing finance content for blogs for a few years now. One topic that I have written on extensively is the idea of making money online. With this, comes people asking about the best survey apps so I wanted to find out for myself which ones are legit (and high paying), and which ones are not.
Do you think taking paid surveys is worth your time? Well, it depends.
Paid online survey apps can be a simple way to pad your bank account with beer money in your free time. Online paid survey sites aren't my favorite way to make extra money, but I make an exception for it when you’re just hanging out — e.g. watching T.V., riding the metro, during your break at work, or in the back of an Uber.
While taking surveys won't help you make $800 fast, they're still an easy way to earn. Might as well click a few buttons and make some money while you’re at it. It's easy. Here are the best survey sites, if you want to give paid surveys a shot.
Best Survey Apps
If you're looking for an easy way to make money online, taking surveys might be right up your alley. It's a great way to make some extra cash without having to put in too much effort. Plus, you can do it from the comfort of your own home without having to spend any money. To help get you started, here are 10 of the best survey apps out there that you can use to make money online.
Here's the list of the best places you can take online surveys for money. If you're in a hurry, here's a quick summary:
- Swagbucks: Watch videos, take surveys, shop and more to earn real money. Join Swagbucks Now to Get $10 Free
- Survey Junkie: Make up to $5 per survey in your spare time from home to take online surveys, participating in Focus Groups and trying new products. Join Survey Junkie Now
- InboxDollars: Has so far paid its members over $80 Million. Watch videos, take surveys, shop and more. Join InboxDollars Now and Get Free $5
- MyPoints: Is known as one of the #1 paid survey apps. Take paid surveys anytime and anywhere via PC, Laptop, Tablet, Cell Phone or Mobile App. Join MyPoints Now
1. Swagbucks – Our Top Pick
- Quick overview: Swagbucks lets you earn money in so many ways like taking surveys, shopping online or playing games, but many of my readers love racking up SB (Swagbucks) watching videos in their spare time. Many claim this to be one of the best online survey apps.
- How to get paid: You can cash out your SB as gift cards to hundreds of merchants or get your cash by PayPal.
- Sign up link: You can click here to sign up
Swagbucks is one of the most popular survey apps around, and for good reason. They offer a variety of different surveys with varying rewards, and they also have other ways to earn points such as watching videos and playing games. Their payout threshold is just $25 which makes it easy to cash out quickly.
More specifically, Swagbucks allows you to earn money by performing a variety of online activities, including using their search engine (Just like Google), shopping, taking surveys, playing games, and discovering online content.
The big selling point here is that you can earn money outside of taking regular plain old surveys. Swagbucks serves more than 12 million members and has awarded more than $813 million in rewards. Swagbucks is free to join and is one of the best survey apps. What's not to love? Does this sound like the survey app for you?
- 18 ways to earn money and e-gift cards
- $10 sign up bonus
- Up to 10% cashback when shopping online
- $1 minimum e-gift card withdrawal
2. Survey Junkie
- Quick overview: Survey Junkie has an interface that is super smooth and intuitive (unlike the majority of survey company websites that look like they were built in 1997), and members are paid in cash via Paypal. Oh, and Survey Junkie also has an great rating on TrustPilot — the highest of any online survey company. This is one is the more reputable survey apps out there and I use it often.
- How to get paid: Members also get paid the same day they cash out, there is no waiting period. The minimum redemption is USD: $10 (1,000 points) via PayPal instantly or eGift cards.
- Sign up link: You can click here to sign up
Survey Junkie is another great app for taking surveys online and earning rewards for it. They have a variety of different survey topics which makes it easy to find something that interests you. Plus, their payout threshold is only $10 so you can cash out quickly if you need the money right away.
If a quality survey app is what you're looking for, then Survey Junkie is worth a shot. Survey Junkie is an online community with over 3 million members dedicated to making your voice heard. Survey Junkie is constantly listening to the members to hear what they like and do not like, and always making optimizations to improve the user experience.
Survey Junkie is free to join. You must be at least 13 years old and reside in the US, Canada, or Australia. You can create an account with a username and password. Or you can create an account using Facebook or Google+ in under 2 minutes. You can earn rewards via PayPal and other popular eGift Cards such as Amazon, Sephora, Groupon, Starbucks, Target, iTunes. Members are rewarded for every action they take.
So, even if you're disqualified from a survey, you still get a few points just for trying. Survey Junkie is also taking measures to improve the user experience. The payouts are similar to most other legit survey companies but if you want to take surveys on your smartphone, I recommend taking surveys with Survey Junkie.
- Online survey site with a large number of surveys
- Can earn up to $50 per survey
- Additional ways to earn up to $100
- Install Survey Junkie extension for bonus
3. InboxDollars
- Quick overview: InboxDollars pays you for taking surveys, reading emails, playing online games, shopping online, redeeming coupons and searching the web.
- How to get paid: This is another free survey site that pays with cash, not points.
- Sign up link: You can click here to sign up
InboxDollars is another popular survey app that pays users in cash or gift cards for completing surveys, watching videos, shopping online, and more. The minimum payout amount is just $30 which isn’t too bad considering how quickly you can accumulate points by taking surveys on this app.
InboxDollars pays members to read emails, take surveys online, play games, and search the web. Overall, Inbox Dollars is super easy to navigate. I’ve tried other paid survey apps and just end up overwhelmed. InboxDollars also does a nice job of breaking down the offers into categories. And you’ll always see the amount of money you’ve earned at the top of your window, which is exhilarating. Right now they are offering a $5 cash bonus just for joining.
- $5 sign up bonus
- Great referral program – 30% that referral makes
- Most of the surveys pay $0.50 to $5
- 13 extra ways to earn money
4. MyPoints
- Quick overview: MyPoints rewards its members for online activities such as reading emails, playing games, online surveys, printing out coupons among other things.
- How to get paid: They pay their members using their own currency known as “points”. These points can be redeemed for online gift cards, cash via Paypal, and travel miles. The minimum payout amount for most rewards is $10 but PayPal payments start at $25. When you redeem your points for cash via Paypal, the request is usually processed within 4-5 days. For other prizes, the wait time varies.
- Sign up link: You can click here to sign up
MyPoints has been around since 1996 and offers users rewards such as gift cards or PayPal cash when they shop online or complete surveys on the site or app. You can also earn points by referring friends, watching videos, playing games, using coupons, etc. The minimum amount needed to redeem points is just $20 which makes it easy to cash out quickly.
Overall, MyPoints is a legitimate paid online survey site that doles out free gift cards for taking polls, answering surveys and so much more. When you sign up you will get invited to fun new surveys. For each survey you finish, you'll earn points that you can redeem for gift cards to your favorite brands. You'll even earn $5 when you take your first 5 surveys and can earn up to 500 Points per day watching fun videos, shopping, and playing game apps that pay real money.
Best Survey Apps (Honorable Mentions)
5. Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research allows its users to take part in exclusive market research studies where they will earn reward points just by giving their opinion about products/services they use every day! The reward system works differently here as each point earned translates into one dollar which can be cashed out via PayPal or check once the user has reached a minimum balance threshold set by the company itself!
Pinecone Research is one of the highest-paying survey apps available right now with an average payout rate of around $3 per completed survey. The downside is that they don't always have surveys available so it may take some time before you're able to cash out your earnings, but if you're patient then this could be a great option for making some extra money online in your spare time.
6. Ipsos i-Say
Ipsos i-Say has been around since 1975 and offers users rewards such as gift cards or cash when they complete surveys on their app or website. They also have sweepstakes entries available which give users additional chances at winning bigger prizes such as vacations or electronic items like TVs and tablets.
7. LifePoints
LifePoints was formerly known as GlobalTestMarket and offers users rewards such as sweepstakes entries, Amazon gift cards, PayPal payments, and other payout options when they complete various tasks including surveys, product testing, and more. Their payouts are usually quite high depending on what type of task you’re completing so this could be a great option if you’re looking for ways to make 20 dollars fast or more.
8. Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost has been around since 2008 and offers users rewards such as PayPal payments when they complete various tasks including surveys, product testing, etc. Their minimum payout requirement isn’t too bad either at just $5 so this could be a great way to make some quick cash in your spare time.
Opinion Outpost's app is dedicated solely to helping people earn money by giving them access to paid market research studies and opinion polls that pay real cash rewards per completed task. Participants are rewarded with either Amazon e-gift cards or PayPal payments depending on what type of payment method they prefer.
9. SurveySavvy
SurveySavvy has been around since 1999 and offers users rewards such as Amazon gift cards when they complete various tasks including surveys, product testing, and even paying you to install its app on all of your devices. They have no minimum payout requirement which means that even small amounts can add up over time.
10. Harris Poll Online
Harris Poll Online has been around since 1998 and offers users rewards such as Amazon gift cards or Visa prepaid debit cards when they complete various tasks including surveys, product testing, etc. They also have sweepstakes entries available where participants can win larger prizes like vacation packages.
11. Google Opinion Rewards
Google Opinion Rewards is a money making app created by Google itself. This app allows users to answer simple questions about their lifestyle and habits in exchange for rewards such as Google Play credits and gift cards from iTunes, Amazon, and other stores. As an added bonus, Google Opinion Rewards also allows users to donate their rewards to charity if they wish.
Moves to Put More Money in Your Pocket
One thing that we can all agree on: Building wealth is important and survey apps can only get you so far.
However, these money making strategies can help you pay off student loans, save money, and make money online while building wealth over time.
These strategies will give you bigger pockets and can work overtime for just about anyone to help you create wealth. It is possible to build wealth but for those unfortunate people with very high amounts of debt, it may seem out of reach. Try these ideas next:
Build an emergency fund
An emergency fund is a pot of money that you have earmarked and separated from your other accounts to be used solely for just that – emergencies. It’s not a vacation fund, it’s not a down payment fund; it’s an “oh no, my car just broke down and it’s going to cost HOW much to repair?!” fund.
There will be countless times in your life when large expenses come out of the blue, and you don’t want to get blind-sided when they do. This is your rainy day fund. This is your piece-of-mind fund. Should your washing machine lose its mind while you’re at work one day, leaking water all over the place and you come home to a swimming pool in your living room, think of your emergency fund as your paddle.
Too often as a society do we fall into the trap of being ill-prepared for unanticipated financial burdens. Out of necessity and desperation, we turn to credit cards and personal loans to cover the costs that we didn’t see coming. While credit cards and loans have their purposes, we have become overly dependent on them, and this dependence coupled with high-interest rates keep us bound to the mounting debt around us.
This is the main reason having an emergency fund is so important – to enable us to cover unforeseen expenses without accruing additional debt and without breaking the bank.
Often, people find excuses as to why they don’t have an emergency fund. It's tough because millennials can argue that this can be used to pay bills or invest. However, it's common knowledge that after all basic needs are meant you should start saving for an emergency fund which is typically 6-month living expenses. You’re likely to get more debt if you don’t have an emergency fund readily available and liquid.
Easier said than done, right? If that sounds like you then this may be the most important notion that you take from this article: saving money is habitual, and establishing good habits takes practice.
Live well below your means
I am surrounded by poor people making the same wage. These people are poor not in the sense of low income but well spent beyond their means. Many of them don't have an active budget, finance expensive cars, and keep buying on credit. I would say if you are spending more then 30% – 40% on housing your likely living beyond your means on that alone. Saving money is key, look for ways to reduce spending and save at least 10% of your monthly income. This can be done by budgeting!
A budget allows you to live comfortably within your means with enough left over to save for long-term goals. Start by adding up all your income from employment and other side hustles.
Then tally your monthly expenses. Include your student loans monthly payments, credit card debt, car loans, all basic living expenses such as rent, utilities, transportation, and food, as well as meals out and other entertainment. A budget worksheet will ensure that no expenses are omitted.
Next, subtract expenses from your income to get a picture of how much you have left over each month. You can then set goals and decide how much the surplus should be invested. Ideally, if you already have step 1 completed then this surplus should be used to make a bigger payment on your student loans or other debt.
I use Personal Capital to manage my finances. It is important to keep track of your finances to build great wealth over time. Sign up with Personal Capital, a free online platform which aggregates all your financial accounts in one place so you can see where you can optimize.
Before Personal Capital, I used Mint to manage my finances however that was a waste of time. Now, by using Personal Capital, I can clearly see how my investments (401K, Roth IRA, Investment Accounts) are doing as well as my regular banking, credit cards, and also see how my net worth is progressing. I can also see how much I’m spending every month. There is no better financial tool online that has helped me more to achieve financial freedom. It only takes a minute to sign up.
I really recommend it for people really trying to build wealth as you can really map out your financial life. For you, if your expenses exceed your income, you’ll need to figure out how to cut expenses, perhaps by scaling down to a cheaper part of town where rent isn't as expensive or increasing income by starting your own blog or ways to make money online, or a better internship or job. Tracking small daily expenses can help you see which can be reduced or eliminated.
Pay down debt before spending on entertainment
I graduated college with a Finance Degree in May 2013 and I made my very last student loan payment less than 1 year later. I paid off around $45,000 in debt stemming from student loans, car loans, and credit card balances. Being debt free I was able to significantly put more money toward savings and investments in addition to having more leeway with my daily spending.
One big key was making more than minimum payments every chance I got. I would pay off $2000 and $1000 payments at a time. I also started paying immediately and as soon as I got my first check, I made a payment. I actually started paying while I was in college.
I really immersed myself in financial literature in order to build a rock solid understanding on what a millennial needs to do in this economy to prosper and build wealth and have more money in pocket.
Make the hard choices now so that you can build wealth later.
For you, once you’ve got your basic expenses and income down, it’s time to refine your plan in order to build wealth over time. Remember to always pay yourself first and deposit something each month to savings. After that, pay basic living expenses and pay down any student loans, credit card debt, or other debt before spending on entertainment.
While you may have a unique financial situation, this basic budget allocation works well for many: 50 percent toward living expenses, 20 percent to be divided among regular savings, an emergency fund and paying down debt, and 30 percent for entertainment. As time passes, revisit your budget.
Best Survey Apps Conclusion
Making extra money through online survey apps doesn't have to be difficult! There are plenty of options out there that allow you to take surveys in order to make some extra income in your free time—all you need is an internet connection! Whether you're looking for cash back rewards, gift cards from favorite retailers, travel miles or something else entirely—there's definitely an app out there right now that will meet your needs.
Taking surveys is an easy way to make some extra money in your spare time without having to put in much effort – all while sitting back at home! With these 10 best survey apps listed above, you should be able to find one (or more) that works well for your needs – whether it's earning points towards gifts cards or simply making some quick cash through PayPal payments! So why not give them a try? You may find yourself racking up those points faster than expected!
