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As the COVID-19 Pandemic persists, businesses and government agencies are encouraging people to take a pause at work and stay home. This means that opportunities to make money online are now in high demand. Paid surveys can be quite lucrative, if you find the right ones. Survey Junkie, InboxDollars, Swagbucks, and Opinion Inn are some of the most trusted online survey websites in which you can make money by sitting comfortably in your own home.
All of these websites offer profile surveys to ensure that you are taking relevant surveys and each varies slightly in their initial bonuses, redemption methods, and per survey value. In addition to surveys, a few of the websites offer additional incentives like cashback for shopping and points for playing games or watching TV.
Survey Junkie
Getting started with Survey Junkie is simple. Like many other similar sites, it works on a point system. Each survey clearly states how long it will take and how many points will be rewarded. Most surveys start with a few questions to gauge your eligibility. If you aren’t eligible, Survey Junkie will still reward you with points for time spent on those initial questions. Overall, Survey Junkie offers 1 cent for 1 point. It is straight-forward and easy to use. A big plus is Survey Junkie’s site design. It has a clean dashboard so everything you need is on one page.
Sign-up bonuses
- 25 points to register and confirm your email address
- Earn 50 points to complete a general profile survey
- 10 points for each specific profile survey (technology, shopping, health, interests, travel, and household).
Redemption methods and minimum
- 500 points ($5) minimum to redeem
- Paypal (available in all countries)
- Popular gift cards (U.S. only)
- Direct bank transfers by a third-party partner (U.S. only)
Approximate survey value: Each survey earns you between 20 and 120 points, which values at $0.20 for very short surveys, and up to $12 for longer ones.
InboxDollars
Unlike Survey Junkie, InboxDollars doesn’t use a point-system to acquire dollar currency. Instead, InboxDollars offers several ways to earn money through third-party websites. They also offer a “Scratch & Win,” in addition to PaidEmail®, where you can earn money by just reading through emails. You also may be able to earn cash for playing online games or discounts for online shopping. It should be noted, InboxDollars offers a lot of options which makes the app and site a bit overwhelming. However, if you can wade through the choices and find what works best for you, the site can be lucrative. The minimum amount of money you are able to redeem is $30, making it the highest threshold of the five options we’ve reviewed.
Sign-up bonuses
- $5 bonus for confirming your email address
- 50 cents to complete a general profile survey
- 50-cent bonus for completing a list of tasks (watching a video, printing a coupon, playing games, etc)
- 10 cents each to complete an interests survey and a household survey
Redemption methods and minimum
- $30 minimum
- PayPal
- Check
Approximate survey value: InboxDollars doesn’t offer a fixed range. Most surveys pay between $.50 and $5.00. But, you may be able to participate in surveys that pay up to $50 or more. Surveys take between 3 minutes and 25 minutes to complete.
*Referral program: Earn $1 for every qualified referral and you receive 30% of the referral’s lifetime earnings.
Swagbucks
Similar to Survey Junkie, Swagbucks runs on a point system. Actions earn you “Swagbucks” or “SB”. Earn SB by visiting certain websites, completing surveys and watching ads. Additionally, Swagbucks has a daily to-do list that can help you make bonus SB outside of the typical tasks.
Swagbucks has a retail component as well. You earn SB for purchases you make through the Swagbucks website, but also for going to stores in-person. You can get points for scanning certain products in the store, or just for walking into the suggested store. If you’re a frequent shopper, and don’t mind sharing information about your purchases, this function can be an easy way to add some additional income to your bank account.
Sign-up bonuses
- $5 sign-up bonus
- Provides a list of ways to earn SB before even entering your dashboard.
- Earn 50 SB for adding the SwagBucks extension on your browser to be notified of coupons and cashback opportunities.
- Fill out a profile survey for 5 SB
Redemption methods and minimum
- No minimum threshold; you use SB to ‘buy’ offers and bonuses or otherwise, cash it out. (Ex: you could buy a $1 Amazon gift card for 160 SB)
- Gift cards
- PayPal
Approximate survey value: Each click, survey, video or task earns you between 5 and 50 Swagbucks.
- 100 SB = $1
*Referral program: You and your referral receive 300 SB when the referral earns 300 SB within 30 days. You also receive 10% of their lifetime earnings.
YSense
ySense offers users flexibility by allowing them to work on both surveys and simple tasks online. You’ll start each survey with some qualifying questions to make sure that the survey applies to you. If it does, you’ll be able to take the survey and get paid. It’s important to be honest and accurate with your initial profile. ySense will use your profile information to match you with surveys. It does this to ensure that the right surveys reach the right demographic. A company that sells arthritis medication isn’t going to be interested in the opinions of a 23 year old, but a company that sells mobile phones might.
Surveys aren’t the only option for ySense users. You can also get paid to sign up for websites to give your opinion of how well they are designed. Other ySense task options include watching ads or to trying products. Similar to Swagbucks, ySense offers a daily to-do list that can help you gain additional earnings.
Sign-up bonuses
- No current offer
Redemption methods and minimum
- PayPal – $10
- Payoneer – $52.00
- Skrill – $5.05
- Gift cards
Approximate survey value:
Each survey pays between $0.20-$5.00. However, completing daily tasks will allow you to increase your net earnings. Add 12% of your day’s earnings to your account by knocking out items on ySense’s daily checklist.
*Referral program: You receive between 10 and 30 cents for each referral that becomes active. Once your referral earns $5.00, you’ll receive and additional $2.00 as a bonus. Also, you earn a 20% commission on every survey, task, or offer your referral completes.
Opinion Inn
Lastly, Opinion Inn is survey site that doesn’t run on a specific point system or alternative form of currency. Like the others, Opinion Inn offers 13 profile surveys as soon as you sign up. However, these profile surveys won’t earn you any money. They’re designed to help narrow the field and determine which surveys you are eligible for. Once you clear these initial surveys, you’ll see a list of questionnaires that will net you income. Each survey is listed by the demographic it’s geared towards. It’s important to note that even after we got through the profile surveys, it was difficult to find ones that we could take part in. What sets Opinion Inn apart from other options is its simplicity. Opinion Inn is the most straightforward and easiest to navigate.
Sign-up bonuses
- $10 just for signing up
Redemption methods and minimum
- $25 minimum
- PayPal
Approximate survey value:
Surveys often pay $0.50-$1.00. However, you might find surveys that are worth as little as $.25 or as much as $20. The amount a survey is worth will depend on how specific the criteria for participation is, and how long it takes to answer the questions.
*Referral program: Opinion Inn does not currently offer a referral program. Each new member automatically receives a $10 bonus.
The Verdict
There are plenty of work from home opportunities, but making money with survey sites has never been easier. The biggest way you can maximize your earnings is by signing up for multiple sites at once. Survey sites base the activities they offer on your demographic information. You might run out of surveys and ads quickly if you devote all of your time to one site. If you have an account with Survey Junkie, Opinion Inn, Inbox Dollars, ySense, and Swag Bucks, you can switch back and forth to compare surveys and activities. This way, you’ll make the most of your time and energy.
