The best survey sites that pay cash | Young Retiree (2024)

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Survey sites are funky. They entice us with promises of fast, easy money taht you can make from the comfort of your couch.

The problem is that TONS and TONS of these survey sites are total wastes of precious time You have to pour absurd amounts of minutes in to these things to be paid the equivalent of peanut shells. Some survey sites use points systems to hide the fact that they barely pay you. Some pay only in gift cards. Some are outright scams.

The good news is, there ARE a few good survey sites out there that pay real cash. Keep in mind, they’re never meant to replace a full time income – they’re for micro-earning money on the side. ButI’ve managed to make thousands in extra cash just by doing brief, little surveys (and other similar things) online.

It took me a lot of painful trial and error, swimming through the weeds of outrageously lame survey sites, before I find these 5 good ones. So save yourself some time and stick with these! These are the best survey sites that pay cash online.

1. Product Report Card

Don’t be deceived by Product Report Card’s clunky looking website! I didn’t give them 5 stars for having a pretty looking site. But when it comes to paying decent money for super small and easy tasks, Product Report Card is one of the most underrated, and undiscovered gems.

I was skeptical of Product Report Card at first. I’d had absolutely awful experiences with survey sites claiming to pay me for my opinion. A few months later and I’ve made over $100 in side through Product Report Card, and spent practically no time to get it. There’s a screenshot of my current balance from the last couple weeks:

Product Report Card emails you whenever a new survey comes up, and they do 2 things that EVERY survey site should do. They take you exactly how much it pays in cash, and how long it will take. Surveys will vary in pay from about $0.50 to $5.00 on average, and usually take between 5 and 20 minutes. Fitting these in between emails at work, but clicking through a survey half-consciously while watching Netflix is super easy, and the money racks up.

Like most survey sites, the best way to make money on Product Report Card is NOT filling out surveys. It’s doing product tests. Product Report Card has sent me free tooth paste, free body wash, free tooth whitening, free snacks, and has paid me up to $30 just to try out the free stuff, and fill out a 2-5 minute survey about how I liked it.

Not only is that really easy money, but I get free things that I needed anyway!

The last thing I love about Product Report Card is that they pay me even if I don’t qualify for the survey! Most survey sites have a few screening questions at the beginning to see if you qualify for the survey. Some even make you waste minutes and minutes of time before they decide you don’t qualify. Product Report Card, instead, offers you $0.10 even if you don’t qualify. (I will sometimes click on surveys and instantly disqualify myself in a matter of seconds to make a few bucks fast).

Pros of Product Report Card:

1. Pays decent money for surveys
2. Tells you exactly how long the survey will take
3. Pays real money by a check in the mail
4. Provides product tests as another way to make good money
5. Pays you at least $0.10 even if you don’t qualify for the survey!

Cons of Product Repord Card:

1. PRC doesn’t really offer a refer-a-friend program for pay. They say they have an affiliate program, but it doesn’t work.

2. Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research is unique because it pays exactly $3 for every survey you take. Which is really awesome! The surveys are often only a few minutes long, so these $3 payouts can add up REALLY fast. I only did a small handful of surveys and surpassed $25 within the week, as you can see by the screenshot below (though it’s offering a gift card, you can opt to get this in the form of a pre-paid VISA card, equaling cash):

Pinecone Research is also awesome because they will only send you surveys that they’ve already pre-screened you for. So you won’t have to deal with filling out half a survey, only to have them disqualify you and receive nothing for your time.

Like Product Report Card, Pinecone notifies you of each available survey via email. And you always have the assurance of being paid 3 real dollars for every one. Don’t be turned off by the fact that Pinecone Research uses a point system, they translate to real world cash, not just gift cards. 100 points = $1. Each survey pays 300 points.

In addition to the pre-paid VISA card that Pinecone offers (real money), you also have options for prizes like Hymalean lamps, air fryers, speakers, etc.

The only downsides to Pinecone? 1. They don’t have a referral program, so you can’t make any extra cash by inviting friends. And 2. for that matter, they don’t have many other ways to earn at all. While many survey sites offer a plethora of offers and ways to earn, Pinecone is pretty exclusively about surveys.

Pros:

1. Only send you qualified surveys
2. Pays $3 for every survey!
3. Option to pay in a pre-paid VISA card (like cash), or prizes if you choose

Cons:

1. No referral program
2. Very limited other ways of making money, besides surveys

3. PaidViewpoint

PaidViewpoint is a relatively new find for me. It’s without a doubt one of the best survey sites on the internet.

PaidViewpoint, more than any other survey site I’ve tried, is determined to make the surveys fun and easy to complete. Their are no long, complex questions, very few open ended questions – their surveys are all designed to be as quick and painless as possible. On top of this, PaidViewpoint does not take much of your personal information, or share it with with other companies, so your privacy is far safer than it is with most survey sites.

The pay is in cash, directly through PayPal, and with each survey you complete it also increases what’s called your TraitScore. The higher your TraitScore, the higher the surveys will pay.

The best part of of PaidViewpoint is that they have one of the best referral programs for a survey site. Once you join PaidViewpoint(which is free and easy), you can get paid up to $25 for every person that you refer to also join it. PaidViewpoint will give you a 20% commission every time your referral cashes out.

Pros:

1. Short, super easy surveys!
2. Pay adds up fast
3. You can’t be screened out of their surveys
4. They don’t take, or sell your personal info
5. Good referral program that pays well!

Cons:

1. Clunky website

4. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is one of the best money earning websites on the internet for fast and easy cash. But this is sort of a trick entry: it’s absolutely HORRIBLE as a survey site, and I 100% do NOT recommend it for surveys.

Swagbucks is known as a survey site, but truly it’s everything else on Swagbucks that really make it worth it. I have almost $120 sitting in Swagbucks, as you can see in the screenshot below, and I’ll make another $120 just as fast after I cash this out. 100 Swagbucks = 1 dollar, so 11,991 = $119.91.

The reason Swagbucks surveys are terrible is because they are very hard to qualify for, and if you get half way through the survey, and then get disqualified, SB will barely compensate you. It turns into a huge waste of time. The good news is that Swagbucks has dozens and dozens of different ways to make money. The area where I make the most money is through their paid offers. Swagbucks paid me $25 to get a FREE month of Hulu, $15 for a box of FREE snack foods, $5-$10 for FREE teeth whitening, $7 for a FREE box of clothing for my wife… and the list goes on. Get free stuff – get paid for it – repeat.

Swagbucks also has ways to make passive money. Watching TV on Swagbucks pays you pocket change on an endless loop. Hit play, mute it, and walk away.

On top of this, Swagbucks has a referral program! They not only pay $3 for every person referred, but you also get a 10% bonus commission on everything they make through Swagbucks for life! Try it out!

Pros:

1. Amazing pay for completing FREE offers!
2. A bazillion ways to earn
3. Passive money earning options
4. Good referral program

Cons:

1. The surveys STINK!

5. Inbox Dollars

Inbox Dollars is like Swagbucks slightly inferior cousin. And also like Swagbucks, Inbox Dollars is a survey site that is absolutely horrible for surveys (for all the same reasons as Swagbucks).

The good news is that there are a million good ways to make money on Inbox Dollars. Playing Inbox Dollars videos, receiving paid emails from them (just open it, then delete it, and get some pocket change). Get paid to refer friends (10% bonus commissions like Swagbucks), get paid to try free apps and free trials, click on just about anything in Inbox Dollars and get paid for it. Inbox Dollars has sent me some nice paycheck!

Pros:

1. Good paying offers on free trials!
2. Good referral program.
3. Huge variety of ways to earn
4. Passive money earning options

Cons:

1. Exactly like Swagbucks. The surveys STINK!

Making REAL Money Online

The truth is, if you’re looking to start a cash flow that will change the course of your life, survey sites are not the way to do it. A side-gig that puts some extra money in your pocket? Definitely. I love money earning websites for that, but micro earning will never let you drop your 8 to 5 job like a hot potato, leave the office forever, and start living life on your own terms.

This is why I found a way (actually a couple ways) to build an actual sustainable business online, that provides a residual cash flow capable of replacing a full time job. Check out my top recommendations here on Young Retiree, where I give you the details on the businesses I (and several of my friends) are running online to create 6-figure incomes without jobs.

And if you’re content to stick with survey sites, let me know some good ones you’ve used below!