InboxDollars doesn't care to keep you as a customer because they realize most people once they reach the minimum $30 payout won't continue, because the amount of time required to earn pitiful tiny sums isn't worth it, so revoke your earnings as you reach the threshold is an intentional part of their dishonest business model. They offer no explanation and no flexibility and no reasonable business practices.
Inboxdollars is not a scam. You won’t qualify for every survey but you will for some. I can make an average of $1.50 a day. by doing like 3 surveys a day. I have already cashed out my first $30 to see if it pays out and they do. In about 2 weeks I have already made another $20 but I’m going to save this payout for a couple months from now until I hit $100.
It’s a very well-known scam. You cash the check, then they ask you to either wire some of that money back to them as some sort of fee or buy something for them and send the item to them. So, you deposit the check, then wire some cash to them thinking that the check you just deposited will cover that. A few days later, after you already send them the money, the check will bounce and the money you send to them will come out of your own account.
Now, don’t get me wrong. There are people who do make a few thousand dollars or more a year with paid surveys. But that’s not the norm. If you do want to increase your earnings substantially, your best bet is to also join focus groups (we have a big list of ’em. Just do a quick search on Google for “moneypantry.com focus groups”). They pay much more between $50 to $400 or more per focus group secession.
Some websites, like eBay will pay you as much as $6 to sign up to their sites and place bids. Another website, Stamps.com, will pay you as much as $10 for signing up for their free trial program. However, with the latter, if you do not cancel the free trial before expiration, then you will be billed monthly for their programs (in the case of Stamps, its $15.99 per month).
How it works: LifePoints is the survey platform of a company called Lightspeed, which is owned by Kantar (one of the world’s largest market research and consumer data analytics firms). The platform was formed as a merger of two of the company’s other products, MySurvey and Global Test Market, and gives users a variety of ways to earn points that can be redeemed for cash:
How it works: Vindale is one of the oldest, most well-known, and most highly-rated survey companies around (boasting an “A” rating from the BBB and a great Trustpilot score of 8.1). The only thing that keeps this site from ranking higher on my list is the minimum cashout amount, which is $50. It can take a good amount of time and dedication to hit that mark. Still, the company provides high-quality surveys with good payouts, which makes Vindale a great choice for users who plan on filling out surveys regularly but less attractive for those who are thinking about just dabbling.
Above all, thanks for that great article. I really enjoyed reading it all for the last 5 minutes with a mug of coffee! Despite this article being next to perfect, if I can, I’d like to add one of the best survey sites, in my mind, to this list. It would be, “ClixSense”. They’re a really old, and huge, presence in the research industry and have partnered with many of those listed in this very post. So, signing up on ClixSense lets you take paid survey invitations from multiple survey sites and research firms, like Opinion Outpost, Nielson Media Research, YouGov, I-Poll, MySurvey, Toluna and more. Almost half of all of those survey sites are listed here.
I use Survey Junkie. It is the number one best survey app I have come across so far. I have cashed out already twice: the first time, it was for $10 and I made it within hours. Then I made almost $20, so basically $30 so far and I haven’t even had the app downloaded for longer than 2 weeks. It’s super easy to redeem. You can do PayPal, gift cards, or cash deposited into any account as long as you have a routing and account #. So, yes, it’s real cash. It says 5 business days before you receive it, but I received mine within 2 days. So, on your free time, just do surveys. You have to have patience. That’s the key. If you do, then that’s the app or site for you. Good luck.
Hi, I'm Zina! I'm a personal finance expert with a passion for helping millennials figure out their most pressing financial issues. My interest is personal -- I paid off my student loans in three years and have been helping others take control of their finances ever since. My work has been featured in the Washington Post, Fox Business, Time, Quicken Loans, LendingTree, Forbes, Money.com, Mint, and many more. I currently live in Indianapolis, IN with my husband and two dogs.
My InboxDollars experience started on a high note. After receiving the signup bonus, I earned another 50 cents for completing a short profile survey. I also appreciated that I could see a list of surveys available to me, along with the exact dollar (or cent) amount they’re worth. Most sites we tested use points, and determining a survey’s monetary value can be a hassle. This list also included the estimated time required for each of the surveys and, for some, the topic.
Inboxdollars is a scam!! All I have to say is you 1) better CAREFULLY read there lengthy terms and agreement before signing on the dotted line! My account got terminated because I unfortunately didn’t and didn’t realize my sister couldn’t have an account because we live together and have same address and used to use the same computer. We worked on surveys for hours and made $60 plus each and then got terminated and had to forfeit our money! Really sucked! 2) They will give out your information….phone number and email address. So if you don’t want tons of spam calls and spam emails….run away!! 3) They do not have a phone number to contact them. They have a support email and a live chat who doesn’t give you any useful information. Needless to say….Inbox Dollars is the worse survey site that I have ever encountered….you have been warned!! 🙂
No it’s not a scam, although lately it seems their partners may be scamming members. I have been an inboxdollars member since I believe 04. Last year they introduced the tv channel, just another way to earn first it was earn up to $2.00 a day viewing this channel then they capped it at .50 which is fine. It takes awhile, you see the same videos over and over again. The player eats up memory, retaining more than half of my 12gigs sometimes.
Inbox Dollars Gift Cards
How it works: Opinion Outpost sends survey opportunities to your email address at a fairly significant pace, but you won’t qualify for all of them — as with most other survey sites, you’ll have to answer a few pre-screening questions to make sure you fit the demographic profile the company is interested in learning about. You can also log on to the website and view available surveys without having to sift through emails.
When I first joined and I had issues I thought I’m new at this and will keep at it ti at least get one payout from them. After many surveys telling me that I didn’t qualify after completing the entire survey I got nothing while they got all my answers. This happened quite a bit and the ones that I did get paid for is a few cents for anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. So it took me like four months to make $68 and wouldn’t you know what as soon as I make a request for my payout I get told I’m not getting anything because my account has been terminated.