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.
The only other way you can earn in One Poll is through their referral program. However what you earn off your referrals depends on how active they are in the site. For example, you’ll be rewarded with £0.50 for every referral you make. However, if your referral makes £20.00, One Poll rewards you with £1.00; and if your referral makes £40.00, you’ll be rewarded with £2.50. Some problems with the referral program is that you can only refer 10 persons, and you can refer persons only through email.
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.
You don't get any money until you've saved up to $30 in credit. I don't qualify for most surveys I try to do. Lottery scratch points tease $10, $25, or even the chance to win $100, but all I've ever won is a few cents. I wonder if it even is possible to win any dollar amount or if that's just a lie. At most I earn several cents a day. Definitely not worth the time.
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.
The name “inbox dollars” is somewhat revealing – they pay you simply to read your emails. All you need do is check your inbox and read the special offers sent to you, then click the button that confirms that you’ve read the mail, and you’ll be paid. You can get between 1 – 10 cents for every email you read. Active members usually get about 3 paid emails per day. Very often, you’ll be sent offers, and by signing up for these offers, you’ll earn more cash, which can be between $2.00 – $20.00.
In a few cases, InboxDollars directed me to “exclusive offers” instead of straightforward surveys. One required me to give my name, address, phone number and birthdate to earn money and enter a sweepstakes for a Target gift card. Another time, I was prompted to give my email address and choose between Coke and Pepsi in exchange for $1 and a sweepstakes entry. I didn’t want to give my contact information to what appeared to be third-party sites, so I clicked out of these promotions.