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.
Interesting read, thanks for sharing. I suppose that online surveys may generate a few extra dollars on the side for some people, but it does require you to qualify for certain surveys online. In many cases you may not qualify, and will result in having to search for more surveys. This can be time consuming and in most cases not as profitable as may be expected.

Inboxdollars Andrew Smith


If this is remotely true, it is absolutely the exception to the rule. Yes, they take all of your info, then you spend endless amounts of time filling out the prequal for a survey only to get disqualified. If you do happen to be qualified, well the 15-30+minutes you spend to “make” that 25-50 CENTS is NOT worth the time. Again the user claiming to make anywhere decent amounts of money from this is the exception rather than the rule. Don’t waste your time.
MyPoints isn’t as shady as them and isn’t as difficult. I’ve been clicking emails for 5-7 years (they offer surveys too but I only click emails) and cannot even remember how many gift cards I’ve gotten from them (a lot in that many years). Not once did they stop sending emails once I got to a certain amount of points. I can quit at any time after cashing out too, unlike InboxDollars who forces you to stay active until your payment is sent.
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 my opinion, Inbox Dollars is a scam. After registering and wasting hours upon hours to make a few cents I started receiving a swarm of emails, 83 in one day to be exact, from the companies I was questioned about in the surveys. Not to mention an abundance of calls from unknown numbers. What an invasion of privacy! This is not worth the hassle. Be smart and don’t fall for this one!
Rip off. I referred a couple people to Inbox Dollars that lived close to me and they closed out all of our accounts saying we were all in the same location and the same person. We provided IP addresses and even went to as far as asking if we could provide identification to show proof and of course it was negative. Lost a total of about $31. As for my neighbors probably the same or close to the same..

How it works: With Survey Club, you can take part in some of the highest-paying research, clinical trials and surveys available. There are often location-based opportunities (such as focus groups), and unlike some of the other companies on this list, Survey Club often gives you the chance to test products that researchers will physically mail to you free of charge. 

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.

Surveys can be on many different topics, like your TV-watching habits, your favorite places to eat, what material of sweater you prefer in the fall, etc. Many surveys can take less than 5 minutes to complete, although some take longer (and pay more money). Despite the wide array of topics, the end goal of paid online surveys is usually the same: to get a better idea of what consumers are thinking and how they make decisions.


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.

Their are many exclusive communities for different demographics. For example: There is the iGamelab Beta Testing Community where children aged 6 – 17 can sign up to be beta testers for online games, mobile games/ apps, virtual worlds, toys surveys and more. There is also the Xtrender community where teens can participate in reviewing social media, TV shows, celebrity surveys, and much more. Finally, there’s the Paid Moms Community where mothers with children aged 2 – 17 can join to give insight on parenting, cooking/ recipe and more.

Interesting read, thanks for sharing. I suppose that online surveys may generate a few extra dollars on the side for some people, but it does require you to qualify for certain surveys online. In many cases you may not qualify, and will result in having to search for more surveys. This can be time consuming and in most cases not as profitable as may be expected.
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You build your trait score simply by being active on the site and completing surveys. The surveys from Paid Viewpoints are some of the shortest surveys you’ll find. They even advertise that a survey will take only 2 – 3 minutes. In whatever case, even if a survey takes more than twice the advertised time, it will still be the shortest out there. On the average, they ask about 10 questions. To make things easy for you, they set a character limit for each survey answer (between 90 – 120).
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Me and my roommate had both accounts and used the same PC. they told us we can only use one account. it doesn’t make any sense because it’s not like we are using each other bank accounts, etc. inbox dollars also manipulates with how much money you can earn per surveys. if you make a couple of bucks one day, i guarantee you, you will not qualify for any surveys the next day! it’s all bogus. SCAM!
Did ok first two payouts, then on third payout, got an email saying account was terminated. This is after I cashed out. Had to request check before Sunday for them to cut check on Wed. I did this on Friday, two days early, on Monday I get email saying account terminated, Did NOT get paid, so they waited until I did three months worth of surveys, requested funds then terminated, so angry.
Like other sites we tested, InboxDollars is a survey aggregator. So clicking on a survey opportunity typically redirects you to a third-party site. In most cases, I was led to a typical survey setup: starter questions about my age, gender and ZIP code, followed by either a disqualification or questions on a specific topic. A few survey topics I covered include McDonald’s, insurance and grocery stores.
Some users have also complained how after playing hours and hours of games on sites like Winster, their accounts were not credited, and upon contacting InboxDollars' customer support, were told that “it is not the company’s responsibility to determine playing time but the responsibility of their partners.” Some users have decried how after being inactive at InboxDollars for a few weeks or a month, their accounts were suspended and they were no longer able to receive paid emails.
With Univox Community, you don’t have to join a panel to start feeling in those surveys. Instead of cash, members are given reward points that they can use. What’s more, the site doesn’t mention any kind of pressure to complete specific offers or try products that could cause the members to pay more than what they earn when they complete surveys. Once you get a minimum of 2500 points of $25 you can request your reward.
MyPoints isn’t as shady as them and isn’t as difficult. I’ve been clicking emails for 5-7 years (they offer surveys too but I only click emails) and cannot even remember how many gift cards I’ve gotten from them (a lot in that many years). Not once did they stop sending emails once I got to a certain amount of points. I can quit at any time after cashing out too, unlike InboxDollars who forces you to stay active until your payment is sent.
Interesting read, thanks for sharing. I suppose that online surveys may generate a few extra dollars on the side for some people, but it does require you to qualify for certain surveys online. In many cases you may not qualify, and will result in having to search for more surveys. This can be time consuming and in most cases not as profitable as may be expected.

Inbox Dollars Blog


You’ll be matched with online surveys from market research companies that are relevant to you. For example, moms of young children may be asked to give their opinion about diapers or baby food. Business managers may be asked about sales forecasts and productivity software. With thousands of surveys, you’re sure to find the right opportunities for you. Topics are always changing, and they depend on your profile and your interests.


Hiving is a French company, founded in 2009, which specializes in market research and consumer feedback. They are also among the online surveys that pay through Paypal. The company now has a presence in 20 countries around the globe. You give your honest opinion about products/ services in surveys, and they reward you with points which you can convert to cash and gift vouchers.
As InboxDollars connects advertisers and consumers in a mutually beneficial fashion, there are limitless cash-earning options via signing up for various offers and newsletters. For example, you can earn $0.25 and beyond by opting in for free samples, $3 reward if you sign up for Target Redcard and a whopping $20 just by signing up for the Fabletics membership.
Not counting the profile survey, I attempted 38 surveys and qualified for seven of them. That’s an 18% success rate, which is on the low end among the 12 sites we tested. Most of the time, I’d immediately receive a disqualification notice with a link to a new survey opportunity. For a few surveys, I answered questions for a couple minutes before getting the boot.
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