How To Take Online Surveys For Cash Only (2022)

Survey companies have been around for decades, and in that time millions of people have earned cash for their opinions. Over time companies have sprung up producing online surveys, but not all of them are equal. Some pay you in points while others have sweepstakes for big prizes.

Some have high thresholds for payouts while others let you trade your points for gift cards. But what if earning points for gift cards don’t interest you? If you’re looking to learn how to take online surveys for cash only then we’ve got you covered.  

But before you start signing up for random online survey opportunities you should first better understand a bit about the company itself. By doing some quick research on sites like TrustPilot of the Better Business Bureau you can quickly answer questions like are they legit, how do you sign up, how will you get paid?

To help get you started we’ll take a look at three well-known paid survey sites that are trustworthy AND pay you in cash!

Let’s start earning!

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Earn with PointClub 

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First, we’ll start with one of the most respectable online survey websites, PointClub.  Founded by Innovative Market Research, their primary offering is facilitating market research via surveys that pay cash. Among their services are conducting online polls, focus groups, and surveys for every walk of life.

Being as established as they are a pretty good indicator of their legitimacy, but don’t take our word for it.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) also has scored them with good marks, which only adds more confidence. Oh, and did you know they are open for international users outside the United States!

How do you sign up for PointClub?

Registering for PointClub is super straightforward. First, they ask for an email address for new users to sign up, but will also allow you to register via your Facebook and Google accounts.  

Once successfully registered, you have instantly rewarded 1000 points ($1). You can also win another 1000 points by confirming your email and completing a short questionnaire.  

Score!

How do you get paid for PointClub?

The payment options provided by the PointClub are through PayPal and gift cards. The gift cards that can be earned are from retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Google Play. In addition, you can cash out up to 25,000 to 100,000 points, or around $25 to $100.

Pros

• High survey payout – A single survey will earn you around 500 to 5000 points. Usually, a survey takes 10-30 minute to complete, so it’s probably $10 in an hour at most. 
• Lots of ways to earn – There are tons of non-survey related earnings as well. You can earn by participating in various activities like playing games, watching videos, shopping online, and other mini-tasks. Be warned though, they don’t pay very much.
• Fast payment processing – The best thing about Point Club is the fast processing of money, which usually takes around 72 hours until it’s processed. That’s fast.
• Great User Interface – The website interface is very friendly to use as well as its completely free to join.

Cons

• Qualifying isn’t easy – Qualifying for surveys can be very difficult with PointClub.  This means they end up providing you fewer offers and fewer chances to earn money online. 
• Tasks don’t pay much – If you have extra time on your hands you can participate in tasks.  Unfortunately, the extra money generated is typically pretty low.

​Get started with Vindale Research

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Founded by Nathanael Ehrich, Vindale Research has been operating for well over a decade.  One of its strengths is the overall user experience. Vindale is a more organized and focused company, dealing primarily with market research companies who expect that level of professionalism.

They are also proud to tout that their users earn real cash by participating in the surveys.

How do you sign up for Vindale Research?

One cool thing about Vindale is that they don’t require you to enter much sensitive information up-front such as credit card or personal details. To sign up, you only have to type in your name and email address or you can use your Facebook account. This makes it super easy for a new user to join.

Tip: If you’re going to be signing up for multiple survey sites, we recommend you create a separate email account.  This will help you keep your day to day email free of clutter!

How do you get paid for Vindale Research?

Vindale Research keeps it simple. If you fill out surveys; you will earn cash, no hidden stuff. For payment options, users can cash out via either a bank check or with a PayPal account.

Pros

• High paying – Vindale Research offers varying payments depending on the complexity and niche of the survey. Their payouts start from 50 cents to over $50 in some cases. Compared with other paid survey sites, Vindale Research comes out on the higher side.
• Product reviews – Sometimes, companies often ask for product reviews from a customer perspective. In this case, you can earn up to $75. The higher the complexity and in-depth background knowledge required, the higher the pay.
• Pay for referrals – There are other ways of getting paid besides just surveys and product reviews. Another option is to refer to a friend.  When you do that and they end up using Vindale Research, you earn more cash.

Cons

• Late payments – After learning about some positive points, it’s only fair to get some insight about the negative as well. Vindale Research is often knocked for processing payments later than expected. 
• Low success rate – Like other survey sites, Vindale has a low survey eligibility rate among their users due to very specific demographic requirements. This can be frustrating when you learn you don’t qualify after filling out long and difficult questionnaires.
• Limited international options – For international users, you’ll be disappointed to learn that Vindale is limited in their reach.  Currently, they only offer surveys for the US, Brazil, Australia, and UK markets. They are primarily looking out for US demographics, so all benefits are restricted to them.
• High threshold for a payout –  In terms of payout threshold,  you can need to earn at least $50 to withdraw funds which is a pretty high bar.  

See what Ipsos I-Say has to offer

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Ipsos is easily one of the oldest companies in the market research industry.  Founded in 1975 and having over 15,000 employees around the world with a huge pool of clients to boot.

Make no mistake; Ipsos I-Say is a household name when it comes to conducting online research survey.

They also have hundreds of thousands of users already registered on their website. The philosophy behind Ipsos I-Say is to provide points to their users when they complete a survey or other polling offer. 

How do you sign up for Ipsos I-Say?

Signing up for Ipsos i-say is a breeze with their simple registration process. While Ipsos I-Say is based in the US, they also have offerings for Canada and the UK and most of the European Union. Anyone from those countries can register by answering a few questions.  This is a pretty quick process, taking about 5 minutes. You’ll then receive a registration email that lets you confirm later.

How do you get paid for Ipsos I-Say?

With Ipsos I-Say one survey pays out at around $0.45 to $2. Generally speaking, though you’ll be earning around $1 as the average payout. The great thing is that there is no shortage of surveys. This means you can stay busy participating as a panelist. 

When you are ready to cash out, the only available option for direct cash is PayPal.  On the bright side, the payout threshold is also actually pretty low. You must hold around 1000 points, which equals around $10.  

One big downside is the waiting time to get paid. It’s on the higher side at around 3 weeks to process.

Pros

• Easy to understand – The best thing about Ipsos I-Say is the clear and straightforward approach they take. There isn’t confusing info all over there website. In addition, before every survey they let you know exactly how much can earn.
• Multiple ways to cash out – Ipsos offers gift cards that can be used in lieu of cash. For example, with the Ipsos I-say gift card, you can shop at target, or drink a coffee at the Starbucks. The points system also helps you identify how much are your card is worth which helps you keep track of what you can spend.

Cons

• Limited coverage internationally – The biggest drawback about Ipsos I-Say is that doesn’t cover many international markets. Only limited countries are supported in their jurisdiction.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve learned about how to take online surveys for cash only, you have a good foundation to get started.  A few things to keep in mind; while it’s great to have multiple sources of income, taking paid surveys is not a replacement for a full-time job.

So treat it as a side hustle and you won’t be disappointed.   Remember with a legitimate online survey site, the cash payout is not instant and in most cases it actually a PayPal deposit.

If you’re interested in learning more go check out our comprehensive guide to taking online surveys for money.