Survey Taker

It’s possible to earn real money—although usually not very much money—by taking surveys online. There are dozens of websites that offer them, with some of the most notable being Survey Junkie, InboxDollars, and Swagbucks.

In many cases, online surveys are commissioned by companies that want insights into how consumers respond to their products and brand presence. This means you’ll often be asked about your purchasing habits, or will review marketing materials from the company (e.g., by watching their ads) and indicate what you thought about them.

Most online surveys take just a few minutes and pay out a few cents each, although some may take longer (up to an hour) and pay several dollars. You can complete them on any device with an internet connection, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop.

Follow these tips to earn more from this side hustle:

Experiment with multiple platforms

It’s easy to hit a point of diminishing returns with most survey-taking websites and apps. To ensure you’re using them efficiently, you have to be strategic. Sign up for multiple apps and spend just a few minutes per day on each.

Collect any special bonuses on offer, take any surveys that look particularly high-value, and then move on to the next site, rather than wasting your time with second-stringer surveys that don’t pay much at all.

Keep track of how much you make

Similarly, it’s worth documenting how much you’re making from each app you’re active on. Some simply aren’t worth it, and if that’s the case, you need to know about it so you can avoid wasting your time.

There’s no need to go crazy with spreadsheets—just note down approximately how much time you’re spending on each app and how much you’re making from them. If any app is paying significantly less per hour than the others, consider whether it really belongs in your roster.

Answer each survey honestly

Survey apps generally collect information about you (e.g., your gender, age, etc.), which influences what surveys they send you.

When survey platforms ask you about yourself, take the questions seriously. Believe it or not, most of them do keep track of your answers to make sure they match, and if they suspect you haven’t been honest, you may get kicked off the platform, forfeiting your earnings.

Pros

This side hustle is:

• Easy and flexible: Taking online surveys is one of the easiest gigs out there. It’s always remote-friendly, and all you need is a computer or smartphone and an internet connection. You can fit survey-taking into quite literally any schedule—again, it’s possible to complete many surveys in as little as 2–3 minutes.
• Reasonably fun: It’s fun to share your opinion, and it’s especially fun to get paid for it. What’s more, many websites also have other small jobs (known as “microtasks”) that you can complete for money, which often include downloading and playing mobile games. All in all, this is a pleasant way to make a few extra bucks.

Cons

Unfortunately, no side hustle is perfect. Taking surveys is also:

• Very low-paying: The main downside of this hustle is that most sites and apps pay very little. As mentioned, most pay just a few cents per survey, and your effective hourly rate on almost any site will be well under minimum wage.
• Occasionally frustrating: Not all survey-taking sites are well-constructed. They can be prone to glitches (such as surveys ending abruptly or kicking you off for no reason, paying nothing).

All in all, taking surveys is a viable way to earn a little extra money in spare moments (e.g., while you’re riding the bus), but if you need more than a few dozen extra dollars per month, you’d be better off with a more lucrative gig.