Branded surveys – get paid for completing – Is it worth it – earnings test

During my exploration of various online earning options, I came across a popular method: filling out online surveys. I decided to conduct a test to assess whether it is truly possible to make money this way. I set a three-month trial period, registered on several platforms, and began regularly answering surveys. Although the payment for individual surveys seems low, my goal was to determine whether the total earnings could be a meaningful addition to monthly income. While continuing this experiment, I kept in mind that it might be an interesting option for those looking for an additional income source.

Time Required to Start Earning by Filling Out Online Surveys

When registering on survey platforms, I noticed that the required profiles are often very detailed, involving personal data that may include sensitive information. As part of my experiment, I paid particular attention to data security and privacy. Before providing any information, I carefully reviewed the terms and privacy policies of each platform. I recommend that anyone considering similar actions thoroughly consider what data is being requested and how it is processed, especially regarding sensitive issues such as home address, political views, or health conditions. This is crucial for protecting one’s privacy and avoiding potential risks.

Be prepared for the fact that the process of creating accounts on survey platforms is time-consuming. In my experiment, I found that it takes an average of about 30 minutes per service to register and fully complete the profile. Such preparation is essential to start receiving surveys tailored to your profile. Later in this article, you will find a list of over 35 services that offer earnings through participation in online panels. This list will help you identify which platforms are the most valuable and how their collaboration terms differ.

So, 35 x 0.5 h = 17 hours

The time shown is not exaggerated. To achieve any real effect in earning money online, it is necessary to create accounts on many platforms. This is due to the fact that individual surveys often do not generate high rates, so scale is key to increasing potential earnings. It is important to approach this with realistic expectations: some of these hours may seem wasted, especially if you lack determination. Therefore, it is worth approaching this with long-term results in mind, rather than expecting immediate results. For many people, earning through online surveys is an additional source of income, but it requires patience and regularity to achieve any significant profits.

Accurately and thoroughly completing your profile is crucial for platforms to assign you surveys according to their clients’ requirements. During my experiment, I noticed that some survey platforms analyze profile data to match appropriate questions. Without an accurate profile, you will not be able to participate in surveys and, therefore, earn money.

While filling out surveys, pay attention to trap questions that test whether you are reading carefully and answering according to the instructions. Incorrect answers to such questions can result in disqualification, limiting your ability to earn on the given platform. Remember, diligence and accuracy are the foundations that can determine success or failure in this form of earning.

After creating a profile on survey platforms, do not expect immediate access to surveys. Typically, available surveys appear gradually as the system matches offers to your profile. In my experiment, I noticed that some services offer “preliminary surveys,” which serve as an introduction to the system and allow you to earn your first points. Although these surveys may seem encouraging, they often do not represent the full earning potential of the platform but rather serve as a way to familiarize yourself with how the service operates. So, remain patient and allow the system to adapt to your profile to receive more and more suitable surveys over time.

Also, consider preparing for setting up profiles on individual platforms:

• Create a separate email account for earning money (services can generate a lot of emails and additionally, you never know how they will use your data or what will happen to them if someone hacks into their database).
• Create an encrypted database of links, logins, and passwords (there are many services, so it will be easy for you to forget some logins and passwords – of course, it is always easy to recover them, but you will waste time on it. Check out different types of software for storing passwords and logins (the browser is not the best of them, although it is the fastest and significantly speeds up work). You can check programs like KeyPass, Dashlane, or Roboform.

Avoid Survey Aggregator Systems

When testing different methods of earning money through online surveys, I also decided to check out survey aggregator systems. These are platforms that collect surveys from various sources. However, my experience with them was unsatisfactory. Most of the surveys available through aggregators were outdated or expired. Moreover, even before starting the actual survey, you often have to fill out detailed qualifying information.

In my opinion, the effectiveness of these systems is low – on average, only 1 in 5 surveys actually qualified me for participation. The rest of the time was wasted on preliminary qualifying surveys that did not lead to earnings. For this reason, I believe that aggregators can mainly be a waste of time and recommend caution in using them, especially if you care about effective online earnings.

How Much Can You Earn from Filling Out Online Surveys?

When experimenting with earning money through online surveys, it is important to approach this as an additional source of income rather than the main way to make money. At the beginning, especially in the first days, weeks, or even a month, you should not expect high earnings. Prepare for the fact that it will take you a lot of time to fill out detailed profiles on each survey platform. This is essential to be able to receive surveys tailored to your qualifications and interests.

If you are not committed to systematic and long-term action, there is a risk that the time spent on these activities will be wasted. This happens because many platforms have set payout thresholds, and reaching them without regular and committed participation can be difficult. Therefore, it is worth considering whether you have enough motivation and time to continue this activity long enough to see real financial benefits.

When testing various survey platforms, I encountered different payout methods. Some services offer the possibility of immediate withdrawal of funds, for example, to a PayPal account, which is convenient and quick. However, most platforms operate on a point system, where you need to reach a high payout threshold, usually between 50 and 100 PLN, to be able to earn anything. For each completed survey, you receive a certain number of points, which in some systems can be exchanged for money.

More often, however, these points can be exchanged for shopping vouchers to various stores. The most attractive are vouchers to places like Allegro or electronics stores, which can be beneficial for people interested in new technologies. Many systems also offer vouchers to clothing stores or bookstores. Although these vouchers are not equivalent to cash, they have their value — there is always the possibility of selling them, which can be an alternative way to monetize survey rewards.

So How Much Can You Earn by Participating in Survey Panels?

I joined 35 different survey systems and filled out surveys for 90 days.

After many hours of daily work on filling out surveys and profiles on various platforms, I started to notice certain patterns. My first impression indicated that the purpose of filling out profiles might be more about gathering information about users rather than actually matching surveys to their profile. I noticed that qualifying questions often repeat and do not seem to serve actual user verification or profiling.

It appears that user profiles are not fully utilized for survey selection, resulting in a similar set of questions each time, regardless of what has already been entered into the system. This can lead to frustration and the feeling that the time spent on detailed profile filling does not bring the expected benefits, as in practice, each survey requires going through a similar qualifying process again.

During the testing of various survey platforms, I repeatedly encountered situations where I was disqualified during the survey. This process could be particularly frustrating because disqualification often occurred after spending a significant amount of time answering initial questions. Worse yet, as a result of such disqualification, I did not receive any points, resulting in a pure waste of time.

These experiences made me realize how important it is to be aware of the possible problems associated with participating in online surveys. Some platforms seem to apply selection criteria in a way that can be not only inefficient but also demotivating for participants who do not receive compensation for the time spent attempting to qualify. Therefore, I recommend caution and careful consideration of whether the potential benefits of participating in such surveys outweigh the possible frustrations and wasted time.

During my three-month experiment with online surveys, most of the systems I participated in did not allow me to reach even half of the threshold required for payment. Nevertheless, I decided to convert the points accumulated into their value in individual services to present specific figures regarding my earnings.

I analyzed how many points I managed to collect and what their value is in terms of PLN, which allowed me to estimate total and monthly earnings. Although this sum may not seem high, it provides valuable information about the real value of the time spent and the potential profitability of continuing this type of activity. These data will also help me in further analysis of the effectiveness of individual platforms and can serve as a reference point for other people considering similar forms of online earning.

How to Start Earning by Filling Out Surveys?

As part of my project to test earnings from online surveys, I also conducted an in-depth search on Google to identify services that offer payouts in the form of money, vouchers, or gift cards to specific stores. I spent over 2 hours on this, aiming to create a reliable compilation that can be useful for others interested in this form of earning.

I created a separate email account, independent of my private and professional activities, solely for handling surveys. This will protect me from potential spam and make working with surveys easier (no information will be missed – even if it ends up in SPAM). Alternatively, you can set up an appropriate folder in your current mailbox and configure it so that emails from survey providers are assigned to it. However, you won’t know that your account was leaked from such services if you suddenly start receiving SPAM.

Next, using the new email address, we create profiles on the following online survey earning services. This will take you at least 20 hours – that is, the initiation process will take 5-10 days. I was able to get through the registration and profile filling process on no more than 4 – 5 services per day. It is a tedious and long process, but if you want to earn from surveys, you need to have a wide range of opportunities. Each service publishes only a few surveys per month, so to earn something over the year, you need a lot of options.

Below is a list of systems for filling out online surveys. I hope my list will be useful and save time for those who are just starting their adventure with online surveys. Here is the list of services I included in my compilation:

35 services for earning by filling out online surveys

Some statistics

Total number of online surveys attempted: 541 Total number of online surveys qualified for and fully completed: 319 (59%) Average number of online panels available daily for completion: 6 Average number of online panels qualified for daily: 3.5 Total time spent on completing surveys: 10,794 minutes* Average time per survey (including those not qualified for): 20 minutes Average time per survey (considering only those qualified for): 34 minutes Average daily time spent on surveys: 2 hours Total earnings over 90 days: €164.10 Average monthly earnings: €54.70 Average earnings per completed survey: €0.51 Average daily earnings: €1.82 Average earnings per hour: €0.91

SUMMARY

Filling out surveys is not profitable for me. A rate of €0.91 per hour is too low, and the quota system and high demand mean you have to be quick to even qualify for a survey. Attempting to fill out a survey 24 hours after it is posted significantly increased the chances of failure.

You cannot sustain yourself from this form of earning. It might be an option for people with a lot of free time who want to earn some extra money while doing other activities (e.g., riding a stationary bike, listening to boring lectures, bathroom breaks, or waiting for the bus).

One can try to optimize earnings by selecting appropriate survey panels, but at best, the rate can be doubled to €1.82 per hour.

There are highly paid surveys (around €22.30 per hour), but they are very rare. In 3 months, I came across only 2 such surveys.

Overall, filling out surveys is a waste of time and I do not recommend this form of earning. It’s better to look for other ways to make extra money.

Additional notes:

• The testing lasted for 90 days.
• The experience included using various survey panels.
• The author notes the ethics of some survey systems that deliberately slow down the survey completion process to artificially extend the working time of users.

Conclusions:

• Filling out surveys is not an effective way to make money.
• There are better ways to earn extra income.
• Be aware of unfair practices used by some survey panels.