Can I Get Rich Taking Paid Surveys?
Okay, now that I have your attention, I want to point out that any online survey company that makes this claim that you can “get rich” is probably yanking your chain, messing with your head, and giving you a false pipe dream. Is there is a possibility that you could win a large cash prize by one of the survey sponsors that offers sweepstakes – Yes. But, keep in mind that only a handful of people will ever have this kind of luck. However, don’t get discouraged; even if you aren’t “getting rich quick”, you can still make decent supplemental income by taking paid surveys. While you won’t want to quit your day job if you have one, participating in paid online surveys and focus groups can earn you extra pocket cash that be used to stretch the budget or treat yourself to a few of life’s little luxuries.
Without naming names of specific survey sites, it seems that a common compensation amount for taking a short online survey ranges from $2 - $5 dollars. Keep in mind that most of these free online surveys are fairly short and can be completed in about 15 minutes or less. Hypothetically, if you sign up with a dozen or more companies and take one survey per week through each, you could be earning a couple hundred dollars a month! That could pay off part of your student loans, put some groceries in the fridge, pay for a night out on the town or fund your daily Starbucks coffee habit. When you look at the compounded earnings earned through paid surveys, it no longer looks like chump change! Signing up for focus groups that are conducting in-person can pay off even more substantially.
Once you start registering for various survey sites, you’ll notice that some to not pay out in cash, but instead use their own systems of reward points. Don’t shy away from these opportunities to earn some great merchandise. Over the course of the year, take these types of surveys, let the points accumulate in your various accounts and then when the holidays roll around, it’s like a free shopping spree. Most survey sites let you redeem the points for a range of exciting stuff you’d buy outright yourself, like Amazon.com gift certificates, iPods, and movie tickets and more.