by Rhonda M.

Created on: November 13, 2005   Last Updated: December 19, 2011

Paid surveys have attracted many online users with their promise to pay good amounts of cash for a few minutes of your time. It sounds really great I know but the truth is it is often not as great as it sounds. Before you take the leap to commit to taking paid surveys for all those companies that promise to pay you for your time there are a few things you need to know.

Paid surveys are a way to make a few extra bucks. You are never going to get rich from paid surveys. Most surveys pay very little if anything at all once all is said and done. Many companies have tricky ways of getting out of paying you anything once you take some of your precious time to answer their questions. Some companies do this by screening you out of the survey after much of your time. If you do not complete the full survey you do not get paid the incentive. Make sure to always read the email or survey description before you being. Sometimes the incentive you get upon completion is not what you thought you would receive. Companies that do not pay what they promise or screen you out after more than a few minutes of your time are not where you want to be taking surveys. You will waste time and never receive the payment you are due.

There are hundreds of survey companies out there that will promise you payment for joining their panel and taking their surveys. Very few of these companies are worth the time it takes to fill out the application to join their panel. Many companies you sign up for will never send you any surveys; some will send a few each month, while others will only send a few each year. I at one point in time was a member to well over 200 survey companies and less than 10 of those companies was ever worth my time. You must sign up with more than one company to make any money but signing up for hundreds is not going to fix the problem either. The important thing is to sign up for companies with a good track record of paying their members. These panels are generally difficult to join but will be worth your time if you can. The best ways to find these panels are online forums, friends, etc.

You will also need to know that you will not qualify for every survey you are sent. You screen out of surveys based on demographics, age, gender, etc. Most companies pay or give nothing if you screen out. There are a few that will pay a fraction of the full incentive, enter you in a sweepstakes, etc. Also understand that the more surveys you take for a company a better member you become. Many

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