Simply filling out surveys and getting paid in cash or in Amazon gift cards might sound too good to be true, but really, it isn’t. In today’s gig economy, more and more people can find ways to earn some extra cash on the side that they can use to help them pay their bills.
Maybe you’re spending a lot of time on your daily commute. Or maybe you’re a stay-at-home parent who wants to try something new. If you’re looking for ways to make some extra cash in your free time, this article is perfect for you.
If you’ve heard about answering surveys being a good side hustle, then you’ve probably come across Survey Club. It’s an app that pays you to answer surveys.
As a beginner, it may be overwhelming to start using the platform. You might also worry about your personal information being collected and used for fraudulent transactions. That’s where we come in.
We looked at how Survey Club works by doing some in-depth research. We also reviewed feedback from real Survey Club users through independent websites to know both its benefits and drawbacks.
The last thing you want is to put your information at risk of misuse when you don’t even know what Survey Club does with it. So keep reading until the very end to find out how to sign up, how much you can earn, what information you’ll have to give, and more.
What is Survey Club?
Survey Club is a research recruitment platform founded in 2005 in Colorado. It pays people to participate in online surveys, focus groups, private panels, clinical trials, taste tests, mystery shopping studies, online bulletin boards, and in-home usage tests.
Simply put, Survey Club acts like a bridge between businesses who want to know more about their consumers and individuals who are willing to participate in the businesses’ studies. Because of its wider reach and more established name, Survey Club also works with third-party market research companies who sign up with Survey Club to tap its network.
The company has offices in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia. Survey opportunities, however, are available all over the world. It claims that it has over 16 million members on six continents.
How does Survey Club work?
As we mentioned earlier, Survey Club is a research recruitment platform. This means that its services are enlisted by businesses and third-party market research companies who need to conduct a study about their products but lack the participants for them to successfully do so.
That’s where Survey Club comes in. With its vast network of members, Survey Club is able to connect these firms with potential participants. Of course, the platform pays members for the time and effort they spend working, as well as the crucial data that they provide.
The companies go to Survey Club with a specific set of requirements for the participants. With the data that Survey Club gathered during the signup process that members undergo, it will look for individuals with profiles that match the requirements of its clients and invite them to join the study.
Is your data protected with Survey Club?
With all those stories of phishing scams or fake websites, it’s understandable if you’re feeling a little worried about giving out your personal information. But to answer the question, yes, Survey Club is a legitimate company and your data is safe with them.
Survey Club members have to provide some basic information like their age, employment status, and income information during the signup process.
Each survey you take may also ask you for additional personal information (such as your lifestyle habits, health, etc.) that you will have to provide if you want to participate in them.
When we checked Survey Club’s privacy policy, it states that while it shares this information, it’s only for survey purposes. Again, it needs this information so it can filter out who qualifies for which surveys.
Survey Club also works with third-party market research companies. At times, some of the research activities available to you might require you to complete another signup process with that particular market research company.
The entire process is optional, so if you don’t feel comfortable with any part of the process, you don’t need to finish it. This, however, might limit the opportunities available to you.
We discovered that when it comes to these third-party market research companies, however, Survey Club does have protections in place for its members. For one, they have their anti-spam policy, which bars other survey sites from bombarding your email with promotional newsletters.
The company says that it has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to spamming. It also recommends using its contact form or emailing it directly through [email protected] for any instances of spamming that you might receive.
How much can you make on the platform?
The amount you earn per completed survey will depend largely on the length of the survey and the company that needs it.
When you start, you’ll probably make about $1 to $2 for a short, 15-minute survey. That adds up to about $4 to $6 in an hour, so you really shouldn’t file your resignation just yet.
As you sign up for more of Survey Club’s third-party partners, you’ll have access to even more surveys that could also pay more money.
Longer surveys typically go for about $5 to $10 per survey accomplished, though, on rare occasions, some could go for about $20.
It also has featured studies on its homepage that show that you can earn as much as $115 for a five-minute food survey. Meanwhile, other activities like clinical trials by pharmaceutical companies can also pay as much as $1,000, but these are often available only in specific cities.
As a bonus, you can also join the referral program of Survey Club, which will give you $1 for every person that signs up to it with your unique referral program link.
You can also join sweepstakes, like the Dream Car Sweepstakes, which earns you an entry for every survey that you take.
How do you sign up on Survey Club?
Survey Club’s signup process is pretty straightforward and involves only a few simple steps.
1. Create your profile
Visit surveyclub.com and click on “Become a Member” so you can start making your free account.
This will redirect you to a page where you’ll have to fill in a personal information sheet. It will ask for some personal information like your name, gender, and date of birth. You’ll also need to include your email address and create a password, which will serve as your login credentials.
Clicking “Next” will redirect you to another page where you’ll have to give out more personal information like living situation, travel habits, income, employment history, health conditions, and many more.
Again, this is part of Survey Club’s efforts to build your profile accurately. In the future, this will make it easier for it to match you with surveys that actually fit your profile, so try to be as honest as you can in this part.
2. Look for research panels
After making your profile, you’ll be redirected to another page where you can sign up for research panels in your home country.
Websites listed on this page are affiliates of Survey Club. If you want to earn through their surveys, you’ll have to sign up with them as well.
3. Take note of the reminders
Once you’re done selecting panels, you’ll be brought to this last page where you can learn more about the survey-taking program. Go through it as Survey Club gives you a list of reminders to keep in mind before you start taking surveys.
You can also access the terms of use, as well as the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.
How do you use the Survey Club platform?
After completing the signup process, you should be all set to start taking some surveys. You can look for surveys that you’re qualified to participate in through the available studies tab. If you signed up for certain panels, you might also receive emails about surveys you can take.
Most survey opportunities will ask you to fill out a pre-screening questionnaire to check whether you meet the profile requirements. This is why it’s important that you fill in your profile as honestly as possible. It lessens the chances of getting rejected for a survey and wasting time during this part of the process.
If you do qualify, then start answering those questions and earning.
How do you get your earnings?
After you complete a survey, the corresponding amount will instantly be credited to your Survey Club wallet. However, the minimum withdrawal amount is set at $25, so you might have to answer quite a few before you can redeem your money.
When you already have your $25 or more, there are a number of options to choose from to withdraw it. The easiest is to get it through your PayPal account or to receive it in the form of an Amazon gift card.
We found that redeeming your money may take about a week before it’s credited to your account.
What are the pros and cons of Survey Club?
With all that said, here are some of the pros and cons of using Survey Club.
PROS
- Survey Club has a ton of survey opportunities for you to choose from, regardless of where you may be in the world
- Unlike other survey platforms, you earn actual cash and not merely “points” that need to be redeemed for certain items.
- The $25 minimum withdrawal amount is a slightly lower payout threshold compared with other similar survey platforms.
- Survey Club also has a good customer service department that actively helps out its members with their concerns.
CONS
- Most of the surveys don’t really pay much, as they average only about $1 to $3 per survey.
- The wait time before receiving your payout is also relatively long.
- Based on reviews, most of the members’ complaints stem from the frequent need to complete a set of qualifying questions or a signup process on another website only to find out that they are not actually qualified to take that survey.
What are some Survey Club alternatives?
If Survey Club doesn’t sound right for you, then there are some other options that you might want to consider for making money online. Some of these include:
InboxDollars
InboxDollars has both a website and a mobile app that lets you earn some extra cash for participating in surveys. It’s one of the oldest companies in this industry, having started in 2000.
Compared with Survey Club, InboxDollars has a slightly different set of earning methods you can choose from. The latter gives you the chance to earn money by participating in surveys, watching videos, playing games, reading emails, and getting cashback points.
Swagbucks
If you love online shopping, then Swagbucks is a great way to earn extra money.
Unlike Survey Club, which focuses more on research activities, Swagbucks rewards its users mainly for shopping online at certain retailers and watching certain videos. It also offers online surveys that you can join, but it’s not its main focus.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a lot like Survey Club. However, it rewards users with points that they can later redeem for gift cards or cash (Survey Club rewards users in cash directly).
One advantage of Survey Junkie, however, is that it allows users to complete surveys anonymously, which is great for people who don’t want to give out their personal information.
Verdict: Is Survey Club legit or a scam?
All things considered, yes, Survey Club is a legitimate way to make money online by participating in surveys. The platform is a reliable website that can connect you with companies that need respondents for their respective market research programs.
You can earn an average of $1 to $3 for every survey that you complete. This is a great way to make use of any extra time that you might have, as you can earn a few quick bucks for about 15 minutes of work.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
