We tested and analysed MoneySavers' reviews to find the top 20 sites. Huge thanks to all the MoneySavers whose feedback went into the guide. If you've found a top survey site we're missing, add it in the Survey Sites discussion.
i-SayTop payer, £10 Amazon vouchers/mth typical
A must-join, i-Say (previosuly Ipsos) is probably the best paying survey site. Its surveys are plentiful, and many rack up £10 or more of Amazon vouchers every month.You earn points for taking surveys - between 5 and 250 points for each - which can then be redeemed for vouchers. You typically need 1380 points to get a £10 voucher, and most members average 4 surveys a month.
Forumites report Ipsos is refreshingly upfront about payment and survey length before you start clicking. It pays in retail vouchers, including John Lewis and "Compliments vouchers", which can be used at a number of high street shops such as Argos and Boots. Once you cash in, vouchers take two to three weeks to arrive.
Quick stats
- Payment method: High street vouchers incl Amazon, John Lewis and Argos
- Typical ££ per survey: Between 5p and £1.80
- Payout threshold: £10
- Typical survey time: 15 mins
- Feed back: Ipsos
Swagbucks*Mega-popular with forumites
With a cult following in the MSE Forum, Swagbucks* pays you points to answer daily polls. You can also mix it up by getting paid to watch videos, search via its page instead of Google and even play free online games. Points can be spent on rewards in its Rewards Store - for example, 849 points equals a £5 Amazon voucher.Right now we've blagged a deal for newbies. If you collect £5-worth of points by Fri 21 Aug, Swagbucks will give you a £10 bonus, so you can get £15 of gift cards for Amazon, M&S, New Look, Starbucks, PizzaExpress and more. Full details in Earn £5, get £15 of Swagbucks.
Swagbucks only lets you earn points once a day on certain types of poll - answer a second poll and you won't get paid. So always read terms and conditions carefully. For motivation, join other Swag points chasers in the forum's popular Swagbucks Challenge 2015 thread.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash via PayPal, Amazon vouchers and more
- Typical ££ per survey: From 70 Swag Bucks (40p)
- Payout threshold: Depends on reward
- Typical survey time: 15-20 mins
- Feed back: Swagbucks
GlobalTestMarket Reliable US site that sends £30 vouchers
US survey site GlobalTestMarket pays in vouchers or via Paypal once you've earned 1,000 points. Many forumites amass £100 a year from the site.Vouchers and Paypal payments can take five to ten business days. The site often screens you out after a few questions, but usually bungs you a few points anyway.
GlobalTestMarket also sends surveys that enter you into a prize draw instead of paying you. Unless you've heaps of time, stick with surveys that pay.
We've seen a few responses on our forum where people have had their accounts closed without knowing why. If that happens to you, get in touch with GlobalTestMarket on its Facebook page.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash via Paypal, or high street vouchers
- Typical ££ per survey: £1.20
- Payout threshold: 1,000 points (equivalent to £30ish)
- Typical survey time: 20 minutes
- Feed back: GlobalTestMarket
Crowdology You only need to earn £4 before it pays
Another popular site, Crowdology pays hard cash via PayPal. The payment threshold's a low £4, and many folks rack this up every month.Unlike some other sites it doesn't operate a points-based system - it just gives you straight cash for completing surveys.
On the downside, forumites have reported its payment system can be glitchy, though the cash arrives in the end. A top tip is to post complaints on its Facebook page to get a result.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash via PayPal
- Typical ££ per survey: 40p - £10
- Payout threshold: £4 (£10 if you want to redeem with Amazon vouchers)
- Typical survey time: 10-20 mins
- Feed back: Crowdology
MySurvey You only need to earn £3 before it pays
MoneySavers earn cash quickly from MySurvey, as it has a low £3 payout threshold and abundant surveys. It pays in cash via PayPal.You can get a £3 PayPal payment for 345 points, or a £5 Argos voucher for 550 points. The site also lets you swap 1250 points for a £10 Amazon voucher, though, bizarrely, this is a worse value exchange than PayPal cash.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash via PayPal & high street vouchers, eg, Argos/Amazon
- Typical ££ per survey: 100 points
- Payout threshold: £3 (345 points)
- Typical time to complete: 20-30 mins
- Feed back: MySurvey
OnePoll Best for fun, quick polls
Mega-popular for its speedy surveys, OnePoll runs polls for the press, meaning fun questions about celebs and your love life. It works slightly differently to other survey sites and doesn't send out invitations - you need to log on daily to check.The payment per survey is tiny, often 20p. But while hitting the £40 withdrawal target takes ages, it's still worth it, as surveys are super-quick.
One bugbear of OnePoll users is getting stuck on £39.90, then not having any more surveys available for weeks. If that happens, try referring a friend to hit the threshold – you get up to £4 for each one who signs up.
Some forumites are also peeved by the number of surveys that just enter you into a competition, rather than giving you cash.
OnePoll also has a free iPhone app that lets you earn cash on the go. OnePoll tells us there are just as many surveys sent out via the app as the website, but we haven't heard much feedback. If you've given the app a go, let us know your thoughts on the OnePoll forum thread.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash (BACS or PayPal)
- Typical ££ per survey: 20p
- Payout threshold: £40
- Typical survey time: 3 mins
- Feed back: OnePoll
PineconeInvitation-only - but very generous
The holy grail of survey sites, Pinecone pays megabucks, but is invitation only. You get £3 for every survey. Sadly, the recruitment process is more secretive than MI6. You have to wait until you're invited or spot a web banner advert on another site to sign up.We've included it so you'll know to jump if an invite appears. If you're lucky enough to be recruited, you get paid cash via PayPal or can redeem points for Amazon vouchers. Yet it's tough to join, as the first rule of Pinecone is "do not talk about Pinecone".
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash via PayPal
- Typical ££ per survey: £3
- Payout threshold: £3
- Typical time to complete: 15 to 20 minutes
- How to sign up: Look for banner adverts on websites (often mum and baby sites)
Newvistalive Lucrative, but you need to earn £50 before it pays
While Newvistalive has a high 5,000 points (£50) payout threshold, many MoneySavers have racked up £50 cheques fairly quickly. It usually pays between 50p and £1 per survey - some forumites have made £50 in six months.It's especially important to read questions carefully and answer truthfully. Newvistalive adds in 'quality control' questions to weed out members who fib to get more surveys.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash (cheque)
- Typical ££ per survey: £1
- Payout threshold: £50
- Typical survey time: 15 mins
- Feed back: Newvistalive
TolunaEarn vouchers or 'gifties'
Another survey site to try is Toluna. Forumites earn regular rewards in the form of gift cards or a paypal payment. Alternatively you can use your points to buy virtual items - dubbed 'gifties' - that have the potential of becoming the real thing.Once you reach 60,000 points, you can cash in for a £10 retail voucher, including Marks and Spencer, Mothercare and Argos.
Some forumites are frustrated about how long it takes to receive vouchers after you've ordered them. It also seems to take quite a long time for points to be added onto members' accounts after they’ve completed surveys. Toluna says it can take up to six weeks sometimes for points to be added, although they try and limit this as much as they can.
Quick stats
- Payment method: High street vouchers incl Amazon & Love2Shop
- Typical ££ per survey: 3,000 to 5,000 points
- Payout threshold: 60,000 points (worth £10 in retail vouchers)
- Typical survey time: 15-30 mins
- Feed back: Toluna
YouGov Reliable, but a long slog to hit target
People either love or hate YouGov. The surveys are short ‘n' snappy, and the site is commissioned by everyone from academics to charities, so you get to put in your tuppence on serious subjects. Yet MoneySavers say it takes three to five years to hit the payout threshold.Surveys are infrequent (about one per month), and you can't cash in until you hit £50. At 50p per survey, this takes years. The £50's paid via bank transfer.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash via bank transfer
- Typical ££ per survey: 50p
- Payout threshold: 5,000 points (£50)
- Typical time to complete: 5 to 10 mins
- Feed back: YouGov
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Valued Opinions Established site, pays vouchers incl M&S & TopShop
One of the most established survey sites is Valued Opinions, though MoneySavers have reported glitches recently. It pays in retail vouchers, including M&S, John Lewis, Topshop and Amazon.Valued Opinions pays high amounts of £1-£5 per survey. Once you cash in your points, vouchers take four to six weeks to arrive.
Forumites report things have gone downhill slightly over the last year, and some haven't been given their earnings because of technical glitches. Though customer services do seem to sort issues quickly if you email.
One thing to note is the 50p admin fee charged when redeeming gift cards and vouchers which means for a £10 voucher, you'll need to cash in £10.50 worth of points.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Amazon, M&S, Boots, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis & more
- Typical ££ per survey: £1-£5
- Payout threshold: £10.50
- Typical survey time: 15 to 20 mins
- Feed back: Valued Opinions
Panel OpinionPays in hard cash, up to £5 per survey
Paying in cold hard cash, PanelOpinion has a low payout threshold of £10. We've a little less feedback on this one than some other sites, but what we do have is good. MoneySavers have made up to £5 for one survey.Forumite Marteebies says:
This is my favourite survey website. It's simple but effective and I have made a lot of cash on here. It doesn't take that long to build up a good amount.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Bank transfer, PayPal or cheque
- Typical ££ per survey: 25p-£2
- Payout threshold: £10
- Typical survey time: 10 mins
- Feed back: Panel Opinion
Survey Friends Use points to bid on rewards including Kindles
This site works a little differently to the others. As well as spending Survey Friends points on retail vouchers, you can use them to bid on rewards such as Kindles, Tesco vouchers and TVs.You can exchange survey points for £10 retail vouchers, including Love2Shop (that can be used in over 75 high street shops) and Amazon, when you earn 20,000.
The other option is to use points to enter Survey Friends's Gift Lottery. The more points you bid, the more chance you have of winning the prize.
The prizes are very winnable, and several MoneySavers have got lucky. Forumite stardaylily says:
I won a cool prize of a flat screen TV. I received my prize very quickly. Fab site.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Retail vouchers & other rewards
- Typical ££ per survey: 400-3,000 points
- Payout threshold: 20,000 points (£10)
- Typical survey time: 10 mins
- Feed back: Survey Friends
Vanson BourneTop payer, but you must work in IT or business
For anyone who works in IT or business, Vanson Bourne is a must-join. It pays up to a hugely generous £10 in Amazon vouchers per survey. People usually receive the voucher by email just a few hours after completing a poll.Only certain IT and business professionals qualify. Fill in your job details on the application form and it will let you know.
To verify that members are business professionals, it asks for details of the business you work for. It says it will only use this data to verify your eligibility and will never pass it on.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Amazon e-vouchers
- Typical ££ per survey: 50p-£10
- Payout threshold: None
- Typical survey time: 20 mins
- Feed back: Vanson Bourne
PureprofileReliable site, but infrequent surveys
One for dedicated survey stashers, Pureprofile is a reliable player, but surveys are scarce. With about one survey per month, it usually takes nine months to two years to reach the £25 target.You usually have to log on to check for new surveys rather than getting alerts. Some forumites who check often have reached the payout threshold more quickly.
Once your balance does reach £25, the cash is paid into your bank account (can take up to 30 business days).
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash (BACS)
- Typical ££ per survey: 10p-£3
- Payout threshold: £25
- Typical survey time: 15 mins
- Feed back: Pureprofile
Vivatic Regular polls, but you need to earn £20 before it pays
For belt 'n' braces, Vivatic is worth a look. It's been very popular for its regular surveys and payouts in past years. Forumites were less than happy when the site hiked its payout threshold to £25, but this has been reduced back to £20.MoneySavers have also reported getting screened out after answering a mass of questions. So this one's only worth joining if you're a keen survey fan.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash via PayPal
- Typical ££ per survey: 10p-£2
- Payout threshold: £20
- Typical survey time: 20 mins
- Feed back: Vivatic
Opinion Outpost Popular as you only need to earn £2.50 before it pays
Popular for its low payout threshold, Opinion Outpost pays Amazon vouchers or cash via PayPal. Surveys are sporadic, but you only need to earn £2.50 to get a payout, so should see cash quickly.Other surveys enter you into prize draws rather than giving cash - less of a good bet.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Amazon vouchers or cash via PayPal
- Typical ££ per survey: 50p
- Payout threshold: £2.50
- Typical survey time: 15 mins
- Feed back: Opinion Outpost
OpinionWorld Mixed feedback
Feedback's mixed for OpinionWorld. While some have clocked up £70 in a few months, others are frustrated by being entered for prize draws rather than being given reward points.Make sure you log on to Opinionworld.co.uk, not the US site Opinionworld.com – they look identical, so it's easy to get confused. The site also looks good and is easy to use, which is a plus.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Cash via PayPal or retail vouchers
- Typical ££ per survey: 50p
- Payout threshold: £10 PayPal, £3.00 Amazon
- Typical survey time: 20 mins
- Feed back: OpinionWorld
Justtheanswer Slow burner, only for keen survey fans
Rewards at Justtheanswer start at a mere 50 answerpoints (which you get for just registering). With 50 points you can buy one entry for the Justtheanswer quarterly prize draw and you can enter as many times as you want. If you don't fancy the risk, save up 500 points for a £5 Amazon voucher. Be warned, it can take ages to earn points on Justtheanswer thanks to an incredibly slow trickle of surveys.This is only one for very dedicated survey stashers, as we've little feedback from forumites who've managed to cash in.
Quick stats
- Payment method: Amazon vouchers, donations to Macmillan Cancer Support
- Typical ££ per survey: 50p-£1.50
- Payout threshold: 500 points
- Typical survey time: 10 mins
- Feed back: Justtheanswer
Mindmover Infrequent but interesting surveys
Another slow-burner, Mindmover pays out cash via PayPal when you reach £20 and can send you a cheque when you've got £30 in your account. Surveys are infrequent - forumites report it takes a while to clock up enough to get paid.PayPal payment takes up to 30 days, while cheques can take 56 days. On the upside, some find the surveys more interesting than ones on other sites.
Quick stats
- Payment method: PayPal or cheque
- Typical ££ per survey: 50p to £10
- Payout threshold: £20 for PayPal/£30 for cheque
- Typical survey time: 15 mins
- Feed back: Mindmover
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For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes - join the 10m who get it. Don't miss outMarket research focus groups
Traditional market research can also be a banker. Companies pay cash for taking part in focus groups. These take place at a pre-organised address, in your own home, on the phone, or online in a designated chat forum.All it involves is giving opinions on the chosen subject, usually over sarnies and a cuppa, and you can walk away with anything from £30 to £160.
You can only do one or two a year
The catch is agencies restrict the amount of focus groups a person can do, typically to one every six months - and that's not just with their own agency, but ANY agency. Though if you sign up for a few and combine it with other income-boosters, it's a welcome addition.To get started, sign up with the following agencies. As the number of focus groups you can attend is limited, we've picked the ones with solid feedback from MoneySavers.
Saros Big name agency with plenty of focus groups
With established agency Saros, you typically get £30 to £100 for two hours' work. You're only allowed to take part in two discussions per year, and it can take a while before you're selected.MoneySavers report when you do get picked, it's easy cash.
I did a three-hour forum at a local hotel on the concept of chocolate, and got paid £50. I tasted three pieces of chocolate, had a lovely bacon roll and unlimited tea - not too bad for a morning's work. - LEJC
Focus4People Mainly in the South East and London
It's possible to earn £30 to £150 time with Focus4People. Most focus groups take place in London and the south east of England, with a few in Birmingham and Manchester. It also runs telephone and online sessions, so it's worth everyone joining.Without wishing to brag, I got £90 for the one focus group I attended. Cash in hand on the day for a couple of hours giving my opinion - I highly recommend it.- MartinLewisisalegend
Research Opinions Focus groups across the country
Based in Manchester, Research Opinions runs focus groups across the country in cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh.It runs individual in-depth interviews and online sessions. MoneySavers say that it typically pays between £40 and £200, per focus group.
Indiefield A good bet for Londoners
Another big player is Indiefield. Be sure to update the profile section - your postcode, age and gender means you will be notified of pertinent research events in your area.Most focus groups are in London, though there are also a few outside. MoneySavers say it typically pays £35 a time.
Indiefield also runs a points reward system for other activities, like online and telephone surveys. 1 point equals 10p and you can earn 5-20 points for each survey. You can claim the points once you've got 200 via Paypal, cheque or voucher.
FocusForce Online panels and face-to-face groups
While we've a little less feedback on this agency, FocusForce holds focus groups within the M25, mostly after work, typically paying £40 - £50 a survey. It sends daily email requests.It also invites people to join online panels - to take part in these, you can live anywhere in the UK.
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