Put your hands up if you could use a bit of extra cash! If you’re anything like the rest of us, then it can be tricky to find those extra dollars each month to deal with a rise in your rent, let alone treat yourself to something special.
That’s where surveys for gift cards come in.
Not only is it really easy to make money just by answering a few questions online, but you then receive a gift card as your reward.
This means that if it’s ages till your birthday or the holidays, then you’ll have no excuse but to be kind to yourself and splurge on a personal treat.
Whether you’re itching to get started, or have never even heard about making money with online gift cards, this guide will tell you everything you need to know.
Can you really make money doing online surveys?
Yes absolutely, but let’s get one thing straight from the get-go.
This is not going to be life-changing for your finances.
You can’t make money doing online surveys to replace your main income, but it is a great way to earn a little extra each month.
Companies are reliant on consumer feedback to help promote and progress their brands.
They put together online surveys for cash as a simple way to find out how their products or services are viewed in the marketplace.
They might want to know questions such as:
- Have you heard of their brand before?
- If not, what do you think of their name or logo?
- Do you consider their brand to be reliable or trustworthy? Trendy or corporate?
- Have you used their products before?
- Would you recommend them to a friend?
… and so on.
By answering quick questions like these where you’re sharing your opinion in exchange for a gift card reward, marketers are able to collate feedback and make important brand decisions.
So that’s what is in it for the companies paying for the surveys, but what about you as a survey-taker? How much can you expect to be paid when you fill out surveys for gift cards?
Ok, let’s repeat the message – this is not a get-rich-quick scheme.
At the lower end of the scale, companies might only pay a few cents for a completed survey, but most fall between the $1 to $5 surveys for cash range.
Still, by committing just a few minutes to fill in one of these free paid surveys, which often consist of multiple-choice questions, the dollars can quickly add up.
If you take at least one survey a day or are signed up with several sites, you can accrue a decent bit of extra cash for your next gift card payout.
With some platforms, it’s also possible to earn a referral fee if you can persuade other friends, family, or contacts to sign up to take surveys with them too.
What can you earn?
Some of the best online surveys for cash pay money straight into your PayPal account, but others pay in the form of gift cards. And what’s not to love about a gift card, right?
They’re available from all of your favorite retailers and are also a great gift to pass on to a loved one for a special occasion such as their birthday.
In fact, did you know that gift cards have been the most requested holiday present for over 13 seasons, according to Go Branded?
Some survey platforms will also offer entry into sweepstakes or prize draws.
This can be frustrating as you may not be rewarded immediately for your survey-taking efforts, BUT when your name is pulled out of the hat, the prize values are often greater.
How flexible is taking surveys for gift cards?
The flexibility of this type of money earner is one of its biggest draws.
Any adult with an internet connection can take part in surveys that pay gift cards.
However, some surveys may not be applicable to your age group or demographic, in which case you won’t qualify for that specific poll.
Online surveys for gift cards are popular with some of the following groups of people, including:
- Stay at home moms
- Students and college grads
- Full-time employees with time to kill on their commute
- Retirees looking for extra cash
- Anyone saving for the holidays
As gift card surveys aren’t supposed to replace an income, but just add a little extra towards it, really anyone at all can join in.
You can choose when and where to fill in your online customer surveys.
Whether you complete them in front of the TV, while your toddler is napping, on a bus ride, or in a coffee shop, you can access your survey from your smartphone and watch your gift card dollars add up.
Taking a survey in exchange for a gift card can be squeezed in whenever you have a spare five minutes.
Even in our busy daily lives, we all have a few chunks of the day to dedicate to this effortless activity.
Are online gift card surveys legit?
Hmmm, good question. As with any type of online operation, it always pays to be cautious before you get involved.
And unfortunately, the answer is that alongside the reputable online survey companies, there are also scammers.
If you’re new to online surveys, there are two main things to be wary of.
Firstly, a trustworthy online survey provider will NEVER ask you to pay a fee upfront.
If a platform requests a fee, then move swiftly on and consider reporting them.
Next, some dodgy online survey companies will sell your personal data to third parties so that they can spam your inbox, contact you by phone to sell you their services, or persuade you to part with your money.
To prevent this from happening, take care to do your research and only sign up with legitimate online survey sites.
To make it easy for you, check out the list of some of the best below.
Swagbucks
Let’s start with the biggest name in the survey-taking market.
Swagbucks will offer you money in the form of gift cards for taking polls, surveys, or even for watching videos.
If you’re already glued to your smartphone all day, then why not be paid a couple of dollars for your screen time, right?
In terms of payment, there are a variety of ways you can be paid. Some consumers might opt for a PayPal cash out, which is as simple as setting up a PayPal account and providing your email address for payment.
Others will choose the gift card option and you can select one of your preferred retailers including Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
If you’re feeling generous, you can even gift your voucher to charity.
InboxDollars
The platform claims that just installing their browser add-on and doing little else could net you as much as $50 a year. Sounds good, right?
But there are so many other ways to make money with InboxDollars too. As well as completing surveys, you can also get paid for playing online games, receiving branded emails, and even shopping with your top retailers too.
Once you’ve earned as little as $30 you can request payment via gift cards such as Walmart. Alternatively, you can top up a Visa gift card for greater flexibility.
MyPoints
MyPoints has been in the survey game for more than 20 years, so you can be assured of their reliability when it comes to getting paid.
Offering roughly $2.50 per survey, MyPoints pays pretty decent rewards for registrants.
Newbies receive a bonus gift of $5 after taking their first five surveys.
You can’t say fairer than that, can you?
Going beyond surveys, members also earn up to 40% cashback with purchases from retailers such as Home Depot, Walmart, Starbucks, and Amazon.
So it really does pay to shop!
20/20 Research
This company is a little more niche and offers really specific surveys.
They’ll prescreen survey-takers to see if you qualify to take part in the research.
This means that you may not be offered as many surveys as with some of the wider-based survey sites.
But if you do get to offer your opinion, then the compensation is great with $100+ offered in gift cards.
How easy is it to get started?
Are you ready to make money with online gift cards? It’s super simple to get started.
Start by picking a reputable site, register your details and then sit back and wait to be offered a survey.
Alternatively, you may be able to log-in regularly and check if a survey is available for you to complete.
Each survey platform will have a cash-out value, so once you’ve hit the threshold, you can request your gift card payout.
Whether it’s a gift card for Amazon, Target, Gap or Walmart, you’ll be delighted with the opportunity to splash out on a few extra goodies without the guilt of it eating into your monthly budget.
Along with information on taking surveys for gift cards, The Finances Hub also offers plenty more ways to earn extra money on the side. Check out our blog today.
