surveys

Looking for a fun way to earn some great prizes? Then you might be interested in signing up for the Nielsen Consumer Panel.

Panel members are provided with a hand-held scanner, and then every time you or members of your household shop, you’ll use the scanner to scan the bar codes on all of your purchases. Upload your data to Nielsen once a week to earn gift points that are redeemable for name-brand merchandise, including electronics equipment, jewelry, household items, toys, and much more!

I’ve been a Nielsen Consumer panelist in the past and enjoyed it very much. Nielsen is great about walking you through technical issues, so don’t worry about feeling overwhelmed. Note that it was several months before I heard from them when I signed up – they have a limited number of openings available in each area.

The Nielsen Consumer Panel isn’t for everyone, but you can try it risk free. They’ll provide you with a self-addressed, postage-paid box so you can return everything if you decide it’s not for you!

I first blogged about earning money from online surveys for Christmas in July. As we are quickly approaching the holiday season, I thought I’d revisit the subject for Money-Making Week.

With only 65 days left until Christmas, it’s probably too late to earn enough money to cash out and receive a check before then, but you can get a head start on the new year by starting now!

One of the easiest ways I’ve found to earn a little extra money is with paid surveys. While I don’t have much time to invest in survey taking these days, the great thing is you can spend as much or as little time on this endeavor as YOU want to invest. If a survey interests you, take it; if it doesn’t, just delete the email.* It’s true that some companies reward you with more frequent surveys the more you fill out for them, but you are never obligated to take any of them. Furthermore, you should never pay for access to surveys. There are plenty of legitimate sites that you can sign up with directly with no fees whatsoever.

*Before signing up for any survey sites, please take a moment to read my post on protecting your personal information.

The following is a list of legitimate survey companies that I have firsthand experience with, e.g., I have taken surveys for them, cashed out, and most importantly, I have been PAID. It’s very simple to get started. Just register, fill out your profile information, and then they will email you with survey opportunities that match up with your profile. Generally you have to reach a certain threshold before you can cash out, and this amount varies by company. Some survey sites may offer points that you redeem for gifts and gift cards in lieu of cash, so be sure to read the details before you sign up if that doesn’t interest you.

Zoom Panel

Ipsos i-Say Panel

Memolink

Opinion Outpost

American Consumer Opinion Panel

The following are some additional survey sites that I came across. While I can’t claim to have firsthand experience with them, I did check them out and they appear to be legit. If you have information to the contrary, please let me know and I will remove it from the list ASAP!

SurveySpot

Global Test Market

Permission Research

Survey Club

AmpSurveys

If you’ve had a good experience with a survey site that’s not listed here, I’d love to hear from you!