# Are any of those 'get paid to surf/do survey' sites for real? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2004, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083 "2004-03-02T08:23:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/1 "2004-03-02T08:23:09Z")
I think I might’ve asked this before, but I searched and couldn’t find anything(although that might mean it’s not indexed). I’ve seen quite a few ’ get paid to surf/take survey’ sites. Are they all mostly scams? Any legit ones/ones that don’t require you to pay to be able to earn money? ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/2 "2004-03-02T08:31:37Z")
I’m in the NPDOR database and have received free test products, but YMMV. Point is some are legit, some not. But don’t expect to make money. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/3 "2004-03-02T08:32:07Z")
I can’t speak for any of the paid survey sites, but I just received a packet of Lindor chocolates in the mail for filling in an online survey… Grim ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/4 "2004-03-02T08:36:31Z")
[This page](http://www.computerbits.com/archive/2000/1200/paysurf.html) has some pros and cons about GPTS (get paid to surf), while [this page](http://www.spamabuse.org/content_SurfforMoneyScams.htm) is quite against the concept. Just beware, **Aslan**. ---
**Author:** ![Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Aslan\_of\_Narnia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aslan_of_Narnia)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/5 "2004-03-02T10:48:02Z")
Another question, it relates to this: On one of the sites that offer a make money service, they say you can earn a maximum ~$4000 in a month for 39.95. I was suspicious of this, as it would seem to me that this would get very expensive for any possible advertisers to pay out that, even if it were broken into chunks by a few different cmpanies(if it wasn’t a scam, which I doubt). How would such a business ever work or be profitable? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/6 "2004-03-02T12:26:25Z")
I use one called Lightspeed. I bother to fill in a 20-minute survey once every couple of months, and although you don’t get paid, you earn entries into a prize draw each month. I’ve had Amazon gift vouchers and such off them, for very little effort from me. I also won a decent digital camera for filling in a survey on yoghurt a couple of years ago 😃 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/7 "2004-03-02T12:44:50Z")
I’m a panelist at [mysurvey.com](http://mysurvey.com), and it really does pay (but don’t expect to quit your day job 🙂 ). Here’s how it works: you log on to their site, and fill out an initial questionnaire about you and your family members who are willing to participate. Then, every so often (sometimes we get surveys 3 or 4 times a week, sometimes only one every couple of months; depends on the database they need to collect results from), they send you an email saying they have a survey available for you or a household member. You log on, take the survey and earn points for doing so. Every time you log on, you are entered in a drawing to win 10,000 points (which would be equal to $100.00), but I’ve never won that. When you’ve accumulated enough points, you can exchange them for cash or lottery ticket or drawings for larger prizes. I’ve been a member for about 2 years now, and have probably cashed in about $100.00 worth of points. I’ve also received a couple of free products. I would be **very** suspicious of any site that asked me for money in exchange for telling me how I can make “up to” $4,000.00 a month doing surveys; of course, the key words here are “up to”, because these two innocuous little words actually mean “anything less than” which could include 17 cents, or nothing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/8 "2004-03-02T12:56:24Z")
I do surveys at Pinecone Research - typically household product surveys. For each survey, I get a $5 check. Maybe 1 or 2 of these in a month’s time, so there’s no chance of making a living off the surveys with them. But it gives me a little cash in my pocket for a day. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/9 "2004-03-02T15:15:13Z")
Bottom line: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is… especially if they want you to give them money to start. After all, do you know of any reputable companies that hire employees by asking the potential hires to pay the company ? If your work is actually valuable to them, then they’ll pay you. Otherwise, it’s got to be a scam. So I think you could easily get small rewards (chocolates, up to small cash awards) for filling out surveys, but you’re not going to make thousands. And no real survey company is going to want cash from you to start. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/10 "2004-03-02T15:31:47Z")
I do some through [GoZing.com](http://GoZing.com) and I have gotten paid…$7 or $8 total. I did get to see some early trailers for that Brad Pitt movie on Troy, that was kinda cool. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/11 "2004-03-02T15:51:58Z")
I do surveys for [The Harris Poll](http://www.harrispollonline.com/) online. They give you points for completing a survey, which can be redeemed for merchandise (CDs, magazines, etc.). Greenfield Online also has legitimate surveys. ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-of-those-get-paid-to-surf-do-survey-sites-for-real/232083/12 "2004-03-02T16:41:13Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Bottom line: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is… especially if they want you to give them money to start. > > After all, do you know of any reputable companies that hire employees by asking the potential hires to pay the company ? If your work is actually valuable to them, then they’ll pay you. Otherwise, it’s got to be a scam. > > So I think you could easily get small rewards (chocolates, up to small cash awards) for filling out surveys, but you’re not going to make thousands. And no real survey company is going to want cash from you to start. Agree. I would add that there do exist legitimate bona fide money-making opportunities out there, but nobody is gonna come knocking on your door offering them to you.