Yes, it is possible to earn money taking online surveys.  Surveys may not be the most lucrative means of achieving wealth.  However, you CAN earn money taking them!  This is a great way to make a little money on the side if you’re a stay-at-home mom or dad, or if you have some extra time on your hands.

Late last year, I joined two consumer survey groups: (1) Lightspeed Consumer Panel and (2) NPD Online Research.  These organizations offer surveys on a periodic basis and reward you for your time with monetary rewards.  Membership is free.  The way it works is that you sign up with your pertinent information (name, e-mail address, etc.), and they e-mail you surveys when they become available.

(There is also Ampsurveys.com, but I haven’t tried it yet.  Nevertheless, it supposedly works great.) 

This is how I earn money taking online surveys:

Earn Money Taking Online Surveys graphic 1Lightspeed

I receive two to three surveys from Lightspeed every day via e-mail.  If I didn’t work full-time…..well, if I didn’t work like a slave…..I would be able to complete all of these surveys.  But the reality is that I can’t.  Nevertheless, anyone else with some time on their hands can fill out these surveys. 

When you complete surveys from Lightspeed, you receive ”Lightspeed Points.”  Each survey has a specific point value.  I receive some surveys that offer 75 points (and take about 5 minutes to complete), and I receive some that offer 300 points (and take about 20 minutes to complete).  

You can redeem your points on the Lightspeed website for cash (in the form of Paypal credits), online gift certificates, music downloads, and hundreds of other prizes.  You can also save your points and build them up for bigger prizes.

As an example, 550 Lightspeed Points get you a $5 gift certificate for Chili’s or Macaroni Grill.  Not bad.  I got two of those last month.  (If I had more time, I could generate about 6 to 8 of them per month . . . or, in other words, the equivalent of $30 to $40 per month.)    

NPD Online ResearchEarn Money Taking Online Surveys graphic 2

I receive fewer surveys from NPD than I do Lightspeed.  Yet I do get about 3 to 4 surveys per week.  That is more manageable for me.  But NPD works differently.  Instead of points that you can redeem for cash or monetary value, NPD rewards you with “Sweepland Points.”  (You earn these Points for every survey you take.) 

You can use these points as entries into various sweepstakes.  The website has sweepstakes for $100, $500, and $1000 cash gifts, HDTV’s, vacations, cruises, etc.  You obviously are not guaranteed value for your work on these surveys, but it is still enticing enough to try.  Moreover, after each survey, you play an online instant win game to win cash, bonus prizes, and other awards. 

I completed several of these surveys and accumulated some Sweepland points, but I have not won anything yet.  However, I have heard and spoken with people online who have won prizes (including one guy who won $1,000). 

I have been very busy at work, and, thus, I haven’t been able to focus on these surveys as much as I’d like.  Nevertheless, the program seems legitimate.  Moreover, it replaces the security of earning a set number of points per survey with the potential to win bigger prizes.  There is certainly a market for that. 

Lightspeed Is The Way To Go

If I had to choose one, I would go with Lightspeed simply because you know you’re going to earn some value for your efforts.  In addition, you realize that value right away.  

For example, when I redeemed points for a gift card, I received the card within two weeks.  Alternatively, I could have opted for a deposit into my Paypal account.  Either way, you gain some money, no matter how insignificant. 

Money For Other Projects

$5 or $10 (or one or two 20-minute surveys) may not seem like much.  But if you’re looking at ideas for making money online and don’t like the price tags associated with those ideas (e.g., cost of domain names, hosting, BANS software, website design, etc.), you can use the money from these surveys to offset those costs. 

Earn Money Taking Online Surveys graphic 3The money from one of these surveys represents the cost of a domain name for your new website.  You can even leverage that $5 or $10 into a month’s worth of advertising space on some low-traffic blogs or websites.  You can also use that money as a bid maximum for Google Adwords for one month.  I can go on and on. 

It’s a game of inches, and every little bit helps.  When you’re trying to achieve wealth, every penny counts.  Especially in today’s spendthrift society.  If you have the time, I recommend taking advantage to earn money taking these online surveys.  You can let companies know how you feel about various products and services, and you can make some easy money in the process.

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