If you’ve existed in the blogosphere for more than 30 seconds you’ve probably seen the name ‘survey junkie’ on posts. Survey Junkie is a site that pays you to take surveys. Many bloggers have talked about using the site as a side hustle or directing their readers towards it for the affiliate links. Sounds simple- but is anything ever that simple?
Today we’re going to talk about if you can actually make money from the site and whether or not it’s a legitimate use of your time.
Survey Junkie History
Survey Junkie was founded in 2005. Having been around for over 10 years as an internet based business is a strong plus in their corner. It’s easy to forget, but 2005 was the early days of people making money online.
On their website they break down how it works for users: you take surveys, earn points, and redeem your points for cash or gift cards.
To start taking surveys you need to fill out a profile online. An important tidbit here: Survey Junkie is only open to residents of US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom. The site uses this information to pair you with companies.
The site uses your profile information to pair you with companies. This is important- Survey Junkie doesn’t actually host the surveys itself. It connects you with other companies that do, meaning it’s more a middleman than a survey company.
Surveys take anywhere from 5-60 minutes to complete, and you earn points as you finish them. (You earn 25 points for setting up your profile.)
The points can be deposited in your PayPal account, meaning they convert into cash. Or you have the option of redeeming online gift certificates to their partner companies (only available to US users). 1000 points are equivalent to $10.00. Longer surveys earn you more points.
Can I Make Money with Survey Junkie?
This site is often promoted as a great way to ‘earn money from home, just by taking quizzes!’ And yes, you can earn money from home using this site. But don’t quit your day job just yet.
You get matched with quiz opportunities based on the information you submitted in your profile. Other users also get the opportunities, so you have to act fast to actually score the survey for yourself. The number of quizzes you’re selected for will depend on the demographic group you’re in. Then, how fast you respond will determine if you actually get the quiz.
Once you redeem points, the transfer is automatic and immediate. There’s no waiting period, which is really nice. Some people have reported problems with payment. To be fair, those problems seem to come from the third party companies Survey Junkie works with but it amounts to the same thing: some people have done the work and not gotten paid.
If you earn more than $600 with Survey Junkie they will issue you a 1099 form, and you’ll need to report the income on your taxes.
Since most quizzes take between 5-20 minutes, and most pay between $1-$5, it does take awhile to accumulate enough points to redeem for cash. This is not a get rich quick site, and it’s not a full-time job. If you’re looking for something you can do from you couch for a few extra hundred dollars a year, this is a good option.
Privacy Issues
Due to the nature of the business, Survey Junkie shares your information with a lot of other people. That means you can expect to see emails pop up in your inbox, and companies you may have never heard of will have some personal details on you. Definitely, read over their privacy policy before signing up!
Overall, Survey Junkie is a legitimate survey site and you can earn some extra cash there. You can’t make a full-time income from it, and there is the privacy component to consider. I think of it as the lawn mowing or babysitting gig of the internet age: a good way to make some small extra income.
Looking for more great articles on how I handle my money? Try these articles:
Why I Have Trouble Spending Money
How I’m Paying Off That $1,200 Credit Card Bill
Kara Perez is the original founder of From Frugal To Free. She is a money expert, speaker and founder of Bravely Go, a feminist financial education company. Her work has been featured on NPR, Business Insider, Forbes, and Elite Daily.