Stephanie’s Top 5 Survey Panels (January 2012)

January was a pretty good month for me for surveys. After all the holiday hype in December, I was finally able to relax and devote some more time to taking surveys. In the end, it really paid off and I earned quite a bit more than I thought I would for the month.

My top earners for January are Valued Opinions, OneOpinion, Global Test Market, MySurvey, and E-Rewards. All performed very well for me this month and, although I didn’t get many product tests (just a few personal care products and some cereal), I did receive a good amount of money compared to previous months. What helped my earnings was the amount of special surveys I took part in (a personal care survey on MySurvey, a special technology survey that was longer than normal on Valued Opinions, and an Invoke online focus group on OneOpinion that was worth $25). Also, I seemed to be receiving a lot more surveys compared to previous months all across the board.

I have pretty much given up on Opinion Outpost, Survey Spot, and Toluna for the time being as I haven’t had much luck at all with them lately, no matter how hard I try to qualify for their surveys. Therefore, I am focusing on the panels that I think are more worth my time and are more likely to have surveys I qualify for that are worth enough cash for the time invested.

The past few months have been slow for me in survey land, so I’m happy things are picking up a bit. It’s looking to be a good start to the New Year so far.

Rankings are based mainly on what I earned for the month from each survey company, as well as the number of survey invites.

Here are my current top five earners for January:

1. Valued Opinions
   • Total Earned Since Joining: $452.00
   • Total Earned in January: $31.00
   • Last Payment Requested: Two $20.00 Amazon.com gift cards on January 10, 2012
   • Joined: September 5, 2008

   I received a lot of surveys this month from Valued Opinions, most of which I qualified for. I even took part in a few surveys that paid more than normal (one related to technology that was $10 and a couple others for $5). Most of the shorter surveys paid anything from $1 to $4. All of it added up pretty quickly. I am still waiting on a few surveys to be confirmed, though, and then I will cash out again. I recently cashed out for two $20 Amazon.com gift cards, also. Cash-out is always easy and immediately arrives in my email inbox. There is no waiting around for payment, which I love about them.Here is a screenshot of my last ValuedOpinions redemption:

2. OneOpinion
   • Total Earned Since Joining:  $56.50
   • Total Earned in January: $28.00
   • Last Payment Requested: $28.00 VISA prepaid debit card on December 9, 2011
   • Joined: August 19, 2011

   Although I do not get many surveys each week from OneOpinion, I do come across Invoke online focus groups once in a while. The one I participated in this month was about shopping and took about 90 minutes for $25. I also took a few other surveys that were not worth much (only about $1 to $2 per survey). I do like the panel, though, and they send payment out promptly. It takes about a couple weeks to get a VISA prepaid debit card, which isn’t bad at all. I have already cashed out twice with them and have had no issues getting my cards. Their customer service is very nice and helpful, too. I really recommend them.

3. Global Test Market
   • Total Earned Since Joining:  $400.00
   • Total Earned in January: $22.00
   • Last Payment Requested: $50.00 check on November 14, 2011
   • Joined: September 21, 2008

   January was a pretty good month for me for Global Test Market. I received a ton of surveys each week (at least one a day). Although I didn’t qualify for all of them, I took part in most and it quickly added up. I’m hoping to cash out again with them very soon as soon as I reach the $50 cash-out minimum. I cashed out back in November, so that’s pretty good for me that I’ll be cashing out again so soon, since last time it seemed to take forever to earn enough to finally cash out.

4. MySurvey
   • Total Earned Since Joining: $580.00
   • Total Earned in January: $15.00
   • Last Payment Requested: $25.00 Amazon.com gift card on November 25, 2011
   • Joined: October 22, 2008

   I took part in a lot of surveys with MySurvey this month. They were sending multiple surveys a day, so it actually got a little hard to keep up with them sometimes. I did take part in a week-long personal care diary that paid more points than usual. It was a bit tedious to take, though, since I use so many products. I’m hoping to cash out with them again in February.Here's a screenshot of my latest MySurvey redemption:

5. E-Rewards
   • Total Earned Since Joining: $200.00
   • Total Earned in January: $14.00
   • Last Payment Requested: $25.00 GameStop gift card on November 16, 2011
   • Joined: September  4, 2010

   I’m still pretty happy with E-Rewards and all the surveys they send me. I love cashing out for the GameStop gift cards (which only take a week or so to send out) and their surveys are always pretty fun to take. I plan to cash out with them again in early February.Here is a screenshot of my last ERewards cashout:

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