Hannah’s Top Five Survey Panels (December 2011)

I’m happy to report that my husband was thrilled with the Wii console that I purchased for his Christmas gift with my survey earnings. As a stay-at-home mom, I was also happy to be able to buy him something with “my money,” so it was a win all around. And of course, I can play it while he is at work….

December was a slightly slower month for me. This was mostly due to a lack of time to take surveys, choosing instead to spend time with extended family around Christmas and New Year’s Day. I am certain that I lost at least a week’s worth of surveys because I was not around a computer to take them, and will have the same problem for January’s earnings. I had no product tests once again. However, I did have an additional income of $30 from participation an online community, and a $30 payment for a completed diary study, which brought my December total up to $184.20.

Here is the list of my top five paying survey panels (December 2011):

1. Opinion Outpost

• Total Earned in December: $32.50
• Total Earned since Joining: $319.60
• Date Joined: December 13, 2010

Opinion Outpost was definitely disappointing this month. They used to pay 20 Opinion Points ($2) for a 20 minute survey, but now they usually pay 15 Opinion Points ($1.50) for a 20 minute survey. In addition, their ability to redeem points for Amazon.com gift cards has been broken all month and this made it more difficult to do my Christmas shopping. I have also been disqualifying from a larger than normal percentage of survey attempts, which concerns me. I was honestly surprised to see that Opinion Outpost remained my number one earner for the month. We’ll see what happens the next few months.

Here is a screenshot of my recent Opinion Outpost PayPal redemptions:

2. SurveyHead

• Total Earned in December: $20.00
• Total Earned since Joining: $75.90
• Date Joined: November 2, 2011

SurveyHead was another disappointment this month. I had several high-paying ($3 and up) surveys that were pending moved to “invalid,” which means that for whatever reason, I will not be paid for them. SurveyHead is not paid for them either, but it still is frustrating to have that work go for naught. I especially dislike the way that there is no feedback to let you know what is going on, or why it was invalid. Since these were surveys that had been pending for 3+ weeks, there is no way that I would remember the contents of the survey or what might have prompted the invalidation, either. On the plus side, I did receive the $25 payment I requested last month, and requested a second one this month.

Here is a screenshot of my recent SurveyHead PayPal redemption:

3. GlobalTestMarket

• Total Earned in December: $12.00
• Total Earned since Joining: $41.75
• Date Joined: November 3, 2011

I’m getting closer to my first cash-out with GlobalTestMarket. I received a LOT of invitations this month, but many of them were while I was traveling and they filled up before I could respond. I expect that I will be able to cash out in January, though.

Here is a screenshot of my December GlobalTestMarket account balance:

4. MyView

• Total Earned in December: $8.68
• Total Earned since Joining: $50.23
• Date Joined: September 21, 2011

My main issue with MyView is that the rewards that I want (Amazon.com gift cards) are hardly ever available. Their reward system has rewards available at certain times until they are sold out, then unavailable until they are restocked. I have to keep checking and hoping to find them available. On the plus side, the exchange rate is better for Amazon.com gift cards than for most of the other rewards, so when I am able to cash out, I’ll get better reward for my time.

Here is a screenshot of my recent MyView account balance:

5. MySurvey

• Total Earned in December: $5.77
• Total Earned since Joining: $15.05
• Date Joined: October 17, 2011

I didn’t receive many surveys that I qualified for at MySurvey, but again missed many invitations due to travel. Hopefully this will do better next month.

Do you have a list of favorite survey panels?

Please leave a comment below and let us know some of the survey panels that work best for you.

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