Stephanie’s Top Ten Survey Panels – May 2011

May was a very busy month for me, but I still managed to make an average amount of money taking surveys despite my lack of time to devote to them. I did the best with Opinion Outpost this month due to the increased number of surveys and surveys I actually qualified for. Global Test Market has been good to me this month, too, as I’ve been getting a lot of invites. Toluna has been a disappointment due to the major decrease in the amount of Invokes, so I’ve been mostly stuck taking their normal surveys (many of which don’t pay much and which can take more time than stated on the invite). SurveySpot didn’t make my list this month because I haven’t been earning enough with them and have been focusing more on other panels lately. May was a very good month for product tests, though. I received several packages a week during May, mainly from survey panels such as Synovate, Zoom Panel, and Ipsos I-Say. They don’t pay much, but testing products is always fun and you almost always get to keep the product. 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 earners for May:

1. 1. Opinion Outpost
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $530.00
      • Total Earned in May: $40.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $50.00 Amazon.com gift card on March 18, 2011
      • Joined: August 12, 2008

I received a lot of surveys from Opinion Outpost again in May. Qualifying has been a bit easier, too, especially now that I take the surveys right away. Some months I just fair better with them than others. I hope to cash out for a lot with them in June since it’s been a while since I’ve cashed out. They do have a few new surveys now where you are re-directed to a website that looks somewhat similar to SurveySpot and you get 10 points for qualifying for and completing one of the surveys through that website. You can attempt to qualify for surveys as many times you like until the website can’t find any for you. I also noticed that even if you complete the survey and get the 10 points, it stays up on your member dashboard so you can access it again and get another 10 points later for another survey. I’m not sure if this is the way it is for everyone, but there have been two surveys like this on my dashboard for the past month or so. I kind of like it, although some surveys are longer than they should be for just 10 points.

1. 1. Toluna
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $780.00
      • Total Earned This Month: $30.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $40.00 check on May 16, 2011
      • Joined: August 15, 2008

I took part in one Invoke in May, which was only worth $15 or so. Thankfully, there were no technical issues and I got paid on time. There was nothing very special this month; just standard surveys, most of which did not pay very much. I try very hard to get invited to more Invokes, but it just doesn’t seem like there are many available anymore, especially compared to last year.

1. 1. GlobalTestMarket
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $325.00
      • Total Earned in May: $25.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $50.00 check on March 7, 2011
      • Joined: September 21, 2008

I’m still getting a lot of surveys from Global Test Market. I average about 20-30 surveys a week from them, most of which I qualify for. It’s interesting that right before I get enough to cash out, though, that I seem to not qualify for many surveys. It’s frustrating, but it happens sometimes and just takes me longer to cash out. I’m hoping to cash out with them again in June.

1. 1. MyView
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $315.00
      • Total Earned in May: $25.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $25.00 Amazon.com gift card on May 17, 2011
      • Joined: November 12, 2008

I’ve been getting a lot more surveys from MyView recently. They are nothing particularly special, but I am getting more surveys than previous months. I still get lots of magazine surveys from them. I’m hoping to cash out again with them soon.

1. 1. MySurvey (merged with Lightspeed recently)
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $475.00
      • Total Earned in May: $15.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $25.00 Amazon.com gift card on May 2, 2011
      • Joined: October 22, 2008

I’m still doing well with MySurvey since they merged with Lightspeed a few months back. Some weeks are better than others, but I usually get 5-10 surveys a week from them, which isn’t too bad. Survey quotas seem to fill up quickly, though, so you have to jump on them like with Opinion Outpost.

1. 1. Valued Opinions
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $357.00
      • Total Earned in May: $12.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $20.00 Amazon.com gift card on April 27, 2011
      • Joined: September 5, 2008

Valued Opinions has been a little slow for me the past month. I haven’t been qualifying for as many surveys, even though I get quite a few a week. There were also a few technical glitches in a few surveys that didn’t get resolved. Some of their greeting card surveys can be on the long side.

1. 1. SurveyHead
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $628.00
      • Total Earned in May: $12.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $25 Amazon.com gift card on April 12, 2011
      • Joined: August 15, 2008

I’m still plugging along with SurveyHead, despite my reservations about them. Survey-taking with them just seems to get slower every month. Why they list tons of surveys for me that I clearly do not qualify for despite completely filling out my profiles is beyond me. It’s just a waste of time. I still managed to make some money with them in May, however, which is why I’m listing them here.

1. 1. Synovate (Global Opinion Panel)
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $160.00
      • Total Earned This Month: $10.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $25.00 check on April 15, 2011
      • Joined: August 15, 2009

I’ve been getting a steady stream of product tests from Synovate lately. I received several in May and am still getting them. Most are personal care products and some food. Though they don’t pay much, I still really enjoy getting to try out new products.

1. 1. E-Rewards
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $125.00
      • Total Earned in May: $10.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $25.00 GameStop gift card on May, 23 2011
      • Joined: September 4, 2010

I didn’t receive as many surveys from E-Rewards in May, but I did manage to cash out again for a $25.00 GameStop gift card. Quotas fill up fast with them, so you really have to jump on the surveys as soon as you get them.

1. 1. Ipsos I-Say
      • Total Earned Since Joining: $125.00
      • Total Earned in May: $10.00
      • Last Payment Requested: $10.00 Amazon gift card on May 26, 2011
      • Joined: September 16, 2008

Ipsos I-Say is new on my list this month, although I’ve been a member with them for a few years now. They’re not my favorite, but some months are better than others. I did get a lot of surveys in May that I qualified for and cashed out recently. Some of their surveys are through OTX, though, which I don’t particularly like. 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.