Laura’s Top 10 Surveys (June 2011)

Howdy, all!  Sorry to be MIA for a few months – I just got married in May!  I put off doing my quarterly review back in March since things were so hectic (plus, I mean, I really didn't have time for that many surveys while planning my big day), but I'm back with my latest top 10.  Currently, I've been paid $1146.50 since starting surveys in late 2009.Without further ado, here's my latest top ten list:

1. 1. SurveySpot
      • TOTAL EARNED: $329.00
      • Direct Paid: $48.00
      • Direct Pending: $1.00
      • Indirect Paid: $280.00
      • Joined: 11/26/09
      • Last position: 1 (change = 0)

SurveySpot had been pretty dry for me over the first part of the year – I wasn't getting a lot of paying invites, and the few that I did get were mostly for $0.50.  However, I'm still racking in quite a bit of money for some communities that I was invited to join through the panel – including a $75 project that I completed last month.  So with that in mind, SurveySpot is still my most lucrative panel to date.

1. 1. Toluna
      • TOTAL EARNED: $111.37
      • Direct Paid: $85.00
      • Direct Pending: $11.37
      • Indirect Paid: $15.00
      • Joined: 11/26/09
      • Last position: 2 (change = 0)

Toluna's paying surveys have really slipped up for me lately; I barely find any surveys that are worth my time.  Most surveys are for a dollar or less, for upwards of 30 or so minutes – just not quite worth it for me unless I'm really that bored.  The only thing going for this panel right now is the huge numbers of sponsored polls on the site – I log in daily and take those, and that's what's keeping a steady income for me on this site.

1. 1. Ipsos
      • TOTAL EARNED: $68.40
      • Direct Paid: $40.00
      • Direct Pending:$14.40
      • Indirect Paid: $14.00
      • Joined 11/24/09
      • Last position: 3 (change = 0)

Ipsos also slowed for me in the beginning of the year, but has rebounded in the last few months.  I don't feel like I'm qualifying for quite as many surveys as before, but at least most surveys pay a few cents for attempts.

1. 1. MySurvey
      • TOTAL EARNED: $65.83
      • Direct Paid: $10.00
      • Indirect Paid (Lightspeed): $50.00
      • Direct Pending: $5.83
      • Joined 11/25/09
      • Last position: 5 (change = +1)

I'm not quite as thrilled with the MySurvey / Lightspeed merger as others have been.  Granted, I was totally sick of Lightspeed's customer service (especially after loosing about $10 worth of incentives when I wasn't credited for a week-long diary project.)  I've noticed that MySurvey is sending me a lot more invites lately – but I'm qualifying for much less of them overall since the merger.  At least I'm getting my 5 points per attempted survey, so I'm still slowly creeping up on another payout.

1. 1. Surveyhead
      • TOTAL EARNED: $57.15
      • Direct Paid: $53.60
      • Direct Pending: $3.55
      • Joined: 1/10/10
      • Last position: 4 (change = -1)

Surveyhead has been really dry for me.  It seems like half the time either the server is down, I can't qualify for any surveys, or that I don't receive credit for the few surveys I do complete.  I'm currently waiting on customer service to respond to a 30 minute $3.00 survey I didn't get credited for recently – good thing I'm taking screen shots of all my completed surveys these days!

1. 1. Opinion Outpost
      • TOTAL EARNED: $48.40
      • Direct Paid: $38.90
      • Direct Pending: $9.50
      • Joined: 11/25/09
      • Last position: 7 (change = +1)

Opinion Outpost has been the steadiest panel for me lately; I'm staying clear of the OTX surveys, and finishing a fair amount of the rest of the invites.  I'm kinda bummed they raised the cash out limit for checks, but I understand with the cost of postage it's necessary.

1. 1. MyView
      • TOTAL EARNED: $38.45
      • Direct Paid: $30.00
      • Indirect Pending: $8.45
      • Joined: 1/18/10
      • Last position: 6 (change = -1)

Like many I mentioned before, MyView slowed up quite a bit for me for the first few months of the year, but came back with a vengeance recently; in fact, most of the points I've earned lately have been in this last week alone!  So I'm happy I'm back on track with this panel.

1. 1. Springboard America
      • TOTAL EARNED: $30.75
      • Direct Pending: $30.75
      • Joined: 12/5/09
      • Last position: 9 (change = +1)

Springboard America has also been pretty consistent over the last six months – I've been finishing a fair amount of surveys for the ones I've attempted, and have found them overall to be more enjoyable than a lot of the other panels I'm with.  I can't wait to cash out soon!

1. 1. GlobalTestMarket
      • TOTAL EARNED: $30.00
      • Direct Pending: $30.00
      • Joined: 11/25/09
      • Last position: 8 (change = -1)

Ugh, Global Test Market has been really slow for me for even more than the last six months (this is the second time they've dropped a rating on my list).  I'm receiving a lot of invites, but at least half of them are for sweepstakes only, and I'm barely qualifying for the rest.

1. 1. Synovate
      • TOTAL EARNED: $25.56
      • Direct Paid: $20.00
      • Direct Pending: $5.56
      • Joined: 11/25/09
      • Last position: 10 (change = 0)

Synovate's still one of my small but strong panels.  Not a lot of invites, but I complete quite a bit of the ones they do send – and you gotta love their low cash-out threshold. 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.