Membership is free for this site. There are no fees involved and they will not share your information with telemarketing companies. They also promise not to “spam” you inbox with a variety of ads.

Rewards are based on points. Surveys regarding different products are sent via e-mail. You are under no obligation to participate in any survey. Each survey earns the participants “points.” When accumulated, the points can be redeemed for prizes or gift cards. Zoompanel does not pay cash to individuals participating in surveys.

Those interested in participating in this website should answer “yes” to all of their questions in order to receive the most surveys. If, however, you answer a couple of questions and find out that you do not qualify for a survey, you are eligible to play a game called “spin to win” where you can earn points or prizes.

Each survey is worth between 25 to 150 points. Points for gift cards and merchandise can be redeemed once you reach the 1000 point level. If you manage to refer a friend to the site, you will earn 100 points for each friend referred. This is probably the easiest way to gain points with doing as little work as possible.

Referring a friend to a survey company is easy. This can be done in a variety of ways. You can send a link to the site to all your friends via e-mail. Or you can rave about how well you’re doing on the site on your MySpace or other blog site and include a link. This is the easiest way to earn points and/or money for every legitimate online survey site that offers rewards for referrals. Be advised that Zoompanel limits you to 400 points a month for referrals.

One of the exciting things about zoompanel.com is the opportunity to view different products and/or concepts before they are available to the general public. The information is gathered in a database and presented to those companies that use this site to gain information from the public. McDonald’s, alone, spends millions of dollars a year conducting surveys about its products and uses several different avenues to gain information.

A word of warning: Don’t expect to get “big rewards” for participating in zoompanel, Rewards at the 1000 point level consist of battery charges and other little gadgets. Even at the 5000 point level the rewards are comparable to those banks used to give out as premiums.

The positive aspect of participating in this site is the chance to view new and exciting products, not receive telephone solicitations, answer simple, brief surveys and gain a little prize now and then. This is not a way to make money, but can be a lot of fun. And yes, this site is completely legitimate.

While there are some legitimate sites that pay a few dollars to take a ten minute survey, there are others that are not legitimate. Many of these sites simply exist to gather your personal information and sell it to telemarketing companies. A few of them are downright scams that require a “sign-up” fee in exchange for the privilege of working from home.

One of the sites I’ve run across is workfromhome4dollars.com. This site not only offers you “up to $75 an hour” for completing surveys in the privacy of your own home, it also advertises just about every “work from home” scam there is. Most of these schemes are aimed at women who are trying to make a few extra dollars while staying home with the kids.

I’ve written many articles about paid surveys and was happy to find that there are some legitimate companies out there on the internet. But I’m halfway intelligent and can usually smell a scam from a mile away (two miles on a clear day). And as soon as I clicked on workfromhome4dollars.com, the stench overwhelmed me.

P.T. Barnum said there is a sucker born every minute. Unfortunately, he was spot on in his assessment of human nature. Sadly, there are many predators out there who are only too glad to take someone’s hard-earned money with the promise of a “get rich quick” scheme.

Workfromhome4dollars is only too glad to hook you up with surveys that promise to pay $5-$75 an hour. For $34.95, the site will direct you to a survey site where you can participate in surveys. What workfromhome4dollars.com doesn’t tell you is that these sites can be accessed by any individual with internet experience without paying a dime.

In addition to offering “opportunity” for paid surveys, workfromhome4dollars.com offers other “opportunities” such as “typing from home,” “medical transcription from home,” “data entry from home” and other schemes aimed mostly at uneducated women. All of these “golden opportunities” cost the participant anywhere from $35 to $75 to enroll.

The site is merely a money making portal. Of all the sites on the internet I’ve investigated while researching this topic, this is the worst. I implore anyone who is interested in participating in paid surveys to beware of the following:

- Do not give out your credit card number, social security number or bank information to any online site.

- Beware of any site that promises “thousands of dollars a month” for working from home. I’ve done a lot of research into paid surveys; if it were that easy, no one would work outside the home.

- Do not pay “upfront” for the privilege of doing a survey. Legitimate companies will not ask for a fee.

- Paid surveys are a way to make supplemental income; not a living. You can expect to make maybe $200 a month doing this.

- Before signing up for any online survey site, do a little bit of research. The honest ones will tell you that you won’t make a lot of money and will have stringent privacy policies.

- Do not, under any circumstances, ever participate in any survey about health insurance. I made this mistake once and now get about five calls a day from people trying to sell me health insurance.

- If you are participating in a survey and are directed to another website, do not feel you have to answer any questions on that site. Many times there will be “fine print” that charges your telephone number for trying a product. In addition to this, keep close tabs on your telephone bill.

- Each time you log on to your computer, clear your cookies.

Participating in paid surveys can be a fun way to earn a few extra dollars, gift cards or discount certificates. Do not expect to “get rich” doing this. And under no circumstances ever pay for the “privilege” of doing a survey.

The site advertises that it has a “zero tolerance spam” policy. Vindale Research pays its members monthly through their Paypal account, but you have to have a $50 balance in order to get paid.

Surveys are easy, but some of them require you to test different products. One has to be careful with this. A survey to “test” a different online carrier pays $75, but how difficult is it to drop the carrier if it doesn’t work out?

There are many surveys, however, that pay in the $5 range and they normally last about 20 minutes to complete. They consist of the use of different household products, online shopping sites and cigarettes. Members can also earn $5 for every friend that they get to join the site.

I took a very quick survey for which I earned $2. This asked me many of the usual questions that most survey companies asked such as my average household income, occupation, number of dependants and ethnicity. I found it odd that they asked my religion and sexual preference, however. This was the first time that I’ve been asked such questions during any survey.

Those who get easily offended can take comfort in the fact that answering these personal questions regarding your religion and sexual preference is optional. Vindale Research affirms that they will not share this information with anyone.

Unlike some survey sites, Vindale Research sends you surveys through your e-mail account that fit your criteria. If you truly like taking surveys, answer “yes” to anything they ask you. Tell them you eat at fast food places at least three times a week and smoke like a chimney. Answering “no” to any questions limits your survey taking ability.

Beware of giving them your credit card or billing information. Many of their surveys require that you “test” a product. Vindale Research will send you the product, charge your account for it, and then, once you return the product with the completed survey, refund you. For someone like me who doesn’t like running back and forth to the post office, this isn’t for me. Be careful of what type of survey you sign up for.

Vindale Research reminds me a bit of some of the survey companies that I joined years ago. These companies offered up to $75 in exchange for testing their products at their facility. In some cases, you had to bring the product home, use it for a certain period of time and return to the facility to fill out a questionnaire. The surveys offered by Vindale Research pay more than the average online survey companies, but are much more involved.

People who enjoy actually testing new products might enjoy participating in this research company. Those who are looking for a fast buck, however, are best to seek out other legitimate online survey sites.

Thesurveypro.com is of the latter. I clicked on the site and entered some basic information, such as my name, address, age and e-mail address. I then pressed the button to “join” the site, that promised to pay me for participating in online surveys. Thesurveypro.com then sent me a confirmation e-mail.

I went to my inbox and clicked on the confirmation link and was directed again to the site where they asked me to participate in a brief “20 questions in 2 minutes” survey. Some of the questions they asked me consisted of the following:

Would you ever consider working from home? I answered “no.” In my experience, answering “yes” to such a question is giving the “go-ahead” to receive dozens of calls and e-mails from unscrupulous “work at home” scam companies.

Are you interested in an online degree? I answered “no.” Ever since I foolishly answered yes by mistake at another survey company, I get, on the average, four calls a week from “online education” sources using hard sell tactics to try to get me to “better” my education. At first I was nice, now I simply hang up.

Do you carry more than $10,000 in student debt? I answered “no” and this is the truth. But a “yes” answer will signal calls from debt consolidation companies, which are always bad news. Signing up with such a company ruins your credit as it is actually viewed as filing a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

Do you own a home or a condominium? I lied and said “no.” Because I know if I said “yes,” I would get a ton of mail asking me to refinance my home.

Do you feel it is important to know your credit score? I said “no.” Because I know if I said “yes” I would get mail and phone calls trying to “help” me raise my credit score.

Do you carry more than $10,000 in credit card debt? I truthfully answered “no.” This is just another attempt to get you into debt consolidation.

In the last 30 days, have you rented a movie? Again I truthfully answered “no.” This is an ad for netflix. I’m not interested.

Do you consider yourself an expert in computer use? Another “no.” But I’m expecting to start receiving mail offering me instructions any day now.

Are you happy with your current body weight? I truthfully answered “yes.” I am one of the few Americans who is actually happy with my weight. Constant aggravation caused by my two kids has kept me in marvelous shape.

Do you belong to a fitness club? Gee, I signed up for three health clubs during my lifetime and ended up paying over $2,000 in fees. I think I used the club about five or six times. I wisely answered “no.”

Do you drink coffee? I answered “yes,” but I am not interested in receiving free gourmet coffee every month through the mail.

Are you interested in receiving free gourmet coffee? I answered “no.”

After answering these questions, I was directed to yet another site where they asked me to “help keep their site free” and check “yes” or “no” if I was interested in getting more information from their sponsors. As you may have guessed, most of their sponsors related to the 20 questions. They included various online universities, Overstock.com, Taste of Home (which is a wonderful magazine, but available at the bookstore), a few other magazine subscriptions and several “diet” sites,

I said “no” to all of these offers. They then asked me to “consider” another optional offer. I clicked on the site and saw a flashy car, huge house and the chance to earn THOUSANDS of dollars. All I had to do was give them my name, address and telephone number. Fat chance.

I clicked out of that site quickly and went to my inbox. There I found a link to confirm my membership to thesurveypro.com. I clicked on the link and quickly found how I can immediately earn $10 for only 30 minutes worth of work. All I had to do was sign up for 20 other survey sites.

While thesurveypro.com is not technically a scam (they don’t want any money), it is not a legitimate “paid survey” site. It is merely a tool used to get information for businesses. The information that you provide to this site is sold to telemarketing companies that sell products such as diet pills, fitness equipment, magazine subscriptions, credit cards, debt consolidation, and – my personal favorite – online education.

Looking for a way to make a few extra bucks online? Skip Thesurveypro.com. Unless, of course, you have a desire to have your mailbox flooded with offers and like to talk to telemarketers.

To participate in Surveyspot.com, you must be at least 18 years old. Only one person from each family can sign up for the site, but there are many surveys that teenagers can participate in that pay. Family members just need to divvy up the money when it arrives.

Not all surveys at Surveyspot.com offer payment. Some of them simply offer a sweepstakes entry. But you are under no obligation to do any survey in which you don’t want to participate. Unlike some sites, survey offers are sent to you via e-mail. You are under no obligation to respond to the e-mail if the survey does not interest you and you will not be kicked off of the site.

If you find a survey that offers a cash reward, payment is immediate. Unlike many other online survey companies, you do not have to accumulate a certain dollar amount before receiving payment. The money is sent to you via check and generally arrives within four weeks after survey completion.

You may also be asked to test new products that will be delivered to your door. This is an excellent way for people to try different products that they would otherwise not buy. In most cases, you will be financially compensated for testing the product.

To sign up for Surveyspot.com, you simply need to click on the website and hit “join.” You will be asked a series of questions, including your telephone number. Surveyspot adds a disclaimer that it will not share your telephone number with anyone. Since I joined this website, I have not received any telephone calls from any solicitors of the products I’ve surveyed.

The surveys are fairly simple and generally take only 10 minutes to complete. The one drawback of this site is that you have to wait a few days to participate in surveys and you can only participate by responding to your e-mail. If you have a spam folder on your e-mail account, you may miss some e-mails, so it is wise to add the website to your general address book.

Throughout the year, various sweepstakes are awarded to lucky prize winners. These range from cash prizes to luxury vacations. If you are lucky enough to win a sweepstakes, Surveyspot will notify you by e-mail.

Some of the marketing companies that Surveyspot.com represents include the Marketing Research Association, the American Marketing Association, American Association for Public Opinion Research, The Council of American Survey Research Organizations and the Advertising Research Foundation. Unlike some disreputable online survey firms, Surveyspot.com is a legitimate marketing website. They will never ask you for any money and are careful to keep your private information private.

If you are just starting to explore the world of online surveys, Surveyspot.com is a comfortable place to start. After you join, an e-mail will be sent to your account to confirm your membership. Simply click on the link provided and look for e-mails from Surveyspot in your mailbox. You are under no obligation to take any of the surveys or enter any sweepstakes and you can be assured of your privacy.

The site boasts of having over 1.5 million registered members worldwide. Joining is relatively easy, although the questionnaire requirements are extensive. Expect to be asked a series of demographic questions, including your race, whether or not you own a home, your occupation and how many people reside in your household. If you have children, they will ask for their year of birth and gender.

Once you’ve completed the three page questionnaire and submit it to the site, you’ll receive confirmation of acceptance via e-mail within 24 hours. The purpose of the questionnaire determines your eligibility to participate in certain surveys.

Surveys are sent to you via e-mail on a periodic basis. This is a legitimate site, so don’t expect a flood of e-mails from them. Some of the surveys are extensive and relate to employment, and some are just fun, like viewing a You Tube video and giving your opinion. The cash incentive for each survey completed begins at $3 and generally tops off at $25, depending upon the time spent answering the questions.

Occasionally, participants with children will be asked to have their children complete a survey relating to their age group, however any payment is directed to the person who registers with the site. Surveysavvy is very careful about their verification process; in some instances, you may be contacted by telephone to verify the contents of the survey.

One way to make money through this site is referring friends. The site pays you $2 for each friend who signs up for the program through you and an additional $1 for each survey they complete. If you have a website or blog, you can earn money easily by referring people to the site through a link provided to you once you’re accepted.

Although you do not have to participate in every survey offered, one caveat is that the site will impose a service charge of $1 if your account remains inactive for a year. Those who decide to participate in a variety of online surveys for cash must be careful to maintain activity with your account or cancel your membership to the site; however, the charge will never result in any negative balance to your account. They simply take the money from the money you’ve already earned with the site. There is no danger of receiving a bill from them or having your telephone bill charged.

If you continue to participate in the surveys and refer other people to the Surveysavvy, you can find yourself earning a few extra dollars per month. The site is very clear about adhering to IRS rules; if you earn more than $600 in a year, you need to complete a W-9 or 1099 form for the IRS and declare the earnings.

SurveySavvy.com is also very strict in maintaining an anti-spam policy as well as keeping your information private. Although you may be contacted by Surveysavvy by telephone to confirm your participation in a survey, they will never provide third parties with your personal information. The company has been around for many years and has an excellent reputation within the online survey community, according to several people I’ve spoken to who participate in frequent online surveys.

I have only two problems with this site. One is that you can’t choose which surveys in which you participate. Surveysavvy decides whether or not you’re eligible and sends you the e-mail, so you have no control over how many surveys you can take. The other problem is the time element. It can take a couple of days before your completed survey is “validated.”

The good news is that you won’t receive spam, you won’t receive telemarketing calls and you will get paid for your time. And referrals can end up earning you easy cash.

I signed up for surveyclub.com a month ago. Since then, I haven’t really made any money. Although the site boasts a lot of hype about visiting websites and getting paid, I found that they were more interested in selling magazine subscriptions and health insurance than actually paying for opinions.

Click on to surveyclub.com and you will get an audio sales pitch. They tout themselves as the “Number One Online Survey Club in the World.” Several testimonials on their site from different people boast of making at least $1,000 to receiving $125 for a single survey.

I’m a little leery about any “get rich quick scheme” and this site reeks of that. I’m also leery of anyone who is making $1,000 a month sitting behind a computer doing surveys all day. Things that sound too good to be true, are usually just that – too good to be true.

Surveyclub.com boasts of people making “thousands of dollars a month” just for giving their opinions. Any halfway intelligent person would be skeptical of this. The only way you are going to make “thousands of dollars a month” sitting in your home without having a widely marketable skill is if you’re selling drugs from your home. I wouldn’t advise that any more than I would advise participating in this site.

Unlike the most other online survey companies, Surveyclub.com does not pay you for taking the surveys. Payment is made from a variety of alleged “Fortune 500 Companies” who will “send you a check.” You cannot pick the surveys you want to take, opportunities are sent to you via e-mail and they usually have some sort of catch.

I have received literally hundreds of e-mails from various companies promising me everything from a car to a luxury vacation. Although I am currently out of work, I am a halfway intelligent person. I don’t believe in “getting something for nothing” and can usually smell a scam a mile away. These e-mails are deleted. Since I have signed up for this website, I’ve received many e-mails (most of which are directed to my spam folder). The ones I get in the my regular e-mail folder get deleted.

The one survey I did respond to, in the very beginning, was for $8. That didn’t seem like an outrageous amount. Until I read the fine print. In exchange for my $8, I had to pick four magazines to subscribe to. I would get them for one month and then be able to cancel the subscription. Sorry, but that’s just a little too much trouble to go through for $8.

Online survey companies can be a fun way to make a few extra dollars while you are at home. But they can also be a way to lose a lot of money and have your inbox flooded with unwanted e-mails. Like everything else, there are good online survey companies and bad ones. Surveyclub.com is a bad one. It preys on people who want to get rich quick (aka, suckers).

If you are thinking about joining an online survey company to make a few extra bucks, skip surveyclub.com. Take it from someone whose been there – it’s really not worth the trouble.

Signing up for the site is easy. You simply fill out a questionnaire and submit answers to the site. The questionnaire screens you for which type of products you can try. The trick is to answer “yes” to most of the questions they ask, this way, you can receive the most products and gain the most points.

Upon signing up for the site, depending upon your answers to the questionnaire, you’ll be directed to various websites where you will give your name and address so they can send you the sample product. Some sites offer more than just “samples” and give you a full sized product to sample.

The products participants can try for free include household items, personal hygiene items, pet supplies, beauty products and even music CDs. After you receive the product and try it, you simply fill out a short survey that takes about 10 minutes and give your opinion of the product. You never have to pay a shipping fee or send anything back to the company.

About twice a week, startsampling.com offers contests participants enter. About 20 winners each week collect 50 “Frequent Tryer Miles” points in their account. You can enter as many contests as you like and most people win at least once. When you win a contest, the site notifies you via e-mail. You can accumulate your points

Participants earn points simply for visiting the recommended sites and additional points for sampling the product. Some of the gifts they offer include gift cards, travel items, household products and other merchandise.

The best thing about this site is the “no pressure” sales. Startsampling.com does not attempt to sell you any products. There are no “elaborate” prizes, but gifts a normal person would expect to receive for doing a minimal amount of work.

Another thing I like about this site is the opportunity to sample different products I might not otherwise try. Unlike some sampling survey companies, you know what the product is and if you enjoy using it, you can purchase it in the store.

Probably my favorite thing about this site is that it doesn’t represent magazine subscription houses, insurance companies or online education companies. In my foray into the online survey world, I’ve found that these appear to be the main “hard sell” items most companies push. Since signing up for the site, the only e-mails I’ve received relating to startsampling com have been from their site; I have not received any unsolicited telemarketing calls related to this site. They keep their word when they say they will maintain your privacy.

The downside is that while the prizes and gifts are nice, there is no cash involved for participating in this site. But it’s fun, easy and takes only a small portion of your time.

Startsampling.com is a legitimate online survey/sampling company. You have nothing to fear if you decide to sign up to participate in this site and will have a lot of fun sampling their products.

Signing up for this service is rather simple. You simple click on to the website, give your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to your e-mail address. This sometimes goes into your bulk or span folder, so look for it shortly after you sign up. In order to earn any money at sendearnings, you must confirm your e-mail address.

The surveys for sendearnings are simpler than those on some other paid survey sites. They actually seem legitimate and do not direct you to countless of other websites. They will occasionally send you e-mails from their advertisers. If you click on these e-mails and visit the sites, you will also receive a small bonus from the survey company for doing this. It is important, to remain an active member of SendEarnings to continue to visit the websites of the sites advertisers. You don’t need to purchase any products or provide information. Simply click on and click out – it’s that simple. Those who don’t visit the websites are normally put on the “inactive” list and not eligible for pay. So be sure to check your spam folder every other day or so from the sites advertisers.

Only one user for the site is permitted per household. You cannot make up “fake names” and use the same computer, either. Your IP address will be tracked and will result in you getting kicked off the site.

I was actually impressed by the first paying survey I did for SendEarnings. It was all about gym shoes and although it asked dozens of questions, it was about a topic I knew something about and a product that I often purchase. Another survey I attempted was denied by the site because I didn’t fit the criteria. This did not deter me, in fact it added some credibility to the site.

There are dozens of free surveys in which you can participate in SendEarnings. In addition to answering survey questions, participants can refer other members to the site and earn a bonus if they sign up to do the surveys. More money can be made by continuing to visit the sites’ advertisers.

Payment is made once a month, but for not less than $30. Once you have earned $30 in your account, you can request payment. Payments are sent to your house via check or money order and there is a $3 fee if you request a money order.

Those living outside the United States can also sign up for this service, however they do need to speak English as this is the only language available on the site. WebTV users are also permitted to participate as well.

Once you have made $30, you can request payment from the site. However, do not expect it to come quickly. Most of the survey sites I have visited take about 30 days to send out payments to individuals. You also must continue to be a member in good standing in order to get paid, so bookmark the site and visit it each day. And be sure to pay attention to the e-mails you receive from the site. They will not only earn you a percentage of the profits, but will keep you an active member of the account.

Members of the site can purchase a “Gold Membership” which gives you extra benefits including unassigned referrals. When I signed up for the website, I did not do so through a referral, so my referral bonus went to a Gold Membership member.

Once you have completed a survey, it can take up to five days to show up in your earnings account, although some survey payments show up immediately. In many cases, it takes a while to confirm the survey. I have found that this is the way of most survey companies.

For the most part, I found Sendearnings.com to be a reputable online survey site. Although the survey process was a bit lengthy, there were no “hidden agendas” and the survey stayed right on target. It reminded me of taking a survey at the mall. I definitely recommend Sendearnings.com to anyone who is thinking about taking surveys at home for extra money.

This unique company allows the participant to decide just how many surveys they would like to complete in a month, meaning that your e-mail inbox will not be spammed by hundreds of e-mails each day. Unlike other disreputable sites, they do not promise you a way to make a living, but a way to make a few extra dollars. Payments for completed surveys are deposited into your Paypal account every other month by the site, not by their clients.

Qsample has a variety of clients, ranging from Microsoft to Nike. Surveys generally take anywhere from five to fifteen minutes to complete, depending upon the pay. Once you sign up for the service, you will receive emails when your surveys are ready to be completed. Anyone over the age of 18 can participate in the surveys and participants from all over the world are encouraged to sign up.

Although signing up for Qsample requires you to give some personal information, they will not ask for a bank account, social security number or credit card. Your privacy is guaranteed and they do not “sell” your information to telemarketers. This site is 100 percent legitimate and offers an interesting way to earn a few extra dollars every other month, simply by filling out questionnaires.

In some cases, Qsamples clients will insist upon offering a prize or free giveaway. You do not have to participate in such surveys or provide additional information. You will still get paid for participating in these surveys, however the amount is usually nominal.

One caveat is that Qsamples clients are software companies. A little bit of knowledge about different types of software is helpful if you wish to sign up for this site. Actually, Qsamples is a computer geek’s dream. A survey company that will poll them about virtually every new software on the market.

The site is owned by Survey Analytics, LLC and is primarily in the business of providing software to companies to conduct research online. Their website indicates that they have over 2000 clients, most of them software companies, with Microsoft being their largest client.

The surveys are far more sophisticated than most of the other online survey companies. One of the surveys that I was asked to participate in involved demographics and employment details in Calgary, Canada. This was way beyond the scope of my knowledge, but an absolute dream come true for anyone who knows anything about software development. Another survey involved ways to draw people to the Arthur Ashe foundation.

Unfortunately, although I signed up to participate in this site, many of the surveys offered were way beyond my field of comprehension. They might as well have been written in Chinese. And although it’s easy money, and I just love giving my opinion about everything, I am hesitant in providing them with information that is way beyond my scope of knowledge.

But the site is legitimate. I can truly testify that I have not been plagued by phone calls or spam. It is the ideal way for someone with a little more computer knowledge than me (which encompasses just about everyone I know, even little kids) to earn a few extra dollars at home while investigating the fascinating world of software.

If you decide to join Qsamples, do so without worry. You can also receive bonus dollars for referring any friends to the site as well. It is a legitimate company and you have nothing to fear.