Thursday, March 1, 2012

Earning Extra Money Online

Since I was in college I have been doing surveys and other things online to get some extra cash.  Everyone knows a college student is living on fixed income and anyone who knows me know that I have been supporting myself financially since I got my first real job when I was 15 so anything I needed or wanted was paid for by me, my parents don't work because of their poor health so I never received financial help.  I admit I was a little jealous of some of my college friends that got help from their parents but in the end I am kind of glad I didn't get help because it forced me to be more independent and responsible.  Growing up my older sister would work 2 jobs in order to help my parents out and make sure my brother and I always had everything we needed.  My parents were both born and raised in South Africa so they were raised very differently.  They went to the US so that we could have a better life and have more opportunities.

Well enough of my background and onto what this blog post is about, making money online.  There are so many ways to earn money online like doing surveys, searching the internet, and opening emails.

Surveys

SurveySpot: The best survey taking website I have come acrossThe threshold for cashing out is only $10 (1000 points) and right after you finish a survey the points are immediately in your SurveySpot account. Once you have enough to cash out you can either use PayPal (which is also immediately in your PayPal account as soon as you cash out) and then send it to your linked bank account (which takes a few days) or you can request a check to be mailed to you but that takes a few weeks. PayPal is definitely the better option in my opinion.

American Consumer Opinion: I have $38 in this account right now. I'm not sure if there is a threshold for this website but when you decide to cash out you can either request a check to be sent, you can donate the amount to charity, or you can have the money sent to your Paypal account.  They sometimes send your products to try if you qualify for the survey so you get a free product as well as the money for completing the survey.  They also have monthly drawings just for being a member.

Opinion Outpost:  This site sends me a lot of surveys that I qualify for and I reach the cash out threshold pretty quickly.  You can either request a check or have the money transferred to your PayPal account.

Toluna:  This site invites you to participate in surveys for $1 to $3 each but converts this into points where 3,000 points = $1.  The threshold for cashing out on this site is $10 which comes in the form of a check or PayPal.  They have "Interest Surveys" to make sure you get invited to surveys that fit your demographics.  They also have featured polls which are 15 points each and sometimes there are sponsored polls for anywhere from 90 points to 210 points.  They also email you with surveys from 900 points or more.  Finally they have a section where you can apply to be a product tester for new products that companies are rolling out.

Mindfield Online:  This site only has a threshold of $5 and I get emails quite often from them.

Valued Opinions:  This site is good because it sends you invitations to surveys that you will most likely qualify for.  There have only been a handful of surveys that I was invited to but did not qualify for.  The surveys pay typically between $2 and $5 and once you reach $20 you can redeem a gift card of your choice.  Some of the gift cards include a $25 Mariott gift card (for only $20 so you "profit" by $5), a $20 Macy's gift card, a $20 Amazon gift card, a $20 Fragrancenet gift card, a $20 Blockbuster gift card, and a $20 Magazines.com gift card.

Opening emails and searching the web

Superpoints:  This is an invite only website where you open emails with different amounts of points attached



Or you spin a "Super Lucky Button to get points. When you are at the basic level you get 30 spins everyday. To get more you just have to invite friends to join.



Other ways to earn points are by watching short videos and completing special offers.  You can then redeem the points for cash and prizes.

Swagbucks:  With Swagbucks you get points for searching the web using their toolbar or search box on their website, for watching short videos from 30 seconds to 1 minute or so, entering codes that they release on the social media outlets, answering a daily poll, and completing special offers.

Cash back for online shopping


Shop At Home:  This cash back site has coupon codes, printable coupons, rebates, reviews, and you get a percentage of your online purchases from your online shopping.  The cash back percentage varies from store to store and sometimes there are promotions where the cash back percentage will be higher.  The cash out threshold is $20 which is sent as a check.

Ebates:  This site also gives you a certain percentage of your online purchase and as a sign up bonus you also get a $10 gift card or a $5 credit to your account.  For the free gift card you can choose from Barnes & Noble, Target, Home Depot, and Magazines.com.  I don't think there is a threshold to cash out because I once got a check for $3.20 and I didn't request it, it was automatically sent to me.

BeeSavy:  Like the other two you will get a percentage of your purchase back which varies by store.  You can choose between receiving a check, PayPal transfer, or you can  donate to charity.

Before buying something online I always check these 3 sites to see which one gives me the best cash back deal.

Are there other websites that you are a member of that you earn money from?  If so please share them in the comments below.