Last year or so, global survey company giant Toluna merged with Greenfield Online and Your2Cents, as well as the recent merger of MySurvey and Lightspeed Panel. With all the mergers of the really high paying market research companies, one might come to believe that there are not so many good ones left. But there is. In fact, there are some of the top survey companies that are still holding their own.
While large pay claims aren’t as realistic as thinking you’re going to snag a $ 150 paid study every day, decent paying surveys that pay up to $ 7 or $ 8 for your time are still available. Most paid surveys from good companies will still only pay $ 1.50 to $ 4, but there are at least 5 to 10 major companies that publish them regularly.
You can find some help in determining which companies are paying the best on survey company information websites, blogs, and forums. Good survey list or database type websites often have a list of top choices that changes on a regular basis, based on the survey company’s performance. So you don’t have to worry, even if the survey companies merge into just five in total, the needs of the companies hiring them still need to be met.
In addition to the top five survey companies that do cash payments, you also have the great product testing companies that give away products to try and regularly have focus groups to sign up for for a chance to participate. This is not as consistent in terms of providing monthly benefits or cash payments, but trials of products that you would normally buy anyway can save you money at the grocery store or department store. Often times, product testing provides minimal compensation in addition to the product itself, but sometimes it also comes with a large payment for your time.
Taking paid surveys is all about the prospect and compensation that is right for you. You never have to take a survey if you don’t want to, so if you’re frustrated with how much a survey company offers as compensation, take a break. Others are likely to feel the same way, which means they may not have enough survey participants in their group who want to participate. When this happens, they tend to up the ante to get more survey panelists back in the game.