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Charles Schwab Review – Legit Investment Platform or Waste of Money?

Many people would like to invest, but they lack the necessary knowledge about where to begin and how to know if they have started off on the right foot. The other concern for most folks is getting information from the right person and everything that's involved in the process. We've written this review to steer you in the right direction.

Managing your investment portfolio is a headache, and can come with a daunting amount of fees. Many people want to get their first taste of investing, but don’t know where to start. Everyone intends to plan for their future, but breaking into the investment game can be time-consuming and confusing.

The answer, for many, comes in the form of online investing with brokerage firms. Still, though, the options are plentiful, and it’s hard to determine the best choice. Ahead, we’ll take a look at Charles Schwab, and let you know if they’re worth considering for your investment future.

What is Charles Schwab?

Charles Schwab is a bank and brokerage firm with headquarters in San Francisco California. It’s been in business since the late 60’s and has been publically traded since 1987. Charles Schwab is widely recognized as a reputable organization in the investment community and has netted several awards and words of praise in the recent past. Some of the most notable mentions include “Highest in Investor Satisfaction” by J.D. Power in 2016 and 217, and one of Fortune’s “World Most Admired Companies.”

Schwab prides itself on their around-the-clock customer service to their investors. They seem like they want the investor to succeed above all, unlike other firms that offer little to no guidance. The information they provide is perfect for seasoned, savvy investors and their attention to detail will help new investors get started.

How Charles Schwab Works

Charles Schwab works like any online investment platform. You create an account, transfer any accounts from your old brokerage provider if you have them, add some money to your account, and then you’re ready to start investing. If you’re new to online investing, there are several resources available at the beginning. Schwab is one of the easiest platforms to grasp for new investors and doesn’t tend to intimidate as much as some.

The account minimum is around the average at $1,000, but that’s close to the industry standard. If you agree to transfer at least $100 a month, though, Schwab waives the account minimum. On index funds, however, there is no longer a minimum balance. If you want to invest in these funds, you can do so with a small amount and watch it grow.

For a trading platform, Schwab uses StreetSmart and StreetSmart Edge. The former is a web platform, and the latter is a desktop platform that targets advanced investors. It’s relatively easy to navigate and intuitive for beginners. There, you’ll be able to monitor your portfolio, as well as receive relevant information from Schwab and independent sources.

If you want to use Charles Schwab as your primary form of banking as well, you have a few options at your disposal. Just like any bank, there are checking and savings accounts where you can access your earnings, but Schwab offers no ATM fees worldwide. People who travel tend to use banks like Schwab for their accounts so that they’ll always have international currency when they need it.

Commissions and Fees

Commission is one of the biggest selling points Charles Schwab has. Recently, they changed their commission structure from $8.95 to $4.95 for options trades, which puts them among the cheapest in the industry. On top of that, there are over 200 commission-free exchange traded funds (ETF) from which to choose

As far as fees, there are hardly any of which to speak. All the research is free, which is impressive when considering the quality of the advice. There are no fees or trade minimums on their platform. Schwab also offers over 3,000 no-transaction-fee mutual funds, with no annual inactivity fee. Their fees and commissions are among the lowest in the industry, so this part shouldn’t scare you away.

Steps to Get Started

Choose your account type.

Decide if you want kind of account works best for you and make your selection.
Keep your investment strategy in mind, or ask for assistance over the phone or online from a Schwab associate.

Provide your information.

Use your Social Security number, address, and other necessary information to get your account started

Create a login ID.

Make sure your ID and password are memorable to you or write them down so you won’t forget.

Set your account features.

Decide what kind of investments you want to make.
Take a look at the available features, and see which ones are most important to you.

Put money in your account.

The minimum balance is currently $1,000, but remember that they waive this fee if you transfer at least $100 per month.
If you’re moving an account from a previous brokerage provider, go to your account, select “Transfer Account,” and follow the steps listed.

Pros and Cons of Charles Schwab

Pros:

Low commissions overall
Commission-free ETFs
Free, top-notch research materials
Easy-to-use investing platform
Around-the-clock customer service

Cons:

Pricey transaction-fee funds
Some users reported problems with banking overseas

Public Perception

The public perception of Charles Schwab is generally positive. They are well respected in the investing community, and not without reason. Their research is solid, and new investors seem to be particularly fond of their platform. They’re available online or by phone at all times of the day, which goes a long way for a lot of users. As far as negatives go, many of the user reviews seem to focus on specific problems rather than overarching negatives that take away from the user experience.

Competition

There are several other online brokers that you should consider before making your decision. One of the most famous of the bunch is E-Trade. They are another option that’s ideal for beginners and experienced investors. They have a bit more on the commission side at $6.95, but if you exceed 30 trades per quarter, the commission matches Schwab’s. They have a $500 account minimum, and their online platform doesn’t seem to be as intuitive as Schwab’s.

Ally Invest is another online broker option that competes with Schwab. They have no account minimum, but also don’t offer and commission-free ETFs. Their platform is exceptional, but their fees can add up over time. They have the same commission as Schwab, but Ally Invest appears to cater itself towards more experienced investors rather than those who are new to online investing.

Should You Get Charles Schwab?

If you’re looking for a way to invest online, Charles Schwab is a reliable option. Their service and research are exceptional, and their platform is easy to use even if you’re new to investing. Their commission and fees are among the lowest in the industry, which will help you save money as you get an investment portfolio off the ground. The more money you save on fees, the more you'll have to invest.

One of the places that Schwab excels is in their customer service. They are constantly trying to help their clients succeed. If you look for yourself, you’ll see quite a few reviews that cite customer service as one of the selling points of Schwab, and that’s no accident. There are other options in the space that provide favorable results, but Schwab is one of the better selections.

Throughout the review, we have mentioned the services that Charles Schwab offers and how they impact you. We have noted the perks of joining with Charles Schwab and some of the things that might be to your disadvantage. It's up to you to decide based on the information provided if this is the right investment decision.

We'd love to hear from you if you have any further questions or concerns. Get in touch with us let us know what's on your mind.

Hopefully, this review helped you make a decision, and we wish you best of luck in your future investing!

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Robo-Advisor Reviews

LearnVest Review: Great Money Management Plan?

written by Travis Henry

Planning your financial future can be a daunting and challenging task. Most of us don't even like to talk about money for too long, much less sit down and ponder how much or how little money we might have in the future.

Additionally, meeting with a financial planner can come with a hefty price tag, but this doesn't mean that you have to wait until you start earning six figures to meet with one. Nowadays, we have access to online financial planning that is more affordable than a traditional setup with a financial planner.

What Is LearnVest?

LearnVest is one of the online financial planning companies that promise to make planning for your financial future easier. LearnVest is still pretty young, as it's only been around since 2009. It offers budgeting tools and additional resources and the advice of an online financial planner for an additional fee. In 2015, it merged with NorthWestern mutual which helped it move away from its startup roots, and turn into an even larger company that was able to offer more to their customers.

Features Of LearnVest

LearnVest has a lot of features that to help you adequately plan for your financial future. Read on about some of these features below:

Paid or Unpaid. LearnVest maximizes its ability to offer you low-cost financial planning by providing a paid and a free version of the service. With the free version of the service, you'll get access to LearnVest's budgeting tool, and a dashboard will reflect how it can help you manage your budget. Unlike other financial planning tools, you do not have to put a bunch of money up front to get the information that will help you place the building blocks to financial success. And if you're not sold on the LearnVest program yet, then the free version is the perfect way for you to dip your toes in first to see whether or not you like the water or not.
Knowledge Center. LearnVest has a Knowledge Center that includes hundreds of articles and videos that go over details about financial planning that you might need to know. It's a broad and general overview, and this is offered in both the paid and the free version. In these articles, you will find a plethora of knowledge that will allow you to understand the main concepts when it comes to financial success. Learn about what you are doing correctly in the present and what you can do in the future in order to help yourself grow financially.
Personalized Financial Advice. You can receive financial advice unique to you. Unlike other financial planning tools, your unique situation is taken into consideration so that you can make the best adjustments for you to win with money. This is a premium LearnVest perk, and you'll receive guidance regarding your finances as well as access to the information in the Knowledge Center. LearnVest premium charges one time-setup fee of $299 with a monthly fee of $19 for the lifetime of your subscription. LearnVest keeps your finances in mind by giving you the option of paying this hefty start-up fee in three payments of $99 or two payments of $149.

Smart Profile. This is used when you first sign up for the service. You'll input information such as how much you earn each year, what your current goals are, and what your budget is at that time. Additionally, you'll link a savings account, credit card, retirement account, or checking account to your profile. You'll also input info like student loans if that applies to you. Following that, you'll be able to have a fifteen-minute phone call with your financial planner.

Active Financial Planners. Depending on what your goals are, your financial planner is going to go with you every step of the way to ensure that you're making the right moves. You'll be assigned budgeting homework and the financial planner will tell you whether or not you need to open new accounts to keep your finances separate. This is a premium feature.

There are many other long term features that come with setting up an account with LearnVest; the premium option will yield more of the benefits of having a personal financial planner.

The Fees

While LearnVest is cheaper than a traditional financial planner, it still comes with a few hefty fees. For example, you still have to pay a large upfront fee of $299, and you'll be paying $19 each month after that. However, this is still a steal given that the average yearly price of a financial planner can go up to $1,9000. Of course, you can always stick with the free option, but you won't have access to phone calls and advice from your financial planner. For some people, especially younger individuals who are just getting started in the world of financial planning, it may be a little nerve wracking to spend such an amount of money on getting your finances together. After all isn't the whole goal of getting your finances together all about not spending money? When you pay the premium price for a financial planning tool like LearnVest, you're actually investing in your future so that you have a better understanding of financial success in the present in order fo you to be all set for the future.

How To Sign-Up And Get Started

So now that you are sold on LiveVest you may be wondering where do you go now? With this financial planning tool, signing up is really easy. Virtually anyone can sign up and there aren't many requirements in place for you to try it out. When you sign up, you have the option of signing up for the premium version right away. If you want to get your toes wet first then you can do the free version instead until you feel comfortable enough to move up.

Here's how you'll get started (this is how to sign up works if you have the paid version if you have the free version, then the steps regarding a one on one with your financial planner won't apply to you):

You’re going to fill out all of your financial information and tell your Planner a little a bit about yourself in the Smart Profile feature that was mentioned above. Don't worry, all this information is safe and secure so you don't have to worry about it finding its way into the hands of someone it shouldn't.
You and your planner will discuss your money goals and evaluate your current habits. This where you'll find out if you're on the right track or if you'll need more help from your financial planner to help you reach your goals over time. To help the process along and make it more efficient, it is helpful if you consider what your financial goals are beforehand. Your financial goals can be anything from trying to save up for retirement to trying to get out of debt. Whatever your goals are, your financial planner will work with you to help you achieve them.
You'll get a customized program that LearnVest promises will give you a 360-degree view of your finances. Too many people think they have an understanding of their finances, but when they sit down and actually look at it, they will typically find that they really might not have a clue about what is going on. By getting a 360-degree perspective on your finances, you will have peace of mind that there is a plan for you to work on and you will know your place on that plan every step of the way.
From there, you’ll receive step by step instructions that will help you get on the right track to meeting your financial goals. Once you’re set up, you’ll be prompted to have a phone call with your financial planner.
Over the following month(s), you'll receive tasks (example: opening another bank account, closing an old spending account, re-evaluating your credit cards) that will help you make the progress that you need to make to stay on track.

Pros And Cons

LearnVest is an excellent tool for those of us that have been dragging our feet when it comes down to looking at our finances. However, LearnVest isn't without its disadvantages, and there are certainly a few of those to go right beside the company's wins.

Pros

Tasks to help you stay on track with your financial goals. Your financial planner will review the state of your finances with you, and they'll be working on ways for you to improve your finances or move more steadily towards your goal. They will set up tasks for you to complete, and you'll receive an email when your new task is ready. The tasks can be anything from going on a spending diet for a few weeks to a month or just watching an educational video about finances.

Use it at home or on the go. Are you feeling unsure about buying that new piece of furniture for your sitting room? ThinkVest's mobile app can certainly help with curbing your impulse spending habit, especially since you can open the app at any time and you'll be able to see how your current finances are affecting your goals. You'll get a more detailed view from the desktop version of the website when you check in at home.

No meetings necessary. Your financial planner will make it their goal to get back with you as soon as possible. You may not go more than 24 hours without hearing back from them if you have a question. You can email your financial planner whenever you like.

Cons

You’ll have to wait for information on your Credit Score. LearnVest's competitors like Mint will show you how your budget, cards, and finances relate to your credit score. Unfortunately, you'll have to log on to credit score website to be able to keep track of this; it would be helpful to have it all in one place.

No face to face interaction. It's not unreasonable to want to have a face to face meeting with the individual that knows everything about your finances and will be guiding you for the foreseeable future. You'll never meet with your financial planner in person, or over web chat. However, you will communicate with a helpful and friendly financial planner via phone or email.

If you have multiple investments, LearnVest can’t help you manage them. If you’d like to see how your current investments relate to your financial goals, you’ll have to keep up with those through some other medium, or on your own. LearnVest is simply there to help you manage your finances regarding retirement accounts, saving accounts, credit card debt, student loan repayment, and saving for your long term goals.

Limited Features in the Mobile App. While the mobile app is an excellent idea for LearnVest to incorporate into their services, you’ll find that some LearnVest features are pretty limited on the app. You may not be able to catalog all of your purchases at once, but you can always log on to LearnVest’s website to view all of your information.

How It Compares

LearnVest certainly has the potential to knock it's competitors, like traditional financial planners, out of the water. It has low rates and is extremely accessible, whether you'd like to access it on your phone or the computer. LearnVest also puts itself ahead of its competitors by allowing you to connect with your financial planner via email whenever you need. However, you might want to know what the competition is offering before you invest.

YNAB

YNAB gets its name by using an acronym for “You Need A Budget,” and you probably do need their help if you're looking into the right budget app for you. YNAB believes that you can achieve financial success and security by following four simple rules. These rules are:

Every dollar you spend should have a purpose. So, all of your money is saved and divided into categories so that you never have an excess of extra cash that you might overspend with. Examples of those categories are the budget for your vacation savings, the budget for your clothes purchases or a budget for how much you eat out.
All expenses should be accounted into your budget, even if they don't happen frequently but they occur outside of a one-time purchase. For example, if you get your nails done every two months, that should still be counted in your budget, regardless of the fact that you're not going as often as once a week.
Flexibility will help you with managing your finances so that you can pull from other categories if you come up short in another one.
Your finances should be set up so that you'll always spend and live off of what you earned in the month before so that you can crush the paycheck to paycheck cycle.

YNAB offers live classes to help you manage your finances, and it only costs $5 each month, and it's free for a year for students. You will not get a personal planner the way that you would with LearnVest.

Inuit Mint

Mint is a good option for students that can't afford to pay for a monthly financial planning service. The Mint app helps you put all of your financial accounts in one place, it will remind you when bills are due, generate your credit score for free, and you can link it to your checking or savings account and have your information protected by their 256-bit encryption level.

One major advantage that Mint has over LearnVest is that you can see your credit score as well as your spending habits, savings account and more, but all in one place. To elaborate, LearnVest will handle all other aspects of planning your financial future, but you won't be able to see your credit score and how it relates to your finances on their app or from their website. However, Mint is not promising to have an actual person go over your finances and tell you where to make a few changes.

If you're comfortable with just keeping track of your finances, so that you know what causes your paycheck to dwindle each month, then an app like Mint might be a good fit. If you want something a bit more comprehensive, then LearnVest is the better choice because it's analyzing your spending habits as Mint does, and/ helping you plan for your financial future.

Is LearnVest Right For You?

LearnVest forces you to address your financial fears head-on and to address any crucial mistakes that you might be making so that they can help you fix them, one step at a time.

Additionally, LearnVest is a great alternative if you need an actual financial planner to guide you because the price is far less high than recurring, in-person meetings with a financial planner. If you don't think that you need a financial planner just yet, apps that only track your spending might be a better fit until you're ready to make a transition to a program like LearnVest.

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Blog Paid Survey Reviews

RewardSurvey: Legit Paid Survey Or Just A Scam?

written by Sterling Schuyler

RewardSurvey keeps it straight forward: they reward users for taking surveys. It's so easy and quick, you can earn almost $100 in reward points in just 15 minutes. That's less time than an episode of your latest binge-watching obsession!

Quick Navigation

What Is RewardSurvey?

How RewardSurvey works

Their emphasis on community

How RewardSurvey Compares with Other Survey Sites

Swagbucks

PaidViewpoint

RewardBee

Pros and Cons of RewardSurvey

Is RewardSurvey a Scam?

Should I Use RewardSurvey?

But those reward points won't cover the costs of your monthly streaming subscriptions. In fact, their reward points won't cover any of your regular costs because they do not pay cash.

Instead, you can redeem the points for magazine subscriptions, monthly product boxes, and occasionally gift cards. But is it a legitimate website worthy of your time?

What Is RewardSurvey?

Since 2012, they have conducted online surveys to help companies improve their services. And they certainly got lucky with their domain name! Because so many people search for reward survey, they chose the name so the website could rank high on search results.

Participants earn points by taking surveys and then exchange points for magazines. Additionally, they have a $25,000 Dream Maker Sweepstakes that participants can enter daily.

In summary, it works like this:

Sign up for free (ages 18 and older in the United States)
Complete short surveys for points
Redeem points for magazine subscriptions and prizes

Sounds easy enough, right? Just like their name, the process is pretty straight-forward.

How RewardSurvey works

Image via Freepik

When you land on the website, there’s a sign-up form with the exclamation “Claim your instant $30 reward!” The form simply asks for your first and last name, email, password, and country. And there is no cost to sign up!

Every week they publish new surveys covering a variety of topics, such as sports, fashion, pet care, travel, science, grocery shopping, and even things as specific as facial tissues or cereal. After completing a survey, the site redirects the user to the magazine reward store.

Participants can redeem their points immediately or save them for more expensive rewards and better magazine subscriptions. But they can’t wait too long -- the reward points expire after six months of inactive redemption activity.

Users can also use their points to gift subscriptions to friends and family. And they will occasionally offer gift cards and prizes like discounted movie tickets or subscription boxes. Plus, they are holding a $25,000 Dream Maker Sweepstakes, which participants can enter once a day!

In addition to the benefits for survey participants, they also offer an affiliate program. So if you have a website, you can earn cash by directing your visitors to their site. But you only get paid for every new email sign-up, not for every click or new visitor.

Their emphasis on community

group of people are putting their hands together

Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels

RewardSurvey also encourages participants to join their Facebook community. They post about new surveys in their group almost every week and are quick to reply to comments. Participants can also ask questions about current rewards and suggest new ones.

And because they share in the group regularly, they will post about surveys that are relevant to the holiday season or time of year as well.

With only general information available on their website, they can use the Facebook group to announce changes and highlight prizes for people who have not yet joined the survey site. They also hold contests in the group for more chances to win rewards.

How RewardSurvey Compares With Other Survey Sites

Overall, they have limited options compared to other survey sites, but offering fewer rewards may also be their strength.

Swagbucks

Since 2005, Swagbucks has been a dominant player in the paid survey game, rewarding users as young as 13 years old for participating.

As of 2019, their user rating on SurveyPolice is barely 3.0 out of 5 stars, with many of the 205 reviews on both extremes of the spectrum. In contrast, they have 4.0 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, with just seven percent of responses in the range of one to two stars.

In addition to surveys, Swagbucks also has its own search engine or videos to watch on their platform. Users earn SBs (reward points) by participating in any of their activities and can redeem those points for cash or gift cards.

Comparatively, RewardSurvey is quite limited in its offerings. They do have an affiliate program you can apply to, but you have to have a website to participate.

PaidViewpoint

With over 1,400 reviews in 2019, PaidViewpoint is the highest user-rated site on SurveyPolice with over 4.0 out of 5 stars.

And it's easy to see why: The biggest perk to using PaidViewpoint is their cash-out system. They reward a cash amount for each survey completed, which can be paid via Paypal, or converted into gift cards.

They also have a unique community feature called TrustScore. Users can increase their score by taking surveys consistently, and as their score increases, their potential earnings increase, too. Plus they have a refer-a-friend program, which rewards users 20 percent of the amount their referred friends earn.

But overall, the cash reward for each survey isn't necessarily large. That means it can take a while to accumulate the minimum $15 to cash out. RewardSurvey always grants participants $30 in reward points, except in the case of special offers like tickets or gift cards.

That being said, PaidViewpoint is the better choice for anyone who wants to earn cash by taking surveys.

RewardBee

Since 2016, RewardBee has been doing almost the same thing as RewardSurvey: asking users to take surveys in exchange for magazine subscriptions.

But with RewardBee, points never expire and you can earn points by playing games as well. The rating by Consumers Advocate reflects this with almost 4.5 out of 5 stars. But Paid From Surveys only gives them a 1.7 out of 5.

So if you want to take surveys to earn magazine subscriptions, RewardBee may be the better choice over RewardSurvey.

Pros and Cons of RewardSurvey

Unless you're really into magazines, there seem to be more disadvantages than benefits.

Benefits of RewardSurvey

Disadvantages of RewardSurvey

Is RewardSurvey a Scam?

The Merriam-Webster definition of scam is “a fraudulent or deceptive act or operation.” While RewardSurvey does not seem to be fraudulent, their methods of operation seem questionably deceptive.

For example, when you sign up for an account, there is nothing to confirm your age. They only state their age requirement for participants in its Frequently Asked Questions and privacy policy. It seems strange that they do not have any steps in place to prevent underage participants from using the website.

In fact, they don’t seem to have any qualifying or disqualifying factors to take any of their surveys. So then what is the quality of research work they’re conducting? They may collect demographic information, but how are they generating quality data for their partners?

Furthermore, they state in their privacy policy that they will collect your credit card information, but it’s not clear as to why they need it. Many users have complained about the request for credit card information. But, to the benefit of their business partners, it seems that they will not be changing it anytime soon.

Magazine subscriptions appear to be the core business of their parent company, M2 Media Group. Their products include:

American Publishers: a magazine fundraising program for community organizations and schools
Blue Dolphin Magazines: an online outlet for magazine subscriptions
Mercury Magazines: a company connecting businesses and professionals to relevant publications

So while they may be collecting data for its magazine partners, it may also be collecting subscribers for them as well.

Should I Use RewardSurvey?

source: Giphy

Unless you only want magazine subscriptions, RewardSurvey is not the right choice. And even if you do want magazine subscriptions, there are better survey websites you can use.

They have limited options within their magazine offerings, and although they sometimes offer gift cards or subscription boxes, they don’t seem to make it worth your time.

Plus, if you don’t want subscriptions to renew automatically, you will need to be careful of which prizes you redeem. And that just sounds like an unnecessary chore -- participating in survey websites should be fun!

Have you used it? What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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Paid Survey Reviews

MySurvey Review – Is It A Scam Or A Money Maker?

written by Joe Trebek

Grab some awesome rewards withMySurveys

Quick Overview: MySurvey

Rewards in the form of cash,PayPal transfers and gift cards
Processing time for payments are around 4-8 weeks
Offers fun and interesting surveys to complete

MySurvey review – The full story

While MySurvey is not our top rated site, we definitely recommend it. Click here to join now!

There are plenty of online paid survey sites that are legitimate, and while MySurvey is not our top rated site, we definitely recommend it if you enjoy completing surveys online.

Following is our extensive MySurvey review which we have created to help you make a decision on whether it is worth joining MySurvey or not. If you are someone who enjoys filling out online surveys, then there are plenty of survey sites out there, and we are here to help you make the right decision on which of those survey sites is best for you to join.

What is MySurvey?

MySurvey, an online paid survey, was born out of the National Family Opinion (NFO) organization that was started in 1946. Originally, the NFO collected opinions via the postal service and telephone.

In 2001, NFO launched MySurvey's website to both digitize and expand its survey to reach a worldwide audience. In 2010, MySurvey was acquired by Lightspeed Research, a global provider of custom market research and analysis. Apart from MySurvey, Lightspeed operates other online panels specializing in specific industries and categories. Both MySurvey and Lightspeed share the same rewards program through perks.com.

In 2012, according to MySurvey’s website, it rewarded more than $15,108,454 to its worldwide members. Today, it is one of the most trusted and reputable online research panels on the web.

Some of the key features of MySurvey's panelling system include:

Provides rewards in the form of direct cash, PayPal transfers, Amazon gift cards and other gift cards (as many as 63 available gift card options).
Uses a point based system which can be later converted into cash and other prizes.
Processing time for payments are around 4-8 weeks depending on the reward method.
Requires a minimum redemption balance (or cash-out) of $10 (or points)
The average survey pay-out ranges from $0.5 to $1.25.
Surveys vary in length with their short surveys lasting for around 5 minutes each (or equivalent to 10 points). Their standard surveys are valued at usually around 1000 points.
Offers fun and interesting surveys to complete.
Contests are available for all members to join. Additionally, MySurvey also features product tests that provide higher rewards.
CheckMembers are rewarded with extra sweepstakes options simply by logging in.
CheckRegistration for the panel takes around 5 minutes and requires inputting personal information.
CheckThe panel is open to those in the North American, European and Oceania regions.
CheckAvailable for those aged 14 and above

How Does MySurvey Work?

So what exactly is MySurvey and how does it work? What is the signup process like and how do you get paid for completing surveys on MySurvey? We have outlined the answers to these questions here…

MySurvey is a survey website which allows its users to earn rewards and sweepstakes entries in return for completing relevant online surveys on the website. Similar to other legit paid survey sites, MySurvey rewards points to users for taking part in the surveys online they have available. However, MySurvey is a little bit different in comparison to other survey companies in the way that they reward their users for completing surveys.

Signing Up

The registration process on MySurvey is relatively simple, and very similar to other online paid survey companies. They request some standard information via a registration form when you first create your account such as your name, address, phone number, marital status, household income, etc…

This information collected in the registration process is important to to all survey companies and similar online survey sites because it allows them to distribute only relevant survey offers to each of its members as not all survey offers will relate to everyone. Despite all of these registration form questions during the signup process, the process as a whole is pretty quick and only takes around 2-3 minutes. The time it takes to create your MySurvey account is relatively average in comparison to other paid survey sites.

Grab some awesome rewards withMySurveys

Some of the key features of MySurvey's paneling system include:

Provides rewards in the form of direct cash, PayPal transfers, Amazon gift cards, and other gift cards (as many as 63 available gift card options).
Uses a point based system which can be later converted into cash and other prizes.
Processing time for payments are around 4-8 weeks depending on the reward method.
Requires a minimum redemption balance (or cash-out) of $10 (or points)
The average survey pay-out ranges from $0.5 to $1.25.
Surveys vary in length with their short surveys lasting for around 5 minutes each (or equivalent to 10 points). Their standard surveys are valued at usually around 1000 points.
Offers fun and exciting surveys to complete.
Contests are available for all members to join. Additionally, MySurvey also features product testing which provides higher rewards.
Members are rewarded with extra sweepstakes options simply by logging in.
Registration for the panel takes around 5 minutes and requires inputting personal information.
The panel is open to those in the North American, European, and Oceania regions.
Available for those aged 14 and above

If you like what you've read so far, click here to try it now! If you're still not sure, keep reading to learn more.

Following is our review of the pros and cons of joining MySurvey. There are many pros and cons of joining the MySurvey panel and we have illustrated the most important ones below so that you can make a decision on whether or not joining MySurvey will benefit you and suit your needs.

The Pros Of MySurvey

They are ranked in in the top 5 on www.getpaidsurveys.com’s list of its top 24 paid survey websites with a rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on a total of 113 user reviews. MySurvey has been around for a very long time. It is arguably one of the web’s oldest paid survey websites and has been continuously operated online since 2001.

Almost all of the surveys found on MySurvey are its own and not linked to any other partner paid survey panels. As a consequence, the surveys tend to be much better designed and laid out. Some users have reported that the panel’s surveys were well-written and professional in tone. One user mentions how MySurvey's surveys have “not too many questions with too many answers required on too many products or redundancy.”

MySurvey’s product testing surveys provide higher rewards than its regular surveys. Another unique feature not found on other panels is their “online usage diaries” which record the frequency and quantity of usage for select products and services. If a member does not qualify for a survey, they are informed of it rather quickly.

Points are usually awarded immediately after the completion of a survey with survey payment varying from $.50 to $1.25 per survey. MySurvey’s small surveys usually contain 30-50 points and last for 10-20 minutes. Their larger surveys of 150-300 points take more time to complete (30-45 minutes) but accordingly provide higher rewards.

The more experience you accumulate on MySurvey, the higher your chances are of receiving frequent survey invitations via email as well as other invites for product tests and usage diaries. Some seasoned users have reported how on an average week, they get around 8 to 10 survey invitations, so you can see that the invite rate is high. Additionally, the qualifications criteria at MS is more relaxed than that of some other web panels like Opinion Outpost.

Grab some awesome rewards withMySurveys

The Cons Of MySurvey

It was ranked a pedestrian 129th on www.surveypolice.com’s list of 172 online survey panels, having a meta-rating of 54 out of 100 and under 3 stars out of 5 based on a total of 217 reviews. As of June 2017, it's begun to rank even worse as MySurvey has secured 169th place on the list. They now have a ranking of 28 out of 100 and under 3 stars out of a whopping 468 reviews.

Many users have complained that it takes way too long to reach their initial payout and redemption of $10 (or 1000 points). Similarly, some users have reported only being able to make a maximum of $10 per month, which effectively caps their earnings potential from the panel. This means that there is very little potential to earn money for real on MySurvey.

The survey processing times (even with PayPal or Amazon gift cards) can take over a month to process and transfer, with the usual pace of processing taking around 4-8 weeks. However, those who request payments via Amazon gift cards fare much better with some users reporting receiving payment as early as 4-8 days after the request.

Over the years, a large number of users have also reported that the panel is becoming more and more infrequent with its survey invitations, even for regular users.

Additionally, many users have reported that the monthly frequency of surveys is not as high as other survey sites, thereby limiting their earnings potential on MySurvey. It is not uncommon to see users commenting on how they cannot get more than 1-2 surveys per month. Some of the same users have stated that the site is “in decline” and is losing pace compared to the rest of the competition. In order to continue taking surveys on the panel, you have to regularly check in.

If a user fails to check in regularly, then he may no longer receive notifications of new surveys. The more times you log in and the longer you do so, the higher your chances are of receiving invitations from MySurvey. Over time, a certain degree of trust is built, thereby making a user eligible for product tests, contests, and other special features and offers.

Grab some awesome rewards withMySurveys

Some users have reported getting error messages upon completing a survey. This results in both losing any credit (and therefore points) benefited to your account, plus it just wastes your time. Similarly, users report having their survey progress getting “timed out” when completing the survey, thereby losing their progress and chance to receive rewards. Other users have also complained that after contacting customer service, they were given the same standard instructions for resolving their issues.

A related issue is the phenomena of getting “screened out.” This means that slightly before or even after getting into a survey, users are told that they do not qualify for the completion of the survey. It can take as long as 5-10 minutes before MySurvey informs a user of disqualification with the only consolation for the user’s wasted efforts being entry into MySurvey's sweepstakes draw.

Is MySurvey legit?

Through our research into the MySurvey panel, we have found that the website is a completely legitimate survey site. However, MySurvey is not a get-rich-quick program or anything similar, and the pay you receive won’t be huge. It is simply a platform for completing surveys with the chance of winning a decent reward via the sweepstakes entries that you earn. If you’re looking for paid surveys to earn money, we would recommend joining one of the other survey sites out there. There are many other legitimate paid surveys sites, so it is worth looking around to find out which of the many survey sites available best suits your desires.

If you find enjoyment in completing paid surveys based on consumer research or product testing, sign up for MySurvey as they offer everything you need to get enjoyment out of completing surveys with the added benefit of potentially winning some cool prizes in the sweepstakes. However, if you’re looking to earn money completing surveys, then there are better options and other legitimate survey sites out there to suit your needs.

FAQs

How many members per household are allowed to join MySurvey?

Only one member per household is allowed. Occasionally they might ask a family member to take a survey or two, but it will always be through your account.

If I become a MySurvey panel member, will I receive emails advertising other products and services?

No. It is promised that they will never try to sell you a product or service in which companies will have access to your personal information. Read through their Privacy Policy to learn more.

Why am I not receiving any invitations to your surveys?

How often you receive survey invites depends on your personal details. The things you will be offered are user-specific. To ensure you receive our survey invitations, please make sure you add them to your “known or approved senders” list.

What kind of surveys can I expect?

The surveys at MySurvey cover a variety of topics. You may be asked about current social developments, specific produces and services, new advertisements or how you feel about certain TV shows, just to name a few.

Can I exit the survey if I need to take a break or am interrupted?

If you'd like to take a break or are interrupted, you can re-enter the same link. You can start from where you left off, and none of your answers will be lost.

Final Thoughts on MySurvey

MySurvey.com has established and cemented itself as one of the internet’s oldest online paid survey panels. Ever since 2001, it has continuously established a profitable relationship not only with its contracting client companies, but also with its millions of users – most of whom remain generally content with MS’s services.

Despite the steep points required to cash out the $10 redemption (1000 points), the inordinately slow processing times for payment transfers, and the reports of survey progress being frozen, MySurvey’s reputation in the online survey community remains in high esteem.

Ranked in the top 5 online survey panel on Get Paid Surveys list of the top 24 paid survey websites, MySurvey remains a high-quality destination for enthusiastic survey takers – though the website’s rating system is admittedly questionable considering that panels like Toluna are positioned so highly at number 7 on its top 24 list. Paradoxically though, it is ranked a mediocre 169th on Survey Police's list of 172 online survey panels (with a meta-rating of 28 out of 100 and under 3 stars out of 5 out of a total of 468 reviews).

The final judgement on MySurvey is that in spite of its shortcomings in terms of the high minimum cash out requirement, slow processing times to clear payments, and its overall declining state, MySurvey is one of the more reliable and trustworthy web panels out there in comparison to other online survey sites. Just don’t expect to earn a lot of money on it.

If you have the patience and determination to see through all of your surveys on a weekly and monthly basis, then MySurvey is not a bad deal. However, if quick and more lucrative payments are what appeals to you, then go for more dynamic survey panels like Opinion Outpost or Pinecone Research. The basis of whether or not you should join MySurvey really depends on what you are trying to achieve by taking online surveys. It is worth reading through a few different survey site reviews and determining what exactly it is that you want to get out of joining a survey site. That way, you can make a decision that best suits your needs.

After reading our extensive review of MySurvey, what are your thoughts? Do you think MySurvey is the right survey site for you? If so, Click Here to try it now! It takes less than 15 minutes to sign up, so you can easily give it a try.

Grab some awesome rewards withMySurveys

9 comments

Paid Survey Reviews

Swagbucks Review – Legitimate Paid Survey Website or Just a Scam?

written by Joe Trebek

Legit Option or Just a Scam? – Swagbucks Review

So, today it's time to start learning about a few popular home based internet business opportunities. In this Swagbucks review, we will learn what exactly Swagbucks is, whether it is a legitimate website, and whether it is worth joining.

Is Swagbucks a legitimate site, is it a waste of time, or worse, is it an all out scam?

Surveys Say is here to help you identify the legit services and avoid online frauds such as spams, scams, phishing and identity theft.

This article is a thorough, in-depth review of the popular paid survey site Swagbucks which has blown up over the last few years due to very successful marketing campaigns.

But before we go any further, if you are only looking for a quick summary of our Swagbucks review, read this!

Overall, Swagbucks is one of the most legit survey sites that we’ve found. Offering a variety of ways to earn “swagbucks,” ranging from completing surveys to surfing the web, it is a profitable option to make a little money with your free time.

Moving on, as the tagline says, “The Largest Free Online Rewards Program”, Swagbucks isn’t a typical paid survey site.

But is it legit? Or it’s just another scam? Read on to find out more about the ins and outs of Swagbucks.

SWAGBUCKS REVIEW

What exactly is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks is a rewards and loyalty-program operator which is operated by Prodege LLC, and based in El Segundo, California. It is a platform where you can earn points and redeem prizes and cash in exchange for doing the things that you would usually do online anyway such as shopping at your favorite online stores, browsing the internet, playing games, watching videos and answering online surveys. By doing these things via the Swagbucks operator, you can earn “Swagbucks”, which can be exchanged for rewards such as gift cards or cash. Swagbucks has over 15 million members and is completely free to join.

The name Swagbucks sounds catchy, doesn’t it?

Well, the credit goes to its marketing department. The name is unique, has a good hook and is hard to forget. It is also an exciting rewards program: they give you points called SB for accomplishing tasks that run the gamut from completing surveys to watching videos and searching the web. These SB's can be slightly deceptive though, since earning 100 SB sounds a whole lot more exciting than earning about $1.00 (each SB is worth approximately 1 cent).

While it is a little deceptive to call the rewards SB instead of cash, it doesn't mean that this site isn't legit. Swagbucks is actually rather upfront about its rewards system. You won't be making enough money to replace a part-time job any time soon, but those SB's do slowly add up. If you can earn money for doing things that you would ordinarily do online anyway, then why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that? That’s what is so great about swagbucks – it gives you the opportunity to make a small passive income in your spare time from home literally just for doing things on the internet that you would ordinarily do anyway. Plus, the addition of the Swagbucks app means that you can also earn Swag Bucks on the go anywhere in the world, simply just for using your cell phone.

How does Swagbucks work?

First off you need to sign up, which is quite straight-forward. Swagbucks is only available in certain countries, so be sure to check that it is available in your country before you try to sign up. Swagbucks is available in the following countries; the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, and India. If you live outside of these countries, then unfortunately Swagbucks is not available for you yet. However, if you’re interested in joining Swagbucks, be sure to check back on the website regularly as they may change their available countries list at any time.

There are many different ways in you can earn Swagbucks and earn yourself some rewards such as extra cash or gift cards, and we have outlined these different ways of earning below.

New users to the site can earn bonus rewards points. Get a 1000 SB bonus, which is equivalent to $10 in value, when you spend at least $25 at a store featured in Swagbucks.com/Shop. This must be done within 30 days of registering to recieve your bonus. There are also many other rewards available for new users. A quick Google of the phrase “swagbucks sign up code” brings up a bunch of results for codes which offer various sign-up rewards. These are usually time limited and can change often depending on when you sign up, so keep a lookout for the best sign-up reward deals.

Another bonus of using Swagbucks are Swagbucks codes. Swag codes can pop up at any time while you’re using Swagbucks and these are time limited rewards that contain a certain value of Swagbucks which can be added to your balance as long as you act quickly enough to redeem the code. This is a fun added element of Swagbucks that most other similar rewards websites don’t have. They also offer extra bonuses on holidays. For example thanksgiving cards free bonuses where all rewards are worth 2x their usual amount.

Once you sign up, you will get a large variety of opportunities to earn SB. The most important of them for this site is Swagbucks Answers, their platform for taking online paid surveys which are completely legitimate. Put simply, this is where you can take surveys and earn cash, simply just for doing the answer surveys.

Swagbucks offers anywhere from 1 SB to 1000 SB for each completed survey, which can be exchanged for cash or gift cards. Filling out online surveys is one of the easiest and most efficient ways of making a passive income online. All you have to do is answer surveys and you earn rewards, it’s as simple as that!

Once you sign up, you will be given a large variety of opportunities to earn SB. The most important of them for this site is Swagbucks Answers, their platform for taking surveys.

Swagbucks offers anywhere from 1 SB to 1000 SB for each completed survey.

The reward amount depends on a variety of factors, including the length and value of the survey. Also, some demographics are more valuable to survey providers than others, so depending on your information you may be given more valuable surveys. However, it is a bad idea to lie about anything in order to get better surveys! If Swagbucks ever detects that you are cheating in any way, all your SB will be retracted and your account deleted and you won’t be able to claim your cash or gift cards. Here is what the site says….

One of the most refreshing things about Swagbucks is their commitment to keeping it all above the belt. Whereas a lot of the shadier survey companies won’t be up front with how they distribute or take advantage of your information, Swagbucks lets you know exactly where it’s going.

As any survey taker knows it is highly likely that you will not qualify for a lot of the surveys offered, even with their advanced matching algorithms. Swagbucks has no advantage on other sites in this regard, and it can be frustrating to start a survey and then find that you’re disqualified. However, Swagbucks has a leg up on the competition here because it will pay you 1 SB the first five times you are disqualified in a given day.

The site is also highly accessible and it even has an app for Android and Apple phones. Not to mention a great setup, minimalist design, and timely customer service, Swagbucks has definitely become one of the crowd favorites.

Does this sound like the survey site for you? Click here to try it now!

Other Ways To Earn Your Digital Dollar

While most people on this site are primarily interested in taking surveys, there are a lot of other ways to earn points, other cash-back rewards and money on Swagbucks.

Search Engine

Yes, it sounds a little strange. Actually really strange! There are a lot of people who are skeptical about earning money for using a search engine.

But this particular site is entirely trustworthy. If you use the search engine that they provide (which is powered by Yahoo), they will randomly reward you a random amount of SB, which is a nice little bonus for searching “Cat jump fails.”

It may at first seem that if you search all day and night you will have a streak of Swagbucks coming your way.

Sadly, the situation is not like that. Although the Swagbucks website does not disclose how they allocate their rewards, they have confirmed the fact that the rewards are mostly based on the amount of time you spend using their search engine and not the number of searches that you perform.

Want to get started earning money just for using a search engine? Click Here to try it now!

Referral Program:

If you refer a friend, you will get 10% of their lifetime earnings. So every time your friend completes a 90 SB survey, you will get 9 SB. This can dramatically increase your Swag Bucks count if you refer a lot of friends and is one of the best cash-back rewards available.

Cash Back:

Swagbucks will offer you cash back in the form of SB for shopping at online retailers like Amazon, Macy's, Target, Walmart, and Best Buy. This can be up to 20% cash back, although the key words are “up to.” It is much more common to get less than 20% cash back and not all the items at a retailer are even available for cash back. So you can simply earn rewards for doing the shopping online that you would have done anyway. If you quite often do your shopping online anyway, then this option on Swagbucks is a great way for you to earn cash back and bonus points.

Although this is the case, it never hurts to get some cash back for buying things you would buy anyways. Also, during the holidays when retailers have their biggest sales, Swagbucks will often double or even triple the percent of cashback they offer for certain retailers so your bonus points will really add up.

Swagbutton

If you are planning to use the Cash Back feature of Swag Bucks, you will probably want to download the Swagbutton. This feature will allow you to take surveys and watch videos from your usual browser as well as notify you whenever you have a Cash Back opportunity.

Swagbucks Watch:

This is Swagbucks' in-house video channel. Let’s say it’s their version of YouTube. You get 1-4 SB for every set of 4-8 short videos.

It’s not much, but if you watch a lot of videos every day, then you can earn well from this feature. You can make up to $5 per day by watching videos, although it probably won't be worth the amount of time it takes to earn that much. It is often better to simply start a playlist of videos and let it make money for you in the background.

Trial Offers: If you sign up for certain trial offers through Swagbucks, they will reward you with large amounts of SB, sometimes up to enough for a $25 gift card and occasionally more. The only downside is that, while many of these trial offers are free, not all of them are and most of them require you to enter your credit card number. However, you will still get the SB's if you cancel your trial offer after a month, so you can get away with a large amount of SB's for very little. You can also earn Swagbucks for donating money to certain charitable organizations. I don't know about you, but I kind of like the idea of getting paid to donate the money I would give to help hungry children anyway.

Games:

Swagbucks has many fun and popular games on their site you can play, including Wheel of Fortune, Bejeweled Blitz, and Scrabble Cubes. You won't make many SB's playing these games (usually 1-10 SB per game), but if you are going to be playing games anyway, you might as well earn some cash. How great is it that you can earn points simply for just playing games.

Daily goal:

The site has a meter on its home page that flashes an amount of SBs that is your daily goal to reach. If you score the goal, you will receive a 10% bonus on your days SB's.

Hourly Random Winner:

The Swagbucks blog displays a random username and avatar in the “Hourly Random Winner” section.

If you see yours, you have to click the link to claim it. However, unclaimed winnings will not be delivered to your “bank account” if you miss the chance!

What Can You Earn?

So you have worked hard enough to make a cashout, what can you possibly get exchanging these bucks now?

If you visit the Swagbucks reward store, you will find a lot of options to choose from; for example –

Apparel & Accessories, Department Stores, Electronics, Food & Beverage, Fun & Games, Gas Cards, Health & Beauty, House & Home, Music & Entertainment, Sports & Outdoors, Travel etc. you can redeem your Swagbucks for actual dollars and send it to your PayPal account or buy Amazon gift cards.

It is wise to wait until you have accumulated a large amount of SB's since the more you have, the more valuable each SB becomes. For instance, it costs 500 SB for a $5 cash out, but only 2200 SB for a $25 Amazon gift card.

The Swagbucks App

Swagbucks also has a mobile app that is compatible on most smartphone devices. Essentially, this is an earn rewards app where you can earn extra cash rewards on your mobile as well as on the desktop version. This is a great way to make a little extra income on the go, and the Swagbucks app acts as a smart passive income app.

Is Swagbucks a scam?

No its not! It’s a free platform offering free products and money in return. They do not promote their site with fake promises and have already paid out $135 million in Rewards to their members.

The Company

Basically Swagbucks is an online loyalty program powered by Prodege LLC.

Prodege is a famous provider that brands and incentivized online reward portals and has “Search&Win” partners including The New York Giants, WGN America, World Wrestling Entertainment and several other big brands.

Prodege is a Los Angeles based company that has over 4 million registered members now, which makes it one of the fastest growing online rewards programs.

In 2011, Swagbucks was ranked #43 on Inc 500 fastest growing company list. Los Angeles Business Journal ranked them as the 3rd fastest growing company in LA. As mentioned earlier, this site has ranked as the 115th site with most traffic in the United States at Alexa.com and 539th in the world.

Is it worth the time?

SWAGBUCKS REVIEW

That depends.

There are three ways you can approach Swagbucks.

Relaxed– If you approach it this way, you will just switch your normal internet activities over to Swagbucks. Simply use the search engine and the toolbar when they can, put a playlist of videos on in the background now and then, and then cashout a free $5 Amazon gift card once the SB's add up.

Swagbucks is good for these people. They are not doing much extra to earn a few bucks per month. It’s absolutely free and they have not made any massive effort to gain it.

Survey Taker- These are the people that we at Surveys Say cater to, so you probably fit into this category. If you already enjoy getting paid to take surveys, Swagbucks is really quite good. While it has many of the problems that a legit paid survey site tends to have (i.e. disqualifications and low payouts) it doesn't have the problems of a scam. It is upfront and clear about what how it's payout system works and doesn't promise to make you rich. However, survey takers should be careful not to get sucked into the process. It is in Swagbucks best interest to keep you on their site for long periods of time, longer than is wise or profitable. It is probably smart to set a specific amount of time you are willing to spend on the site and not go over it.

With all of that in mind, Swagbucks has a great set up, attractive design, and plenty of surveys to take. We highly recommend it to any survey taker.

The Chasers – The people, who complete every task, play every game, watch every video and take every survey!

They are merely fooling themselves and wasting their time!

Swagbucks is great for relaxed users and survey takers, but it won’t help you retire early, or give up your weekend part-time job.

That being said, there are a few ways to get a large payout quick. If you are interested in signing up for Dollar Shave Club, Audible, or being an Uber driver, Swagbucks will pay you significants amounts of SB to sign up. And while you won't make large amounts of money off of their cashback program, it is still nice to get paid for buying things you would already buy.

The marketing brilliance of programs like Swagbucks lies in their system of rewarding points instead of currency, because winning 500 Swagbucks sound a lot more fascinating than winning a 5 dollar bill. It’s a fairly good reward for doing little out of the ordinary, but certainly puny to start a quest for Swagbucks hunt.

Pros and Cons of Swagbucks

Pros

A 100% free platform to join.
A huge variety of prizes.
Simple interface and simplified tasks and surveys.

Cons

The search engine is not as fast as Google or Ask is.
The Swagbuck account stockpiles slowly.
It is easy to get sucked into the SB hunt.

Is Swagbucks Legit?

The simple answer to this question is yes – Swagbucks is an entirely legitimate platform for earning some extra cash. The proof is in the 15 million members who trust the site and use it daily.

Should you join?

Here is the deal. You cannot make a living on this site and you should not try to do so; it will only lead you to waste your precious time.

But how much do you earn presently while searching the internet or watching videos? Do you like taking surveys anyway? Swagbucks is letting you generate free prizes for what you usually do every day of the week.

Swagbucks brings a lot to the table for sure, but only if you use it in a relaxed way. If you are not an existing Swagbucks user, then you can register now and install the toolbar to check it out today.

Swagbucks is a great opportunity to make some passive income off of things that you would ordinarily do on the internet anyway. Plus, if you enjoy filling out surveys, then the Swagbucks you make can really add up, and you can get some great cash rewards or gift cards out of your spare time.

It’s definitely not a scam and worth giving a shot. Click Here to check it out now!

Check out Swagbucks

26 comments

Paid Survey Reviews

MyPoints Review – Legit Paid Survey Site or Just a Scam?

written by Thomas West

There are various ways of earning money online through reward programs. There are various ways of earning money online through reward programs and survey sites. There are a lot of different options out there, and many competitors to choose from. Different rewards sites offer different things for completing task on their site. That is where reviews of such sites come in handy, as you can compare the different benefits of each site and weigh up which one will benefit your needs the most.

In this MyPoints review, we'll cover the details of the paid survey site MyPoints. MyPoints has been around for a long time but has grown more in popularity in recent years, especially as rewards programs such as this are becoming much more popular.

Following is our extensive MyPoints review, where we will discover exactly what the platform is, whether it is a legitimate site, how it compares to similar rewards and survey sites, and whether it is worth signing up to the site or not. There are many different sites similar to MyPoints, but which one is best for you? Read on to find out if MyPoints is indeed the best option to suit your desires…

What Is MyPoints?

MyPoints is an online reward program that pays MyPoints is an online reward program that pays in points. You might be wondering what rewards programs are? Well, on MyPoints, when you perform certain tasks – often tasks that you would usually do anyway, such as shopping, playing games, printing out coupons and reading emails, you can earn points which can be redeemed for money, coupons, or gift cards.

Also, you get the chance to participate in surveys, click on links that are sponsored and take part in trial offers to earn bonus rewards points. These points accumulate over time, and you can exchange them for gifts cards. The points are about 0.62 cents each, meaning that you will have to accumulate 1600 points to cash out a $10 gift card.

Although you can earn money on MyPoints, it is much more beneficial to redeem points for gifts cards, as you get a much higher value in exchange for your points than you do with a simple cash out option.

Ready to earn your first gift card? Click here to get started now!

How Does MyPoints Work?

This online reward site is considered a pioneer and a leader among other sites. They make purchases online from retailers in their network and users can earn reward points each time they complete a transaction. Users can then redeem those points for gift cards, cash back (via PayPal) or travel miles. The minimum payout is $10 for most rewards, but payment through PayPal starts at $25.

MyPoints works in a similar way to how you can earn rewards on a credit card. You can simply earn rewards for doing things on the site which you would ordinarily do anyway. Similar to how you can accumulate points on a credit card simply for buying things that you would buy anyway.

The site operates under MyPoints.com, a California based organization, which is a branch of United Online, Inc., a multimillion dollar company that owns various sites such as FTD, Juno and NetZero. This company encourages cashing out using gift cards by offering you the best rates on certain gift cards. Even though it is possible to cash out through PayPal, you will get 0.55 cents for every point, which is much more than the 10% discount on the value of the points you have.

Users earn points by completing certain tasks such as filling out a survey, making an online transaction, playing a game, or other tasks which you will find on the MyPoints site. It is fairly easy to earn points, and the more things you participate in, the more points you can earn. Many of the tasks are ones which you would most likely do online anyway.

The Signup Process

MyPoints is free to join. However, there are some conditions: you have to fill in accurate information while registering, be a citizen of the US or Canada, and be 18 years of age or older. Once you have confirmed your account, you may get overwhelmed because the site is huge, so be prepared.

There are many ways in which you can earn points and money on MyPoints and so this can be overwhelming to beginners. However, once you get the hang of how to use the site and how to earn points, you will find that navigating and earning points is actually quite a simple process.

It is important when signing up that you input the correct details, as this can affect the rewards that you are eligible for, and can also affect how you are paid. Many of the offers that you are eligible for will be emailed to you directly, so you will easily know which rewards projects you can participate in to earn points. However, it is important to regularly check the site too as they often offer bonus points and offers that are time limited and therefore aren’t emailed. So be sure to always check whenever you have a free moment, so that you can earn the best rewards possible.

How To Make Money With MyPoints

There are lots of ways to earn points and make money using MyPoints. This includes more ways than many competitors and other rewards sites. Below are some of the most effective ways to earn MyPoints rewards:

Reading email:

The website sends you emails that have links, which you will be required to click to earn 5 points (which will be around $0.035). Going through one email will take approximately 10 to 15 seconds on average. You can earn additional points if you decide to take advantage of the offer.

With this in mind, be sure to regularly check your emails for new rewards opportunities as some of them are time limited, or may be only available on a first come first served basis. So it is important to stay up to date on all of the current email offers that are sent to you in order to get the best results and gt the most rewards from the site.

Participating in surveys:

The online surveys you qualify for are sent to you through email, and this is one of the best ways to earn money on MyPoints. You get paid 50 points when you complete one online survey lasting for about 10 minutes, which will be around $0.35. One nice feature is that, if you are disqualified for a survey, you still get 10 points! This means that you earn approximately $0.07 for every survey attempted, regardless of whether or not you were able to complete it.

MyPoints is a great site to earn money by completing surveys. If you’re interested in taking part in surveys anyway, then you might as well make some money whilst completing them, and MyPoints has all the tools available on the platform to do this.

There is a lot of competition out there for survey sites, and so it can be a confusing things to try to choose the right one and the most beneficial one. However, MyPoints is one of the highest paying sites for surveys, and has the added benefits of having many other options available to accumulate points. So even if there are no surveys available at the particular time that you have some free time, you will be able to make some extra cash on MyPoints in other ways.

Shopping online:

MyPoints has an extensive set of partners that can reward you bonus points for shopping through their portal to get access to some popular online shopping websites. Even though the rewards are not as good as those you’ll get by using top shopping reward sites, they are not far off and can be nice if you try consolidating your efforts by using more programs. When you shop using their website, they give you a percentage on each online purchase you make in the form of cash back.

This is a great way to earn additional points, especially when you simply buy things that you would have done anyway irregardless. Online shopping is a great hobby and something that most people will do from time to time, so why wouldn’t you want to make money simply from doing something that you would have done anyway?

Easy points:

There are some easy way to earn membership rewards on MyPoints. If you visit the site once a month and click on the “Easy Points” section, you’ll get asked if you need a contractor to work on your home, or if you will like to save money on groceries with coupons. Click on “I don’t” so they can offer you another opportunity to earn points by clicking on a link. You’ll get 5 points ($0.035) each time you do it. Also, you can earn points when you search for certain offers on their site.

These bonus points are a great way to increase your rewards points balance and redeem larger offers. So with that in mind, it is important to constantly check the sites for updates and check for additional opportunities to earn points. The more points you can earn, the higher your rewards will be, so be aware of any additional points that you can earn as a bonus and take advantage of them on a regular basis.

Watching videos and playing games:

Even though this sounds crazy, you can actually earn by watching videos and playing games. The payment is not much, but if you are watching TV anyway, you can also watch these videos or have them play on a muted tab and earn some extra cash while you relax or take surveys. Same goes for playing games; if you enjoy the games, then play to the best of your ability and earn a few more points at the same time.

Watching videos and playing games is an extremely fun way to earn points, especially if these are activities that you participate in online anyway. Have some fun online whilst also earning a bit of extra money for yourself. There’s nothing better than earning some money for doing the things that you enjoy.

Printing coupons:

If you do grocery shopping of any sort, you know that it is possible for you to print online coupons and save a lot of cash. By using MyPoints, you earn 10 points every time you print a coupon. That equals about 6.2 cents on every coupon in addition to the savings you can make with it in store. Printing coupons for free grocery items is a great way to earn some extra points on MyPoints, as well as a great way for you to save on your grocery shopping that you would have spent money on otherwise.

MyPoints has coupons for many of the leading stores which you most likely shop at anyway. So therefore, taking advantage of their coupon system is a great way to save and earn money by just shopping at the places that you would ordinarily shop at anyway.

In-Store Promotions:

Once in a while, MyPoints will make a deal with an advertiser to offer you a good in-store deal. For instance, you can go to Walmart and buy two boxes of large trash bags. When you scan and upload your receipt to MyPoints, you will receive 1,750 points. That will be enough to get a $10 gift card immediately. The cheapest trash bags are $5.12, so, if you go to the coupon page and print two of the $1 off coupons, you will actually make $1.76 by purchasing those bags. This type of saving is rare, but the in-store promotions are an excellent way to get a great deal.

These are additional great ways of saving and making some extra money. If you were going to be spending the money on those things anyway, then you might as well take advantage of the saving that MyPoints offers. Then, you can upload your receipt and earn even more points which can be exchanged for even more rewards. This is a great scheme that puts MyPoints well above their competitors.

Referral program:

MyPoints has a pretty good referral program. You earn 25 points for referring somebody, 750 extra points when that person spends $20 or more while shopping, and 10% of all the points that person earns.

If you refer all of your friends to the site, then you can easily accumulate a large amount of bonus points, quite simply for just referring them to the site. This is a great way to earn points in the background, whilst you’re still accumulating points by participating in the various and activities that MyPoints have to offer. You will also continue to accumulate points for the entire time that your friends continue to use MyPoints for themselves.

There is an option of cash back, which you get paid through PayPal. To redeem however, you need at least 4,550 points. You can also get a prepaid visa card in exchange for points.

How Much Are MyPoints Worth?

MyPoints are worth different amounts depending on what you are looking at redeeming points for. For example, it costs more MyPoints for cash to you PayPal account than it does for a $10 gift card to one of the several gift card store options they have available, or a grocery coupon that is available for exchange on the site.

There are many different things that you can redeem you My Points for when it comes down to redeeming reward points, and it all depends on your personal preference.

If you are looking to just withdraw cash to your PayPal account as a way of redeeming points, then you may find that it takes a long while to accumulate enough points to make a substantial amount. However, if you’re looking to trade your MyPoints for gift cards, grocery coupons, or air miles, then you may find that you can get some good deals when exchanging your points. It’s worth shopping around on the site and finding the best deal that works for you when it comes to exchanging your accumulated points.

Is MyPoints Legit?

To the extent of our research, we have found that MyPoints is a legitimate reward site and does not have any signs of being a scam. They have a lot to offer their users, and the MyPoints rewards are some of the best in comparison to their competitors. If you're a seasoned paid survey taker, MyPoints is a must-join, and if you're just starting out, MyPoints is a great place to start!

MyPoints has many users and there are countless positive reviews online. A quick search on Google will bring up many positive reviews from real users who have been using the site to gain points and earn money for themselves.

Is It Worth My Time?

Generally, you shouldn't spend copious amounts of time on these sites because they don't pay well. Most if not all user complaints come from individuals who had their expectations set too high. This is something to bare in mind when you join MyPoints for yourself – don’t set your expectations too high, as you will most likely find that you will end up disappointed.

Although you can earn money on MyPoints, you’re not going to get rich taking paid surveys, and you're not going to make a ton of money. If you're interested in making a little extra cash on the side or by doing things spend time on anyway, MyPoints is a great option and one of the best rewards programs out there for doing so! Click here to sign up now!

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Save Money

CardCash Review: Is it Worth the Cash?

written by Travis Henry

Everyone likes to find ways to save money, especially at their favorite restaurants or when they go shopping at their favorite stores. There are many money saving deals online, but some of them may not be legitimate, and you could lose any money you spend on them. One of the many websites which promises to save people money when they go to their favorite restaurants or stores is CardCash. We have created a Cardcash review and have done some research into the company. In this Cardcash review, we will find if it is legitimate, and whether it is indeed a good way to save some of your cash.

What is CardCash and How Does It Work?

CardCash is a website that sells, buys or exchanges gift cards for major retailers and restaurant chains found across the country. Along with discounts on meals from major restaurants, shoppers can find discounts from retailers selling:

- Shoes

- Gas

- Hotel Reservations

- Movie Tickets

Clothing

While some of the discounts are small, sometimes as low as 0.3%, some businesses offer 35% or more on gift card purchases. This is a different process to simply having a cash-back credit card, as it involves the sale, purchase and exchange of physical gift cards.

Along with selling gift cards, CardCash also buys or exchanges unused cards from various card issuers. So, if you have a gift card in a wallet or drawer that you’ve forgotten about and you no longer want it, you can sell or exchange it with the company. The site offers as much 92% of the value on unused gift cards. They can be sold for money or sellers can opt to exchange them for other gift cards.

CardCash Selling Review

To sell gifts cards, sellers can log onto the site, go to the sellers’ area and state which cards they have for sale. They will then be offered a price for their cards, which they can decline or accept. If the offer is accepted, the seller inputs the card information for verification and, after it has been verified, they will credit your account with payment or send the gift cards they bought in exchange. The selling process is available online or cards can be sold via mail as well. The overall selling experience is fairly simple and easy to do, and is a great way to earn some quick cash, or to exchange for gift cards to places that you would prefer.

Pricing

When you go onto Cardcash’s website, you can search gift cards for retailers and restaurants by either browsing their offerings, inputting the name of a company into the search box or by searching the categories. An image of a gift card will appear when searching for companies with whom you do business. The information displayed beneath the image provides the discount amount.

If you want to purchase the card, click on the image to see the face value of the gift card and its discounted price. For example, if you find a gift card for your favorite restaurant offering a 20% discount and the face value of the card is $25, then your price for the card is $20.

Unused gift cards sent in from sellers are also sold on the site at a discount. Many of the cards will have uneven balances on them because a seller may have used a portion of the original value. The company doesn't control the amounts on the card, but you can see the value on the statement credit before you make the purchase, so you know what to expect. CardCash supports the majority of card issuers for payment.

Card Cash Order Status Review

When you buy a card, you can either order a physical copy of it, which can take up to seven days to arrive by mail or opt for a printable eCard, also known as e-gift cards. You will receive an eCard within 24 hours in your email inbox. The site gives several options for paying for gift cards. They can be purchased with a credit card, through a Paypal account, or you can buy them with Bitcoin. Once you’ve purchase the gift card, you can then spend those ultimate rewards and credit on the car whenever and however you like.

Selling gift cards is an ultimate reward and is a great way to earn a bit of extra money, and if you have a savings account, selling gift cards can be a great way to allow your savings to add up. A savings account is always a good idea for saving money, and CardCash has the tools available to make that little bit of extra cash that you’re looking for. Simply sell some unused gift cards and transfer the balance from your sales as a direct deposit to your checking account, and from there to your savings account if you wish to save the money.

Both the buying and selling processes of CardCash are seen as easy transactions. The only time you will come across a transaction fee is if you choose to pay via PayPal. However, this is only a small transaction fee and is something that is applicable to all PayPal purchases, regardless of the website you’re purchasing or selling on. There are no fees for transferring funds to a checking or savings accounts, and there are no fees for using a checking or savings account to pay for your gift cards.

Click Here To Join Cardcash

How long does CardCash take?

It is stated within the terms of the Card Cash website that physical cards usually ship within 24 – 48 hours of being placed and may take up to 7 days to arrive. This seems like a fairly quick turnaround and so is a positive aspect of using Card Cash to buy unused gift cards. This is applicable to all payment processes including credit card purchases, PayPal purchases and Bitcoin purchases. All of these payment methods have the same quick turnaround.

Public Perception

To find out what customers think of their products or services, companies may take surveys and encourage their customers to post reviews or testimonials on their websites. Reviews can help others decide on whether to buy a product or do business with certain companies.

Well Rated Service

In general, the public perception regarding CardCash is favorable among those who have bought gift cards from the site. They enjoyed the savings offered by the cards, and most people received what they were promised. If there were issues, most reviewers stated the customer service department quickly resolved them.

Other reviewers liked the fact they could sell or trade their unused gift cards and that the payment process was quick for them. If you sell an unused gift card, you can either choose to be paid using a Paypal account or they will send you a check. It takes about six days to receive money via Paypal or 13 days to receive a check in the mail.

Card cash exchange reviews are also positive, stating that the process of exchanging gift cards is fairly simple and is a fair procedure.

Click Here To Join Cardcash

How to Avoid Problems

Most of the negative reviews were regarding not having any balance or having a zero balance on the gift cards they received. Most of the people who complained of zero balances stated they called customer service and the customer service representatives quickly resolved the problem for them. The other problem was because customers had tried to use their cards outside of the 45-day guaranteed window.

CardCash guarantees the balance that has been paid will be available on gift cards for 45-days. If you try to use it within that time and there is an issue, you can call them for help or a refund. However, some cards may no longer be valid after 45-days, so there will not be a balance available. Information about the 45-day guarantee is on their website, as well as in the information sent with the card, so you should read the fine print to avoid any problems.

For cardholders who are looking to sell, ensure that you enter your bank checking account or PayPal account details correctly so that the money you make from the sales of your gift cards can be transferred to you without any issues.

How to Get Verified on CardCash

During the account opening process, sometimes you will be required to go through an additional verification process before you are able to purchase any cards. This is a simple procedure and requires Card Cash to contact you via email or phone to verify your details. Once they receive your additional verification, they should not need it again unless your information changes. Any orders you have placed will not be processed until the verification is complete. Cardcash will contact you directly to get verified and they will go through the procedure with you either over the phone, or via email. Either way is a pretty straightforward procedure and just involves you verifying your identity as part of the account opening process.

How it Compares

There are several other websites and rewards programs which offer discounted gift cards or rewards cards for sale and which will buy unused ones for cash. CardCash has one of the quickest turnarounds for receiving your gifts cards or your money in comparison to similar websites who offer the same services.

CardCash offers higher rates for cardholders overall than the leading competitor which is a Cardpool kiosk. With this in mind, it is a much better idea to use Cardcash over a Cardpool kiosk, as you will get more cash for selling gift cards and you will get a higher value for your money when purchasing gift cards.

In comparison to other similar ways of earning and saving money, and similar rewards programs, CardCash comes in above the rest with better rates. When compared to similar rewards card schemes, or cash-back credit cards which offer cash-back rewards, Card Cash offers much better rates and can save you much more money above the rest. Many other services such as this, you may come across foreign transaction fees or other similar fees. However, CardCash does not have any fees as such including foreign transaction fees.

Wins for Reliability

Review sites which have compared CardCash with other similar services have found them to be more reliable when it comes to delivering on their promises. When gift cards or e-gift cards were ordered or sold, the site reviewers received the cards they bought quickly, and they could use them right away.

If they did come across problems, they were usually resolved by calling customer service. They were also paid quickly for the cards they sold, within six days or less, via Paypal.

As Fair as the Others

In comparison to other gift card sites, CardCash was judged as fair as the other sites regarding discounts and policies concerning buying and selling cards. The cards were sold for about the same amount as other sites offered and payments for the cards arrived promptly via Paypal. Their refund policies were similar to other sites as well.

Unlike many other rewards sites or sites which claim to save you money, CardCash has no annual fee. With no annual fee, you are able to use CardCash as much or as little as you’d like and whenever you want without having to worry about any external costs. Buying and selling on CardCash also has no effect on your credit score so there is nothing to worry about when purchasing or selling gift cards.

Although some other rewards schemes may seem more desirable than simply selling unused gift cards, CardCash is great as there are no extra fees to worry about. Schemes such as a cash rewards credit card may require a minimum spend, which isn’t the case with CardCash. CardCash allows you to direct deposit your earnings into your bank, so you can make money simply by selling your unused gift cards, which is great.

There is no credit limit on gift cards and users will see a variety of gift cards on the website with all different amounts on them. Sellers can sell as much as they like without worrying about any credit limits on amounts on the gift cards.

Better Customer Service Response

After contacting the customer service departments for other gift card sites and cash rewards credit card sites, we found that CardCash's customer service department can be reached by telephone. However, some of the other companies’ customer service departments could only be contacted via email.

They also provide answers regarding policies and they were able to resolve many issues right away. For instance, if there was a glitch that resulted in a zero balance on a card, they will search for and correct the problem so you can go shopping with the card you bought.

What We Think

After comparing CardCash with other online businesses selling gift cards, we found them to have the best gift card service.

Better Reliability

In comparison to other gift card websites, CardCash was more reliable because they quickly delivered on their promises. Any cards which were bought came quickly and had the balances available immediately. If they bought or traded for unused cards, they quickly paid for them through Paypal with the promised amount, minus a small Paypal fee, and all transactions have no effect on your credit score.

Their customer service was also able to quickly resolve most issues, although not all the resolutions were favorable to the customer. Their policies regarding card purchases are easy to find because they are clearly visible on the website. Customers should know what to expect by reading the website and the information they receive after purchasing gift cards.

Good Customer Service

When customers had problems with issues such as their statement credit appearing incorrectly, or their gifts cards not working correctly, they were able to contact someone in the customer service department to get help or answers to their issues. While the solution wasn't always in the reviewer's favor, most people reported that their issues were resolved in a timely manner. We found the customer service representatives to be helpful and polite in every situation.

Not Always Best Value

The discounts offered on gift cards are not always the best ones as there are sometimes deeper discounts on other websites. However, they don’t control the discount amounts because CardCash can only offer amounts allowed by the company whose gift cards they’re selling. However, their reliability, prompt delivery, and available services often make up for the difference in pay.

Coupons and Deals

In addition to the discounts CardCash offers on gift cards, you may be able to find coupons for additional savings on other websites. One such site, RetailMeNet.com, offers coupons for additional discounts on selected gift cards or they have sitewide discounts as well.

The site provides details on each offer when you click the drop-down box, and they give a coupon code to use on CardCash’s website for additional savings. You can check out their dedicated coupon page by clicking this link: https://www.retailmenot.com/view/cardcash.com.

Giving a gift card is a great way to thank someone for helping with a problem and saving money when you buy gift cards on CardCash is even better.

Click Here To Join Cardcash

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Paid Survey Reviews

Survey Junkie Review – Legit Survey Website or a Scam?

written by Sydney Robertson

If you've done any extensive research on paid survey companies, you've most likely come across Survey Junkie. They're built a very large membership base in a short period of time and have earned a great reputation as being legitimate and reliable. In this Survey Junkie review, we're going to explain a bit about the company and their offer so you can decide for yourself if you want to get started or move on.

What Is Survey Junkie?

Survey Junkie is a free to join online platform that is designed to help users make money online and all the user needs to do is complete surveys to earn some extra money online. It is similar to the many other survey websites where survey takers can exchange points they build up for gift cards or can request their pay in cash. Making money or building up points for gift cards on Survey Junkie is relatively simple and straightforward. In this article, we will go over some further information about the site, as well as how it works and the pros and cons of using this platform to earn cash. Survey sites tend to be run by market research companies to gather information on certains topics that need to be reviewed. When a survey taker takes the time to complete a survey on the site, they are rewarded with points that can be exchanged for cash or gift cards. Taking surveys in this way can be one of the easiest ways of making money from the comfort of your own home during your spare time. If you’re looking to earn money online from home, then a survey website is a great place to start as all you need to do to earn on sites like this is to complete surveys.

About The Company

Launched in 2005, Survey Junkie currently has over 4,000,000 members. The site is generally pleasing to the eye and very easy to navigate.

Survey Junkie is listed on the BBB and their rating is A+, which is a great sign. Please note that "Survey Junkie" is an alternate business name (or a "DBA"). Their official company name is "Blue Media Ventures, Inc" and they're located in Glendale, CA.

The following video walks you through step by step what you can expect when you sign up with Survey Junkie

Signing Up for Survey Junkie

Registration requirements are pretty typical, if not even better than some other survey companies. First of all, you must be 18 years or older to sign up and start completing surveys. Registration is available to residents of the following countries: US, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

The sign-up process is very straightforward and takes barely any time at all. First, click here to visit the sign-up page. After you enter your email, you will need to enter a few more bits of information (date of birth, gender, etc). You can begin taking surveys immediately after registering with your email address, although you should check your email and click the confirmation link so you can cash out your earnings when you meet the minimum payout threshold. The fact that all you really need to get started is your email address is a great bonus, as it makes the sign-up process super quick and you can start earning points quickly.

Join SurveyJunkie

How Does Survey Junkie Work?

Like any other survey site, at Survey Junkie you make money by taking surveys. You earn points (not cash directly), but your points can be converted into cash. or other rewards such as gift cards.

Completing your profile earns you you're first 25 points. Most surveys are worth 20 to 200 points, but on rare occasions, there are ones that go for more. You must act fast, though, because they fill up quickly. 1,000 points on Survey Junkie is equivalent to $10.00. If you get the right survey, you could earn about 1000 points in 20 minutes, so it's definitely worth checking your account regularly to find those opportunities.

If you're lucky, you can make up to $45 an hour on surveys. But even if it's a mere $5, it's always good to have some real extra cash in your pocket.

To get the most out of Survey Junkie, make sure to join their focus groups. After you log in, look for the "Focus Group" link. Joining gives you the opportunity to earn some extra bucks, but act fast because there are limited spots available.

Is Survey Junkie Safe To Use?

The simple answer to this question is - yes! Survey Junkie is one of the safest survey websites out their with a privacy policy which we have outlined below and a fair pay in comparison to other survey websites. If you’re looking to spend your spare time completing surveys to make some extra money, then Survey Junkie is definitely a safe option to do so. Some survey panels can be deemed unsafe nd untrustworthy, however Survey Junkie seems to be a very trusted and safe platform.

Privacy

Information is collected in various ways, including inquiry forms, registration forms, surveys, and contests. Their privacy policy is pretty straightforward, so nothing to worry about. The information that they collect is well protected.

Is Survey Junkie Legit Or A Scam?

Yes, Survey Junkie is legitimate! No scams to report here.

As with most paid survey companies, you can make a fair share of money taking paid surveys, although you won't get rich and you won’t become a wealthy affiliate. But if you want to maximize the amount of money you make in your spare time taking surveys, we do recommend joining SurveyJunkie and checking for surveys regularly.

If you're looking for other legitimate ways to earn some extra cash, we recommend Swagbucks. It's a safe, reputable site that gives you opportunities to take paid surveys, play games, and earn money searching the web. Click here to sign up now!

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Make Money Online

Wealthy Affiliate Review: Is It Worth Your Time?

written by Travis Henry

So you’re looking to make money online? It doesn’t matter if you’re new to affiliate marketing and just starting to navigate the waters or a well-seasoned veteran in the practice. Finding a marketing company you can trust is a must. No matter your level of expertise, learning more is always wise.

Here, we offer this Wealthy Affiliate review to address the question of whether it’s worth your time as well as address the notion of a Wealthy Affiliate scam.

What Is Wealthy Affiliate?

Wealthy Affiliate is an online-based marketing company. It is a resource for entrepreneurs that offers assistance in building and growing online businesses. A look closer shows that there is so much more than the basic definition.

It turns out that Wealthy Affiliate is a learning hub for anyone who wants to learn more about digital marketing and online business. If you want to learn, they are ready, willing, and eager to teach you how you can make money online from the comfort of your own home. An internet marketing company such as Wealthy Affiliate is a great place for beginners to learn all about online marketing, and how to earn money from home so that you can become a successful online entrepreneur.

Click Here To Join Wealthy Affiliate

They offer step by step online training courses designed to keep you ahead of the pack in the ever-changing world of technology. This ensures that relevant customers consistently find their way to your website. If you’re interested in learning more about affiliate marketing and how you can use your own websites to generate income, then Wealthy Affiliate has all the resources and information that you need to become a successful online entrepreneur.

Arming yourself with the knowledge from these courses that websites such as Wealthy Affiliate offer often opens the eyes of newbies to a full potential they might not realize they had. It also provides the confidence level required to build exciting and promising businesses.

The online affiliate program promises to teach you all the ins and outs of digital marketing and online business. This includes information that will really benefit affiliate marketers such as lessons on how to target people within a particular niche, how to use keyword tools to dominate search engines, and how to build niche websites that will attract people to your business. It also promises to ensure you are trained to use what you’re taught. Wealthy Affiliate will not only educate you but also give their support so you can get the most from your learning experience.

Yes, that’s a lot of promises. To assist in delivering on them, Wealthy Affiliate also provides an online business community, where owners of websites and people who want to learn more about affiliate marketing can come together. This online community offers a place for you to socialize, interact, and network with other entrepreneurs. It’s a place to share answers, experiences, and advice which is invaluable no matter what your business may be or what websites you may own.

The online business community is diverse and can be described as a “tight” community. Wealthy Affiliate understand the importance of sharing knowledge and experience with other entrepreneurs. That shared knowledge and experience gives you the ability to learn from the successes, mistakes, and failures of others giving you yet another advantage over the competition. The lessons that you can learn from being a part of this affiliate community can be very beneficial and sometimes essential for becoming successful online.

Wealthy Affiliate doesn’t stop at offering education, support, and network building. They also have a superior website platform that makes building your website not only easy to do but fun as well. With over 3,000 templates for websites, the possibilities are virtually endless and the results are spectacular.

Then they take things a step further by also providing some of the most complete and comprehensive tools to analyze and manage your website’s ranking and security. They know that keeping your website safe can be the difference between running a business and running a successful business. That’s why they have 24/7 monitoring of all your sites.

Wealthy Affiliate also removes worrisome site speed issues by hosting your WordPress site on the most powerful and current servers in the world. Daily backups also mean that if you make a mistake that you can’t simply undo, they have your back.

They also offer double hosting so that if for some reason your site were to go down, there’s an exact “twin” for your clients to view and use. Those daily backups mentioned earlier? That means that your twins will always be mirrors of each other.

What Type of Person Is Likely to Benefit from Wealthy Affiliate?

Many who dig deeper on the subject find themselves asking, “Is this something that’s right for me?” Answering that question is as easy as answering this one: Do you have the time? It’s that simple.

You could be a student looking to learn to make yourself more marketable in the job field. The skills you learn could quite possibly take you to your dream job in the future.

Maybe you’re a stay at home parent with a passion, and you’re pondering on turning that passion into a business. Perhaps you’ve seen others doing it but aren’t quite sure how to get started. Or maybe you’re just interested in the field of websites and affiliate marketing and want to broaden your knowledge. Your new business venture could be up and running in no time with the right plan of action.

You could be retired and looking for something to occupy your time. When you’ve got all the time in the world, bringing in extra cash flow can quickly become a new hobby.

If you’ve got time you can devote to completing the business required to turn that time into an extra monthly cash flow, then yes, it’s right for you. If you’re willing to put in the sweat equity required to take your level of success to where you’ve set your sights, then yes. It’s right for you.

The exception to this rule is perhaps business owners.

As a business owner, you must recognize the importance of creating an online presence. Your business might be new, and your goal is to get its name and brand out to the masses. Your business could be well-established, and you’re trying to bring it into the new millennium. From either end of the spectrum, having an online presence for your business in today’s world is essential.

Click Here To Join Wealthy Affiliate

Pros of Wealthy Affiliate

As you’ve probably already surmised, there are several advantages to becoming a Wealthy Affiliate member. The list of reasons that support becoming a member is undeniable. Just to name a few of our favorites:

Get started for free
Get educated and trained in areas like social media marketing, keyword research, WordPress, and SEO
Friendly staff support via live chat 24/7
Helpful online community
Innovative, easy to use website tools
Website backup and mirroring
Networking opportunities
Results are up to you
You can work from home!

Cons of Wealthy Affiliate

After careful research, we find that there seems to be only one con.

Results are up to you

No, that is not a typo. It’s no secret that the same things that can help us succeed can also cause us to fail.

Taking the classes takes time. Getting the training takes time. Applying your training also takes time. It is entirely up to you to make this time available and to use it wisely. You must remember that this is an active process. It requires active participation to achieve success. Planting seeds doesn’t make a garden. Tending it does.

To succeed, you must put in the effort. If you graduate from any school or university with the expectation that your work will magically happen for you, you’ve set yourself up for disappointment. Educating yourself was the only first step to succeeding. The same is true with Wealthy Affiliate and the educational opportunities they offer.

Success requires work, and the results are a direct reflection of your efforts. If you want to be successful, you must be willing to work the program so the program can work for you.

Wealthy Affiliate Memberships: Starter vs. Premium

We mentioned in the beginning that we would touch on the notion of a Wealthy Affiliate scam. That brings me to their programs. They offer two – a Starter package and a Premium package. This would be the first scam that I’ve ever seen that allows you to try their services for free before letting you decide whether to upgrade or remain at your current level.

The Starter is ideally suited for those who might be skeptical. If you’re asking, “Why would they be willing to offer membership for free?” They do it for the same reason any company gives free samples. They know the potential of their product. If you don’t like it, you don’t buy it. Period.

The free package offers many of the same features as the Premium package, such as website backup and video walk-throughs. You get the benefit of the beginner training course and personal affiliate blog. Both programs also include the ability to earn while you learn.

However, opting for the free membership means limitations on other features. Your free membership limits your access to the keyword research tool to 30 searches, for example. The option of one-on-one coaching is limited to seven days. It also provides you with only Phase 1 of the seven phases of affiliate boot camp training.

As a Premium member, the website security package is included within your Premium membership. You have unlimited one-on-one coaching opportunities and unlimited access to their keyword research tool. This membership allows your business to receive the benefit of having website feedback as well as website comment platforms and access to website analysis tools to better manage your online presence.

The Premium package is $49 per month which might sound like a lot more than “free,” but it includes features like an additional 48 websites, 12 training classrooms, and live video classes. For that price, you also receive unlimited live help, private messaging, and two times higher payout.

If you’re serious about making money, the Premium package is the much better option.

How Much Money Can I Expect to Make with Wealthy Affiliate?

As we said before, one of the pros and cons is that the results are up to you. The results you will see are ultimately dependent upon how much work you put into achieving them.

It’s a simple format to follow. Follow all the training modules and take advantage of the countless bells and whistles Wealthy Affiliate offers. Take the process and work seriously and your earnings will reflect it.

Some members report making $10,000 every month. That’s a reflection of how much they're putting into the program.

Click Here To Join Wealthy Affiliate

Public Perception (Other Wealthy Affiliate Reviews)

We did an extensive search to answer many of the same questions you probably have also. After searching high and low, we found the consistent consensus to be that Wealthy Affiliate is:

First and foremost, legitimate
A wealth of invaluable resources
A learning hub
A helpful community
Equipped with staff that is always ready and willing to help

While the Wealthy Affiliate complaints found were few, the Wealthy Affiliates success stories we uncovered were numerous. Each of these stories are testaments to the fact that Wealthy Affiliate puts their members in a position to succeed. All in all, if done the right way, you will be able to earn good money.

Final Thoughts: Is Wealthy Affiliate a Scam or Legit? Is It Worth the Time?

Now, on to the real question. Is Wealthy Affiliate legit? It is our opinion that Wealthy Affiliate is absolutely legit. The training and services offered are entirely at the customer’s discretion. The success of said training and services is a direct result of the customer’s application of them.

As for the idea of the whole thing being a scam, they’ve given their customers two package choices. Among those two choices, they offer a completely free membership. What kind of Wealthy Affiliate scam is that? How do you scam someone out of nothing?

There are free websites out there that offer some information on affiliate marketing. However, Wealthy Affiliate provides all of the information you need to succeed, and has the added benefit of lessons and 24/7 staff support. Having the staff support is a huge bonus because they are always there to answer any questions you may have. If you’re a novice to affiliate marketing, then chances are you will have a few questions about the information that you would like the answer to. This is where Wealthy Affiliate comes up trumps above their competitors, as they offer that constant support whenever you need it.

The results are entirely dependent on personal effort and perseverance. As Forbes points out, one of the biggest myths about affiliate marketing is that it’s a quick and easy way to get rich. Affiliate marketers that become truly successful online doing what they do never find that success quickly or easily. It requires work. It requires knowledge of websites, search engines and marketing in order to succeed. Even they will tell you that, in order to succeed with affiliate marketing, you have to be willing to put in the work necessary to achieve that success. You can’t expect to earn money from affiliate marketing without putting in that necessary work beforehand.

If your goal is to build an online business that is both long term, viable and profitable, it’s worth your time to invest in a marketing company that offers real strategies that can help you achieve that goal. What better than a marketing company with over 10 years of experience as well as an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau?

Any business owner knows that customer service must be one of their top priorities if their business is to be successful. Customers are one of the most important driving forces behind the success of our businesses. If they didn’t exist, how successful would any business be?

Wealthy Affiliate’s rating of A- is the result of a total of nine customer reviews. Of those nine reviews, eight are positive and one is negative. The one negative complaint is regarding the customer being charged an automatic renewal fee which appears to an option when signing up as well as a decision you can make at any point.

Looking further into the few complaints they’ve had over the years in the past, most of them consistently regard the same issue. It appears that customers signed up for automatic renewal but forgot until it was too late or they changed their minds about automatic renewal about the same time their automatic payment was taken.

In each instance, Wealthy Affiliate worked with their customers and issued refunds to those who requested them. Any other complaints were also resolved satisfactorily after researching the issues and working closely with the customer.

How Do I Get Started?

The question we asked ourselves after careful research and consideration was, “How do we get started?” It’s quite possible you’re asking yourself that very same question.

It could be that you’ve realized how much more you need to learn and want to ensure you receive optimal training. The thought of earning while you learn obviously doesn’t hurt.

Maybe it’s the idea of having your business benefit from having a connection to an online business community. Especially when it’s almost a million entrepreneurs strong providing a wealth of knowledge based on many combined years of experience.

Whatever your reasons, the first step is to visit Wealthy Affiliate's website. Take the time to consider it. Educate yourself on their services and try their starter package. It’s free, so you lose nothing. The only way you can lose anything is by not taking the opportunity to investigate it for yourself. Try it.

The next step you need to take is the cornerstone of your new network. You want to get together with like-minded people and Wealthy Affiliate is there to help with this endeavor. Their classroom training and boot camp training will be your doorway to meeting those individuals.

If you’re asking yourself, “But what if I need more help than these individuals can provide?” Wealthy Affiliate has you covered. Their experience has taught them that every business has roadblocks. This knowledge led to the provision of not only live chat and video support, but also training modules and 24/7 website support.

The third step is to take what you learn and formulate a plan of action. If you need help with figuring out what that plan looks like, Wealthy Affiliate offers a blueprint plan. This blueprint plan has been thought out and well developed, giving you the boost you need to stick to your plan.

The last and most crucial step is the simplest yet hardest step. Be diligent! You must continue to follow your plan. Remember to take advantage of every one of the vast resources you have with your membership.

These steps are your first on the path to start making money. It really is completely up to you.

Click Here To Join Wealthy Affiliate

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Paid Survey Reviews

Opinion Outpost Review – Best Paid Survey Website On The Web?

written by Joe Trebek

Opinion Outpost Review – Everything You Need To Know

Opinion Outpost is an online survey-panel owned and operated by the global sampling and survey company, Survey Sampling International (SSI). Both Opinion Outpost’s and SSI’s headquarters are based out of Shelton, Connecticut. Users of Opinion Outpost can receive payment simply for completing surveys online.

How does opinion outpost work?

The company, like other similar online panels, enables its vast member base to fill up and complete surveys at their will. This is a great way for people to make money online. If you’re looking to make some extra money, then survey websites such as Opinion Outpost can be a great way to make money online from home.

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