To get paid to take a survey is a nice and easy way to make extra income without picking up a second job.

However, when it comes to determining which survey opportunities to participate in, ask yourself these three questions: Do I have to pay for it? Is this a viable business opportunity and is it long term? And what kind of cash can I realistically make?

Each of these three questions will be answered in depth below and this will help you determine if the paid survey model is a good fit for you or not.

Do I have to pay for it? Any legitimate survey or market research company worth a salt will not require any kind of money from you up front. You are providing them real feedback so you should not be charged.

Also a survey company should have an affiliate program where again it pays you if you refer your friends and family to partake in the surveys as well. Some companies take the time to compile directories or lists and sell memberships instead. If you look into these, be sure to read some reviews on the individual service first.

Is this a viable business opportunity and is it for me?

Companies wanting to develop new products want to know what the consumer wants and needs in the marketplace.

Before they spend any kind of major capital on development of a new product, they pour millions of dollars into market research to avoid having a product that turns out to be a total flop. Surveys take time, companies understand this, and are willing to compensate individuals for their time with a nominal amount of cash incentive. If you plan on looking for a quick buck, look else where.

This business model requires some consistent effort in order to see any kind of real results.

What kind of cash can I realistically make?

Before you know how much you can make for each survey, you need to read the fine print. Many times companies will tell you that you earn “credits” or “points” which in turn can be converted to cash or a Visa gift card, which is treated like cash.

Some companies will just give you flat out cash and usually pay out 2-4 weeks after you have completed the survey. Most of the time this is has to do with their accounting cycles. Payouts can be anywhere from $2 dollars for a 5 minute survey all the way to $20 for a 30 minutes survey and even as has as $75 and beyond.

Paid surveys can help create additional streams of income that require no start up capital other than some time set aside each day of the week in order to make anything work for them. You should not have to pay for any kind of survey opportunity.

You should expect to work on this consistently for the greatest gains possible. Read the fine print because not all companies give cold hard cash. But some do and you can get paid to take a survey with them.