Make money online

Do You Want a $20 Check??

Of course you do :) When you sign up with Toluna, you get to cash out and request a check every time you reach $20! You earn “points” for each survey you complete, and then those points equal cash!

I just requested another check today, which made me think I should share this company with you guys. Right now when I checked, they are taking new members, but if sign up is closed when you get there, check back again later in the week.

This is one of the companies that I have been using for years, and they’re totally legit! I’ll post a pic of my next check, to show you guys that you REALLY do get rewards!

And, not only do you get points to redeem for cash, you also get entries in their sweepstakes each time you don’t qualify for a survey (and I know a couple peeps that have won prizes this way), PLUS every once in awhile you qualify for product testing opportunites too!! How can you NOT sign up, right?

If you are already using Toluna, leave a comment with how long you’ve been a fan, and what type of rewards you’ve gotten! I love to hear your stories….

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 23, 2011 Filed Under: Freebies | No Comments

How to find legitimate survey companies

I read a lot of big claims about survey companies… $100 surveys, free laptops, huge checks, you know what I mean. I’ve never seen any of these type of rewards, so I don’t know if that stuff is true, but I DO get a lot of great benefits from using these survey places consistently.

Years ago I lost my job, but my severance package allowed me some time to figure out my next move. I’d seen a lot of the survey advertisements and thought I’d give it a shot to earn a little extra since I had so much free time.

It didn’t take long to discover that a lot of these places were scammy and spammy. Some things to watch for:

You spend 10 minutes on a survey to be told you “didn’t qualify”… They should determine that within a minute or so, not get all of the information that they need and then not reward you. Scam.

The company gives you tons of “points”, but the rewards are always unavailable, or not valuable at all…. 10,000 points for a water bottle? Scam.

You very rarely get any surveys at all, just TONS of email with “valuable offers” from third party advertisers. Spam.

Or, worst of all, they try to make you PAY to complete offers, and promise to reward you enough to make it worth it. Do not believe it. Total scam.

So, after a year of trial and error, I narrowed it down to the companies that are legit, give generous rewards, and have other perks too such as product testing and giveaways.

The best way to use these companies is to sign up for a bunch. Take the time to fill out at least a few surveys each day, even if you can’t complete all of the offers that they send you. That way, you’re always earning.

Soon enough, you’ll start to see those points rack up, and get your first set of checks…. But warning, you might get hooked :)

Synovate is hard to get into… Unlike a lot of the other companies, they are not always taking new members. They are right now, but it doesn’t always last too long. If it is closed, just keep checking back. It is worth it! You are seldom screened out of surveys, the rewards add up really quickly, and this is one of the best for product testing… I’ve done home fragrance, shampoo, and skin care this year.

Swagbucks is a little different, not a traditional survey site, but it seriously ROCKS my SOCKS. You install a toolbar (super easy, trust me!!) and then use that bar to search, instead of Google or Yahoo. Every so often, it pops up that you have won Swagbucks. You earn them pretty quick, and earn more by doing surveys or polls. I use my points for Amazon gift cards, and I earn at least $5 bucks a week. I just put those in my Amazon account, and let them pile up. It is awesome.

Mypoints sends you some surveys to earn points, but if you only earn points that way, it’s pretty slow. Take advantage of all of the other options: print and redeem coupons, shop through them, and click on the ads they send you. The ads aren’t spammy, although, the more you click them, the more you’ll get. But they are legit offers, and if you want to shop through one you get big points, if you don’t, you just click it and earn 5 points. Mypoints rewards you with FREE gift cards, I earn a $50 card every couple months. And they have TONS of choices for cards… Macy’s, Target, Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, all good ones.

Inbox dollars was one of the first sites I every signed up with, so it’s like an old friend :) This is another one that sends you emails, and you earn points just for clicking the ad. If you use coupons (who doesn’t?? Lol) they have a big coupon list each month, and you earn points just for printing and redeeming them. They have a lot of new options too, like points for watching videos. Inbox dollars is another one that rewards you with actual cash checks!

Toluna is another really great one I’ve used for years. This one is strictly surveys, no other add ons. But I’ve gotten a few product testing opportunities here over the last year, and the rewards are given in a check which is sent really quickly.

These are my favorites, and I have earned real rewards from every single one of these. If any of you guys have tips for how to earn rewards faster, or other sites that you have had good experiences with, please share your tips in the comments!

Posted by Meagan Paullin on March 19, 2011 Filed Under: Product Testing, Freebies | No Comments

Seven Ways to Get Freebies Online!

People are always asking me how I get so much free stuff, so I’m going to share some of my secrets with you! There are so many places out there that make big promises and fail to deliver. After a few years of experimenting, I’ve discovered what works. Here are a few of my favorites, with tips on how to maximize your earnings!

SwagBucks:

http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Megsp22

This is an amazingly easy way to earn some freebies! All you need to do is install the Swagbucks toolbar, (which is totally safe… I’ve been using it for over a year now) and then use that toolbar to search online. Randomly, you’ll get a notice after searching that you have just won some “swag bucks”, which go directly into your account. Then, you can redeem those bucks for free stuff. Easy, right? I use them for Amazon gift cards, and I earn a new $5 gift card every couple of weeks. Each time you earn a gift card, you can take the code that they send you, enter it into your Amazon account, and let them add up until you are ready to use them!

Inbox Dollars:

http://www.inboxdollars.com/?r=ref3483816

I’ve been using Inbox Dollars for years now. This site rewards you for your activity with actual cash! You earn cash for checking out the emails they send you, shopping, watching videos… But the fastest way to earn free money is to fill out the surveys that they send you. The more often you fill out a survey, the more often they will send them to you, and each one is worth $1-$2, and takes about 10-15 minutes. After you have earned $30, you can request a check, which only takes a couple weeks to reach you.

Ebates:

http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=Io%2BQNwnBCD8oq1qEzg6ssg%3D%3D

This is one of my FAVORITE ways to earn money when shopping online! I am new to Ebates, but have been using it for about 4 months, and have already earned enough for my first $40 check! (I admit, I do shop online a lot!) The sign up process to start using Ebates only takes a couple of minutes. Then, every time you shop online, you go to the Ebates site first. Search for the retailer you want, and if they participate, Ebates will give you a list of coupon codes to use, and show you how much cash back you will earn on your purchase. So you get codes for a great deal, and earn money back for shopping you would have done anyway! Love it :)

BzzAgent:

www.bzzagent.com

This site is a great way to get free products and services to try out, and to learn about new companies or promotions before anyone else does. After signing up, it’s up to you how much you want to participate… They only send a few emails a month, with invites to new campaigns you can choose to be a part of. I’ve gotten some cool stuff from BzzAgent, and am a big fan!

House Party:

www.houseparty.com

House Party is amazing! You sign up to host parties for products or companies that you are interested in. If chosen as a host, House Party sends you a really great party pack filled with free products, coupons, decorations, and other fun stuff to help you throw a sweet party for your friends while sharing the featured product. I’ve had a few HouseParties, and I can tell you, it is definitely something worth doing. This is a great way to entertain on a budget!

MySurvey:

https://www.mysurvey.com/

This is another great survey site! It is really clean and easy to use, and has a great assortment of rewards. One thing that I really like about MySurvey is that they reward you for EVERY survey you attempt, even if you do not qualify. Another great way to earn Amazon gift cards!

MyPoints:

This site offers so many ways to earn points! Like Ebates, you can start here for shopping, and earn points for each purchase. MyPoints will also send you emails with companies to check out… You always get a few points just for clicking on the ad, and earn more if you make a purchase. You can also play games, complete surveys, and sign up for some of their free offers to earn additional points. Those points can then be redeemed for FREE gift cards! I have earned so many rewards from MyPoints over the last couple of years!

These are just a few of my favorite sites! I’ll be posting many more. But I do personally use all of these companies, and have earned rewards from every one, many times. Let me know if you use any of these already, and what you think… And please post about any other great ways to earn freebies that are not on my list!