So Over Debt

Disclosure: I have not received any type of compensation for this review. However, all links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I get $1 if you use the link to sign up to take surveys on Opinion Outpost. So if you’re the least bit interested, I hope you’ll use my affiliate link. I love free dollars!

A few years ago I got on a huge online survey kick. I wanted to share my opinions and make money doing it! I wanted to know about new products before other people! Problem was, there were SO many sites to choose from, and many of them required a ton of effort for very little reward. I got frustrated early on and gave up on making money by completing surveys.

In 2009, a coworker told me about Opinion Outpost. She swore she was actually making money taking surveys and didn’t have to buy, join, or sign up for anything to do it. So I checked it out (on my work computer, as I recall - oops!) and decided to sign up.

The process of signing up is very simple. You fill in your basic info, fill out profiles about banking, shopping, education, etc., and confirm your email address. After a week or so, you’ll start getting emails inviting you to take surveys. Sometimes you just answer questions; other times you’re shown a movie trailer or commercial and asked to give your opinion of it. When you qualify and complete a survey, you are rewarded with Opinion Points, which translate into money (10 pts = $1). I have actually received money for completing these surveys. I promise this is not a scam.

Proof of actual money received, though I’ve cashed it all out (note that it has taken me two years to get that much money):

Pros of Opinion Outpost

• You get lots of survey invitations. LOTS. I don’t even have time to complete them all.
• You have several choices for cashing out your Opinion Points. You can get an Amazon gift card code, a paper check, a Citi gift card, a Restaurants.com gift card, or a gift ID for Alawar games (whatever the heck that is - it’s a new option). You can also donate your winnings to the American Red Cross.
• I actually qualify for many of the surveys I’m invited to take. Other sites make it seem impossible to qualify!
• If you don’t qualify for a survey, you can enter a sweepstakes OR donate 10 cents to the Red Cross.
• No spam emails - I only receive survey invitations.
• Customer service is extremely responsive - one time I was randomly missing like 100 Opinion Points, and they promptly figured out the problem and credited them back to my account.

Cons of Opinion Outpost

• Sometimes you spend several minutes answering questions, only to find that they were screener questions and you don’t qualify. It’s aggravating.
• Most surveys only pay $1-$2. Every now and then you’ll get an invite for a $6+ survey, but those are usually looking for people in very specific occupations.
• I’ve never requested a paper check, but I’ve heard they take awhile to show up. So I always do Amazon gift cards, which makes me spend money instead of doing something useful with it.
• The website is cheesy and desperately needs a facelift.
• Sometimes if you don’t qualify for a survey, it will remain on your list for weeks as “Started.”

So that’s the quick version. If the above info sounds okay to you and you want to make some money completing surveys, check out Opinion Outpost. It really is a fun way to earn extra money! Just don’t expect to get rich.