Get Paid to Be Opinionated

Have you ever signed up with one of those companies that offers to pay you for completing surveys? I recently found out about one such company, Synovate, and was intrigued enough to do some research.

Here's some info from Synovate's site:

Synovate is a leading global provider of market research information and analysis with over 50 years of experience. Synovate provides its panelists with a voice to be heard by some of the largest companies in the world. ...Earn points redeemable for cash by taking surveys with the Synovate Rewards Program. Refer a friend to earn even more points.

Points? Cash? Here's the scoop from their TOS and FAQs: You get 5 to 5000 points for completing a survey, and they say most panelists receive "a few surveys per month." Once you accumulate 5000 points, you can redeem them online for cash at a rate of $1 for each $1000 points. In short, the surveys pay anywhere from almost nothing to $5 each, and you're informed upfront about how many points they're worth. I'm guessing panelists earn about $15 to $30 a month--enough to buy two or three packs of diapers. When you register, they also ask if you're interested in trying out new products.

Next, I did some Googling to see what I could find out about their reputation. No red flags. I read their terms of service. The privacy policy seemed fine to me, so I signed up. The registration process was pretty painless. In addition to the usual info, they asked a few general questions about household income, household members and occupations. I didn't feel like it was too invasive. We'll see what happens! I'll keep you posted, and I'll probably post a review of the program in a couple of months. Would any of you like to join me?

If you'd like to join or check into Synovate's Global Opinion Panels, here's a link: Join the Synovate Panel

Two more good ones (according to users below) are American Consumer Opinion and Opinion Outpost. Join American Consumer Opinion here. Join Opinion Outpost here.