Is Survey Junkie Legit? Earn $500 a Year with Easy Online Surveys

For over a decade, Survey Junkie has been paying people to share their opinions online.

In fact, they claim you can earn an extra $40 a month just by sharing their thoughts in short surveys.

But is Survey Junkie legit? Or is it just another survey site that wastes your time and pays next to nothing?

To answer that question, I tested it out for myself.

This honest review is based on my personal experience and feedback from thousands of other Survey Junkie reviews online.

In this review, I’ll break down:

• How Survey Junkie works
• Ways you can earn 
• How much money you can realistically make
• A few pros and cons
• Some Survey Junkie alternatives

Let’s get to it!

What is Survey Junkie?

Based in Glendale, California, Survey Junkie is an online market research community that pays users for sharing their opinions and digital behaviors.

You can redeem your Survey Junkie earnings for cash or a variety of eGift cards to popular retailers.

Since 2013, Survey Junkie has grown to more than 20 million members.

Is Survey Junkie Legit?

Yes, Survey Junkie is legit.

At press time, the company had a solid 4.0-star on Trustpilot, and has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau since 2017.

How Does Survey Junkie Work?

Here’s how Survey Junkie works in a few simple steps.

1. Sign Up for Survey Junkie

Survey Junkie is completely free to join and use and doesn’t require any special skills.

To get started, simply create an account and complete your profile.

This part is key. The information you provide helps the algorithm know what types of surveys to match you with.

The more complete your profile, the more relevant surveys you’ll receive, and the more opportunities you’ll have to earn.

2. Take Surveys

Once you’ve signed up, your dashboard should automatically begin to populate with surveys you can take.

Each one shows how many points you’ll earn if you qualify and complete the survey.

It also provides an estimate of how long the survey will take, which is helpful so you can prioritize the ones with the best per-minute payouts.

Many survey sites give you the time estimate, but Survey Junkie is the first we’ve seen that “does the math” for you. 

3. Earn Points

After each survey, your points will instantly be added to your earnings balance.

Each point is worth $0.01. That may not seem like a lot, but some surveys actually pay hundreds of points.

You can also earn bonus points for certain activities, such as completing your profile and answering instant 1-2 question surveys.

Once you’ve reached 500 points, or $5, you can cash out via:

• Bank transfer
• PayPal
• Digital gift cards

At press time, some of the gift card redemption options included:

• Visa
• Amazon
• Walmart
• Apple
• Target
• Starbucks
• Sephora
• Groupon

Ways to Earn on Survey Junkie

Unlike some other money-making apps with dozens of different ways to earn, Survey Junkie keeps it pretty simple.

There are basically 2 ways you can earn money using Survey Junkie:

1. Completing surveys
2. Surf to Earn

In this section, I’ll break down each of those options.

1. Complete Surveys

Not surprisingly, the most popular way to make money with Survey Junkie is completing online surveys.

When your profile matches the preliminary criteria for a survey, it’ll show up in your dashboard:

Simply select the survey you’d like to take, and click “Start Survey” to answer the questions.

The amount you can earn varies, but typically ranges from $0.35 to $2 per survey.

Important Note: Like with most online survey sites and apps, your effective hourly rate won’t be great. The surveys shown in my screenshot above pay the equivalent of $0.95 to $4.80 per hour — well below the Federal minimum wage.

Beyond those “basic” surveys, some surveys offer their own incentives for participating.

For instance, one survey offered a $35 Amazon gift card for qualified participants, but unfortunately I didn’t qualify.

Most surveys begin with a few qualifying questions. 

If your answers disqualify you for whatever reason, you’ll get redirected back to your Survey Junkie dashboard. In these instances, Survey Junkie typically sprinkles a few cents into your account for trying.

This is another nice feature of Survey Junkie, since most other survey sites don’t bother to give you anything for your “qualifying” answers.

(And it lets you “screen out” quickly of the ones you’re not going to qualify for.)

2. Surf to Earn

The other way to earn money through Survey Junkie is to enable the Surf to Earn feature.

Surf to Earn pays you for letting Survey Junkie monitor: 

• websites you visit
• what you search for
• ads you see
• your shopping activity
• content you engage with

Since this data is really valuable to brands, you can get:

• 50% better-paying surveys
• a monthly $0.50 bonus
• a one-time $1 installation bonus

To participate, you have two options:

1. Install the desktop plugin on your computer
2. Opt-in via the Survey Junkie app

As you work toward your monthly bonus, Survey Junkie will send you updates letting you know your progress:

Important Note: For desktop users, the Surf to Earn browser extension must be installed for at least 30 days in order to receive points. So don’t panic if you don’t see your earnings immediately!

Tips for Making Money with Survey Junkie

Here are few tips for maximizing your earnings with Survey Junkie.

Monetize Your Downtime

The more surveys you complete, the more you’ll earn.

If you’ve got a few minutes of downtime, it’s easy to pull up the app and get paid for your opinion.

Complete Your Profile

Survey Junkie uses the information you provide about yourself to match you with the most relevant opportunities.

In theory, that should help you qualify for more surveys and not get screened out. Be sure to answer all the profile questions honestly and completely.

Prioritize by Points

Each survey offers a set number of points, and some pay quite a bit more than others.

Of course, the higher-points surveys tend to take more time to complete, so make sure you have the availability before you begin.

Enable Surf to Earn

If you’re comfortable allowing Survey Junkie to track your online activities, then Surf to Earn is worth enabling.

You’ll earn your monthly bonus, plus get higher-paying surveys along the way.

(But in terms of monetizing your online data alone, Surf to Earn doesn’t pay as well as other options we’ve found.)

Check in Mondays

New surveys are added on Mondays, so make sure to check the app for the best-paying options.

Take Advantage of Bonuses

Keep an eye out for special promotions that offer bonus points for certain actions. 

For example, Survey Junkie sent me a New Year’s promotion with a $5 bonus if I did 3 surveys a day for 8 days:

Be sure to whitelist Survey Junkie so you see these opportunities in your email inbox.

Survey Junkie also runs occasional bonuses for daily streaks as well as quick 1-2 question surveys to earn a few points in less than a minute.

Look for Yellow Tiles

Keep an eye out for yellow survey tiles on your Survey Junkie dashboard. These surveys tend to offer more points and a better chance to match.

Refer Your Friends

One strike against Survey Junkie is the lack of an in-app referral program.

Instead, they ask you to join their affiliate program if you want to make money referring your friends (or followers).

The rates can vary based on how many users you can refer, but typically start around $1.50-2 for each new user you send.

How Much Can You Make on Survey Junkie?

As with most money making apps, the more time and effort you put into Survey Junkie, the more you can potentially earn.

Are you going to get rich using this platform? Of course not.

But if you can make $40-$50 a month in your spare time, that adds up to around $500 a year, which I’m sure would help erase some expenses.

I earned $7.30 in my first few days without a ton of time or effort, so it’s pretty easy money.

How Does Survey Junkie Make Money?

Survey Junkie earns revenue by selling the aggregated survey answers to market research companies.

They basically serve as a middleman between businesses looking for customer insights and consumers like you providing your opinions.

Survey Junkie Pros & Cons

Pros

• Free to Use: It costs nothing to sign up for Survey Junkie and take surveys.
• Easy: The Survey Junkie platform is very easy and straightforward to navigate and use. They don’t overcomplicate it with extra features.
• Low Payout Threshold: Survey Junkie lets you withdraw your earnings as soon as you reach $5.
• Targeted Surveys: Provided you complete your profile, you should qualify for most of the surveys they match you with. This saves time and prevents frustration.
• Variety of Payment Options: You can have your earnings direct deposited to your bank or PayPal account, or you can cash them in for eGift cards.  

Cons

• Low Pay Per Task: A lot of the surveys pay only minimal points, so it can take a while to really build up a balance.  
• Buggy: I got kicked out of a couple of surveys midway through and didn’t receive credit for them. Another one took me about 30 minutes to finish and I didn’t receive credit for that one either. According to the FAQs, you can contact their support team in these instances, but I didn’t want to waste any more of my time.
• Time Commitment: The higher-paying surveys do take a decent chunk of your time (anywhere from 15 to 30+ minutes). You have to consider what else you could be doing with that time.
• Privacy Concerns: Whether it’s answering survey questions or sharing your browsing activities, you’ll be sharing at least some of your personal information.
• Earning Delays: While survey points are credited instantly, Surf to Earn points can take up to 30 days.
• No In-App Referral Program: If you want to get paid to refer your friends or followers to Survey Junkie, you’ll need to join their separate affiliate program.

Is Survey Junkie Worth It?

For people who have time and feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and opinions, Survey Junkie can be a great way to earn a little extra money.

While you’re not going to make a ton, I’d say overall it’s definitely worth checking out.

And since it’s free to sign up and use, the only thing you have to lose is a little bit of your time.

Survey Junkie Alternatives

Where Survey Junkie wins points for simplicity and a long-standing positive reputation, it’s not the only game in town when it comes to online surveys. 

Here are a few alternatives that might be worth checking out.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks may be the site/app that first comes to mind when I think of online surveys.

The long-running app has paid out hundreds of millions of dollars to users over the years.

And beyond just surveys, you can also make money with Swagbucks:

• Playing mobile games
• As a cash-back portal when shopping online
• Scanning receipts
• Watching videos
• and more

At press time, they were offering a $10 sign-up bonus for new users.

Check out our full Swagbucks review to learn more.

Customer Interviews

The best-paying “online surveys” aren’t really surveys at all — they’re more like targeted focus groups or one-on-one research interviews.

These are harder to qualify for, but the pay is much better — usually $50-150/hr or more!

Here are some of my favorite places to find them.

Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel

On the data-sharing side, Nielsen is similar to Survey Junkie’s Surf to Earn program — only it pays a lot more.

You can install the app on your computer, smartphone, and tablet. As Nielsen tracks your Internet usage, you earn points — worth up to $60 per year.

Users can redeem points for gift cards or cash out via PayPal.

(Yes, this is the same Nielsen that’s been reporting TV ratings data for decades.)

According to one Google Play reviewer: “It’s simple to use and lightning fast to cash out. Just let it sit there on your device and when you have enough points, redeem them.”

The most common complaint is that it can slow down your device.

Serious About Making Extra Money?

• Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
• Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
• Download The Side Hustle Show. My free podcast shares how to make extra money with actionable weekly episodes.