There are thousands of people out there who wish to earn money sitting at home. Everyone comes across a lot of websites which offer tempting Work-From-Home techniques. However, none of those tell you how actually their system works unless you pay them. As I have never tried any of those methods ever, but I am sure none of them are what they promise.
There was a time back in 2007-2008 when the internet was flooded with Paid-to-Click websites also known as PTC sites. These sites offered around $0.01 for a click on the advertisements that they showed on their website. They also used to send emails to people with links which again gave your around $0.01 per click. Usually all these site had a nice way to make money which of course reached the people who wanted to earn money sitting at home. The usual payout was at $10 or even $25 on some of the websites. Now imagine clicking a thousand times to reach $10 and that too took you months.
They then introduced a system of referrals. You could either buy referrals from the website or ask your friends to join in. Your referrals would give you $0.005 for each of their click. So people thought of buying referrals to reach the $10 mark at a much faster pace. Then came the time when many of these websites either banned Indian and Chinese users or prohibited them to withdraw the funds. The reason is simple, in a general scenario a person sitting in Asia would not invest a single penny to earn money online. So the probability of the Asians buying referrals was minimal. This followed by a policy update by almost every site that the payout would be processed within 60 working days. The supporting argument for this policy was that they have a lot of payouts to process hence this is the amount of time they need. As you waited for the payout, you would see people posting their success stories with blurred PayPal screenshots. This would give you hope that the site is legitimate and would end up paying you. Well I ended up being a victim of such a site where I had almost $100 in my balance but instead of paying me they blocked my account. So those were the old times but my venture to search for online website which offer some kind of a reward continued.
2007-2008 also brought to me an era where I used to read a lot about these online survey websites that pay you for completing a survey. I knew that the surveys are conducted by a lot of firms to understand the market and get an opinion before introducing a new product or service. This used to give them an edge and make last minute changes to their offerings.
The first website I came across was American Consumer Opinion Panel. Within a few days of my joining I got a survey invitation and within a month or so I got an American Express check of $10 which could be en-cashed at any American Express Branch. Strangely, since Dec 2007, the time I signed up, I never got any other survey invitation. The possible reason I could think of it that being an American site, they probably do not get surveys for foreign residents.
A little before that, I got acquainted to a website named Global Test Market, where I signed up on November 2007. A neat and tidy design promised a committed survey site which has quality surveys as well as legitimate intentions of paying the users. Global Test Market sends 1 survey per week on an average and if you successfully complete it, you get up to 50 points per survey. Even if you do not qualify they still offer you 5 points. Isn’t that great? Once you accumulate a 1,000 points, you are sent a check at your residence for $50. My confidence was enriched when I got my first check last summer. It took me almost 3 years to accumulate 1,000 points. I requested the first payout in July 2010. It’s better late then never. Thumbs up to Global Test Market.
Last week of May 2008, I reached a site which was designed specifically for Indian people, Valued Opinions. It too showed a commitment in terms of serving great surveys which not only related to my daily life but were also interesting. These surveys were priced at Rs 30 to 600. Some were two-step surveys where you could get extra incentive for completing both the parts. On Valued Opinions, you are required to accumulate Rs 400. Once you have Rs 400, you can request to redeem them as Accentive Ticket Compliments Gift Vouchers. These vouchers can be used as cash on hundreds of outlets including restaurants, clothing stores, electronic stores and what not. A complete list of vendors which accept Ticket Compliments vouchers is available on the former link. Since May 2008, I have already received vouchers worth Rs 1200 and Rs 325 balance in my account which can be redeemed when I reach Rs 400. Hence I would highly recommend Valued Opinions for people of Indian origin. There is a slight problem as well. So far I have requested for vouchers 3 times. They have a slow turn around time of 28 days on their website. Unfortunately, all the three times I had to wait almost 2 months to get the vouchers. Anyways, once again I would say it’s better late then never.
Around 3-4 months back I found another online survey site, Toluna. It hosts online polls and surveys and pays you in points. The survey I have received so far range from 1,000-20,000 points. I even completed a survey worth 20,000 points and waiting for the credit into my account. On Toluna, once you accumulate 40,000 points, you can redeem it for a Rs 400 voucher of IndiaTimes.com. Considering surveys worth as high as 20,000 points, I don’t think it is such a bad deal. However, I still need to ensure they pay. I will update the Post once I reach the milestone.
Ultimately, if you are not a Google Adsense King, this can be your cup of tea to earn some nice currency notes.
Best of Luck People!
