Survey Sites £100s from web surveys & research

Online survey sites.

Simply sign up, and you'll be sent questionnaires to do online. You have to do quite a few to make serious money, but it's easy, involves no travel and can be done in your own time. See the Survey Sites section.

Focus groups.

Here you need to go in person or to an online chat forum at a specified time. The interviewer will spend a few hours getting your views, reactions or opinions on a product tested. The pay's good: often £50 per two-hour session. See the Focus Groups section.

Paid reviews.

Here you test products, and either get them free or get paid. It can be a great way to grab freebies. See the Paid to Review section.

Here are MoneySavers' top-rated regular survey sites

One of the most highly rated sites is Valued Opinions, which has been around for yonks. While the site pays in vouchers, not cash, they are for popular stores, including Tesco, Amazon, Marks & Spencer and Topshop, so it's not limiting. Vouchers take 28 days to arrive after point redemption.

The only downside is it sometimes asks a few questions only to say you're unsuitable, and doesn't pay for the survey. Yet the high payment rates of £1-£5 more than make up for that.

US survey site GlobalTestMarket pays by cheque sent from the States. MoneySavers report that this doesn't cause any problems. In fact, it means when the pound's weak against the dollar, the cheques go up.

It often screens you out after a few questions, but usually bungs a few points even if you're disqualified. Takes take a fair few weeks to arrive, but, at £30-£40 a time, it's worth the wait.

People either love or hate YouGov. On one hand, the surveys are short ‘n' snappy, and it's commissioned by everyone from academics to charities, so you get to put in your tuppence on serious subjects such as the economy.

The problem is surveys are very infrequent (about one per month), and you can't cash in until you hit £50. At 50p per survey, this can take years.

MySurvey.com dishes out Amazon, M&S and more vouchers. You need 500 points to get 500 Nectar Points. The other option's to cash in for £5 Amazon vouchers with 700 points.

It's also got a 'reward shop' where you can cash in for everything from electronics to magazine subscriptions.

For anyone who works in the IT sector QNA is a must-join. It pays hugely generous £5 or £10 in Amazon or Virgin Megastore vouchers per survey. People usually receive the electronic voucher just a few hours after completing the survey. Plus it awards £5 vouchers for referring mates.

You get £3 just for registering with Panel Base, and only need to earn £10 to cash in. The site also pays 20p per friend you sign up. Yet, with infrequent surveys, MoneySavers report it can take about a year to reach the £10 target, so it's only for the patient.

The jury's split on Newvistalive (formerly known as Itsyourview). Some MoneySavers like the short surveys and rack up £50 cheques quickly. Yet many argue it's getting more difficult, and surveys are so few and far between that reaching the £50 threshold's nigh on impossible.

Onepoll used to be mega-popular for its speedy surveys, yet feedback from forumites has declined dramatically over the past few months. The payment per survey is tiny, so hitting the £40 withdrawal target takes ages.

This is because MoneySavers report getting screened after giving lots of details and the site often crashing mid-survey. Onepoll says it is undergoing a site upgrade, so hopefully things will improve soon. It works slightly differently to other survey sites: rather than sending alerts, you need to log on daily, and click on ‘surveys available for you'.

Got an iPhone? Grab OnePoll's survey app

OnePoll also has a free iPhone app that lets you earn cash on the go. Do surveys via the iPhone and you get 50p-£1.50 a time, compared with just 10p-20p for online surveys.

To sign up, grab the free app from the iTune Store and sync it with your iPhone.

Only for very dedicated survey stashers, Pureprofile has fun, flashy graphics, but surveys are scarce. With around one survey a one month, so you can grow old waiting to reach the £25 target. Once your balance does reach £25, the cash is paid into your bank account.

MoneySavers find that Justtheanswer pays generously. It pays in Amazon vouchers and has a low minimum payout threshold of £5.

There are survey sites that people can't just sign up to, they need to wait to be asked. Why have we included them? While the recruitment process is shrouded in mystery, you'll know which ones to jump at if an invite appears.

The reason sites keep them discreet is that some marketing companies are very picky about their demographics. They might want to recruit the type of person who wouldn't normally seek out a survey site, or, for example, are only looking for mums who look at certain websites.

The holy grail of survey sites, Pinecone pays megabucks: £3 for every survey (it used to be £4, but now it's £3 for new members). Sadly, the recruitment process is more secretive than MI6; you have to wait until you're invited or spot a web banner advert on another site to sign up.

If you are lucky enough to be recruited, you get paid cash via PayPal or by Luncheon Vouchers, which aren't just for food; they can be used at Boots, Starbucks, Tesco and Sainsbury's.

Yet it's tough to join, as the first rule of Pinecone is do not talk about Pinecone.

Market research scheme Consumer Pulse is a great way to give your finances a boost, but it's invite-only.

The idea's that each time a member buys something, they log on and plug in the receipt barcode and shop. Consumer Pulse pays 50p per barcode, and allows up to 20 entries/mnth, so that's a least £10 a month. You can then cash in for high street vouchers.

Traditional market research can also be a banker. Here, companies pay cash for taking part in focus groups. These take place at a pre-organised address, in your own home, on the phone, or online in a designated chat forum.

All it involves is giving opinions on the chosen subject, and you can walk away with anything from £30 to £150. This all sounds great, but agencies restrict the amount of focus groups a person can do, typically to one every six months.

The number of focus groups has also dwindled due to the rise of online survey companies. Yet they still pay a pretty penny for a couple of hours' work.

To get started, sign up with the following agencies:

Established agency Saros, typically pays £30 to £100 for two hours work. You're only allowed to take part in two discussions per year, but MoneySavers report it's easy cash.

Another big player is Indiefield. Be sure to update the profile section; the more details it has, the more likely you are to get picked. To become a premier member (it's free), upload a photo and verify your postal address with a pin they sent to your house; premier members are top of the list for suitable surveys.

Market research firm Field Initiatives' The Grapevine Panel covers the whole of the UK, and pays £30 to £80 for taking part in focus groups and telephone interviews. It also sends members links to online surveys, paying £1 to £6 a time.

It's possible to earn £40 to £100 a time with Focus4people. Most focus groups take place in London and the South East, but it also runs telephone and online sessions, so it's worth everyone joining. Focus4people lists all focus groups online. To apply for one, just register, then click on ‘focus groups'.

A good bet for Londoners, FocusForce holds focus groups within the M25, mostly after work, typically paying £40 - £50 a survey. Keep an eye on the site's ‘project applications' section.

Another focus group worth exploring is CLARET-uk, which pays anything from £30 to £150 per focus group. Just register on the site to get details on the latest projects.

As well as survey websites, other review sites and companies give cash for reviews too.

Freebie fans will love ClixResearch. The site doles out free products, in exchange for feedback on whether they work. Products are all safe; it just wants to know how to improve them. MoneySavers have blagged everything from anti-aging creams to chocolate bars.

Once you've signed up, ClixResearch emails invites. Respond at speed, as places fill up fast.

Consumer review site Dooyoo pays up to 60p for each product review you write. The amount you get depends on the product's category. For many electonics, it's 60p, but for others, such as food and drink, it's only 10p. See a full list. The review needs to be at least 150 words long.

Once you've clocked up £20, you can convert into a £20 Amazon voucher. Alternatively, wait till you hit £50 for a cash cheque. Dedicated reviewers make bundles of cash. For example, MoneySaver jenniewb says:

“In two months, I have reviewed literally everything I have used bar one or two uninteresting items, and have so far earned myself £70.”