Is SurveySay Legit or a Scam? We Investigate (+ SurveySay Alternatives)

Is SurveySay.com Legit?

Companies that solicit opinions from consumers through online surveys in exchange for monetary rewards are becoming increasingly popular. With so many survey sites available, figuring out which are safe to use — and which will actually pay — can be a daunting task. SurveySay is one of the many websites that promise money for survey completion. Below, we provide an in-depth evaluation of SurveySay to help you judge whether it’s worth your time, and we list some alternative survey sites to consider.

SurveySay does not actually host surveys and solicit market research — instead, the company directs users to a number of market research companies looking for consumers of certain products who match specific demographic profiles. SurveySay does not directly offer any incentives or payments; the incentives for survey completion are all determined through the external company where SurveySay sends the user. In short, SurveySay does not pay you. It just connects you with opportunities to get paid.

In terms of being a website for finding paid surveys, SurveySay is legitimate. SurveySay connects its users to a variety of different survey sites. It uses secure encryption to keep your personal information safe. When you’re trying to determine if SurveySay is worth your time, it depends — many have reported that SurveySay doesn’t make it easy to earn money through surveys.

How Does SurveySay Work?

To fully understand how SurveySay works, we created an account. The first step is to join the site for free. To sign up, you enter your email address, date of birth, gender, ethnicity, and country. Once you join, the website redirects to a page listing survey companies that are looking to pay for opinions. In order to then complete a survey, you must click and join a different site that specifically hosts the selected surveys. Once you click on a new survey site, additional login information may be required in order to complete surveys. This process can be quite time-consuming — particularly when you spend time setting up a new account and filling out screening questions only to discover that you don’t actually qualify, and are booted out of the survey with nothing to show for your time and effort (more on that later).

How Does SurveySay Pay?

Once you’re directed to a site and provide the necessary signup information, you can choose which surveys to take. Surveys range in payment from $1 to upwards of $10 per survey. Surveys can take anywhere from two minutes to 25 minutes (sometimes even longer), and they can cover a variety of topics ranging from homeowner’s insurance to laundry detergent. If you don’t qualify for a survey, the time spent will be minimal; however, there will be no payment for failed attempts to qualify for a survey.

Payment will only be awarded when a survey is fully completed. SurveySay does not pay you directly — the survey company issues payment. Payments may be in the form of redeemable points, gift cards, or actual money that is sent to your PayPal account. Keep in mind that many of the sites that SurveySay sends you to will have a minimum earnings threshold that you must reach before you can request a payout.

What Information Does SurveySay Collect?

SurveySay collects your information during the registration process. The amount of required information is limited to an email address, date of birth, ethnicity, gender, and country. SurveySay only collects Social Security numbers if members exceed $600 per year in survey earnings, as tax reporting is then required.

When using SurveySay, all information about usage is automatically recorded, and the company maintains access to information such as your number of log-ins, data clicked on, IP address, time spent on each page visited, and information about your browser and platform. Sometimes, additional pieces of information may be required in order to match consumers with additional survey opportunities. This information may include age, consumer habits, information about hobbies and interests, employment status, and product ownership.

How Does SurveySay Use Customers’ Personal Information?

It’s important to always be mindful that personal information shared on the internet can become public at any time. As stated in the SurveySay Privacy Policy, the company is committed to respecting the privacy rights of its users. SurveySay uses the personally identifiable information collected to maintain user accounts, email or text invitations for surveys, determine eligibility for surveys, provide information to clients, and deliver points and rewards to its users. SurveySay also uses background and demographic information to better target surveys for users and to customize the website’s content, layout, and services to suit customer needs. In certain cases, personal information may be disclosed. Possible causes for this scenario include matters where compliance with the law is necessary, such as a court order, legal investigations, or third-party claims.

SurveySay does not send spam emails. Commercial or marketing messages are only sent if you opt-in, and you can opt-out of email communications at any point. We confirmed this with our own account. The emails we received from SurveySay were alerts stating that new surveys were available, and links to the survey sites were included in the emails.

Keep in mind that this is SurveySay’s policy, but SurveySay will send you to other websites that may have different policies. If you are concerned about sharing your information, remember that each site SurveySay suggests will have its own individual privacy policy and information collection practices. The above guidelines do not necessarily apply to the sites on which you will actually be taking the surveys.

SurveySay Reviews

The user reviews for SurveySay are not sparkling. The site has a 1.75-star rating from Reviewopedia and a 1.2-star rating on SiteJabber. Online reviews for these types of companies tend to trend negatives, however, because angry customers are more likely to leave reviews than happy ones. The reviews do provide valuable insight into the common frustrations and annoyances users have experienced through SurveySay. Some of the most common complaints include:

Disqualification: Many users have stated that they spent much time completing screening questions only to be told they do not qualify for that particular survey. Many users feel this is misleading and a significant waste of time.

No payment: Because SurveySay sends its users to a variety of other survey sites, many of these individual sites have minimum payouts or a threshold that must be reached before the users can request a payment. These minimum payouts are sometimes as high as $25 to $30, and it can be very difficult to reach this threshold if SurveySay is constantly sending you to different websites. Some users have claimed that they have been unable to request payment even when they reached the minimum payout, but since SurveySay doesn’t pay users directly, the company that was actually paying for the surveys may be accountable for these cases.

Additional emails: Users have reported that signing up with SurveySay has resulted in a proliferation of spam emails. The SurveySay website is not directly responsible for these additional emails; however, the nature of SurveySay is such that it redirects customers to external sites that may have unscrupulous policies about sending irrelevant or spam emails.

Note that not all reviews are complaints about SurveySay. Some have posted on various blogs and social media websites that you certainly won’t get rich with SurveySay, but it’s a valid way to make a little extra cash on the side if you have some time and a lot of patience.

Alternatives to SurveySay

SurveySay is far from the only option when it comes to making money online with surveys. We’ve listed a few alternative sites that follow a similar model, ordered starting with the best overall options:

Swagbucks

• How to earn: Surveys, emails, paid videos, games, cash-back shopping, special offers, polls, etc.
• Compensation: Varies by activity, plus a $5 signup bonus 60 points (or $0.60) for each email (plus a $5 signup bonus)
• Payment methods: PayPal or retail gift cards. Every 100 points earned equals $1 in Swagbucks that can be exchanged for PayPal credit or gift cards. Participating gift card vendors include Amazon, Walmart, and many others.
• How to get started: Register for an account on the Swagbucks homepage and verify your email address. Sign up to receive daily emails; then, just open them and confirm that you read them.
• Find out more or register

FusionCash

• How to earn: Surveys, referrals, paid videos, paid radio, pay to call, pay to click, tasks, cash-back shopping, etc.
• Compensation: Payment amounts vary by offer; there is an automatic $5 bonus for a valid registration.
• Payment methods: PayPal, direct deposit, or check
• How to get started: Register for an account online and confirm your email. Then, log in and click on the “Earn Cash” link at the top of the homepage to choose a way to start earning.
• Find out more or register

e-Rewards

• How to earn: Surveys and product testing
• Compensation: Varies by survey issuer
• Payment methods: e-Rewards currency, which you can redeem for gift cards
• How to get started: Register for an account and complete the qualifying round of questions, and e-Rewards will direct you to available surveys.
• Find out more or register

Ipsos Panel

• How to earn: Surveys and market research
• Compensation: Varies by survey issuer
• Payment methods: Points that you can redeem for gift cards
• How to get started: Register for an account with basic information like your name, email, and address.
• Find out more or register

SurveyClub

• How to earn: Surveys and studies
• Compensation: Varies by survey issuer
• Payment methods: SurveyClub rewards that you can redeem for Amazon gift cards
• How to get started: Register for an account with basic information like your name, phone number, email address, date of birth, and ethnicity. SurveyClub will then direct you to available surveys.
• Find out more or register

For more ways to make money in exchange for small tasks online, see our list of apps and sites that pay via PayPal.

In Summary

SurveySay is not a scam — you won’t lose money by signing up, and the company isn’t just trying to make off with your personal information or steal your identity. The company does what it says: users are presented with an array of companies that want to pay for consumer opinions. However, it may take a long time to earn any real money, and ultimately, your time may be better spent elsewhere. While SurveySay has its share of problems, it’s comparable to many other survey sites. For alternatives with more earning options than just surveys, consider Swagbucks, FusionCash, or another legitimate way to make money on the side.