Survey Junkie Review: How To Earn With Surveys in 2024
Last Updated on March 10, 2024 by John Cirelly
There are tons of easy side hustles and survey sites to choose from. But here’s the million-dollar question: Is Survey Junkie really worth it? In this Survey Junkie review, you’ll learn if it’s worth your time, how to set up an account, and some tricks to get paid faster.
We’ve all seen the claims that survey sites can make you money, but is it legit? I tried it for myself to find out.
Survey Junkie Key Takeaways
- Survey Junkie is a legitimate platform for making a bit of extra money through online surveys.
- Earnings are point-based, with 1 point equivalent to 1 cent. A minimum of 500 points ($5) is required to cash out.
- Payment can be received via PayPal, bank transfer, or through various electronic gift cards.
- The number of available surveys can be limited, potentially capping your earnings.
- Over $1 million is paid out to Survey Junkie members monthly, making SJ highly trusted.
- Despite some limitations, Survey Junkie provides a viable opportunity to earn a little extra cash in your spare time, but won’t bring in a significant side income.
Survey Junkie Setup
Creating an account on Survey Junkie about two minutes of your time. Here’s what SurveyJunkie.com will need from you:
- Your ZIP code
- Your country of residence
- Your date of birth
- Your gender
- Your first and last name
Once you’re signed up start filling out those profiles. According to Survey Junkie, this proactive approach can significantly boost your chances of attracting more surveys and, subsequently, higher rewards.
This is a result of market research companies being in constant pursuit of particular demographic segments to complete their surveys. This is where those detailed profiles on Survey Junkie come into play, enabling you to align yourself with surveys that are the right fit for you.
The profile questions delve into various aspects of your life, such as whether you own a pet, your smartphone preference, your shopping habits for certain products, and the amount of time you dedicate to watching television.
For every profile you complete, you get to add a few points to your account that quickly turn into dollars.
Completing Surveys
In no time at all, after I’d finished those profile queries, Survey Junkie started sliding paid survey opportunities my way.
Take a look at your account dashboard, and you’ll find a rundown of all the surveys you can explore. Before you dive in, you’ll be able to see the points you’ll earn for each completed survey.
I won’t sugarcoat it—the real kicker was spending several minutes deep in a survey, only to be disqualified. That happened more than once. If you’ve got a few online surveys under your belt, I bet you’ve run into this too. I know I have with Swagbucks and Opinion Outpost. It’s disheartening when you’ve done most of the legwork, only to walk away without the full reward.
What I did enjoy was that the survey opportunities were relevant to me. It felt more like I was doing a Buzzfeed quiz than doing any real work.
Getting Paid
Here’s the deal with Survey Junkie: one point equals one cent. So if a survey is dishing out a 100-point reward, that’s a cool $1 in your pocket. But keep in mind, you need to hit at least $5 (or 500 points) in your account before you can cash out.
When it came to reaping the rewards, I opted for a good old cash payment via PayPal. But don’t fret, there are other ways to get your hands on your earnings. You can choose to have the rewards sent straight to your bank account or swap them for electronic gift cards.
If you’re more into gift cards you can redeem the following:
- Amazon
- iTunes
- Sephora
- Starbucks
- Walmart
- Target
- Groupon
When I was ready to cash out, Survey Junkie asked me to verify my identity, which required my address and phone number.
I’ll admit, I was a little on edge, worrying that I might not get paid. But once the manual verification was done and dusted, I was able to cash out on the spot.
Earning More With “SJPulse”
There’s another way to make some money with their add-on program, “SJ Pulse”. This nifty little feature lets you share your online activities with brands, and in return, you get rewarded with bonus points.
It’s all done through a browser extension or an opt-in option in the Survey Junkie mobile app.
Once the extension gets the hang of your browsing habits, it unlocks additional surveys that are tailor-made just for you.
So, what’s it keeping tabs on?
- Your search queries
- The websites you drop by
- Your shopping activity
- The ads that catch your eye
- The content you engage with
Now, I can almost hear the alarm bells ringing about privacy concerns. But don’t worry, the company has addressed this:
- Just like with surveys, the information shared with companies is anonymous. So while brands get a peek at your insights, they won’t see “Jane Smith’s” individual history.
- The extension gives a wide berth to sensitive data like your email address, credit card numbers, passwords, and usernames.
- Want to keep your browsing private even with the extension enabled? Just pop open a private or incognito window, and the extension will be disabled.
One thing to keep in mind, though—if you want to score points with Survey Pulse, you need to keep the extension installed and enabled for a full 30 days. If you uninstall it early, you won’t be compensated at all.
My Final Thoughts on Survey Junkie
In wrapping up my experiences with Survey Junkie, it’s safe to say that it’s a genuine platform for those looking to make a bit of extra cash in their spare time. The process is straightforward—sign up, fill out some profiles, and start earning points for surveys.
However, it’s crucial to manage expectations. You won’t be making a fortune here—rather, think of it as a small stream of income. The availability of surveys can be a little limited, and sometimes you might find yourself disqualified midway through a survey.
One great feature is the SJ Pulse program, which offers bonus points for sharing your browsing habits. Just keep in mind the privacy considerations and the 30-day commitment to earn points.
All in all, if you’ve got some free time on your hands and don’t mind sharing your opinions, Survey Junkie could be worth a try. Just remember to cash out as soon as you reach the minimum, and you might find this platform a decent way to bolster your income.