Reviews

SurveyMonkey Rewards Review: How It Works + How Much We Earned

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SurveyMonkey Rewards is a mobile app that gives you Amazon gift cards for taking short surveys. It’s an offshoot of SurveyMonkey, a popular market research platform. 

We tested SurveyMonkey Rewards over a period of one month to see whether it’s worth your time, earning $5.20 from nine surveys (including disqualifications). 

This SurveyMonkey Rewards review explains everything you need to know about how the app works and how much you can earn. 

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At $13.56 per hour during our testing, SurveyMonkey Rewards ranks as one of the best-paying survey sites we’ve tested. It has an appealing design that we found very easy to use, and the surveys it offers are short and can be completed in a few minutes. Unfortunately, new surveys are not always available, so it can take a while to reach the $5 minimum cash-out threshold.

Pros:
  • Offers a very high per-hour pay rate.
  • The surveys on the platform are short and easy.
  • The profile setup and cash-out processes are intuitive.
Cons:
  • The number of available surveys is low.
  • The only incentives available are Amazon gift cards and charity donations.
  • The push notifications you’re sent alerting you to new survey opportunities are unreliable.

SurveyMonkey Rewards: The Basics

SurveyMonkey is a company you may already have heard of, especially if you work in marketing. They’re best known for their free survey tool, which allows anyone to create online surveys and send them to their desired recipients. 

However, SurveyMonkey also offers a variety of other market research products. One of these is SurveyMonkey Audience. This is a paid platform where companies can create surveys to send to a global audience — which is where SurveyMonkey Rewards comes in. 

SurveyMonkey Audience uses SurveyMonkey Rewards to distribute surveys to people within the researchers’ target demographics. 

One thing that makes SurveyMonkey Rewards different from many other survey platforms is that you can only take surveys via mobile app. This app is available for both iOS and Android and is free to download.

I used the app on an Android smartphone and had no issues with downloading, launching or using the app. An editor from The Ways To Wealth tested the app on an iOS device and had a similarly positive experience.

Related: We ranked SurveyMonkey Rewards #3 on our list of the best survey sites and apps.

Completing Your Member Profile

Completing your member profile on SurveyMonkey Rewards is very simple and easy. However, you will need to complete a fairly lengthy list of demographic questions before you can start taking surveys. 

To sign up, you’ll need to provide your first name, email address and cell phone number. You’ll also need to create a password. SurveyMonkey Rewards does use two-step verification during the initial profile setup process. If you decide you want to stop using your account later on, they provide the option to delete your profile in the settings section of the app. This removes your data from the app for security purposes. 

Once you’ve signed up, you’ll need to go to the “Profile” section of the app to answer a demographic questionnaire. You do not have to do this to start taking surveys, but it does increase your chances of having surveys sent to you. Companies that use SurveyMonkey Audience are looking for survey-takers that fit specific criteria, so these demographics help SurveyMonkey match you with the right surveys. 

This demographic questionnaire took me about 10 minutes to complete — notably longer than any of the surveys available on this platform. It’s also important to mention that you won’t receive any compensation for completing this initial questionnaire. 

You’ll be asked a variety of basic demographic questions, including things like age, gender, ethnic background, income and location. You’ll also be asked several questions about your job and your living situation. The questionnaire then dives into your consumer behavior, with questions about the products you purchase, the media you consume and more. 

If you haven’t taken surveys before, you might find these questions a bit invasive, but they are designed to maximize your chances of qualifying for surveys. 

Taking Surveys

I tested SurveyMonkey Rewards for about one month before reaching the $5 minimum cash-out threshold.

One of the biggest downsides of using SurveyMonkey Rewards is that there aren’t very many survey invitations, so you’ll need to be patient. There are regular periods of three or four days where there aren’t any surveys at all, and sometimes these dry spells last even longer. 

Although I didn’t get too many surveys using this app, the ones I did get were short and very easy to complete. All of the surveys on this app take less than five minutes to finish. I liked taking these surveys while riding public transit, but you could also easily complete them while waiting in line or on a break at work. It’s an easy way to make a bit of extra money while killing time. 

Most of the surveys on this platform had a few qualifying questions at the beginning. These questions are there to filter out respondents who are not the right fit for the survey. You may be disqualified after these initial qualifying questions. However, I was still compensated for surveys I was disqualified from (usually in the range of 10 to 20 cents). I appreciate that the company made an effort to still compensate me for my time, even though I didn’t finish the survey. 

These surveys covered a wide variety of topics and featured both open-ended and multiple-choice questions. All of the surveys are hosted by SurveyMonkey, so you aren’t sent to any third-party sites. Because SurveyMonkey offers templates for their clients, many surveys use a similar format. 

Many surveys asked me my opinion about various product ideas and marketing concepts. Some of the most notable topics I was asked about included car insurance, vaping products, and electric generators, just to name a few. On the whole, I found the surveys interesting and relatively easy to complete.  

I did notice that some of the questions in these surveys were not relevant to me. For example, the car insurance survey started by asking me if I had a car. Since I don’t currently drive, I responded that I did not have one. However, the rest of the survey consisted of questions about my car and car insurance. The questions didn’t have an N/A option, so I was unsure of how to best answer them.

Push and Email Notifications

Notifications are one area where the SurveyMonkey Rewards app underperformed.

While they claim to send push notifications when new surveys are available, I didn’t see any throughout the entire month. I had to check the app manually each day to see if there were any new surveys available.

They also didn’t send me any email notifications. This was particularly frustrating because of the slow pace of surveys available. I didn’t feel motivated to check the app because the likelihood of getting new surveys each day was relatively low. 

It’s worth noting that I was testing the app on an Android device. My editor for this review also tested the app, but on an iOS device, and found that push notifications worked reliably and as expected.

Our SurveyMonkey Rewards Earnings

When compared to other survey platforms, SurveyMonkey Rewards offers a higher payout relative to the time it takes to complete each survey. 

We calculated an hourly rate of $13.56 — making it one of the best-paying survey platforms by far.

Although new surveys didn’t come in very frequently, we also didn’t have to take too many to reach the cash-out threshold. 

  • Total surveys attempted: 9
  • Total surveys completed: 7
  • Disqualification rate: 22%
  • Total time spent: 23 minutes
  • Earnings per hour: $13.56
  • How long it took to reach the minimum cash-out amount: Approximately one month.

Here’s a log of all the surveys I attempted on SurveyMonkey Rewards, as well as the result.

Advertised TimeActual TimeResult
5 min3 minEarned $1
3 min3 minEarned $0.75
6 min1 minDisqualified, earned $0.10
2 min3 minEarned $0.25
5 min4 minEarned $1
5 min2 minEarned $0.50
3 min1 minDisqualified, earned $0.10
7 min4 minEarned $1
5 min2 minEarned $0.50

Getting Paid

After a month of taking surveys on this platform, I reached the cash-out threshold and was able to claim my rewards. I redeemed $5.20 in the form of an Amazon gift card.

My editor earned a gift card for about the same amount ($5.10) during the same one-month test period.

Once you’re ready to cash-out, you can open the “Rewards” tab to see your options. You’ll be able to choose between an Amazon gift card or a charitable donation.

This is where I felt like SurveyMonkey Rewards could be improved, as there was no PayPal option or direct debit option. While Amazon gift cards are definitely convenient, not everyone enjoys shopping on the platform. 

Once I selected the Amazon gift card option, the rest of the payment process was very easy. SurveyMonkey Rewards texted me with a two-step verification code, which I entered on the app. They immediately sent me an email with a code to redeem my card on Amazon.

Overall, the process was simple, despite taking a long time to reach the cash-out threshold. 

SurveyMonkey Rewards Alternatives

We’ve tested a wide range of paid survey sites. Here are some of the most comparable alternatives to SurveyMonkey Rewards. 

  • Google Opinion Rewards: A mobile app run by Google that works very similarly to SurveyMonkey Rewards; the surveys are usually less than five minutes and have a relatively good payout rate. However, new survey invitations are infrequent. These surveys pay out in Google Play credits, which you can spend on apps, ebooks, movie & TV rentals, and other media. iOS users have the option to get paid cash via PayPal. Learn more in our Google Opinion Rewards review
  • Survey Junkie: A very reputable survey platform. Like SurveyMonkey Rewards, it has a low cash-out threshold. However, Survey Junkie tends to offer more survey options to choose from. Surveys are available for both desktop and mobile and are very easy to take. Learn more in our Survey Junkie review.
  • Swagbucks: Another popular survey platform worth checking out. Swagbucks has a very wide selection of surveys to take at any given time, so it’s a good option if you want to take surveys more frequently. In addition to surveys, there are a variety of other activities that you can do to earn money. Learn more in our Swagbucks review.

SurveyMonkey Rewards FAQ

Is SurveyMonkey Rewards legit?

Yes, SurveyMonkey Rewards is a legitimate survey app. It is safe to use and you are compensated for each survey you take. SurveyMonkey Rewards won’t generate enough to work as a side hustle, but it can be a decent way to earn a bit of extra cash during your free time. The simple, intuitive interface makes it easy to take surveys quickly here and there throughout the day. 

Is there a way to get more surveys on SurveyMonkey Rewards?

Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much you can do to get more surveys on SurveyMonkey Rewards. The platform says that you can turn geolocation on to access location-specific surveys, but I couldn’t find this option anywhere. From what I could tell, the best way to increase the number of surveys you receive is to finish the profile questionnaire. Users should also check the app every day to ensure they don’t miss any surveys.

Is SurveyMonkey Rewards the same as SurveyMonkey Contribute?

No. While they are similar, Rewards and Contribute are different products that are both from SurveyMonkey. Both of these platforms source their surveys from SurveyMonkey Audience customers.

SurveyMonkey Rewards users can earn both Amazon gift cards and charitable contributions for the surveys they take. Alternatively, SurveyMonkey Contribute users can only earn charitable donations.

SurveyMonkey Rewards: Final Verdict

With one of the best pay-per-hour rates among survey sites we’ve tested, SurveyMonkey Rewards is worth downloading if you’re looking to make a bit of extra cash during your free time. Although there aren’t many surveys available, the ones that are available are quick and easy, and our disqualification rate was low (just 22%).

At the same time, you should be realistic about the maximum earning potential. Both of our testers (myself and my editor) earned just over $5 in a one-month period. If you take every survey you’re offered, you’ll probably come in around that figure.

Sarah Foley
Sarah Foley is a Chicago-based freelance personal finance writer. She has explored a wide range of online side hustles, from paid surveys to transcription to UX testing and more.

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