We Investigate: What Are The Best Survey Sites to Make Money? RewardSurvey vs Swagbucks

In an ecosystem where many of the survey sites out there appear to be clones of each other, it’s refreshing to review two sites that take different approaches to collect market research data. As we’ll soon discover, RewardSurvey and Swagbucks have the same objective in data collection, but go about fulfilling that objective with different approaches to how they engage users.

RewardSurvey vs. Swagbucks At A Glance

Swagbucks At A Glance

*Swagbucks’ rating is an average of the 3 available rating resources.

*RewardSurvey rating is based on the minimal reviews found on the BBB site.

What Is RewardSurvey?

There are differences between RewardSurvey and other survey sites. Like many survey sites, RewardSurvey rewards people for their time spent providing information on their purchasing habits and preferences through surveys.

Unlike many of those sites, RewardSurvey entices people with magazine subscriptions to compensate them for their continued engagement. 

How Does RewardSurvey Work?

If you want to sign up for RewardSurvey, it’s as easy as completing a form. Users type their first and last name, and their email addresses. They create a password and confirm it, and enter their country of residence. There’s no cost to register with RewardSurvey.

Next is the profile survey. It asks basic questions like your age, how much money you make, and gender. It also confirms you’re 18 or older.

Users are given a sign-up bonus of 30 points just for completing the registration process. Users may also be pleasantly surprised to learn that this bonus lets them claim as many as 3 subscriptions to magazines.

Users can participate in surveys by checking the website. RewardSurvey surveys are updated weekly with topics that include clothing, sports, travel, pets, and many others.

You can also be notified of available surveys by checking your email. Regardless of how you receive your survey notifications, it’s a good idea to respond to them as soon as possible. Survey pools fill up with respondents in no time.

You are matched with surveys as a result of your answers to the profile survey. Most surveys can be completed in a fairly short time.

After each completed survey, you will be directed to the reward store. Each completed survey makes you eligible to earn rewards, but there are rewards of varying values. You are not required to spend all of your points after each survey. Points can be saved for rewards costing more points.

However, points do have a shelf life. They expire after 6 months. So holding onto points for too long is not advisable, as you’ll forfeit them if they are not used within that window.

Magazine subscriptions are the most common type of reward you’ll find. All magazine subscriptions have the print version of the publication, but there are some that offer a web-based version.

Rewards that are not magazines occasionally appear. Movie gift cards and other random gift cards are sometimes available.

Discounted offers sometimes appear in the reward store as well. These offer large discounts on various products and services. These are slightly different from magazines and gift cards because they require both points and a small fee as payment. This requires entering credit card information.

Occasionally, magazine subscriptions also require credit card information. Sometimes a $.99 fee for processing is assessed when redeeming a magazine subscription. Reading the terms and conditions of the offer when claiming a magazine subscription will let you know if the subscription charges this fee.

Some magazine subscriptions have automatic renewals as a condition of their subscription. Make sure you read carefully before using your points.

Members have the option to give their subscriptions as a gift to anyone they choose. The only requirement is to enter the name and address of the person receiving the gift when completing the delivery portion of the form.

RewardSurvey users receive an entry to a sweepstakes each day they are actively participating on the site. This makes them eligible for a $25,000 prize. RewardSurvey does not say how frequently drawings occur.

Is RewardSurvey Legit Or Is RewardSurvey A Scam?

RewardSurvey is a bona fide paid survey site. It makes good on its obligation to reward its users for filling out surveys. Active since 2012, it boasts more than 1,000,000 members.

RewardSurvey has awarded over $100,000,000 in prize value to its users.

Real User Reviews For RewardSurvey

Finding user reviews for RewardSurvey is not easy as it seems to keep a relatively low online profile. However, the Better Business Bureau gives RewardSurvey a rating of A+.

They typically focus on how many complaints a business receives over time. RewardSurvey has gotten only a single complaint in the past three years and no complaints in the previous twelve months.

DollarBreak.com, another review site, reviewed RewardSurvey in early 2022. The site earned 3.5 stars out of 5. RewardSurvey received 5 stars for “Safe and Legit,” and a 3.5-star rating for “Earning Potential.”

RewardSurvey currently has no social media presence at all on Facebook or Twitter. The Twitter page of M2 Interactive (RewardSurvey’s parent company) is visible, but contains zero tweets. No account exists on Instagram.

What is Swagbucks?

Swagbucks compensates users for completing surveys as well as various other activities. Members exchange an in-app currency for gift cards from select retailers or convert it to cash deposited to PayPal. 

The points users accumulate are called Swagbucks and are awarded in various amounts depending on the activity. Swagbucks is a division of Prodege, LLC, a market research company.

How Does Swagbucks Work?

Completing a membership form on Swagbucks.com begins the account creation process. Users also have the option of downloading the Swagbucks app and registering on their mobile devices. Completing registration gets users a 5 Swagbuck bonus. 

When you log on for the first time, Swagbucks will require you to complete a profile survey. This is important primarily for surveys. Swagbucks uses the answers to this survey to determine the surveys you would best qualify for. This minimizes the chances of you getting disqualified for a survey.

A verification email is sent to the email account you have provided. Once you have verified your account, you can start doing activities and earning Swagbucks. 

A second 5 Swagbuck bonus is given to you for finishing your account verification. A single Swagbuck’s value fluctuates slightly, but it is equivalent to one cent.

Unlike other sites that focus exclusively on a single activity, Swagbucks offers a number of different ways to earn prizes.

Surveys

Users receive Swagbucks surveys based on the answers they gave to the profile survey. Each survey shows its point value and the time it takes to complete the survey. 

Only when a survey has been finished in its entirety is a user awarded Swagbucks. If a user is disqualified from the survey at any point, no Swagbucks are awarded.

Online Shopping

Swagbucks partners with online retailers and awards its users for making purchases from those sites. Members can shop from stores like Walmart, Lowes, Kohl’s, Staples, and many others.

If you primarily use a PC to shop online, Swagbucks has a browser extension that makes earning easy. Just plug your login information into the extension and it will make sure your points are properly credited to your account as you shop.

Playing Games

Earning Swagbucks by playing games is done through your phone or tablet. To ensure your Swagbucks are properly credited, you need to play games using the Swagbucks downloadable app.

Watching Videos

Users can earn points by watching online video clips. Points are awarded upon completion of the video, so make sure you don’t stop the video before it reaches the end.

Browsing the Internet

You can earn Swagbucks simply by browsing the web. Swagbucks has a search form within the Swagbucks site that highlights all results containing sites that Swagbucks partners with. Points can be earned by making purchases at the sites or sometimes by just visiting the highlighted webpage.

If you want to know how much you’ve earned, your Swagbucks total is shown right below the “SB” if you are using a PC’s web browser on Swagbucks.com. If you are using either Google Play or Apple app, your total is shown on the same screen that displays your profile information.

Redeem Swagbucks by going to Settings and then to “Redeem SB.” Rewards you’re eligible for are listed there. You also have the option to redeem your points for cash deposited to PayPal.

For funds to be sent to PayPal, your account has to be verified by PayPal and by Swagbucks. If you don’t want the restrictions of a retailer gift card, but don’t want to deposit to PayPal, there are Visa gift cards available as well.

Before Swagbucks can process any reward, they need to verify your identity. This can take roughly two business days.

Is Swagbucks Legit?

Swagbucks does compensate users for the various activities they complete, whether it’s surveys, videos, or shopping online. It has received consistently positive comments from users of the app, regardless of the operating platform.

What Real Users Think About Swagbucks

Apple users have given Swagbucks a 4.4 out of 5-star score with more than 60,000 reviews. Android users give Swagbucks 4.2 out of 5 stars with more than 80,000 reviews. The independent review site TrustPilot has its 25,000 Swagbucks users rate the app at 4.3 out of 5 stars.

Users are happy with Swagbucks like the wide array of activities and the chance to get extra cash for doing things they enjoy. The speed of the customer support team’s response to issues was also mentioned.

Users giving average scores mentioned issues with identity verification at cashout. Some also found the interface to be not user-friendly.

Dissatisfied users were not happy with survey disqualifications. Difficulty authenticating was mentioned as well.

How RewardSurvey And Swagbucks Compare

It’s hard to compare these two sites as there are few similarities between them. Both RewardSurvey and Swagbucks offer surveys. Both have their own point system. But that’s where the similarities end.

RewardSurvey has surveys as its one and only method of earning points. It also has a very specific prize pool, with magazine subscriptions and the occasional movie gift card or discount offer. RewardSurvey gives its users frequent rewards, but occasionally charges a nominal fee.

Swagbucks offers many activities that can earn points, not just surveys. But it also takes much longer to earn enough points to redeem for rewards, as a Swagbuck is worth a penny. When you have enough points for a reward, you can redeem Swagbucks for gift cards or you can cash it out to PayPal, an option RewardSurvey doesn’t offer.

Pros And Cons

Reward Survey

Swagbucks Pros And Cons

Bottom Line: What Is The Best Survey Site To Make Money, RewardSurvey, or Swagbucks?

As cliche as it sounds, which site is better depends on what your goals are when comparing the two.

If your goal is to get some free reading material for filling out surveys, and not have to worry about point conversions, then RewardSurvey is the site for you. Users are eligible for rewards after each completed survey, so plenty of reading material is only a few clicks away.

If your goal is to actually earn money or to save money using gift cards at your favorite retailer, then Swagbucks is the right choice. They offer many different ways to accumulate points and the number of retailers they partner with is extensive.

FAQ

Can I exchange my RewardSurvey points for cash?

RewardSurvey does not allow the exchange of its points for cash. After each survey, you are directed to the rewards store where your points can be exchanged for magazine subscriptions.

Is there a RewardSurvey App?

RewardSurvey does not have an app, but it can be used on mobile devices from a web browser.

Can I contact RewardSurvey?

RewardSurvey has an email address that can be used for questions or to report any problems with the site: customerservice@rewardsurvey.com.

How much is one Swagbuck worth?

One Swagbuck is equivalent to a penny.

Can I exchange my Swagbucks to PayPal?

You can cash out your Swagbucks to PayPal, provided both PayPal and Swagbucks have verified it.

What are you waiting for? Give these two cash back offers a chance and see how they really compare to see which is best, Swagbucks or RewardSurvey.

Alternatives:

Want to know how other survey sites compare? Check out these apps like Swagbucks.

Rather play games on your phone to earn cash? These apps like Mistplay are a great place to start.

Rather earn money on your phone in other ways? Our apps that pay cash list can get you started.