Some article writers idealize paid surveys to the extent that they send misleading, confusing or outright false messages to the paid survey target group. There are paid survey sites and paid survey sites - some that will tell you what earnings and prizes to expect; others that promise you the world only to subscribe in order to take your money away. If you don't want to be some $40 or more behind from paying membership fees to pyramid survey sites, read further.

Paid onlne surveys takers who have already established a routine of completing surveys know how important it is to start with realistic expectations. Some illegitimate sites or other legitimate ones that try to outperform the already existing paid survey sites tend to overstate the true earnings that a survey respondent may gain per week or month. You've probably read the claims that you can earn $150/h, which is simply not the case. The case with free paid surveys is that in order to make your earnings more regular, you need to subscribe to as many quality paid survey sites as you can. Every seasoned paid survey taker knows that even the top-notch survey sites may send only two or none at all surveys per month. Therefore, to ensure a steadier cash flow from your participation in the paid surveys programs, you need to rely on the total number of surveys you complete, rather than on the payout per survey.

Also, some sites claim that you can reach immediate four-digit profit. Over time, as you consistently and diligently fill in surveys, you may reach substantial earnings. You can also earn immediately, as survey companies offer immediate bonuses from their referral programs or for signing up for particular survey sites. But it will take time to cash in your earnings, as most survey companies have cash thresholds that you have to surmount in order for payment to be issued. Moreover, it also takes time to find out the right mix of survey sites that will bring you your desired income and freebies. So, you should expect that your earnings in the first couple of weeks or even a month will not reflect your desires and expectations.

What is the real pay rate of survey companies? First, you have to distinguish between the usual pay rate and the top survey payout. Most surveys can get you anywhere from $5 to $30, some can get you $50, especially if they are more time-consuming, if they encompass a narrow target group, or if survey respondents of a particular profile are harder to find. There is a golden group of premium surveys that are usually send out to the more experienced survey takers who have proven their loyalty to the particular survey company. These surveys may truly pay $150/h, but they might come once every three months, or even once a year. And yet, it's not certain that you will qualify to complete them. So, the best strategy of survey takers is to complete as many moderate-pay surveys as possible, while considering the 150-dollar ones as a bonus that you might or might not get.

Having realistic expectations about how much you can earn, together with developing the strategy that best fits your lifestyle, other jobs and preferences is crucial for maximizing your earnings with paid surveys. To be successful in paid surveys, you need to make the difference between the marketing hype and the realistic potential to earn cash and prizes with online surveys.