THOUSANDS across the UK are earning extra money just by sharing what they think.
Whether it’s reviewing a new snack, picking a favourite brand, or rating an advert, companies are forking out cold hard cash for honest feedback.
Some savvy entrepreneurs have made thousands just by filling out surveys.
By signing up to multiple websites, you could rack up plenty of cash.
This kind of side hustle takes no specialist skills, no awkward calls, and no chasing invoices.
A smartphone, a few spare minutes and a bit of consistency is all it takes.
Over the course of a year, someone signed up to just a handful of these platforms could easily rack up £300 to £600 in extra income. All from the comfort of the sofa, with a brew in hand.
It’s genuine money for everyday thoughts — a no-nonsense way to top up the bank balance without lifting anything heavier than a finger.
Here are some of the best sites to join and start earning…
Swagbucks
This major site has paid out millions globally and reward users for surveys, watching clips and browsing the web.
With just 10 to 15 minutes a day, regular users report earning upwards of £300 a year.
Expect to earn around 50p a survey which will typically take up to 20 minutes.
You can get your payouts either as PayPal cash or shopping vouchers.
Prolific
UK-based favourite Prolific has fast become a top choice for those looking to earn more per minute.
The site pays a fair wage for your time — around £6 to £10 an hour — and the surveys are short, snappy, and often contribute to real academic research.
Many users clear £400 or more per year, with no faff or filler.
However, there are eligibility criteria so you won’t be able to do every survey.
Onepoll
OnePoll is another great platform and it keeps things light and quick, with daily mini-surveys on everything from tea brands to telly habits.
You will spend just two or three minutes answering questions – each survey pays from 20p up to £1.
Once the £40 payout threshold is hit, the money lands straight with you either through bank transfer or PayPal.
Opinium
This well-known firm is regarded well in the media and is used by top firms for research.
Surveys pay 50p on average and take around five minutes, you’ll have to work up to £25 before you can get a payout.
Get your money through cash with a bank transfer or gift vouchers.
Qmee
Qmee is one of the UK’s leading platforms for rewarded surveys, giving people the opportunity to take part in short questionnaires to earn cash rewards.
For ease you can download the Qmee app and sign up for a free account to get started.
Each survey pays 70p on average and should take no longer than 20 minutes.
Get your payouts in cash through PayPal or gift cards
Toluna
On platforms like Toluna, users can pick up points not just for surveys but also for testing new products at home.
These points stack up and are redeemable for vouchers or cash, adding up to £100 to £150 a year for the more active users.
Surveys are fairly long and can take up to 30 minutes.
You’ll need to hit a payment threshold of £5 before getting cash through PayPal or a giftcard.
YouGov
Heavyweight pollster YouGov rewards users for political and social insight.
Though less frequent, the surveys offer a steady trickle of earnings, typically £50 or more a year, and have the added bonus of influencing headlines across the country.
YouGov also lets you make money from watching short video clips and reading sponsored content — all stacking up to a possible for £200 to £500 a year in side earnings.
A typical survey pays 50p and takes around 10 minutes, though you’ll usually have to hit a threshold of £50 to get a payout.
You get paid cash through a bank transfer or gift card
Y-live
This site pays competitive amounts, as much at £1 to as much as £4 per survey.
A survey may take up to around 20 minutes to finish and you’ll need to work up to £50 before you cash out.
You get money paid by bank transfer.
Do i need to pay tax on my side hustle?
IF you earned more than £1,000 in the last tax year from your side hustles, you need to register for self-assessment.
How much you earn is important. If you make less than £1000 in a tax year from your hustle, it doesn’t count as taxable income, and you don’t have to declare it.
But, once you start making more than this, you need to register as self-employed and start paying tax on the money earned over this amount.
You also need to register if any of the following applied in the past year:
- you were a sole trader
- you were a partner in a business partnership
- you had a total taxable income of more than £150,000
- you had to pay Capital Gains Tax when you sold or ‘disposed of’ something that increased in value
- you had to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge
You might also need to register and send in a tax return if you have untaxed income, such as:
- money from renting out a property
- tips and commission
- income from savings, investments and dividends
- foreign income
And there are some scenarios where you don’t need to send in a return, but might choose to anyway. For instance, if you want to:
- claim some Income Tax reliefs
- prove you’re self-employed, for example to claim Tax-Free Childcare or Maternity Allowance
- pay voluntary National Insurance contributions
You can check if you need to do self-assessment with the Government’s online tool.
How online surveys work
Online surveys are a quick way for big brands, market researchers and even universities to collect opinions from real people.
Once you sign up to a legit site you’ll be sent surveys based on your profile — things like your age, job, where you live, and even your hobbies.
These surveys can take anything from two minutes to half an hour and will often ask about your shopping habits, adverts you’ve seen, or views on certain products.
In return, you’ll earn points or cash that can be paid into your bank account or claimed as gift vouchers. The more accurate and honest your answers, the more likely you are to be picked for higher-paying surveys.
Tips for online surveys
To earn the most from surveys, sign up to multiple sites — some pay more than others and have different types of surveys available.
Set up a dedicated email address to keep all the invites in one place and avoid clogging up your personal inbox.
Fill in your profile fully and keep it up to date — you’ll only be offered surveys that match your details.
Don’t be tempted to rush or give false answers just to finish quickly, as sites have ways to check and could ban your account.
And lastly, make a habit of checking in daily — consistency is key, and even doing a couple a day can bring in serious extra cash over time.
Mum’s £12K online hustle
Mum-of-one Lisa Ebworth explained how she paid off her £12k debt which included doing online surevys.
After years of treading water financially, Lisa Ebsworth decided enough was enough.
The 43-year-old mum-of-one threw herself into every side hustle she could find — and paid off a whopping £12,000 of debt in just 12 months.
Lisa, who freelances in events and communications, got stuck into money-makers like walking apps, online surveys, affiliate links and even wrote her own £5 e-book.
She used every spare second of her day to bring in extra income — whether it was while her daughter Fearne, six, was sleeping, or in between freelance jobs.
“Every time I made some money, I put it straight into a different account so it couldn’t be absorbed by buying a coffee or normal day-to-day items,” she said.
“Every single penny went towards paying off my debt.”
Lisa’s biggest driver was tackling her student loan and car finance. She set up a TikTok account to document her progress and soon built a community of thousands, all keen to follow her journey.
“I started the account in March 2023 from zero and by the time I paid my debt off — a full year to the day — I had 40,000 followers,” she said.
One of her biggest earners was an e-book she created after being bombarded with questions about how to get started with side hustles. She packed her top seven tips — including links to sites she used — into a 20-page PDF and sold it online using a site called Pensite.
“It took a day to write and design,” Lisa said. “I added my affiliate links too, so I could earn a little extra commission.”
The book has now brought in over £1,000, and continues to sell well thanks to her monthly earnings round-ups.
But one of the most consistent money-makers throughout her year was online surveys.
Lisa racked up around £2,000 from surveys alone by consistently putting in the time across sites like Swagbucks, Prolific, Toluna, and YouGov.
Surveys involve sharing your views on ads, products or social issues via websites or emails — and companies pay for insights from real people in specific age or lifestyle brackets.
Lisa said they were perfect for late nights when her daughter was asleep. “You can’t really do much else at that time of night, so I made the most of that quiet window.”
While she admits they’re not the fastest way to make money, Lisa says the key is consistency. “A fiver here, a tenner there — it adds up quicker than you think.”
Between all her hustles — from digital products to paid opinions — Lisa turned her debt into a zero balance within a year, all without giving up her day job.
Now debt-free and still earning on the side, Lisa is helping others do the same through her content, showing it is possible to turn a few extra hours a week into serious money.
You can read more on Lisa’s hustles here.
