Is Branded Surveys Legit? How Much I Earned in 1.5 Hours!
Sick of survey scams stealing your time for little payout?
Branded Surveys promise rewards for your opinions, but is it legit or just another letdown?
This post investigates if Branded Surveys pays as promised, so you can avoid survey scams and maximize your earning potential.
What Is Branded Surveys?
Branded Surveys is an online survey community that was created in 2011. It partners with market research companies and brands to provide online surveys to users.
When users complete these surveys, they earn points that can be redeemed for rewards like gift cards and cash.
Branded Surveys has an easy sign-up process that only requires your email address. Once signed up, you’ll get survey invitations sent to your inbox.
Surveys take 5–20 minutes to complete on average. They cover topics like consumer products, healthcare, travel, food and beverage, and more.
After finishing a survey, points are added to your account balance. These points can then be exchanged for rewards.
Popular rewards options include gift cards to places like:
- Amazon
- Target
- Starbucks, and
- Walmart.
Many users also opt to get their points paid out in cash to PayPal. The minimum cash-out amount is $1.
In addition to earning points through surveys, Branded Surveys offers other ways to accumulate points:
- Referral program — Earn 100 points for each friend you refer who completes their first survey. They also get a 100-point new member bonus.
- Daily login bonus — Get 25 points just for logging into your account each day.
- Profile completion — Earn 300 points for thoroughly completing all sections of your user profile.
- Loyalty rewards — After taking 7 surveys within 30 days, you’ll earn a bonus of 225 loyalty points.
The platform is free to join and use.
There are no minimum point requirements to redeem rewards either.
You can cash out your points for gift cards starting at just $5.
Is Branded Surveys Legit?
When looking at any online survey site, it’s natural to have some skepticism about whether it’s legit.
There are survey scams out there. But based on user reviews and experiences, Branded Surveys does appear to be a legit survey site.
Here are some signs that indicate Branded Surveys is an above-board platform:
Active Since 2011
Branded Surveys has been operating since 2011, giving it over a decade in business.
The site’s longevity speaks to its legitimacy.
Scam survey sites tend to have much shorter lifespans before users catch on and disappear.
Positive User Reviews
You can find many positive reviews for Branded Surveys across consumer sites, app review platforms, and blogs.
While there are always some negative reviews, the majority of users seem satisfied with the service and report timely payment.
Rewards Integrations
Branded Surveys offers integrated reward redemptions through legitimate brands like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, and more.
This makes the reward system transparent and easy to use.
Member of Research Industry Groups
Branded Surveys is an active member of industry groups like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), SurveyPolice, SurveySpot, and more.
These memberships add credibility to their operations.
Secure Website
The Branded Surveys website is secure and always starts with HTTPS.
Look for the lock icon on your browser bar when visiting the site. This helps protect your data.
Privacy Policy
Their website has a detailed privacy policy that discloses how they collect, use, and protect user data.
This transparency around privacy is a good sign.
Contact Information Provided
Branded Surveys provides a mailing address, email, phone number, and contact form on their website. This makes it easy to get support if needed.
Based on these legitimacy factors, Branded Surveys appears to be a real survey site that pays its members.
As with any opportunity though, it’s smart to proceed with realistic expectations.
How Much Can You Earn With Branded Surveys?
Like most survey sites, you won’t get rich taking surveys on Branded Surveys.
But it can provide a nice side income stream and let you earn some extra spending money.
Many users earn $100–200 a month, with dedicated users earning even more.
Survey Pay Rates
Each survey varies in the number of points it’s worth. Surveys can pay anywhere from 50 points up to 250 points. On average, expect to earn 100 points per 10–15 minute survey.
100 points convert to $1 in reward value. So for a 10-minute survey, you’re looking at earning around $4-$6 per hour.
More involved surveys of 20+ minutes would pay over $10/hour potentially.
Branded Surveys does a good job of setting pay expectations upfront so you can cherry-pick the better-paying surveys.
Daily Earning Potential
Realistically, plan on spending 30–60 minutes a day on surveys with Branded Surveys.
This would earn you 300–600 points on average, converting to $3-$6 in rewards value.
But your daily earning potential depends heavily on how many surveys you qualify for and choose to take. Some days you may only earn $1, other days you may earn $10+.
Membership Tiers
Branded Surveys has reward membership tiers that give access to higher paying surveys:
- Basic — Earn up to 100 points per survey
- Silver — Earn up to 150 points per survey
- Gold — Earn up to 250 points per survey
By moving up the tiers, you can boost your earning rates significantly.
How Long to Cash Out
Because there’s no minimum point requirement, you can theoretically cash out your first reward after a single 10-minute survey.
Realistically though, it will take most new users 1–2 weeks of consistent survey taking to earn enough for their first reward.
Allow up to a month of daily activity to cash out more significant rewards.
Reward Processing Time
Expect to receive your redeemed rewards within 1 week in most cases.
eGift cards are usually instant, physical gift cards take 1 week, and PayPal cash can take 1 to 2 weeks to process.
5 Red Flags to Consider
While Branded Surveys seem legit overall, there are a few red flags to be aware of:
Site Navigation Issues
Some users report bugs and glitches with the site interface, making navigation a hassle. Sections like the available surveys page can be disorganized.
Low Survey Qualification Rate
You may find yourself disqualified from the majority of surveys, despite filling out your demographics. This seems to be a common complaint.
Delayed Rewards
There are reports of rewards like PayPal cash taking longer than expected to be delivered. Also, some users struggle to get support if rewards are delayed.
Sudden Account Terminations
Some members have had accounts suddenly terminated without reason or warning. No notice is given and points are lost.
Hidden Fees
While touted as free, there are some small fees embedded in the program. For example, a $1 dormancy fee if you don’t earn any points for 90+ days.
7 Tips for Earning Rewards
Here are some tips to help you get the most out of Branded Surveys and earn rewards faster:
- Take Advantage of Bonuses — Make sure to take advantage of all the available bonuses — referral, daily login, profile completion, loyalty rewards, etc. These add up.
- Open Your Emails — You need to open email invites quickly before survey quotas fill up. Check emails multiple times per day.
- Qualify for More Surveys — Fill out your entire user profile thoroughly. The more demographic info provided, the more surveys you’ll qualify for.
- Pick Higher Paying Surveys — As you move up the membership tiers, you gain access to better-paying survey opportunities.
- Check for New Surveys Daily — New surveys are added all the time, so check the available surveys section daily. Don’t just rely on email invites.
- Only Cash Out for Gift Cards — Gift card rewards process faster than PayPal cash. If speed matters, stick to gift card redemptions.
- Take on the Go — The Branded Surveys app allows you to complete surveys on your phone whenever you have downtime.
Branded Surveys Reviews
Reviews of Branded Surveys are generally positive across the web. Here is an overview of what users like and don’t like about the platform:
PROS
- Easy to sign-up and get started quickly
- Rewards a variety of gift cards from popular brands
- Can cash out rewards with no minimum requirement
- Mobile app allows surveying on the go
- Survey topic variety keeps things interesting
CONS
- Disqualification from surveys is common
- Technical glitches and site errors
- Delayed reward delivery in some cases
- Lower survey pay rates compared to competitors
- Sudden account terminations have been reported
Positive testimonials mention the range of gift card options and low minimum payout being standout features. Users also like the simplicity of exchanging points for rewards.
Negative reviews mostly cite issues with survey disqualifications, site technical problems, and delayed rewards. Some also feel the pay rates per survey are on the lower side.
On TrustPilot, Branded Surveys has a 3 out of 5 star rating based on over 470 reviews. Ratings range from 1-star complaints about problems to 5-star glowing reviews.
How Branded Surveys Compare to Competitors?
Here is an overview of how Branded Surveys stack up against top competitors in the survey space:
Survey Junkie
- Higher survey pay rates
- More consistent survey availability
- Faster reward processing
- Better site functionality
Branded Surveys have lower per-survey earnings, more disqualifications, and slower rewards compared to Survey Junkie.
Swagbucks
- Similar pay rates per survey
- Both offer sign-up bonuses
- Swagbucks has more reward options
- Branded Surveys have faster rewards
The two have comparable pay structures and reward systems. But Branded Surveys delivers rewards faster.
InboxDollars
- InboxDollars has a higher earnings potential
- Branded Surveys have faster rewards
- Both have user interface issues
InboxDollars offers more ways to earn, but Branded Surveys processes rewards quicker.
MyPoints
- MyPoints has lower minimum payouts
- Branded Surveys have more surveys
- Both offer referral programs
MyPoints lets you cash out for slightly lower amounts, but Branded Surveys gives more daily survey options.
Final Thoughts
Branded Surveys seems to be a legitimate survey site based on all available evidence.
While there are some drawbacks like delayed rewards and frequent disqualifications, it provides an easy way to earn a bit of extra money in your free time.
Just go in with realistic expectations. You likely won’t get rich taking surveys. But Branded Surveys can be a simple method to earn $5-$15 a week in gift cards with just 30–60 minutes invested.
Give Branded Surveys a try if you want to pocket a little extra spending money. Just be diligent about checking for open surveys daily and taking advantage of bonus opportunities.