There are many paid survey directories on the Internet. Some of them offer good opportunities for people to be rewarded for giving their opinions, while others are a marketing strategy designed to improve the contact lists of telemarketers and direct mailers. Some paid survey directories are free while others require users to pay a subscription fee.

Paid survey directories are like middlemen between the companies offering the paid surveys and the people who take them. It is important to consider what the incentive is for the survey directory. Some of them require users to pay a fee to access the database. Sometimes the companies producing the surveys pay for theirs to be listed in the database. Other paid survey directories sell the information that people provide to marketers. Usually, the paid survey directories that make their money from the companies posting the surveys are the most reliable since they have no need to take personal information from those taking the surveys.

Paid survey directories are often just convenient lists of paid survey opportunities that are also advertised elsewhere. It is much easier to find paid surveys if they are all compiled on a single list. Many people do not think it is worth paying for this convenience and find the surveys on their own. Paid survey directories that require users to pay a fee will often include listings that are available in other places for free. Also, there is no guarantee that the surveys listed actually pay cash. Many merely have sweepstakes drawings where one survey participant wins a cash prize. Other surveys may give away samples of products or gift certificates to participants.

Paid survey directories are an easy way to find surveys offering rewards for completion. They are not foolproof, but people who read the fine print and use common sense can reap the benefits of completing these surveys.