Before I get into telling you about the survey companies I've taken surveys for, I want to warn you not to pay for lists of surveys or the ability to take surveys. Legitimate survey companies pay you for your time. When you pay instead, it is either a scam or something you could have done yourself for free.

Also, I want to warn you that taking surveys is not a get rich quick or full time income opportunity. It is a take your kids to the ice cream shop for a special treat once in a while opportunity. A bit of extra cash you can use for something nice, not a dependable, high income job!

So, on to the companies:

I've taken surveys for E-Rewards for some time now. I cash in my points once or twice a year, usually for free Blockbuster rentals. I joined for free and recommend that you never pay to sign up to be an E-Rewards member. You can join for free through another company. I think I actually originally signed up through Blockbuster, but I wish I would have been able to sign up through Upromise like you can. I'd much rather get money in the kids' college savings accounts.

Surveys used to be much more plentiful, but they're still showing up in my inbox on a regular basis. If you don't qualify for the survey, you will earn a few cents for your trouble. If you do qualify, you will be more likely to get a few dollars.

I used to do a lot of surveys for Pinecone Research. They pay with Paypal, which is nice. When the payments were lowered, I stopped doing the surveys, but they are still usually about $3 each and you really help make products better.

To sign up, you have to keep a sharp eye out for banners. They don't allow you to sign up directly at their site, but if you see a banner for Pinecone Research on a women's or parenting site, you can click on it and sign up for surveys.

I'll start by saying that Focus Forward surveys are tough to qualify for, at least for me. They seem to always want something I can't offer. However, I always take the screener surveys because they only take a few seconds. The one time I did qualify for a survey like this, I received a big check - $50, I think? It has been awhile so I don't remember the exact amount.

To sign up for Focus Forward, you just have to go to the website and fill out the form. So much easier than hunting around for banners and stuff! I signed up for both the online and offline survey options, because the offline options pay so much more. I know the sign up form makes it sound a little complicated, but it really isn't. I don't do in person surveys, but the phone and product testing ones are painless.