Google Opinion Awards Gives You Cash For Taking Short Mobile Surveys

I feel like there was a point when I was in uni where I was under the impression that I was going to make a ton of money filling out surveys online. All these sites promised to pay out hundreds or thousands for my opinion, but in truth only paid pennies. Despite knowing that I’ve filled out a zillion surveys in my lifetime, I can’t recall a single time I “cashed out” a survey account, and even if I did, I’m confident it was never for few than a few dollars.

Last week, we came across Google Opinion Awards here at Lifehacker and the survey nut in me got excited once again. Except for this time, I’m making money I’ll actually probably cash out.

The Android app (Sorry, no iPhone option) is pretty straightforward. You sign up with a little bit of demographic info, and then Google sends you surveys that match your profile when it has them. Unlike all the online surveys I’ve done in the past, these are typically just one or two questions and take literal seconds to complete.

Surveys come in the form of a push notification that you can open when you’d like (I’ve answered some immediately and waited days for others).As you might imagine, with it you’re agreeing to give up a bit of privacy. That’s not a big deal for me, but if you tend to not like being tracked and handing over personal details like your age, then this isn’t for you.

Over the past week, I’ve earned $US2.91 ($4) by taking eight surveys. Most have been something I could do in just a few seconds. Two I was paid $US1 ($1) each for. the high-dollar ones (or single dollar as the case may be) were for questions about hotels I had stayed in. If I had to guess, I’ve spent between 5-10 minutes total doing all eight surveys.

I’ve been travelling a lot over the past few weeks, and Google noticed. It asked me first to select places I had been recently from a list of a few options, and then asked why I had gone to that place. For instance, in the case of hotels, it asked if I spent the night or just stopped for an after-work drink.

So yes, Google knew where I was.

When I indicated I’d stayed in the places in mentioned, one a hotel in Chicago and another in Denver, it asked me to write a review of my stay. There was no minimum or maximum amount required, and in both cases, I wrote just a few sentences to earn the $US1. From start to finish I maybe spent 2-3 minutes doing each one, which I was in cabs or other places where I might have otherwise been mindlessly scrolling Facebook.

Most surveys appear to be paid at a rate of $US.10 ($0) a pop. That’s not a ton, for sure, but it adds up pretty quickly.

All your money is accumulated in an account you can cash out into Google Play credit. So you’re not going to get rich doing this unless your version of rich is being able to buy all the apps you want. If you build up a tiny nest egg though, it could mean a free movie on your next flight, or ease the blow of buying power-ups in a mobile game you’ve become obsessed with. At my rate of $US2.91 ($4) a week, I should have around $US12 ($15) after a month.

Sure, it’s not big money, but it could be great for some guilt-free Google Play splurges every now and then.