When it comes to paid surveys there are three ways to earn cash or rewards: the first is through prizes which can be either entries into a sweepstakes or an actual product or service, usually provided by the company sponsoring the survey. The second and most profitable method of making cash with paid surveys are the focus groups which can pay as high as $100 - $250 an hour. The third way to make money with paid surveys are the cash surveys themselves, usually offering from $1 - $50 for a 15-20 minute survey.

Paid Surveys Prize Rewards

Unfortunately for those of us trying to make cash with paid surveys the majority of companies offer sweepstakes entries or if you're lucky actual product or service trials. If you like freebies and gifts this will be great for you since there are hundreds of prize rewarding surveys released each month. However, if you're like me and want cold hard cash these types of paid surveys can be a bit of a disappointment. Not to worry though, there are surveys that DO pay cold hard cash.

Focus Groups

Focus groups can be quite hard to get into, but are very lucrative. I have heard stories of people who focus on focus groups and they make decent money doing this. Those that I have heard doing this have been in the survey game for a long time though so I don't think you're going to break into this right away. It takes time to build yourself a reputation at the companies that offer focus groups. If you do get in one you'll be quite happy, I have done several over the past year and the pay ranges from $100 - $250 and hour. Focus groups can be held on-site, online or even over the telephone.

Cash Paid Surveys

These are the surveys you want when it comes to actually making a difference in your monthly bills. Yes you will get bigger payouts from focus groups, but cash paid surveys are a steady way to make money online each month. It can be a long process to join enough paid survey companies if you choose to search for them manually, but you can find lists of paying survey companies fairly easily on the internet. Look for a list that is offered free of charge and you'll have immediate access to hundreds of paid survey sites.

In my experience if you go after the cash paid surveys you can make a nice side income each month. Use the money to pay bills, take a vacation or start saving more. Even if you make just several hundred dollars a month (which is quite easy) you'll be putting yourself far ahead in the long run.