10+ Awesome Survey Junkie Hacks To Maximize Your Earnings
Answering online surveys for cash is one of the most commonly recommended ways to make money online.
And, out of all the paid survey sites, there's no denying that Survey Junkie is one of the most popular.
But, while no survey site can make you rich, if you want to maximize how much money you make with Survey Junkie, it pays to know a few tips and tricks.
So in this post, I'm covering the best Survey Junkie hacks you can use to earn more rewards.
If you want to maximize how much free money you make with Survey Junkie, this is the post for you!
Looking for other ways to make extra cash? Checkout:
- Branded Surveys – Share your opinion to earn free PayPal money and gift cards!
- Ipsos iSay – Another leading survey panel with gift card and cash rewards!
The Best Survey Junkie Hacks
I've been using Survey Junkie for years, and it was one of the more popular survey sites I used when I was really into this side hustle back in college.
So, I'm going to share some of my personal favorite Survey Junkie hacks and tips you can use to make as much money as possible.
1. Join SJ Pulse
A lot of guides on hacks for Survey Junkie don't mention this, but joining Survey Junkie Pulse, or SJ Pulse, is one of the best ways to make more money.
SJ Pulse is an add-on to Survey Junkie that lets you automatically earn rewards just for browsing the web on your computer or smartphone.
That's right: you can now earn passive income with Survey Junkie if you sign up for SJ Pulse.
Here's how the SJ Pulse program works:
- Download SJ Pulse: Download the SJ Pulse application on your computer or opt-in using Survey Junkie's mobile app.
- Browse The Web: SJ Pulse works in the background and tracks what you search, the websites you visit, apps you use, ads you see, and products you buy.
- Earn Passive Income: Slowly earn extra points for browsing the web.
- Qualify For More Surveys: Qualify for exclusive surveys on Survey Junkie as a SJ Pulse member.
Note: Downloading Survey Junkie pulse on your computer also pays 150 bonus points.
Now, obviously you have to be comfortable with sharing your data if you want to use SJ Pulse.
This is a common thing people worry about when using passive income apps like the Nielsen Mobile Panel or UpVoice.
In fairness, Survey Junkie states privacy is protected with this program and that “secure information — such as passwords or credit card details — is never collected, and personally identifiable information is masked by encryption.”
The bottom line is that this is the best Survey Junkie hack to earn extra points, especially since you qualify for more surveys.
But, if you're worried about your privacy, try the other Survey Junkie tricks in this list!
2. Complete Your Profile
Another important Survey Junkie hack to know is to fully complete your profile after you sign up.
A lot of people make the mistake with get-paid-to sites and jump right to answering surveys without finishing their profiles.
However, Survey Junkie can actually match you to more relevant surveys and more surveys overall if you fill out every short questionnaire on the platform.
You can see these short questionnaires on the sidebar of your dashboard, and they pay a bonus 10 points upon completion.
Most of these questionnaires are 17 questions, and again, they help you get more survey opportunities in the long run so you make more money.
3. Answer Worthwhile Surveys
One of the main downsides of paid survey sites is that a lot of surveys don't pay very much.
This is just the nature of the beast, and while Survey Junkie is a legit company that also sometimes has high-paying surveys, many are in the $0.25 to $2 range.
Ultimately, you have to decide the survey points versus time breakdown that makes sense for you. If you can earn around 100 points in 10 minutes, that's a little over $6 per hour as an hourly rate.
In contrast, if you're answering 20 minute surveys for 50 points, you're barely breaking $1 since it takes 500 points to redeem a $5 reward.
Aiming for around a $4 to $6 hourly rate puts you on the higher side of what's possible with survey sites, and it's really only sites like Prolific or Pinecone Research that match up to that rate.
If you're fine with a lower hourly rate, that's also okay, but just set some benchmarks for what types of surveys are worth your time.
4. Try Other Survey Sites
This is a bit of a strange Survey Junkie hack, but it's one of the most important for maximizing how much you earn with paid surveys.
It doesn't matter what survey site you use: every one runs out of high-paying surveys at some point. So, having multiple websites in your arsenal lets you cherry-pick the best surveys that are available, ultimately earning you more per hour.
Some Survey Junkie alternatives I personally use include:
- Branded Surveys – Answer surveys for cash and earn bonus points at the end of every month the more surveys you answer.
- Swagbucks – This reward site lets you make money by playing games, answering surveys, shopping online, and watching videos to earn rewards with Swagbucks.
- Pinecone Research – Earn $3 for every survey you complete and cash out instantly!
- InboxDollars – Another leading U.S. survey panel that also has a $5 sign up bonus.
- Kashkick – This platform lets you answer surveys and play games to earn PayPal cash.
- Toluna – One final Survey Junkie alternative with excellent game variety.
I also made a YouTube video that shares some of my favorite paid survey sites you can use alongside Survey Junkie.
None of these survey sites will make you rich, and various gig apps like driving for DoorDash or Uber Eats definitely pay more.
But if you just want to answer surveys, you should definitely try a few at once.
5. Answer Surveys Honestly
While this might be an obvious hack for Survey Junkie, it's absolutely crucial that you always answer surveys honestly and take your time.
A lot of people don't realize that most beermoney sites do two things to reduce fraud and people from gaming the system:
- Trick Questions: Most survey sites throw in trick questions that don't make any sense or ask you to pick a specific answer to make sure you're not answering surveys randomly.
- Inconsistent Answer Flagging: Survey sites like Survey Junkie track your responses over time and build a persona around you. So, if you start answering the same questions differently, it's clear you're lying at some point, so you might get banned.
This last part is something many people don't know, but that's why it's important to read answers carefully and to be honest.
6. Consider Opportunity Cost
I used to answer surveys frequently to make money online during college.
Back then, I used websites like Survey Junkie and Grindabuck, and I also ran a phone farm as part of my college side hustling.
Nowadays, I don't really answer paid surveys unless I'm testing out a website to review, and the reason for this is opportunity cost.
Opportunity cost refers to what you give up in alternatives when you pursue something.
So, in the case of answering surveys for extra cash, you should also consider if there are potentially more lucrative side hustles you're missing out on.
For example, I spend most of my time making money blogging, freelance writing, and making money on YouTube. This is why I don't really do surveys anymore.
But, if you just want to make small amounts of cash in your spare time, there's nothing wrong with using platforms like Survey Junkie to do so.
The entire point of this Survey Junkie hack is just to be aware of the time you're spending so you can determine if it's worth it to you or not!
Extra Reading – How To Make $50 A Day.
7. Set An Income Goal
I think it's important to set trackable goals when it comes to any type of side hustle.
It doesn't matter if you're answering surveys or delivering food for DoorDash or Instacart; you need to have an end-goal in mind so you know if you're on track or not.
So, for something like Survey Junkie, maybe it's making an extra $5 to $20 per week so you have some extra cash by the end of the month to treat yourself or buy some additional groceries.
Whatever the case, set a realistic goal and make an effort to hit that goal every month.
8. Become More Efficient
It's important to answer questions carefully and to be honest so you don't accidentally get banned. But, another simple Survey Junkie hack is just to work on being more efficient as you grind out surveys.
This honestly happens naturally over time as you start to recognize similar questions across different surveys.
However, it's important to make an effort at getting faster, and pre-saving certain text fields in your computer, like your address or phone number, can help you input identical information more quickly.
Extra Reading – Is Survey Junkie legit?
9. Download The Survey Junkie App
A lot of people don't know this, but there's actually a Survey Junkie app for Android and iOS.
So, if you want some easy extra cash, you can complete surveys on Survey Junkie the next time you're on the go!
There's no real difference between the desktop version and the mobile app, but it's the best way to earn points while on the go.
My post on the best jobs you can do with your phone also has some nifty ideas to help you make money while you're outside your house.
10. Don't Use A VPN
One important Survey Junkie hack to know is to never use a VPN when you're answering surveys on the site.
A lot of survey sites can ban you or suspend your account if they detect you're using a VPN since this is often how ineligible participants try to trick survey sites.
So, if you use a VPN for streaming videos or something else, make sure you always turn it off before using Survey Junkie!
11. Join The Survey Junkie Affiliate Program
If you're an influencer, YouTuber, or run a blog, you can also make money through the Survey Junkie affiliate program.
I'm actually an affiliate for Survey Junkie myself, and when I write content that talks about making money online (like this post,) I'll pepper the link into my post to earn affiliate income.
These days, my blog makes $500 a day or more in affiliate income. And I've even had $50,000 months before when things go very well to give you an idea of the income potential here.
You need some pretty significant traffic to generate a lot of income with the Survey Junkie affiliate program, but this is a method to earn money a lot of people don't know about.
12. Regularly Check Your Email
Survey Junkie sometimes emails you if there are lots of new survey opportunities on your dashboard. Plus, the company can also email you when it rolls out new features, like SJ Pulse for its mobile app.
So, one simple Survey Junkie trick is to regularly check your email to keep tabs on new opportunities to earn.
You should also add Survey Junkie to your list of contacts so the emails don't accidentally land in your spam folder.
Extra Reading – The Best Micro Task Websites.
13. Don't Use Survey Junkie Bots Or Points Generators
If you search for hacks for Survey Junkie, you sometimes see people advertising bots that can answer surveys for you to make money on autopilot. However, these bots violate Survey Junkie's terms of services, so if you get caught, you get banned instantly. And Survey Junkie has good anti-bot detection systems in place that can detect activity that doesn't appear human.
Some people also advertise Survey Junkie points generators that can get you points for free. But again, these generators don't work and violate the terms of service, so don't bother trying them since they never work and get you banned.
14. Only Create One Account
One last Survey Junkie hack to keep in mind is to only create one account to answer surveys from.
Some people think they can trick Survey Junkie by creating several accounts to get more survey opportunities and to take advantage of the sign up bonuses.
However, Survey Junkie can ban you for this type of thing, especially if you pretend to be a different person and answer surveys dishonestly.
A Note On Survey Junkie Hacks & Gaming The System
I just want to clarify one thing before diving into the Survey Junkie hacks you can use to make as much money as possible.
When I say “hack,” I don't mean doing anything that games the system to falsely get you more points on Survey Junkie.
Rather, I'm talking about tips and methods you can use to answer surveys more efficiently.
There are lots of guides and methods claiming you can trick survey websites, but this always violates terms of service and risks getting you banned.
Plus, Survey Junkie cheats and cheats for other survey websites don't really work anyway, so don't waste your time searching for those!
Frequently Asked Questions
Are There Survey Junkie Bots?
One of the worst Survey Junkie hacks is to try and use a bot to automatically answer questions for you on surveys.
Trust me, this will get you banned, and there's even a chance a bot program contains malicious code and can steal your personal information, so it's never worth using.
Does Survey Junkie Actually Pay You?
Survey Junkie is a legitimate company that has a long track record of paying users, and there's plenty of payment proof online.
I've also cashed out in the past through Survey Junkie without any issues. You can also read my post, are online survey sites legit, for more resources and guides on the top survey platforms.
Extra Reading – The 10+ Best Legit Cash Games.
Can You Make Good Money On Survey Junkie?
You can't make a full-time income with Survey Junkie or pay all your bills with this survey site. But, no survey website can do that for your finances.
However, you can probably earn $10 to $50 per month if you put some time into Survey Junkie and consistently answer surveys that come your way.
If you're looking for side hustles with more earning potential, you can try various driving gig apps or delivery jobs like Instacart.
Final Thoughts
I hope this list of Survey Junkie tips and tricks helps you make the most out of this leading survey site.
There's honestly lots of Survey Junkie hacks out there, and while they don't make a huge difference individually, they can make a difference in aggregate.
I think Survey Junkie is a great way to earn money online as a beginner. And I've used this site for years since my time in college to make some quick cash.
Just remember to consider the opportunity cost of it all and to set some goals so you can track how much money you're actually making!
Catch you guys in the next one.
Looking for other ways to make money? Checkout:
