Taking surveys online has rapidly evolved into one of the most sought-after side hustles today. From stay-at-home parents to time-pressed professionals, people everywhere are discovering the appeal of earning cash, e-gift cards, and valuable rewards through simple survey participation. The challenge lies in knowing where to invest your time wisely. Which market research platforms deserve your attention, and which should you skip in favor of better opportunities?
Among the numerous survey platforms available, Valued Opinions stands out as a notable option. In this comprehensive review, we’ll examine what this site offers and determine whether it merits your precious time and effort.
Let’s dive straight into the details!
What is Valued Opinions?
Valued Opinions is a well-established online survey platform that launched in 2004 from its headquarters in Plano, Texas. With over 3 million members worldwide, the platform currently restricts panel membership to United States residents only. UK residents and international users are unfortunately no longer eligible for participation.
Dynata, LLC owns and operates the platform. This company positions itself as the “world’s largest first-party data company” and boasts global reach extending to over 62 million consumers and enterprise clients across its various platforms and business solutions. As a leading market research organization, Dynata manages several online survey websites beyond just Valued Opinions.
Is Valued Opinions legit?
Valued Opinions operates as a completely legitimate and trustworthy platform for launching your online survey side hustle. While individual experiences may differ, you can confidently participate without fear of scams.
The platform maintains a 3.8 rating on Trustpilot, where most of the 1,500 reviewers have awarded “Average,” “Great,” or “Excellent” ratings. Since claiming their Trustpilot profile in 2016 and verifying company details, Valued Opinions can respond to consumer feedback, which significantly enhances their transparency.
Dynata, LLC holds an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, which serves as an excellent indicator of the company’s reliability.
While some negative reviews and complaints appear on the BBB website, most don’t relate to the Valued Opinions brand directly. These complaints typically concern other survey sites under Dynata’s umbrella or other organizational aspects, such as excessive spam calls.
Data privacy remains a company priority, with memberships in both The Marketing Research Association (MRA) and The Market Research Society (MRS).
Additionally, the platform maintains a monthly $10,000 donation commitment to the American Red Cross, supporting disaster relief and humanitarian aid efforts.
How does Valued Opinions work?
The platform operates similarly to other market research survey sites. Brands collaborate with the organization to gather valuable insights and consumer feedback from their carefully selected survey participant pool.
Joining the Valued Opinions market research panel grants you access to diverse earning opportunities, including online surveys, product testing, and focus group participation. Available rewards span from gift cards and airline miles to magazine subscriptions and charitable donations. When you’re ready to redeem your accumulated points, you’ll choose from more than a dozen available brands.
Getting Started with Valued Opinions
Joining Valued Opinions requires creating an account and completing your profile information. You’ll also need to verify your email address by clicking the verification link in your welcome message and confirming your account—standard practice across the survey industry.
More detailed profile information translates to increased survey opportunities. Members who achieve 100% profile completion receive the highest number of survey offers.
Note that Valued Opinions requires members to be at least 17 years old. Account creation remains completely free.
Valued Opinions Rewards System
After completing your registration, available surveys will appear on your member dashboard. You’ll also receive periodic survey invitations via email. Each invitation provides clear expectations, including estimated completion time and potential earnings.
Survey invitations include response deadlines and participant quotas, so prompt action is essential before surveys reach capacity or expire. New surveys typically remain open for only a few days, making quick response crucial!
Survey matching depends entirely on your profile information, making comprehensive profile completion essential for receiving relevant opportunities. Your demographic information may disqualify you from certain surveys.
Always provide honest survey responses and take time to submit accurate answers. Built-in systems monitor for cheating and dishonesty.
Both computers and mobile devices support survey access and completion, making it incredibly convenient to earn extra income on the go. Most rewards appear in your account immediately, except for extended market research activities like focus groups or product reviews.
Understanding Valued Opinions Badges
Valued Opinions features a distinctive points system called Badges. This membership level structure gives active members opportunities to “level up” through various completed activities. While earning badges provides no tangible advantages or perks, the levels create an engaging way to maintain site activity.
Five levels exist: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. Advancing requires completing all achievements for the next level while maintaining current survey activity to preserve your badge status. Insufficient survey completion results in level drops.
Silver status requires at least 25% profile completion, one completed survey, and at least one survey within the past week. Diamond status demands a complete profile, four consecutive weeks of site activity, and a minimum of 50 completed surveys.
Valued Opinions Affiliate Program
Valued Opinions provides members with an additional earning avenue through their affiliate partner program. By referring new members to join the market research panel, you can earn commissions.
However, this program appears limited to brands, bloggers, and others with substantial reach. The site requires potential partners to provide either monthly unique website/blog visits or projected traffic generation capabilities. They also request your website or blog link.
Redeeming Rewards on Valued Opinions
Once you accumulate $10 in survey rewards, you can cash out for various gift cards and other rewards. Simply navigate to the Rewards tab to complete the straightforward redemption process.
Phone number verification is required before your first reward redemption for security and data protection purposes. Both mobile numbers and traditional landlines are acceptable.
Most gift vouchers arrive electronically via email within 24 hours. Some rewards also offer physical gift card options mailed to your home, though delivery may take up to one month.
How Much Can You Earn on Valued Opinions?
Earning potential on Valued Opinions varies based on your activity level and survey offerings tied to your demographic profile. However, you can generate substantial supplemental income through this platform.
Several users report earning hundreds of dollars over time. While this won’t replace full-time income, consistent participation can add up significantly—especially when combining multiple survey sites. Pairing Valued Opinions with platforms like Zap Surveys or Survey Junkie could substantially boost your total earnings.
Valued Opinions Customer Support
Multiple contact options are available when you need account assistance.
Valued Opinions maintains a dedicated member support team accessible through their help page here or by phone at 833-681-0436.
Their help page also includes comprehensive FAQs designed to help you quickly locate answers to common questions and inquiries.
How does Valued Opinions compare to other survey sites?
Most survey apps and sites share remarkable similarities, often making these companies nearly indistinguishable from competitors. However, Valued Opinions excels in several key areas.
Unlike competing survey sites, Valued Opinions typically offers higher payouts per survey. The platform averages $1-5 per survey—an excellent reward rate! This does mean surveys require more time investment, with average completion times ranging from 10-20 minutes.
Additionally, the site’s functionality, trustworthiness, and professional presentation distinguish Valued Opinions from competitors. Many other survey platforms suffer from slow performance, outdated design, and difficult navigation. Valued Opinions maintains a clean, uncluttered interface that’s extremely user-friendly—a crucial factor when selecting primary survey platforms.
The platform also provides diverse earning opportunities beyond surveys, including product testing, diary studies, and other extended market research activities.
However, the site has limitations. One significant drawback is the membership-based structure, which can make panel entry challenging. Certain periods restrict new applications entirely.
(At the time of this November 2021 writing, attempting to use the “Join Now” button displays this message: “Thank you for your interest! Valued Opinions is not currently accepting new members at this time. Please check back later.”)
While some sites offer cash payouts, Valued Opinions provides no cash option. Though some users enjoy earning gift cards through survey participation, this limitation may discourage others.
Many users also prefer shorter, more frequent surveys over spending 15-20 minutes per survey. If you have limited attention span and dislike lengthy page-by-page clicking before reaching payouts, this platform may not suit you. However, if you can maintain focus, Valued Opinions offers excellent earning potential.
Final Verdict
If you secure membership when Valued Opinions opens new enrollment periods, this platform can provide an excellent avenue for generating extra income through gift card rewards. While comparable to other survey sites, it earns additional points for superior usability and competitive reward levels.
Valued Opinions definitely merits consideration for anyone interested in survey-taking as a side hustle.
