Most survey sites look a bit samey. The usually have the same general look, but some take blandness to a whole new level: I’ve encountered sites that were nothing more than a login screen with some info thrown in.
Luckily, the site I’ll be reviewing today isn’t one of them!
Today, we’ll be tackling PointClub Surveys. Some of you may have seen their funny advertisement, which debuted their official superhero Captain PC. (If you haven’t seen it yet, head over to YouTube right now. Captain PC is hilarious) PointClub Surveys’ site doesn’t just dish out laughs, though. The site looks pretty legit, and has all the important information front and center.
In a scene populated by lots of scam or negligent companies, survey sites really need to distinguish themselves and emphasize that they’re legit. Is PointClub Survey actually legit? Does it positive experience go beyond funny ads and a good site design? That’s what I’ll be tackling in this review.
But before we go further, I’d like to give a little overview about PointClub Surveys, and survey sites in general.
A Survey Site Primer
Most of us in the Earn That Buck Community know what survey sites are, but I saw a bunch of newcomers who were a little confused about just what they heck these sites are.
On survey sites, you answer, well, surveys. The site will answer surveys that are relevant or appropriate to your profile (which is why you should fill out your profile page honestly and accurately). Each survey you complete will earn you rewards.
These rewards vary from one site to another. On some sites, you get paid a set amount of cash for each survey. On other sites, you get points, which you can then redeem for cash, gift cards, or other rewards. My esteemed colleague Amos even reviewed a site that pays in tickets for their in-house raffles. Yeah, that one site really sucked.
Anyways, survey sites don’t just pay you out of the goodness of their own hearts. Survey sites are hired by companies for marketing research purposes. The info taken from the surveys you answer is given to the company. This info will help the company make more informed business decisions.
How PointClub Surveys Work
On PointClub, you earn points for every survey you complete. You can redeem these points as cash or gift cards (more on that later). You can also earn by watching videos, playing games, and taking part in weekly polls. These points will first be added to your “pending points.” Once the site completes the review of your survey and confirms that everything is good, those points will be moved to your “banked points.” Banked Points refers to points that belong to you.
In addition to all that, the site also gives away 10,000 points (about $10) every day to one lucky PointClub member!
Earning Potential on PointClub Surveys
But, on average, a survey pays from 500 to 5,000 points. That amounts to 50 cents and $5, respectively. Your monthly average pay relies on how many of these surveys you complete. To be perfectly upfront, this amount varies. Since the site assigns you surveys that fit your profile, there may be times when there aren’t any relevant surveys for you to take.
My suggestion is to always take surveys as soon as they’re assigned to you (they sometimes have deadlines) so you don’t miss out.
Payout Options and Processing
Once you reach 25,000 banked points (equivalent to $25) you can opt to get a payout in the form of cash or a variety of gift cards. If you choose cash, the site will send you the funds via PayPal. If you choose gift card option, you’re in for a treat. PointClub Surveys has one of the greatest gift card programs around. You can choose from over 150 merchants. Yup, that’s not a typo. Those merchants include Amazon , iTunes, Home Depot, Starbucks, Target, and Walmart. Sweet!
The minimum cashout amount is a bit high, but I won’t count that against the site. If anything, it just forces you to save up your earnings, which is better for you in the long run.
PointClub Surveys: The Good and The Bad
So PointClub Surveys is looking pretty good. To give a more balanced view of this site, I’ll list down the stuff I think are good, and the stuff I think are bad about it.
The Good
Lots of merchant options - My jaw dropped when I learned that PointClub Surveys offered 150 gift card options. That’s an insane amount - I love it! Other sites have one or two. But PointClub Surveys just blows the competition out of the water.
They’re super-professional - With some survey sites, it feels like the site is being run by a bunch of teenagers in their parent’s garage. Not so with PointClub Surveys. Customer service is great to deal with, as is the rest of the site. It’s mostly a smooth overall experience.
Daily contest - Contests on other sites are sometimes conducted monthly or even quarterly. On PointClub Surveys, contests are held daily. Granted, those daily prizes are relatively low, but frequent contests mean more chances of you winning.
The Bad
You get kicked-out in the middle of doing a survey - The point of pre-qualifying is to know you’re actually qualified to take a survey. Then why do you get kicked-out when you’ve already started? This is a pretty big user experience issue for me. Because even if you’ve answered a couple of questions, that still represents an investment of time on your part. It doesn’t matter if it’s little; you still spent time on it. Sucks, right?
High payout minimum - This isn’t a bad thing for me, personally. But it might be to others. While you’ll never make a living out of completing surveys, I know some people who use this for supplemental income. It would be great if they had the option of getting their cash whenever they need it.
“Pending points” - It can be nail-biting waiting for my pending points to get approved and moved to banked points. While I’ve never had pending points removed, I do wonder what that’s even a possibility. Once you complete a survey and get your points, those points should immediately belong to you - no questions asked.
Survey Site Hack: Be Honest
Before we get to the conclusion, here’s one tip for you all. Honestly, this isn’t really a hack per se; it’s more of a best practice that can apply to different all survey sites. But I know a few people who don’t adhere to this best practice, which is why I’m calling it a “hack.” And that hack is really simple: be honest with your profile, and survey your answers.
It’s tempting to goof off or maybe try to prank the site. But doing so may affect your earning capacity on the site. So keep everything on the up and up.
The first way to do this is by providing all the information requested by the site. It may seem a little weird when the site asks for your gender or location, but the site needs that info to determine which demographic you belong to. The site will use that info to qualify you for appropriate surveys. A student of mine once listed herself as an 80 year old man. Well, the joke’s on her: she got a bunch of surveys suitable for, you guessed it, an 80 year old man. She tried completing the surveys using that persona, but it was more difficult than if she had simply answered surveys as herself. And that’s the best case scenario; the worst case scenario is that the site doesn’t assign you any surveys.
Randomly picking answers, or outright lying, while answering surveys is also not recommended. Some survey sites, including PointClub Surveys, use a super-advanced algorithm that flags inconsistencies in a person answers. For example, if you say in one survey that you prefer a certain politician, then suddenly change in another, the site may flag you as being untruthful.
This isn’t to say you can’t change your mind between surveys (I mean, we’re all human) but your other answers need to be consistent with your change of mind. That’s how the site spots untruthful answers. And when you get flagged, you run the risk of your completed surveys becoming invalidated or worse, being booted off the site altogether.
So whatever you do, always answer as yourself. It’s actually easier to do so, and better in the long run.
The Verdict: Legit or Scam?
PointClub Surveys is legit! The only truly bad thing about the site is getting booted out in the middle of taking a survey. But other than that, the site is super-legit and will be a great addition to the list of survey sites you use. Try it!
PointClub Survey Screenshots
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Your Turn
This review is based on my own experiences using PointClub Surveys. Now it’s your turn to share! How have you tried out the site? What was your experience on it like?
Let’s hear your stories!
