The Best Sites for Making Money Online

There must be hundreds if not thousands of "opportunities" to make money online. The question is, which one's really live up to their promise?. The one's I've found won't bring you "instant" wealth, but over time you can augment your family's income, or simply have extra money for personal items.

If you enjoy surveys, then Carol Adam's NFO is the gold standard in online surveying. You accumulate points which can be then turned in for cash, or new this year-merchandise. The surveys are fun, and often lead to becoming involved in online communities where in addition to extra points, you receive Amazon gift certificates for once a week participation. I use this particular site for a major purchase bank account, letting my cash accumulate until I have enough to buy a desired item. They are very responsive to their panelists, and when cashing in, checks normally arrive within two weeks.

SurveySpot is huge! They are expanding so rapidly in terms of major corporations signing on for surveys tailored to their needs. I've personally made over $500.00 there, since becoming a member. Not every survey offers cash, but they are all worth taking. You can check your balance online by simply logging into your members area. I use this site as my Christmas account, and don't touch my cash in dollars until November. This site too, is very responsive to members and enjoys feedback that helps them improve their site.

Epinions has been around for years. I joined in 2000. You get paid for reviewing and rating products, ranging from books to Zantac. The higher your reviews are rated , the more you get paid. In participating in Epinions, you also help other people make informed decisions about what and more importantly, what not to buy. This is an interactive community, where you are expected to rate other reviewers, and become part of the community. You get paid based on epinions own formula that factors in pageviews, participation and consistently good reviews. A new feature, is that many reviews are now being featured on E Bay, which acquired epinions last year. This gives writers additional exposure, in addition to the cash you earn.

AC Neilson, the gigantic ratings company offers consumers an opportunity to participate in HomeScan. This is a segment of their market dealing with home purchase habits. When accepted, they send you a huge package of information, plus a scanner. Every time you shop, you scan your itemss into the handheld scanner, when unloading them at home. Then once a week, you upload the information into Neilsons database. They offer weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual prizes, in addition to points awarded for everything you do. These can be exchanged for wonderful gifts from their catalogue. The longer you are a member, the more your points increase. And more opportunities are offered, like the beauty consumer testing panel I just joined, which allows me to test and rate new products. What fun!

My Points, another oldie, is a great place if you love to shop. Using My Points as your "shopping" portal, you build points that can be exchanged for gift certificates to merchants like Macy's, Eddie Bauer, Lands End, Target, WalMart and so many more. You also build points up by clicking on My Points e-mails, and taking surveys when offered. This is a great place to take advantage of trial offers, without busting the bank, on certain things. Just be sure to read the fine print, so you don't get into a recurring billing situation, somer of their offers include.

These are the most reliable sites in terms of payment, interest and customer care. None of them will make you wealthy, or allow you to support a family, but the extra money sure does help. Most of them require only 5-30 minutes of time per survey or other activity. It's up to you. So, if you just need that extra bit of cash tucked away, or enjoy getting gift certificates for places you love, you can't go wrong with these sites.