Hello everyone!
Welcome to my new blog layout! I figured the previous one was a little too pink and juvenile so I decided to change to a neater and more neutral-themed one. I absolutely love how my pictures appear larger in my posts and how the font is more readable now. I know my header (copied from my previous layout) now screams for a lot of attention *embarrassed* so I’m gonna change it soon. Just bear with me in the meantime and scroll down immediately to my first post once you’re on the page next time haha. Oh and you’re not required to click “Continue reading” to view the whole post already. Yay or nay? 
The purpose of this entry is to share with you guys a few ways to earn some quick bucks on the net or on the go. You can read this entry wholly with confidence because this is NOT an advertorial thus everything here is completely objective. I have personally visited these sites and downloaded these Apps and most of them did pay me some cash hehe. Being the generous person I am, I want to share the good stuff with everyone! However you need to possess these qualities for the plan to work: contentment, perseverance and a whole lot of patience. You’ll understand why as you read.
No, you don’t have to be popular to make money if getting endorsements is what you’re thinking about. These platforms are accessible by anyone of all ages (preferably at least 13 years old) and are totally free. In other words, you don’t have to fork out a single cent for registration or anything at all. Instead, they pay you for your work. How awesome is that? Of course, the process can be a little tedious but rather than spending time on Facebook and whatnot, why not use the time to do something more productive that could possibly get you some side cash, right? 🙂
Most payments are made through Paypal online by the way, so do ensure that you have a Paypal account before you claim your money.
1. Take online surveys
I know, I know. Singaporeans shun pollsters on the streets so why would anyone do surveys online? Simple, you get to earn points for every survey you complete and these points accumulate to get you the cash. There are plenty of Singapore-based survey sites and my advice is to register for as many of them as possible (first evaluate whether they are legit). This is because you may not qualify demographically for certain surveys you are invited to participate in. Registering for more sites widens your chances of getting more surveys. The more you do, the more points you earn and the faster you can cash out your money. Other than taking surveys, some of such sites may also give you points (and it’s usually a lot) when you invite friends to join the portal. They will be given a unique URL linked to your account and the points are immediately credited to you upon their registration. But please, seek consent from your friends before doing so. Don’t be a spammer.
Here are some survey sites I highly recommend:
(some are linked to my referral URL if you’re interested to participate)
i. iPanelOnline
What I like about this site is that its full surveys are usually tagged with a lot of points ranging from 100 to as high as 900 depending on the their length. However those with incredibly high points hit their quotas very quickly and are usually meant for working professionals (you can work your way around that *wink*) so I hardly ever get to take them. There are also quick surveys available for you to earn some points (5 points each) when no full ones are available.
My earnings
The minimum amount of points to cash out is 500 for S$5 (click here for prize redemption list) and trust me, it’s achievable though it’d take you at least a month. So far I have already earned S$20 from iPanel (excluding the S$9 in my account currently) and I offset one of my online shopping bills with it 😀 You would receive at least an invitation each day but you gotta be fast before the slots are snagged up. I don’t advise clicking on the survey link in the email because every time I do, the points don’t get credited to me so perhaps going directly to the portal is a better and safer way. However, as suggested earlier, most companies look for a specific demographics in their surveys thus if you do not fit into their parameters, you will be kicked out midway through the survey (usually during the screening stage). iPanelonline would still reward you some points (1~5) for your effort.
ii. Ann and Kate
Like iPanel, Ann and Kate has many surveys for you to take each day albeit tagged with lower points at 5 on average (small-scale surveys). The ones with higher points (>100 points) are usually experiential surveys which require you to post pictures or give detailed responses about your day-to-day activities but that don’t come very often. Besides, with just 5 points tagged to most surveys, it takes a relatively longer time to be able to cash out your points because the minimum amount you must have to do so is 500 for S$5 (click here for prize redemption list). I was pretty active there for about 2 months and I only managed to earn 197 points. Then, I kinda gave up HAHA. So unless you have a lot of extra time to spare, I suggest to devote more time to iPanelonline instead.
iii. MySurvey
I earned my points from MySurvey through referrals (shamelessly invited my boyfriend and mother – that’s how I got my first S$10) because firstly, they don’t have much surveys to begin with (or they probably do, just that I’m not informed through email -_- ) and secondly, they actually reward more through their referral programme. On top of that, if you’re really desperate for money you can suggest a mini poll question. If your suggestion is selected, you get 250 points! But that depends on your luck.
iv. Toluna
I like Toluna’s interface – it’s neat and user-friendly! Most importantly, it rewards newly-registered users 500 points immediately. You will also be prompted to take 5 surveys about yourself and very easily, an additional 255 points is yours! Have more time to spare? Take profile surveys and earn 100 points for every one you complete! There are A LOT of them so hitting 2000 points on your first day of registration is possible 🙂 However to cash out the minimum sum of S$10, you need at least 20000 points. No points will be given if you refer a friend so I guess points are purely earned through surveys.
I’m still pretty new to this site so I’m not sure about the frequency of the surveys but I haven’t gotten any invitations so far since my registration 3 days ago. That could also be due to my incomplete profile which possibly failed to warrant me any survey.
v. AIP
This is another site which I was recently introduced to and I’ve already received quite a number of invites! Unfortunately I’ve been really busy lately to do a lot so I’m still stuck with 2 “EPoints” earned from completing my first 2 surveys. As far as I know, AIP rewards only ONE point for each survey and you can only redeem these points for vouchers (NTUC and more – great for housewives). Yes, it’s really meagre, but you only need 150 points to redeem. That’s 150 surveys; it’s not that difficult to achieve as compared to some sites mentioned above if you ask me!
In general, you’d need to spend a much longer time on surveys before you could see cash in your bank. BUT if you’re determined enough, it WILL happen! So don’t give up, yeah?
2. Participate in consumer research
This includes “tryvertisements” and focus groups and these platforms are, no doubt, a faster way to earn quick cash. Incentives range from cash ($80 and above) to vouchers but such opportunities don’t come by often. You have to wait ’til you are chosen by the research company and this usually takes weeks. Meanwhile, why not occupy yourselves with some surveys from sites mentioned above? 😛
I’m sure many people would associate “tryvertising” platforms with samplestore.com but I personally don’t like it because it’s not entirely free. I have an account with SampleStore but I haven’t really utilised it so far because meh, you still have to pay a handling charge (unless it’s sponsored). Like surveys, I strongly believe that one shouldn’t be paying to voice her opinion (and indirectly promoting the brand on her blog) so if I have to pay for something that is supposedly free, I’m out!
But I have better platforms for you girls and guys alike if you love trying new products!
SYRES is a French research company founded in 1995 that carries out consumer tests on behalf of leading skincare and cosmetic corporations across the globe. They had conducted several beauty tests for products such as mascara, loose powder, eyeliner and lip gloss. To join, you’d need to fill out an enrolment form that asks about your skin type so you can trust that the products given to you are suitable for your skin. My skin is rather sensitive but so far, no breakouts at all.
I can be considered one of the lucky few to have been selected thrice for mascara and a lip product altogether since my enrolment in February and honestly, these samples (full-sized by the way) are REALLY GOOD. Even after the test had concluded, I still continued using the mascara because it has such thin wand for precise application and it really volumises my lashes. Even though the brands are not known to you, you can be sure that they’re from reputable brands. If you really like the product, you can ask for the brand name a few months after the test.
If you’re chosen for the test, they’d give you a call. Collection of product is done at SYRES’ Ngee Ann City office, usually either on Monday or Tuesday between 12pm to 8pm. The test usually lasts for a month (I was given a one-week test period for my liquid lipstick though) and you have to complete at least 1 set of questionnaire during use.
The best part? You get paid for your participation. Not in cash, but with two $10 Takashimaya vouchers, also from their office about 1-2 weeks after the test. I have already received 6 pieces so far! I’m sure you can buy something with $60 from Takashimaya. Otherwise, you can always sell them away since Takashimaya vouchers never expire.
And nope, this isn’t just for the ladies. GUYS, especially the metrosexuals, who are interested to try beauty products (for men of course) can also enroll here. For more information, you can visit SYRES’ Facebook page 🙂
ii. InFocus Group
InFocus pays respondents to share their opinions and thoughts about products, services and a wide coverage of topics through focus groups and they usually work with market research firms.
I haven’t personally worked with InFocus because their session timings always clash with my schedule and most of the time I don’t fit their criteria (as their projects are usually for older people) so I am not entirely sure how trustworthy they are. They release new projects once every few months and they seem legit though. I guess as long as you don’t have to pay a single cent, you should be fine. Their Facebook page has over 1800 likes to date.
In case you’re not familiar with the term “focus group”, here’s a definition from Google:
focus group
nouna group of people assembled to participate in a discussion about a product before it is launched, or to provide feedback on a political campaign, television series, etc.
Incentives for participation are a lot higher than taking surveys. You can get paid between S$40 to S$100 per hour just by sharing your opinion! Boyfriend joined a focus group once for KFC (not through InFocus though) and all he needed to do was to eat 3 pieces of fried chicken, and then share his feedback. For that, he was paid S$80! How cool is that?!
3. Download Apps that pay
Apps that pay you for using them aren’t new in the market. The first paid App I know is probably PhewTick, one that lets users earn money by scanning generated QR codes, but it has closed in 2013 along with the points I earned -_- Ever since then, this tactic has become pretty common nowadays, especially in the U.S., to entice people to join them. Some Apps got their money from advertisers while others are probably funded through investments. Regardless of the source, I think it’s a brilliant way to keep the App going and encourage users to actively contribute to it.
There are quite a number of sites that provide a list of Apps that pay users, but most of them are usually catered to Canadian or American users. So here is my very own (short) list 🙂
i. Flitto
Flitto is a Korean startup that uses crowdsourcing to get fast and accurate translation in 17 different languages. For every correct translation you make, you earn a certain number of points. Once you have accumulated at least 50,000P/points, you can cash out US$25 via Paypal. Of course, unless you’re extremely multilingual, you gotta wait a long time before you can even see three zeros LOL. There’s a report on an Indonesian girl who earned US$300 a month just by translating from Bahasa Indonesia to English and vice versa. I’m like her, only fluent in English and Mandarin (traditional and simplified) but I get requests like, once in a blue moon 😦 Perhaps because most Chinese are fluent in English as well. I currently have 370P in my account since my join date on 23 July 2014.
Also, you have to be VERY quick in your translation because once the best gets pick, no more translation will be submitted to the system. The points (usually 50P) will be awarded to the one who did the chosen translation. If no translation is picked, I think some points will still be awarded to you within 48 hours (I’m not entirely sure about that).
You can also use your points to request for a translation. This can be done by typing, recording an audio or snapping a picture (of a sign in a foreign country, for example). A very helpful tool if you’re travelling to a foreign land and you don’t understand their language. Google Translate isn’t as accurate as human-generated translations too.
ii. Sqkii
Download: [Closed Beta] not launched yet
Founded by an NTU Business student, it is an App that rewards mobile users cold hard cash for looking at sales promotional advertisements (a.k.a. squibs) that they find useful. Users are awarded random amount ranging from $0.0001 to $10 worth of credit points each time they look at a squib for 10 seconds or more. These credit points can be cashed out via Paypal once a user accumulates $10 worth of points. [Yahoo]
The App is not launched yet but I had an early access to their closed beta test. It’s pretty simple – all you need to do is to swipe through pages of ads and you’re automatically rewarded points. You can do it when you’re on the train or bus.. or even when you’re answering nature’s call. Hehe. I stopped using it after awhile though since it’s only a beta version, but I definitely see myself using it more often once it’s launched! Meanwhile, you may like their Facebook page for more updates 🙂
iii. Carousell
As an active user and reviewer of Carousell, I believe this feature comes as no surprise to many of you. Nevertheless, it deserves a spot in this post because you can still technically earn money by selling your unwanted stuff (which may be gifted to you thus you make no loss in the end). It eases the inconvenience of having to set up a booth at a flea to sell your items but of course, transactions are closed slower when not dealt face-to-face. With just a push of a button, and perhaps a short description and a filter for your picture, your item is put up on sale. For a more detailed review of Carousell, do check out my post here.
Carousell is where you can see many budding entrepreneurs. Many people actually ship over products not found in Singapore and sell them at a price higher than what they originally paid. Children as young as 12 years old are also using the platform to sell trendy stuff and earn a side income.
iv. FreeMyApps
FreeMyApps is a platform for you to earn gift cards effortlessly. All you need to do is download the Apps (most of them are games) recommended on FreeMyApps, open them and keep them running for 30 seconds. Even if the App requires your registration, just leave it. You really don’t have to do anything else to earn the credits. Once you’re done with the App, you can just uninstall it and install the next (if you’ve space constraints). You only need to accumulate at least 3000 points (not difficult at all as each App typically carries over 100 points, some with 350 points or more) to redeem a $10 iTunes or Google Play gift card. Of course, there are more rewards than just a $10 gift card. Check out their website for more information.
By the way, some of the surveys I mentioned above also have their own Apps! 🙂
And that’s all I have for this section! I feel that it’s due to the small market here that we don’t have as many Apps like that as compared to the U.S. They even have Apps like Gigwalk that pays for completing specific tasks (like walking into a store and recording down something), AppTrailers which rewards for watching movie previews of Apps and GymPact which pays users for working out (but penalises every time you miss a session)! OMG, not fair! Why don’t we have such stuff here?!
Singapore App developers, why you no create Apps that pay users to run and eat healthy!? I swear I will be fit and slim in no time as I will run diligently every single day, rain or shine. So will many people in this country. Haha. Maybe can get HPB to endorse/sponsor also hor. Not a bad idea right?
If you know of any sites or Apps that offer money, please feel free to share them with me (askme@fionaseah.com) or leave your comments below! Nobody will say “no” to more money-making opportunities, right? 😀
Thanks for reading anyway, and talk to you guys next time! ❤
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