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Vindale Research Review: High Paying or Bust?

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NOTE:  As of November 2021, Vindale Research ceased operations

I have mentioned Vindale Research so many times on this blog, such as in my creative ways to pay off student loans and how to make money quickly in one day posts.

While I know it’s a legitimate survey provider, I felt it was time to add an in-depth review as I do with many other survey-like companies.

Whether you’re looking for another way to make money online or maybe you landed on this review via a search, let’s dive in and see what Vindale Research is all about.

How much did I make?  How much can you make?

Do I recommend them as one of the best?

Should you sign up?

These are all questions I will answer below.

Vindale Research Review:  Scam or 100% Legit?

What is Vindale Research?

As with all of my reviews, it’s best to dive in and explore the company’s background as this can tell us a lot about who we are working with.  Generally, as long as you can find some contact information and a professional “about us” page, it could be a great start.

However, you don’t want to stop there as you will want to check out third-party reviews, such as this one, to ensure that you’re, indeed, working with someone legit.

Vindale Research is one of the many research companies online that will reward you to share your feedback with popular brands.  They pay you cash, not points and offer full-service support.  They are also known to offer some of the highest-paying surveys in the industry.  In short, you will be asked to take surveys, and in exchange for your time, they will credit you a certain dollar amount as long as you qualify for the survey.

The company is operated by iGain, LLC, which is a company that “connects researchers, marketers and publishers with real and engaged people.”  As I write this, they have paid out more than $20 million in the past year with more than 32 million people participating in their offers.

Vindale Research seems to be an ethical company, but even so, are they worth joining?



Signing up for Vindale Research

Before you even consider signing up, first know that you need to meet qualification standards so that they accept you.  According to the terms and conditions, you must be at least 18+ years old and reside in the United States, Canada or the United Kingdom.  As long as you meet these guidelines and you don’t have an account, they will accept you as a member.

To sign up for Vindale Research, it’s very similar to many research panels.  While I joining, they would throw in a $1 bonus just for joining.  Not much, but hey, it’s better than nothing, right?

To start, you will first input your email address and then fill out a member profile, most of which asks for your name, address, birthdate as well as the opportunity to create a password.

Following this, you will then have to complete a new member questionnaire so that they can learn more about you.  All survey panels ask you to fill out a new member questionnaire.  Some require you to do it, whereas some make it optional.  If you don’t fill it out, however, then you often won’t see as many survey opportunities.  Since Vindale Research does force you to do it, this will ensure that most of the surveys you see will be targeted toward your demographic.  It’s all part of what they name the “3-part introduction.”

The entire sign-up process takes about 10 minutes to complete, but I promise you that it’s well worth it so that you can start earning cash.

It is 100% free to join, and no credit card is required.

Vindale Research Dashboard

After you sign up, you can immediately access your dashboard, which will look something like this:

The dashboard is extremely easy to browse, and I will be sure to explore each section in detail below.  For now, you will be able to view the surveys available to you as well as browse other sections of the website.  Most of your activity, however, will be found on this page.  Just keep that in mind.

In each of the sections below, I want to talk about the menu options as well as what you can do in each one.

Studies

In the “studies” category, this is where you will earn the most money and where you will want to spend most of your time as the company primarily focuses on surveys.  Whenever you log in, it will take you directly to this tab.

Here, it’s as simple as looking at the surveys available to you and clicking on one of interest and then filling it out.  As long as you qualify and complete it in its entirety, you will receive the reward noted next to the study you clicked on.

Personally, I try to only complete surveys that will pay me at least $1 and won’t take longer than a few minutes.   So, in that example, the $4.32 is a perfect one to fill out.

What you’re going to find is that you will find some unique survey opportunities, but they do work with other “offer wall” providers as well.  Like a lot of the survey sites I talk about, it’s not too uncommon to network with other providers.

How many surveys should I expect?

From my experience, they are never-ending.  That screenshot is only four of the 30+ that were on my dashboard.  Of course, your demographics can play a bigger role; however, you should expect at least 20 to 30+ survey options throughout the day.  How many you qualify for, however, is a whole another story as this will greatly depend on your demographics.  This can be said with any research panel, though.

How much can I make?

Honestly, I don’t use Vindale Research as much, but when I did in the past, it wasn’t too hard for me to earn $5 a day, sometimes much more if I were to log in throughout the day.  $5 a day is very easy, but you could expect much more, especially if you’re lucky enough to qualify for a bigger payout, which they are known for doing.  Most of your surveys will range from $0.25 to $1.50+ on average.

When do I know new surveys are being added?

There are a few things you can do.

For one, you log in a few times a day as every time you do, the survey options will change.  You can also keep your eyes peeled on your email since the company does send out emails almost daily in regards to your new opportunities.

And, lastly, you can consider adding the Vindale Research extension.  This extension can be added to your Google Chrome browser and will alert you anytime a new survey is added.   You can also click it at any moment to see what surveys you can take at this time.  It’s a great option if you want to quickly see what’s available and don’t want to log into your account.

Panels

In the panels section, it will list all of the panels that are similar to that of Vindale Research.

When I took a glance, it appeared that they linked out to a bunch of affiliate offers, some of which offer value, while others don’t.  It just depends on who you sign up with.  You won’t find anything new here.

I didn’t find much value here, but it’s worth a gander if you want to see what else is out there.  I just recommend researching the companies in depth before signing up as, again, some won’t be worth it.

Jobs

In the jobs section, it’s just that — jobs.

It’s a poor man’s version of a job board, but it appears it will link out to third-party job boards, which pay them a commission most of the time.

You won’t find much here.  Plus, most of the jobs are local and you won’t be able to complete them online.  If you need a job, I would highly recommend you check out Indeed.

Between the panels and jobs category, these are two I would ignore for now.

Referrals

Vindale has an awesome referral program, one of the best in the industry.

For every friend you refer to Vindale, they will pay you $5 only if your friend signs up AND completes at least one survey or panel.  These requirements won’t take long, though.

Out of all the companies that pay you to refer, this is, by far, one of the best opportunities.

Of course, you will need to know people, but you can always promote your links on social media or even to people you just met.  Be sure to not spam your referral link as this can often lead to account termination.

Reward Codes

In the reward codes, you can enter a code, whether you win it in a contest or find it online, and earn a few cents.

It’s usually not much, but you can find them on the company’s social media profile, particularly Twitter and Facebook, or even searching for them online.  The beer money subreddit can provide them as well from time to time.

Don’t worry if you can’t find these codes are they generally aren’t worth much.

Vindale Research Payment Method

Ah, the best part — getting paid.

The great thing about Vindale is that you get paid cash for every survey you complete, but you need to have at least $50 in your account before you request a cash out.  This can take some time, depending on how much you plan on using the website, but if you do about $5 in surveys a day, it will only take about 10 days to complete.

There’s no silly points system and you will always know what you’re owed.

Once you earn $50, you can request a payment, which will be sent to your PayPal payment on file.

Do keep in mind that you need a valid and verified PayPal account in order to get paid.

What Others are Saying

Now that we know what Vindale Research can do for you, it’s always best to see what other people are saying as well.  It’s not always about my opinion, right?  That’s why I always create this section in my reviews.

In this section, I explore the internet and try to see what people are saying, both good and bad.  As with any panel, no matter how great, you will always find some negativity.  It’s up to you to determine if that negativity is justified.

Listed below are both the pros and cons found scattered across the web:



The Pros

Always a lot of survey opportunities, some of which can pay up to $50+.

Very easy to use dashboard.

Not too hard to make $5 per day if you log in daily.

An “A” BBB rating.

You strictly get cash, no silly points system.

They primarily focus on surveys, so you won’t see low-priced opportunities, such as watching videos.

By far, one of the best referral programs in the industry.  You can get $5 for every friend you refer!

The Cons

As with a lot of survey panels, you will find that you’re often disqualified from a lot of surveys.  Depending on your demographic, you may experience this more than others.  Don’t expect to qualify for 100% of the surveys you click on.

Kind of ties in with the disqualifications, but survey takers often find themselves getting disqualified 10 to 15 minutes after messing with a survey.

The $50 payout minimum is one of the highest in the industry.

Customer support appears to need work.   There are many reports where people have a hard time getting in contact with someone.

Some reports of a closed account.  However, be leery with these claims as many often break the terms, the reason for the ban in the first place.

It’s limited to three countries.  This can be a downfall to some.

Unfortunately, the company does send out a lot of emails.  Be warned!

Final Thoughts

8/10Vindale Research is a 100% legitimate research panel.  You won’t get rich with them, but I don’t see why you can’t earn at least $25+ a month, sometimes much more.  It’s like all of them.  How much are you willing to work?

In the end, I’m going to give them a solid eight out of 10, knocking them down a few points for a few reasons.

For one, the $50 minimum payout is way too high.  In fact, it’s one of the highest.  There’s no reason this number can’t be much lower.

Secondly, the survey opportunities can be bothersome as some providers do take forever before they disqualify you.  It happens much more here than anywhere else, but it’s not as often as many make it out to be.  These are my biggest gripes.

In conclusion, I do like the number of surveys I get on my dashboard, the simplicity of the site and the higher survey payouts.  I also like that they are backed by a larger company, iGain.  There’s definitely a lot more good than bad.

If you want to earn $25+ a month and don’t mind answering some simple questions, then at least give it a shot.

Now, it’s your turn.

Have you tried Vindale Research?

Do you have any questions?

If anything is on your mind and you want to sound off, then you’re more than welcome to do so in the comments below.  As always, I love hearing from you!

For now, check out the platform.  It’s 100% free and they will even throw in a small bonus just for signing up.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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