My Honest Review of Vindale Research – Legit or Scam?
Updated on: by Amy Kennedy
Vindale Research has been around for more than 12 years, making it one of the oldest survey sites.
In an industry saturated with the same model of market research websites that have only slight variations, Vindale Research manages to take a fresh approach to making money by taking surveys.
A reputable site that is easy to use, and offers a variety of ways to achieve a cash payout?
This is definitely worth investigating.
That’s why I put together this Vindale Research review, complete with my personal experience, comments and complaints from other users, and everything you need to know before you get started with the company.
What Is Vindale Research?
Vindale Research is a market research site that provides online paying surveys to its members.
In addition to surveys, you can also make money through Reward Mail (paid emails), referring your friends, watching paid videos (advertisements), and more.
However, the company’s main focus is surveys, so this is where you’ll find the bulk of the rewards that you can get from the site.
Vindale Research has been in operation for almost two decades now, making it one of the longest-running survey sites on the web.
While other similar sites tend to burn out after a while – kind of overstaying their welcome on the internet – Vindale has held on strong and continues to maintain a decent reputation, which seems to be tough to do for this kind of site.
Although the company used to only allow people from the United States to sign up, it’s now open to other countries, including the UK, Canada, and Australia.
How Does Vindale Research Make Money?
Like similar companies, Vindale Research makes its money from the clients it works with.
This company is, in essence, a marketing company.
It partners with companies to help expand their marketing efforts through advertising, surveys that help them understand how people shop and think, and introducing people like you to their products and services through surveys, emails, ads, offers, and more.
The companies that Vindale works with pay Vindale for its services, which basically involve marketing to you and other members of the site.
Because the site wouldn’t work without your help, you get rewarded with the tasks you complete on Vindale Research as a thank you for your time.
Who Can Sign Up for Vindale Research?
Currently, Vindale Research accepts members who are at least 18 years old and reside in either the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, or Canada.
To be eligible to join and remain a member, you’ll also need to adhere to all Terms of Service the company provides and your local laws.
You must also sign up with only real information.
Signing up with false or misleading information can cause your account to be terminated without warning, which will also prevent you from getting any of the money you may have earned during your time with Vindale Research.
Is Vindale Research a Scam or Legit?
Vindale Research has had many years offering surveys, and are a well-known company.
They are accredited with the Better Business Bureau under SayForExample, Inc., and have achieved an impressive A- rating.
*UPDATE 07/2023: The company now appears to be under the name Dynata LLC. on the BBB.
Still, Dynata LLC has been accredited for 17 years with the BBB and manages to maintain an A+ rating.
Vindale Research is definitely a legitimate company, and provides its members with a genuine way to earn money from home.
Vindale states that they have worked with global brands such as Netflix, Disney and Amazon.
They also claim to have paid more than $5 million total to their members.
Such high-profile clients and a large total payout helps establish their legitimacy.
However, sometimes when people refer to a company as a scam, they mean that they feel misled by the company.
Vindale Research does have mixed reviews.
There are many success stories, but there are also some complaints.
I looked into the types of complaints being made to see what problems the company might have. Most often, the problem that people have is the low payment rate, and that they struggle to meet the minimum requirement for payment.
I can understand their frustration, but unfortunately survey sites are not a “get rich quick” scheme – if you think of it as supplemental income during your free time rather than an employment opportunity, you are more likely to have a positive experience.
Vindale Research is definitely not a scam, in the sense of deliberately setting out to deceive their members.
Try to be as informed as possible about what you are signing up for – and reading reviews is a great place to start!
I decided to do some research and sign up myself, just to see how everything works and if I think it’s possible to earn some real cash here.
How it Works
Vindale Research has more ways of earning money than most survey sites, but it still primarily operates on the basic model of most market research companies.
Businesses pay market research sites to access their large pool of survey-takers.
Most surveys are aimed towards a certain group of people; for example, they will often only direct questions about shopping items to a person who indicates that they are responsible for the majority of the household shopping.
If you received this screening question and selected the option to say that you do not do the majority of the shopping, it is likely that you will be screened out of the survey, and unable to continue or earn money from that opportunity.
However, there are many different demographics that the companies look for – it is best to be honest, as you never know who they are looking for!
Ways of Earning Money
- Take surveys. Companies pay Vindale Research to have access to you and your fellow members, and then Vindale Research pays a small amount to each person who took the survey. Members may need to take many surveys to save enough money to cash out. Vindale gets paid for their pool of members, companies get valuable market research and you get paid cash. It is a system that works for everyone, and you can be involved from the comfort of your own home!
- Watch videos. We all watch ads, but Vindale will pay you to do it! You can earn up to $0.25 to watch a short video.
- Email links. Vindale sends out emails with affiliate links that will earn you around $0.10 for every time you click on that link and follow through. In this case, advertisers are spending money to make sure their product or service is being seen. It takes a short amount of time to complete and the money adds up.
- Cash contests. You can sign up for Cash Contests and earn up to $15, every day. The best way to find these is by participating in their social media and following the blog.
- Trialing products. Members of Vindale Research can choose to trial products and services for free, or for a low cost that is later reimbursed. This is the source for other complaints, because some people might sign up to test an online dating site, for example, but forget to cancel their subscription. While Vindale will pay them for the single month, if the subscription is not canceled the member will lose money. The key is to clearly read the instructions and conditions.
- Refer friends and family. This is a common incentive among survey sites, but what is not common is that there is $5 on offer for each referral that results in someone signing up to Vindale Research. It does not take long to add up.
- Post a selfie. Once a member cashes out their money, they can earn a further $5 by sending in a smiling selfie of them receiving their check or PayPal payment. Vindale Research gets positive press, and the members get $5 – another win-win situation!
How Does Vindale Research Pay?
One of the most important things to know about any survey or reward site before signing up is how you’ll get paid and when.
Vindale Research has a minimum payout amount of $50.
That means that you need to earn at least $50 before you can cash out your earnings.
This minimum is much higher than other sites that only have a minimum of $20, $10, or even $5.
You may not see your credit for surveys shown in your account right away.
Sometimes, it takes a few business days for your credits to show, but you should be able to see all pending amounts on your dashboard so that you can keep track of what you’ve earned.
The good news is that Vindale Research doesn’t cap the number of surveys you can take in a day or week or the amount of money you can make in that time.
You’re free to login when you want, do what you want, and earn as much as you want.
Currently, Vindale only pays with PayPal.
You’ll need a verified PayPal account to receive money from the company, which you can learn how to do here.
Vindale only pays on specific days, too, which you can always see in the Next Payment Date section of the resources.
In most cases, payments are made twice per month.
So, say you requested a payment on February 10th, but the next payment date is February 15th.
You’ll need to wait until the 15th for your payment to be released.
It could take a few more days to actually receive your payment in your PayPal account (usually up to five business days, tops).
So, while you’re eligible to request a payment when you hit $50, it could still be another couple of weeks until you see your money in your account.
My Experiences
I signed up for Vindale Research after reading their FAQs.
I was impressed to learn that the longest they anticipate you waiting to be credited is 5 days – some sites take up to six weeks! I signed up using my laptop, but I notice some features are available on mobile phones and tablets.
These devices appear to not have full functionality though, so it is better if you use a desktop computer.
Signing up is completely free – Vindale research do offer some product and service testing that you must pay for initially and then be reimbursed, but these are optional and I chose to skip them.
If you do participate, you would pay for a service – say it cost $15, which comes out of your pocket.
You use the service and provide reviews, after which Vindale might pay you $20 – your original investment of $15 plus a $5 payment.
Don’t forget to unsubscribe to the service if you do not wish to continue – any payments past the original trial period will not be reimbursed by Vindale. It is very important to read the information and conditions very carefully.
I began by filling in the same personal information that all survey sites require, which allows Vindale to decide which surveys I am eligible to apply for.
I noticed that they have further information and help resources available through the member log-in.
I was able to complete surveys immediately, and happy with my $2 bonus on sign-up.
I have a long way to go before I achieve the cash-out amount of $50, but there are plenty of surveys to complete, including a daily survey.
I anticipate that if you were to login to the site daily and take some available surveys, you could rack up your cash pretty quickly.
Personally, I don’t love spending time every day on sites like this unless I can get through surveys quickly.
Vindale Research does have a good mix of surveys, though – some are longer and pay $25 or more, while other quick ones can get you a dollar or two.
So, I’d say it’s a good place to use if you don’t always have a bunch of time to spend on the site every day but still want to spend a few minutes getting paid.
What I Did Not Like
One of the first issues I had is that there is a lot of contact from Vindale Research via email.
This is something I see with many similar sites, though, so it’s not very surprising.
However, most emails were about affiliate companies and links. It can be a bit overwhelming.
You do have the choice to unsubscribe, or you can redirect the emails to your junk folder in order to sort through them later.
This is why I always suggest that, when signing up for survey and reward sites like this, you create a separate email account just for these kinds of sites.
That way, all communication goes to that inbox only, leaving your personal inbox free from all the clutter.
Another issue I had was that on a number of surveys, I answered quite a few screening questions before being told I was ineligible.
I spent about 10 minutes on some of them thinking that I was in the primary portion of the paid survey, only to be told I didn’t qualify for the paid survey.
While annoying, it is unfortunately very common to most survey sites, and something that I’ve gotten used to over the years.
However, it did happen quite frequently here, especially with the higher paying surveys I really wanted to take.
It appears that Vindale looks for a very specific demographic for those surveys, and I just didn’t fit the mold.
You could have a very different experience than I did with qualifying, though, if you happen to meet the needed demographics for the surveys, so I can’t say that this is something everyone will face at Vindale.
My Overall Impression
Vindale research had a professional look to the website, which was straightforward and easy to use.
The help resources were great as well, with lots of information.
I was able to earn money immediately, and because Vindale’s earning are in dollars instead of points, you can make very clear decisions about whether the financial reward is worth your time.
There are no tricky point conversions you need to make to understand how much you’re getting, which is awesome.
Having said that, like most surveys you are not going to be making even close to minimum wage – thinking about surveys in terms of hourly rates is a bit depressing, as the money received does not reflect the amount of time necessary to earn it.
However, the way I see it – I would be watching television anyway, so I may as well earn some rewards for sitting down!
In conclusion, I can’t really find anything specifically to fault Vindale Research on that isn’t true for most survey sites, aside from its very high minimum cashout amount.
I do think that $50 is extremely high, especially when most surveys only pay up to $2 and you may not even qualify for all of them.
Most other complaints, though, are ones that can be true for almost any survey site, such as not qualifying for surveys and getting a lot of marketing emails.
Pros and Cons
The following pros and cons are ones that I’ve gathered from around the web, mostly from places like the BBB, Trustpilot, and similar sites that allow public reviews.
Cons:
Let’s start with the negative aspects first, because truthfully – there aren’t that many of them.
The same problems that are common to all survey websites are shared by Vindale:
- Low rate of pay for the time spent
- Occasional problems with being denied a survey after completing a significant number of questions.
- Complaints about deleted accounts and lost dollars – although these are difficult to substantiate, because it is hard to know what might have caused the account to be shut down.
- High levels of email communication – Vindale Research promise never to send spam, but what I think is valuable information might differ from what they consider to be relevant.
- Calls and emails from companies unrelated to Vindale
- The cash-out limit is quite high – you must earn at least $50 before you can receive any payments.
- There is also only a select number of countries who can participate, so if you are not one of them you will not be able to open an account.
Most of these problems are common to all survey sites, and the rest are easy to get around.
It is very important to be familiar with the terms and conditions, so that you can decrease your chances of being blocked from your account.
If you do not like the amount of email sent, you can always opt out.
I would also suggest that you are selective about the information you provide to the affiliates of Vindale – just because they have been sent through the email system, does not mean they are necessarily as trustworthy.
Pros:
The positives far outweigh the negatives.
- There are a number of ways to earn cash.
- The rewards are just that – cash, instead of trying to tempt you with other rewards such as electronics and gift cards. It makes the process of cashing out much simpler, and makes it much easier to see how much you are earning.
- It is nice to be able to change pace – if you are tired of completing surveys or have none available, you can spend time watching the videos or following email links.
- The payments are also higher than most other survey websites, which means you can be rewarded
- Vindale is available on multiple platforms, although some functionality might be affected on mobile phones or tablets.
- It also has great social media integration – there is a good Twitter, Facebook page and blog that will alert you to new surveys and provide routine updates and information for members.
It is possible to interact with the community, and you can find reward codes worth cash by engaging with the social pages in contests, challenges and similar.
The Alternatives
You can also check out these worthy alternatives:
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a popular online platform that offers multiple ways to earn money, including taking surveys, watching videos, playing games, and shopping online.
Users accumulate points (Swagbucks) for completing tasks, which can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or gift cards from various retailers.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is a well-known survey platform that connects users with market research opportunities.
Members can participate in surveys, product testing, and focus groups to earn points, which can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or e-gift cards.
The platform also offers a user-friendly interface and a streamlined survey-taking experience.
Pinecone Research
Pinecone Research is a highly regarded survey panel that focuses on consumer opinions and product testing.
Members receive survey invitations based on their demographic profile and can earn cash rewards for each completed survey.
Pinecone Research also offers a relatively higher payout compared to some other survey platforms.
PaidViewpoint
PaidViewpoint is a survey platform that emphasizes short and interesting surveys.
The site provides users with surveys tailored to their demographic information and pays them in cash for each completed survey.
PaidViewpoint also offers a unique trait scoring system that allows users to earn more by providing consistent and reliable responses.
Opinion Outpost
Opinion Outpost is a reputable survey panel that rewards users for sharing their opinions through surveys.
Participants earn points for each completed survey, which can be redeemed for cash via PayPal or various gift cards.
Opinion Outpost also offers occasional opportunities for users to participate in product testing and online focus groups.
Conclusion: Is Vindale Research Worth It?
I highly recommend Vindale Research, with the following conditions – that the member is aware of the terms and conditions, that they are willing to put some effort into accruing dollars, and that they are prepared to be patient.
Vindale will not make you rich, or provide an alternative to normal employment.
It will provide you with an engaging way to make some pocket money while relaxing at home, and it offers a number of ways that you can do just that.
Most common problems can be avoided by knowing the rules and following them.
While there might be the occasional unfair dismissal, there are enough success stories to know that the company is definitely worth joining.
There are other sites that you could choose to be a part of, but you would be hard pressed to find a site that had such a variety of ways to earn cash, and that provided a cash payment as an option.
If you are looking for an opportunity to earn money through market research, then Vindale Research is a great place to start.
Why not sign up and see if Vindale Research is right for you? And when you receive your cash, don’t forget to post that smiling selfie!
Visit official site: www.vindale.com
Feel free to come back here and leave us a comment letting us know how your experience with Vindale Research went!
