Branded Surveys Review

Branded Surveys review

Need to sign up to more GPT sites? Click here to compare our list of the best survey sites you probably haven’t heard too much about yet

Back in April 2020, we published two editorial review collections that discussed online survey sites that pay cash instantly or that pay out in Visa gift cards. Our mini-reviews in these collections are a good place to start looking for Get-Paid-To (GPT) sites that offer members cash and rewards for completing online surveys, participating in polls, entering sweepstakes and competitions, completing offer wall tasks, and more.

This in-depth Branded Surveys review will discuss the key points highlighted in the collections mentioned above.

Who is Branded Surveys?

About Branded Surveys

Founded as MintVine in San Diego, USA, in 2012, and rebranded as Branded Surveys in 2017, Matt Gaffney is the founder and CEO of Branded Research Inc, the holding company for Branded Surveys. This global survey community is available to residents aged 18+ who live in the USA, the UK, or Canada. A market research company, Branded Surveys rewards in gift cards and cash rewards where members are paid for surveys taken online.

What activities does Branded Surveys offer?

Branded Surveys Activities

Activities to choose from when you join Branded Surveys include surveys, daily polls, offer wall tasks, a loyalty program, and a referral program. Of all the survey websites I’ve reviewed in the last while (or signed up to), the company has always been a very comfortable survey site for me to work in.

Thinking about the survey site navigation, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that everything is right where you’d expect to find it. For example, company info, privacy policy, terms of service, and support links are all at the base of the page, while the marketing and member login information is at the top of the page.

If you haven’t yet signed up, head on over to their survey site and create your profile to get started. Enter your email address and gender, and then create a new password to register. Once your email is verified, you can proceed to browse the survey site in member mode.

How many points is a Branded Survey?

Branded Surveys Points System

Branded Surveys uses a points system – quite common in today’s GPT industry. 1,000 points are worth $10, with a $10 minimum cash out threshold. Every survey will be worth a certain amount of points, which add up to your total points once they are awarded. Your way to earn points is by taking online surveys, referring a friend, completing activities, and more. When a friend you referred reaches Silver badge level, your earning opportunities increase. Completing your profile preferences also increases your chances of being invited and to qualify for more surveys.

How much do Branded Surveys pay?

Branded Surveys Earnings

Branded Surveys offers its members quite a few payment methods, and pays out in 24-48 hours, depending on the reward you claim. You can request a pre-paid MasterCard or Visa credit card, or that your cash be paid into your Branded Pay (United States only) via your PayPal account. In most PayPal cash outs for GPT sites, your signup email address needs to match your PayPal primary email address. If not cashing out to PayPal, consider using a generic (not your primary) email address, created only for signing up to GPT sites and other subscription and marketing emails.

What other rewards can I claim with Branded Surveys?

Branded Surveys Points Other Rewards

A popular choice amongst members on most GPT sites is a Tango card, which can be redeemed at participating Tango retailers, including XBOX, Uber, Uno, Starbucks, PlayStation, Rayban, LL Bean, Hulu, hotels.com, Google Play Store, Barnes & Noble, AutoZone, Amazon, Adidas, iTunes, and many more.

The loyalty and referral programs do not pay out in cash, but you can earn extra points towards your points total. This adds to your points and lets you earn more points faster than if you just take online surveys.

Click here to discover our pick of online survey sites that pay cash instantly.

Is Branded Surveys a legit website or a scam? Keep reading to find out more.

What kind of reviews do Branded Surveys have?

Branded Surveys Other Reviews

I’ve always relied on TrustPilot and the Better Business Bureau to give a fair and accurate reading of member comments and reviews, although I do sometimes question their rating scales and grading. For instance, some GPT sites have terrible reviews and member feedback, but because the BBB has that site under its holding company, the holding company has an A rating. The survey site itself should be rated F for poor member support, no payouts, etc., but is not.

TrustPilot indicates an overall “excellent” rating for Branded Surveys, with 87% of over 24,000 members rating them as great or excellent, 8% as average, and 5% rating the site as poor or bad. User reviews and member ratings are always such a personal thing, based on each individual’s journey and whether their needs are met along the way, or not.

Feedback taken from the comments on the poor or bad ratings filter on TrustPilot shows some members are saying that there are not enough qualifying surveys to make minimum cashout points, or that there are too many emails with links to available surveys, and the quota is always reached before you can get into them. On 5th May 2020, one disgruntled member even mentions receiving dozens of emails in one day! This is where an additional email address comes in handy.

There are also positive reviews, which mention the site navigation and layout. If you’ve had a chance to check out our review collection on survey websites that pay cash instantly, or how you can get free Visa pre-paid gift cards for taking surveys, you will know that Branded Surveys was one of the most user-friendly websites I had visited or signed up to.

Some one-line reviews marked as 4- or 5-star ratings mention customer service as being great, while the more negative reviews mention that it’s not great at all. Again, as each experience and interaction is unique, it’s best you judge this aspect for yourself.

Turning to the Better Business Bureau rating page for Branded Research Inc or Branded Surveys will redirect you to MintVine, where MintVine is listed as an accredited business with a B rating.

For those not familiar with the Better Business Bureau, a BBB rating is the total score overall from a series of 13 elements used to grade a business. These elements include a total number of complaints vs. unresolved complaints, type of business, how long they’ve been in business, and more. A closer look reveals that an average of 38 users only generated a 1½-star rating, and only 20 of the 129 listed complaints were closed over the past 12 months.

This is why I originally said a BBB rating is not really a good indication of the actual member experience. That said, together the two websites still add up to 24,000+ member reviews and or complaints where over 80% of those are rated as excellent or great experiences.

Some reviews and member complaints also mention that the high-point surveys suddenly fill up on quotas very quickly, or that only low-point surveys are sent out as you near the cashout threshold on your account. Altogether, this is a very frustrating aspect of GPT sites, with very few of them differentiating themselves. It’s no wonder people are asking if Branded Surveys is a legit website or a scam.

Click here to find out how you can get free Visa pre-paid gift cards for taking surveys.

What are the pros and cons of Branded Surveys?

Branded Surveys Pros and Cons

At some point, no matter what you read in reviews and comments, you will have to make a decision on whether a specific GPT site makes you feel at ease or not. If you’re still not sure if Branded Surveys is a right fit for you, check out this list of pros and cons:

Pros

  • One of the lowest payout rates
  • Amongst the lowest amount of points needed to cash out
  • Fast payout times
  • Great selection of rewards from participating partners
  • Pays directly to PayPal, Visa or MasterCard

Cons

In between the many member reviews and comments, I went through while doing my research, the negative reviews give rise to concern, as noted in our review collection on survey websites that pay cash instantly. Some of those issues are about:

  • Points disappearing
  • A support department that does not respond in person
  • Surveys being disqualified even after they’re finished
  • Accounts suddenly being closed
  • Misleading time information to completion of surveys sent out

Looking for tips on how to avoid being swindled by scam websites? Click to skip ahead or keep reading to scroll there in time.

Is Branded Surveys legit?

Branded Surveys Legit or Not

All indications are that this is a legit business with accreditation from at least one rating agent. Does that make it worthwhile or just another site that will waste your time and steal your money?

As mentioned in our review collection on survey sites that pay cash instantly, I would suggest reading up as much as possible before signing up for Branded Surveys. And although the positive reviews far outweigh the negative ones, it’s only when you actually navigate the site and use its features that you can really make an informed decision about whether or not Branded Surveys is the right fit for you.

Tips for managing GPT sites and accounts

As always, we recommend these best-practice tips on how to make the most out of taking online surveys for extra money:

  • Do your research – add the word “review” to your search keywords for better results. For example, “opinion city +review” will bring up all relevant websites that mentioned an Opinion City review
  • Create a separate email address – because a lot of the websites you visit will spam your personal mailbox if you don’t
  • Keep track of progress – tracking your progress on a simple spreadsheet or keeping a journal of sites-to-avoid can be a great way to manage your earnings
  • Keep track of the websites you are not comfortable working with – this will come in handy when your lists get longer
  • Sign up to a few websites at a time – be diligent and disciplined about following up and completing the surveys you get invited to join via links and invites in your inbox so that you’re first in line to make money online
  • Always be privacy-conscious – if it creeps you out to add some personal data anywhere, it’s best to avoid that survey site altogether and delete your account there, too
  • Pay attention – when you hear or read of red flags about certain sites, you can be sure that doing business with them is probably not going to be in your best interests

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