Money Blue Book

I think this company has been around for a few months now but it wasn’t until recently that I heard about them. If you have been searching for ways to earn more frequent flyer miles or have been trying to find ways to top off the accumulated miles of your frequent flyer plans, now you have another option through E-Miles. E-Miles is offering to give you mileage points but in return, you guessed it, you have to view video ads and then complete surveys pertaining to the products featured on the ads.

Once you register with them and complete a profile, you are paid mileage points for every ad you view. You can earn 10-20 miles for each 30 second video, and even more points for longer ads. The ads are provided to you based on your previously completed profile in which you indicated your interests. I recommend having as many interests as possible. I actually enjoy the process because it’s relatively painless and fairly quick. Earned mileage points are automatically deposited every quarter into the participating frequent flyer program of your choice.

Earning and Using the Miles

In general, a free domestic flight through most frequent flyer programs will run about 25,000 miles. If you regularly view the ads, you could reasonably earn a free domestic flight within a year. However, I only plan on using the program to help me get over the free ticket hump for my various frequent flyer plans. I could try to accumulate from scratch but than it would take much longer than I’d personally like.

Now the bad news. Currently, points earned through E-Miles are only good for Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Northwest Airlines, and US Airways. If your preferred plan is through another carrier, you’re out of luck for now. Hopefully the company will add more airlines soon.

Fortunately for me though, Continental and Northwest are my biggies. I should be able to rack up free flights in no time. I hope you can get something out of it as well.

Don’t forget the Starwoods Preferred Guest American Express Card. It’s my recommended travel rewards card for earning frequent flyer miles and for topping off your assorted frequent flyer plans.

In an earlier entry, I discussed about this new get paid to surf company called AGLOCO that was developing an application that shows ads on the bottom of your computer screen. For the past few months, users have been downloading and using the application, with the expectation that the company would ultimately fine tune its business plan and release news about the payment structure.

Last week, AGLOCO announced on its blog that it had finally signed one of its major revenue partnerships and that a formal announcement would be forthcoming. On the face of it, it seems like good news for the people that have downloaded the application and are actively accruing usage hours. The informal announcement suggests that the company is trying to carefully move towards a viable and sustainable implementation of its payment plan. I noticed that the company wisely steered away from further discussing its previous assertions that payment might also be made in the form of shares - most likely to avoid complications from possible securities law issues.

I remain cautious but encouraged, however, I suggest that you should keep your expectations reasonable. The payment structure is still being developed and there is no clear indication of what the payout really will be. I suspect it may not be as lucrative as some may have hoped. But usage of the AGLOCO application is free and early adopters will likely benefit the most from referrals.

Pinecone Research is an online survey site that conducts online interviews with consumers to obtain their opinions about new products. They conduct their polls by sending members online surveys as well as product samples to review, such as shampoos and detergents. You complete the online surveys and review the products in the comforts of your own home. The best part is that they mail you a $5 check for each completed poll (although shorter ones only pay around $3). The online surveys generally take around 15-20 minutes, but since I’m a pretty fast reader, it only takes maybe 10 minutes of my time.

Pinecone also occasionally offers the opportunity to review trial products. This is probably the most exciting part of these surveys because you get to test try products that aren’t even on the market yet. Interesting products include shampoos, candy bars, video games, and even frozen meals (sent in a foam cooler packed with dry ice). Not only do you get paid for completing the product survey, you also get to use and keep the product!

By the way, you might also be interested in other similar online paid survey opportunities. There are several really good ones out there as well.

Can’t Seem To Find the Sign Up Link? Yup, It’s Hard To Find!

The Pinecone Research survey program is getting more popular as people start to find out about it. However, the sign up process remains rather elusive and the company appears to want to limit new entrants to the program. The company does not automatically approve each application and I suspect they are trying to target certain demographics (such as age or race) or certain consumer characteristics (home owners etc). There is also no easy way to find the sign up application links as they appear on random advertisement banners from time to time. Open registration season is usually only available for short periods of time as well. The company is either trying to drive everybody crazy or it’s doing a great job of generating viral interest.

Please check back occasionally in the event that the existing link disappears back into the void. I will try to keep posting new active registration links as I discover them.

Currently, you can find an active registration link by visiting the link below. Act fast before it disappears - Hopefully it is still working:

Live Pinecone Research Application Link - (Click Here)

What are paid online surveys?

Filling out a free paid online survey is an interesting way to pass the time and make some money on the side. Your opinion is valuable to many companies for market research purposes and they are willing to pay you for your opinion. Your participation is used to influence and guide companies on how they go about developing products and services to meet consumer needs.

How much money can I make?

You’ll most definitely make some money by completing online surveys but don’t expect to get rich, even if you completed every single one out there. The shorter surveys that take less than 5 minutes pay not as much, while longer surveys that take 15-30 minutes or more, pay much better (anywhere from $1 to $50+). If you made it onto a live person focus group, those could even pay up to $250. Keep in mind that survey payout varies greatly depending on what you qualify for based on your profile and background.

How many surveys will I get?

After you register with a survey agency and fill out a profile listing your demographics, interests, and statistics, the company will usually e-mail you regularly with surveys to complete. The frequency of receiving surveys from the companies varies depending on your demographics. For example, if the company is trying to poll individuals who are home owners, and in your profile you indicated you were a renter, then you won’t receive a survey for that issue. But you can generally expect a steady stream of e-mail surveys. Completing them isn’t too painful, especially since you are getting paid.

Will I get spammed or have to pay them money?

No, you don’t have to worry about either. Surprisingly, I have not received any junk e-mails as a result of signing up and only very occasionally do I receive update newsletters from the companies. You can usually easily opt out of those if you wish. There are some survey companies out there that do charge you a fee to use their listing, but I highly advise against ever using a paid service. Remember, the companies want to hear from their consumers and are willing to pay you to complete their surveys. It shouldn’t be the other way around.

How To Get Started With Paid Online Surveys

If you have some spare time and want to earn enough for a few gift cards or movie rentals, then online paid surveys might be right for you. I use the following sites to make a steady $50-$75 equivalent a month:

• NFO My Survey
• Survey Savvy
• Lightspeed Consumer Panel
• Greenfield Online
• Synovate