How It Works, Pros And Cons

Unlock Surveys is a market research platform that lets you earn rewards by answering surveys. 

There are dozens of paid survey websites like Unlock Surveys, such as Survey Junkie, Inbox Dollars, and Swagbucks, but not all are legit. 

In this Unlock Surveys review, we explain how it works, cover the key features and pros and cons, to help you decide if this rewards website is worth joining.

Unlock Surveys began as Springboard America in 2009, but rebranded in 2024. Like other paid survey sites, Unlock helps household brands, and various government, nonprofit, and media organizations by gathering insightful data from the general population. 

What Does It Offer?

Unlock Surveys allows you to earn reward points for answering surveys, and then redeem your points for a wide range of gift cards. In addition to reward points, you may be given contest entries where you can win cash or other rewards. 

Complete Surveys

Unlock Surveys is different from sites like Swagbucks in that the primary way to earn is by answering surveys. There is a sign up bonus, and you may be invited to participate in the occasional referral campaign, but it’s not a regular thing. 

How Much Are Surveys Worth? 

According to Unlock, most surveys are worth between 50 and 500 points ($0.50 to $5.00), if you qualify and finish the survey. Typically, the longer the survey, the more points you will receive. However, you might only be entered into a contest draw, although Unlock will let you know what you can earn in the survey invitation. 

Redeeming Your Points

You can redeem your rewards when you reach 2500 points, which has a value of $25. Gift card options are as follows: 

• Virtual or physical Mastercard 
• Amazon e-gift card 
• iTunes 
• Google Play 
• Charitable donation 
• Various other gift cards

It takes about a week to receive your rewards after you’ve made your point redemption. To find out your points balance, simply login to the Unlock Member Portal. 

Will My Rewards Points Expire? 

As long as your account remains active, your points will not expire. Unlock Surveys reserves the right to close your account and reclaim any outstanding points if you have been inactive in the Unlock Surveys community for more than five consecutive months. 

Is There A Referral Program? 

Unlike some paid survey sites, Unlock Surveys doesn’t have a regular refer-a-friend program. That said, they will sometimes target a select group of users with a limited-time referral campaign. They do not provide details on how to qualify for one of these programs. 

How Many Surveys Will I Receive?

Unlock Surveys doesn’t disclose how often you will receive surveys. It depends on several factors, including the type of market research they are doing, what the quotas are for specific surveys. From there, they use a random selection process. That said, you can improve your chances at receiving relevant surveys by completing the Monthly Mosaic and Profiling surveys as they are sent out. This lets Unlock Surveys know more about you and makes it easier for them to send you relevant surveys. 

Are There Any Fees?

No. Like most online survey websites, Unlock Surveys is completely free to join. In fact, never join a survey or get-paid-to (GPT) website that charges a fee for membership. 

How Does Unlock Compare?

As mentioned, there are dozens of online survey sites to choose from, and some that have more to offer than Unlock Surveys. Two of the best platforms are Survey Junkie and Swagbucks. 

Survey Junkie is a dedicated survey website. It has a low $5 minimum payout threshold, and you can choose from three payout options: PayPal Cash, bank transfer, or gift cards. Plus, you may have an opportunity to earn more with focus groups. 

Swagbucks is more than just a survey site. It offers many ways to earn. You can answer surveys, but you can also get paid to shop online, play online games, search the web, take advantage of bonus codes and special offers, and more. It has a very low minimum payment threshold of $1 (which you can redeem for an Amazon gift card) and payment can be in the form of PayPal Cash, gift cards, or prepaid Visa cards. 

How Do I Open An Account?

You can get started with Unlock Surveys by clicking on the blue, Join Now button on its website homepage. You’ll receive a 500 point-bonus ($5 value) for signing up. To qualify, you must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. resident, and not be employed in market research or a related industry. 

During the sign up process, Unlock Surveys will require you to provide some personal information via a short survey, and confirm your account by responding to an email. 

Is It Safe And Secure?

Unlock Surveys should be considered safe to use. For starters, they are not collecting or storing any highly sensitive data, like credit card or bank account numbers, or your Social Security Number. A detailed privacy policy is available on its website, and Unlock Surveys states that it keeps all of your personal information and survey responses strictly confidential and will never sell, exchange, or distribute your personal details to any party without your prior consent. 

If you need assistance, you can contact Unlock Surveys by email at support@unlocksurveys.com or by regular mail to the following address: 

Unlock Surveys
225 W Wacker Drive, Suite 1900 
Chicago, IL 60606
USA

Is It Worth It?

If you’re only signing up for one paid survey site, then Unlock shouldn’t be the one you join. It offers fewer ways to earn points than top sites like Swagbucks, and fewer redemption options than Survey Junkie and others. Not having the option to redeem for cash, whether it’s via PayPal, bank deposit, or a check in the mail, is disappointing. Also, Unlock is very vague about whether you will even have a chance to earn rewards points for a survey — you may only be entered into a random draw. 

That said, the best way to maximize your earnings with online survey sites is to sign up for multiple platforms to increase the number of survey opportunities. If that’s your strategy, than Unlock Surveys is worth a shot. It is free, after all. 

Check out Unlock Surveys here >>