iSay Review [2024]: Is it Worth Your Time?

Ipsos iSay is an online paid survey site where you can give your thoughts on various survey topics, including technology, entertainment, automobiles, and more. Completing surveys helps you earn points, which you can redeem for PayPal deposits, e-gift cards, and more.

iSay is owned by Ipsos, a global market research company that has been in business since 1975. Ipsos conducts over 70,000 surveys annually and works with over 5,000 clients needing market research surveys.

I found iSay easy to use, from setting up an account to taking part in surveys. The payoff for my time isn’t necessarily the highest, but that’s how most survey sites are. The point is that you can use iSay to make a little money on the side when you have some free time.

How does iSay work?

After signing up for iSay, select how you want to hear about available surveys. The options include:

• Email
• Push notifications in the app
• Browser notifications
• SMS text messages (data rates may apply)

Like most survey sites, there is a limited number of spots available. The faster you respond to invitations, the more likely you will have opportunities to answer surveys. I like to respond to the highest paying survey invitations first and then move onto the lower paying ones. This way if they aren’t available, I at least know I tackled the better paying surveys first.

Even if you successfully access surveys, you must pass a screener. This is how iSay and other survey sites find the audience the market research company needs. That’s why diversifying your efforts with multiple survey sites is best, as it increases your chances of qualifying for paid surveys.

All survey invitations include the number of points you’ll earn if you qualify, so you can determine if you want to take the time to answer them. It also tells you the basic topic so you can decide if it interests you. For example, I took one recently on streaming services. It was an applicable topic and one I knew I would enjoy. You’ll see the points in your dashboard within a few minutes if you successfully complete a survey.

You can redeem your points whenever you’ve earned enough to redeem for your desired reward.

How much can you earn with iSay?

If you’re answering surveys to increase your income, you may want to consider some of the best side hustles alongside answering surveys. While iSay is legit and pays for every survey you complete, you aren’t going to pay bills or cover a large expense with the earnings.

In general, your overall earnings depend on three main factors:

• The number of surveys you complete
• The amount of time you have
• The number of surveys available

When I first created an iSay account (which is very easy, by the way), I had access to five surveys with rewards ranging from 25 to 150 points.

I clicked on the 150-point survey, which took me to a list of screening questions. The questions took me six minutes to complete. Fortunately, I made it through these questions to the actual survey, which said it would take about 30 minutes to complete.

The survey took me only 20 minutes to complete. But if you factor in the six minutes of screening questions, that’s closer to 30 minutes. It’s not a terrible amount of time for 150 points, about one-third of the way to a $5 reward.

After finishing this survey, I checked for other available surveys. To my surprise, only one survey remained out of the several survey invitations I previously had.

The surveys can go fast because iSay is a first-come, first-served platform. I suggest snagging the highest-paying survey invitations first and working your way down. If the other invitations are gone after completing the initial survey, you still maximized your earnings.

How much do you get for your time?

When working side hustles, it’s always a good idea to determine your hourly rate. After all, you exchange your time for money, so you should make the most of it. This also helps put survey-taking earnings into perspective.

For example, earning $3 for a survey might make you think it’s not worth your time. But what if the survey took only 10 minutes? If you completed five more surveys for the same amount, your hourly rate would be $18 an hour, which feels much better for a side hustle. While there’s no guarantee you’ll find five more surveys at ten minutes a piece, you can determine what you will and will not accept.

The number of surveys available varies based on how you initially fill out your profile and answer screening questions.

Let’s be realistic and say you can earn at least 300 points per week from just two surveys on iSay that reward you 150 points each or a combination of other surveys with varying reward amounts.

Example of weekly earnings	300 points
Example of monthly earnings	1,200 points
Potential time required per month	4 hours
Potential reward amount monthly	$12

Earning three hundred points per week with iSay would net you about 1,200 points per month, about $12 in rewards (500 points equals $5 in rewards). If the average 150-point survey takes around 30 minutes, that’s about four hours’ worth of time to make about $12 (or $3/hour).

That’s not a ton of money for the time you may need to invest. But on the plus side, iSay isn’t a scam and should actually pay out what you earn. This is also an easy activity you can do in your free time. You can start a new survey while sitting on your couch at home or riding the bus or train to work.

How do you get paid?

Once you earn enough rewards, usually at least 500 points, you can click on “Rewards” in your online account to redeem your points.

There are four different redemption options:

Redemption option	Payout form
Gift cards	Virtual Visa prepaid cards, Amazon gift cards, Starbucks eGift cards, Target eGift cards, and more
Money transfers	PayPal
Merchandise	Electronics, small appliances, clothes, beauty supplies, and more
Charitable donations	Support for education access

The gift card options include Visa prepaid cards and many popular retailers, such as Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Apple, Dunkin’, and CVS.

Money transfers to PayPal require slightly more points than gift cards. For example, you need 510 points for a $5 PayPal deposit.

You can also redeem points toward merchandise with the Ipsos iSay Market catalog. Redemption amounts vary, but rewards include electronics, small appliances, clothes, beauty supplies, and more.

Charitable donations start at 200 points for donations to the Ipsos Foundation, which helps promote access to education for disadvantaged children and youth worldwide.

Who can take surveys on iSay?

As far as requirements go, just about any adult can participate in iSay surveys. The main requirements are that:

• You must be at least 18
• You have to be a U.S. resident

Both requirements are common for many of the best survey sites.

How to make more money with iSay

Don’t expect to make a lot of money with iSay, or any survey site for that matter. But these tips can help increase your chances of reaching your money goals.

Take as many surveys as possible

You need more points to get more rewards. Taking surveys is one of the main ways to earn points with iSay, so it makes sense to take as many surveys as possible to pad your point count.

Setting aside time to take at least one survey daily can help you reach higher point balances quickly.

Refer friends to earn points

Ipsos iSay rewards you with 300 points for every successful referral you make. This is where having many friends and family or a large social network can be handy. Keep in mind that successful referrals can’t be a member of your household or an existing member of Ipsos iSay.

Use a phone or tablet

You don’t have to carry a computer to use iSay; you can use it on your phone or tablet. We used iSay on both a phone and a computer. We have no particular preference, but using iSay on our phones was much easier while relaxing in the living room or spending time out and about. Plus, having mobile access gives you more opportunities to take surveys, no matter where you are.

Take surveys before they expire or disappear

Surveys can expire after a day or two and disappear from your list. If a survey disappears before its expiration date, it may be because it reached its quota of completions from other users. So it’s best to jump on surveys quickly before others take them.

Use your time efficiently

Every survey typically contains different questions that require varying completion times. However, you always get an estimated time frame for how long a survey will take.

You may find that you can complete one 30-minute survey faster than two 15-minute surveys, potentially because you’re only going through one set of screening questions. As you become accustomed to iSay’s system and surveys, you should stick with the most efficient strategy.

Alternatives to iSay

Ipsos iSay is similar to other survey sites in that it’s easy to use, doesn’t pay a whole lot, and doesn’t always have many available surveys. So if you want to boost your earning efforts with survey sites, consider using multiple at the same time. This should give you more opportunities to take surveys.

Here’s a look at how iSay compares to Survey Junkie and InboxDollars, two of the most popular survey sites:

	iSay	Survey Junkie	InboxDollars
Easy to use	Yes	Yes	Yes
Redemption options	PayPal Gift cards Charity Merchandise	PayPal Bank transfer Gift cards	Paypal Gift cards
Minimum payout	$5 (500 points)	$5 (500 points)	$15 for the first request and $10 for additional requests
Mobile app ratings	App Store: 4.7/5 Google Play: 4.5/5	App Store: 4.5/5 Google Play: 4.3/5	App Store: 4.5/5 Google Play: 4.2/5

FAQs

Bottom line

Ipsos iSay doesn’t necessarily expand on existing online survey services or provide more than other survey sites. But it’s a legit website where it’s easy to set up an iSay account and start taking surveys. As another option for taking surveys, iSay works very well.

For potentially more lucrative options to pad your wallet with extra money, check out our list of the profitable side hustles.