Tricks of the Trade

With anything you do, you'll always find away to do it better.  Be it cleaning windows with newspaper to prevent streaks to cutting coupons for the store for extra savings, there is always a better way to do it.  This page is the 'better way' of doing online surveys.

What I am about to tell you is not a secret.  You can find the information on various forums on the web.  I am about to tell you some tips to making easy green online.  Sit tight and scroll down to begin the learning process.

1.  Your email address or should I say addresses....

You heard me right, addresses, plural.  When beginning an online survey, you will always be asked for an email address.  My first suggestion.  Do not use your primary email address.  Unless you like Internet spam.  I don't like spam, so what I do is create a secondary email address to use for filling out surveys.  To create a secondary email address you can use one of the many free email providers around.  (Google, Yahoo!, etc.)  After you make your first one, go ahead through the process again and make a second one.

What you want to do when your filling out surveys is to rotate email addresses.  Some companies put out more than one survey and usually won't give credit to those that have previously completed a survey.  So that means every few surveys switch email address.

Example:  Company A puts out 2 surveys.  Complete survey 1 with Email Address A and survey 2  with Email Address B.

NOTE:  When signing up for CashCrate, use your primary email address.  The reason is because CashCrate will send you important information such as offer confirmation emails.

2. Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!

So now that you have your email addresses all set, now is time to begin your first survey.  When you're taken to the page that has you put in your name, address, and phone number, do not, let me repeat, do not falsify any information.   If you do, it will result in your being banned and that means no money, honey.

If you happen to get a telemarketer phone call, just polity ask them to take you off the call list.  As for your address and junk mail.  Shred it, throw it away, heck, blend it up with some water and make recycled paper out of it.

Empty the Cookie Jar.

Ok, not the real cookie jar, but the cookies that are stored on your computer.  Cookies are like little files that sites put into your computer so they know when you visit a second (or third) time.  They cause the graphics of that particular site to load faster and will even store your information if you choose the "remember me" button.  All websites use cookies, so there is no escaping them.  At least these are guilt free for those who are watching what they eat.

Clearing cookies will help with surveys because, like I said, they store information.  This information can be used to say, "Hey you've been here before and you did a survey our company offered.  We don't want mulitple surveys done by the same people."  We don't want this.  Until companies say they only want one survey done per household (or IP address), it's not cheating the system.  So go forth and clear your cookies every few surveys.  I do it every 4 surveys.

No, Thank You.

So now, you've entered in all of your correct information and are now asked a bunch of Yes / No questions about offers you're interested in.  Answer No to all of them.  If you get to the end of the page and they say, "You must say yes to at least one offer."  Say yes to an offer and click submit.  You'll then be taken to that offer's page.  If you scroll to the bottom you'll be giving the option to submit or skip.  Click skip.

NOTE:  You may come along to find a survey on CashCrate that tells you to participate in one of the offers as well as two of the reward offers.  If this happens you must participate in one of the Yes / No offers.  I usually pick a simple one like a newsletter or something.

*Whines*  Are we done yet?

Good news, almost.  You can hear that money jingle, it calls to you.  But, wait, what is this?  You're being asked to pick an offer for in order to get your reward (whatever the survey was initially trying to "sell/give" you).  The page should say that you are on the "Silver" rewards page or something similar.  It will ask you to choose 2 offers in order to get your prize.  Click on any two offers you see fit and make sure they open in new windows.  This is important because you'll be closing them in about 28 more seconds.  Keep all of these new shiny offers opened for about 30 seconds.  Want to feel safe, open two more and keep them opened for another 30 seconds.

Once you do that, close out those offers and scroll to the bottom of your page.  It'll ask you to continue to "Gold" offers.  Where you'll be asked to choose 2 (or whatever number) more offers and you'll do the same thing again.

The next and final page (depending on the site) will be "Platinum", follow the instructions and click as many offers as they require.  Wait and close.  Scroll to the bottom.  Is there anymore links to click other than "go back to previous offers"?  Does it say "Click here once you're finished"?  If so, click that button.  You'll be taken to a thank you page.  It doesn't say anything like that?  Close the window.

There.  Done.  Close your windows and open the CashCrate website.  Click the submit button by the survey you did and now you just wait.

The Waiting Game.

So you did your offer.  It's pending.  How long does it take to pend?  That depends on the company that gives the survey.  It can pend anywhere from minutes to 2 weeks.  Some special surveys may give you an approximent time frame for pending.  If you've waiting the full time frame, contact support or visit the forum.  I typically give it between 1-3 days to pend.  If it doesn't, I remove it from the completed page and re do it.  Sometime it works, sometimes it says the survey has been completed already.

Check the Email Address You Used.

Title explains it.  If you've been waiting on a pending offer, check the email address you used for the offer.  There maybe a confirmation link in an email somewhere.  Check your spam box too.  If there is no confirmation email and your still not receiving any money try the forums.  There are a few thread running about malfunctioning topics, what offered were approved that day, and what has been pending, and for how long.  Also this is different from the CashCrate confirmation emails because the CashCrate emails show you what offers have been approved.