Ipsos Isay is one of the most well-known and well-established survey sites out there – but is it worth getting involved? This Ipsos i-Say review will answer that question.
I’ve now been a member of Ipsos I-Say for over two years. The fact I’ve remained a member for that time is telling in itself, but you’ll have to read on to find out if it will feel worthwhile to you.
What is Ipsos iSay?
Ipsos iSay is an online survey site, operated by Ipsos MORI, a well-known global market research company with a presence in many countries.
Are Ipsos Surveys Legit?
Ipsos iSay is a legitimate survey platform. The company behind it is well-established and globally well-known.
This isn’t a home working opportunity that’s going to make anyone rich, but the “I-say rewards” available to people willing to spend a little time on taking surveys are genuine and not difficult to earn. It’s not a bad little side-gig, as we’ll discuss now.
While You’re Here!
If you’re researching lots of survey sites, make sure you look at the ones below too!
Signing up with Ipsos Isay
Where is Ipsos i-Say Available?
Ipsos i-Say has a presence in the US, Canada, UK and some other European countries.
Signing up does involve providing some personal details, including your date of birth and full address. This may bother some people, but is hardly surprising. Ipsos, after all, is a huge global company that needs to know the people taking its surveys are genuine.
Once you’re signed up, you’re eligible to start filling out surveys – you may find one or two you can jump into straight away. Otherwise, you can receive email alerts when new surveys are available.
In my experience, there are some days when no surveys come at all, and others when there’s a bit of a flurry. Averaged out, you seem to get one or two each day – but this will obviously vary from country to country and over time.
Ipsos iSay Review: Taking the Surveys
For the purposes of this review, I made a point of completing all the surveys that were offered to me. (I have continued to do so since initially publishing the review as well!)
When an email comes through, you need to click though to find out roughly how long the survey will take, and how many points (stars) you will get for completing it. These points build up and can be exchanged for “I-say rewards,” such as Amazon vouchers, prepaid credit cards, charity donations and other useful vouchers and credits.
As I understand it, one Ipsos point equates to one cent in the USA. In the UK, it’s not quite as direct a conversion. As an example, you get a £5 Amazon voucher for 490 points. It’s notable that since I completed my first Ipsos review in 2017, this “conversion rate” has improved.
We’ll come back to what kind of earnings you can expect shortly, but first, let’s discuss the surveys themselves.
Once you’re notified of a survey, you just need to click the link in the email to get started. Usually, the survey begins by confirming things like your location, sex and date of birth.
Sometimes, you’ll only get a little way into the survey and find it ends prematurely because you don’t fit the demographic they need for it. This is known as being “screened out.” Many people complain about how often this happens to them, but it’s understandable that Ipsos’ clients may need specific sets of people to do their surveys. The same sort of screening happens when your do user testing for websites.
Personally, I don’t get too upset about being screened out. Ipsos Isay pays a token gesture of points depending on how quickly it happened (anything from five to 25 stars). While it may be disappointing to think you were going to earn enough to make up the points for your next Amazon voucher, only to find you’re not eligible, you’re only talking about a few minutes from clicking on the email to that point.
After using Ipsos for some time, I must say that this “consolation prize” approach to screenouts is something that keeps me loyal to the platform. They tend to happen before you’ve wasted much time, and knowing you will get something even if it’s only ten stars, is better than a prize draw entry, which many survey sites give you instead.
This brings me onto an important point: Filling out surveys for Ipsos iSay isn’t a job! It’s a way to make a little extra pocket money. I strongly feel that a lot of the people online who criticise survey sites in general are failing to make this important distinction.
The surveys themselves can range from long and monotonous to really rather interesting. Sometimes it feels like a slow and repetitive way to earn a small amount of money, at other times you feel like you’re getting quite an interesting insight into everything from marketing to politics.
It’s possible to take most Ipsos surveys on a smartphone or tablet, as well as a computer. A new IPSOS iSay app has recently been launched, and I will update this review once I’ve checked it out.
Thanks to the mobile site and app, it’s actually feasible to make a little money whilst playing with your phone during “downtime.” In my opinion, this is a far better use of time than playing Candy Crush!
What can you make with Ipsos iSay?
As I’ve made very clear, taking surveys online is neither a job nor a “get rich quick” scheme.
If you were to calculate the time taken to fill out the surveys and calculate it as an hourly rate, it’s unlikely you’d reach a western minimum wage. However, this really isn’t the point. As something to do when you have spare minutes, it’s perfectly worthwhile. All you really need to do is swap some of those regular Facebook and Twitter checks for filling out a survey or two, and you’ll soon be able to earn some vouchers for treats or gifts – and it’s (theoretically) tax-free too.
Let’s look at the numbers:
The screenshot above shows that I completed 10 surveys before earning enough points for my first £5 Amazon voucher, with 125 points left after cashing them in.
However, on half of these surveys, I was “screened out” before completion. I reckon I probably spent about 90 minutes or so actually answering survey questions.
In terms of time span, it took eight days from joining to getting my first £5 voucher.
Now, this once again leads us back to why some (in my opinion, rather short sighted) people don’t think Ipsos iSay is worth their time.
Yes, it took a week to earn a £5 voucher, and worked out to less than minimum wage – but I never intended to do this as a job! It’s more of a profitable hobby for those (many) moments when I’m sitting at the computer in the evenings, half working and half idling!
If you extrapolate the numbers, it gets far more interesting.
Now I know this isn’t life-changing money, but it IS “pay for lots of Christmas presents” money, or “treat yourself to new books / games / movies” money.
Obviously, your mileage may vary. Having used Ipsos iSay for a long time now, I can say there is huge variation in how busy things are on the platform. Sometimes I’ll get to a voucher in a few days, other times it can feel like weeks can elapse without much happening.
I’ll say one more time – this isn’t a job – but for me it’s a way to get some free stuff whilst also getting some interesting marketing insights (at least some of the time). It’s not a wage, but nor is it really work.
i-Say Rewards: What’s on offer?
Amazon vouchers are as useful as money for many people, myself included! But among the other rewards are things like prepaid MasterCards (usable for basically anything), and retailer-specific vouchers.
Some of these actually allow you to get a greater value for fewer points, so if you’re lucky you might get one towards something you intended to buy anyway.
There are also various prize draws going on. I’ve not taken much interest in these, but if I win something unexpected I’ll be sure to come back and happily update this review.
When I first put together my iSay review, I commented that vouchers were sometimes “out of stock,” but this isn’t something I’ve experienced for ages.
Ipsos Isay Review Conclusion
I’m going to go against what some people online seem to think and say that I think doing surveys for Ipsos Isay is a worthwhile use of time.
It will only ever be a tiny side-gig. It’s not a work from home job or a career move. But I find filling out these surveys more interesting than playing mobile games or endlessly scrolling through vacuous Instagram feeds. And the difference with this is that doing those things doesn’t get you a constant stream of Amazon vouchers to spend.
If you go in with realistic expectations, you’ll find that Ipsos iSay is a decent way to establish a side-income. It’s certainly worth a go. You can sign up with Ipsos i-Say here.
Ipsos iSay Surveys: Pros and Cons
The Good
- A reliable platform
- No issues with payouts
- Available in a few different countries – not just the US
- Surveys you can take on mobile
The Bad
- Surveys can come in “fits and starts”
- Not a huge money earner
Further Reading
- If you want to learn how to make a DECENT level of money from multiple survey sites, read this article full of tips.
- For more online side jobs, check out this article.
- For a bigger, more lucrative survey platform, have a look at SwagBucks.
Founder of HomeWorkingClub.com – Ben has worked freelance for nearly 20 years. As well as being a freelance writer and blogger, he is also a technical consultant with Microsoft and Apple certifications. He loves supporting new home workers but is prone to outbursts of bluntness and realism.
I been a member of ipsos isay for 10 yrs. Out of no where my membership has been cancelled without notice. Customer service suck. I haven’t had a reply back yet it’s been over a month. I look at many reviews recently and thousands of people are experiencing the same thing. One person said they responding saying they are no longer a good fit and membership has been cancelled. I suggest if anyone register know that they membership will end without notice and could lose all points and money.