The Panel Station Review: Far From One of the Best
Online surveys can be a great way to boost your income. However, some sites are far better than others. Take a look at why, although it has some good points, ultimately, The Panel Station is a bit of a disappointment.
The Panel Station review
A site with a decent volume of surveys, but the experience is dragged down by frequent screen-outs, slow point approvals (often weeks), weak rewards choice and below-average pay.
Pros
- A decent number of surveys
- Occasional online interview invites
- Easy to sign up and get started
Cons
- Payment isn’t great
- Points can take weeks to be approved
- You’ll be screened out of a lot of surveys
Reviewed by Household Money SavingThis was a survey site I stumbled across on social media. And, as I’m always looking for new ways to make money, I was happy to give it a go.
What is The Panel Station?
The Panel Station is an online survey platform where users can participate in market research surveys in exchange for rewards. It allows individuals to share their opinions on various topics, including products, services, and trends, which are then used by companies for research and development. Users earn points for completing surveys, which can be redeemed for rewards like gift cards, vouchers, or even cash, depending on the country and available options.
Is it safe?
The Panel Station has been operating since 2012 and has over 6 million users across 40 countries. In my time with them, i’ve never had any issues with payouts.
How does it work?
You’ll first need to create an account and share a few basic details – it will only take a few minutes. For your trouble, you’ll earn some points.
Then, I recommend you head to the profile section on your dashboard. Here, you can fill out more details about yourself, which should mean that you’ll receive more relevant surveys. But in my experience, this isn’t always the case. You won’t receive points for completing your profile, but you will receive coins (more on those in a bit).
Surveys will appear in your account and you’ll see how long they take and how many points they pay. After you complete a survey, it will be reviewed and the points will be added to your account. When you have enough points, they can be swapped for gift cards.
Points can also be swapped for coins (at a rate of 1 point to 10 coins). Coins can then be used to bid on auctions for £5 gift cards.
The good
The Panel Station provides a decent number of surveys, ideal for anyone who has quite a bit of spare time on their hands.
And surveys aren’t the only way to earn. I’ve seen some opportunities to take part in online interviews. These can take up to an hour, but pay much more per hour.
The Panel Station comes with its own mobile app, which is handy if you like to earn when you’re out of the home or you don’t have access to a computer.
The downsides
Well, here’s the biggy. The Panel Station doesn’t actually host its own surveys. Instead, it redirects you to other sites. This comes with a couple of big issues:
- There are now two survey sites taking a cut of your payment from the company that wants your opinion.
- You face multiple screening questions and you may not even qualify.
In my first morning with The Panel Station, I spent 30 minutes trying all of their listed surveys. I walked away with absolutely nothing, after being screened out of every single one.
And that’s not the only downside. Once you complete a survey, it can take up to six weeks for it to be checked and your points awarded. I don’t know of any survey site that takes longer.
The coins you earn seem quite gimmicky and do confuse matters slightly. I would just prefer them to stick to points to make life easier.
How much can you earn from The Panel Station?
There’s no set amount you can earn from this site. I have seen some surveys pay 1,500 points for 15 minutes, whilst others pay 300 for 20 minutes. On average, I would say you earn 400 points for 15 minutes.
With 1,700 points worth £5, that’s a rate of pay just under £5 per hour. For a survey site, that’s pretty poor.
Even the online interviews don’t pay so well. I was offered $25 for an hour. That may sound good, but many of the other sites I use pay at least double that. Why not take a look at the best online interview and focus group sites if you want to earn more?
When it comes to coins, the £5 auctions can sell from anywhere between 2,000 and 21,000 coins. That’s 200 to 2,100 points. So, there is a small chance you can grab yourself a bargain.
Payment is made in gift cards. Choices are a little limited, with only Amazon, Argos, Decathlon, Tesco and Waitrose to choose from. It takes up to five days for your gift card to come through on email.
Is there a referral scheme?
At the time of writing, there isn’t a refer a friend scheme available. However, it has been available in the past, so there’s a chance it could be reintroduced again.
What other people think
Over on Trustpilot, The Panel Station receives an impressve “great” rating from well over 1,000 reviews… which is unusual, even for the best survey sites. But having a look through, I’m not sure they’re all 100% genuine.
Take a look at this one:
Does that look like a genuine review to you? And why would you, the user, care if it was available in more countries than your own? Looks like a sales pitch to me.
The Panel Station review conclusion
I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be a great site when I found out they paid in points for each survey rather than cash. And overall, it’s been a disappointment.
The pay per survey is quite poor and it gets even worse when you consider the amount of time you waste being screened out.
And there’s no excuse for having to wait six weeks for points to be approved after a survey is completed. Nearly every survey site I have ever used does it instantly.
I suggest you click on my button at the top of the page for my list of the best paid survey sites and give The Panel Station a wide berth.
