What is PTS?
Pay to surf (PTS) is a business model that became popular in the late 1990s, prior to the dot-com crash. Essentially, a company uses income from advertising placed on members' screens to pay them for time spent surfing.
A PTS company would provide a small program to be installed on a member's computer. Advertisers' banner ads were then displayed while the member was browsing the web. Since the viewbar tracked websites that the user visited, the PTS company was able to deliver targeted ads for their advertisers. Advertisers paid the company a small amount (typically US$0.50) for every hour of a member's surfing.
Members were usually limited on the amount of time per month for which they would be paid to surf (typically 20 hours). However, PTS companies also paid their members for each new user referred to the company (typically US$0.05 - US$0.10 per recruit). Thus, it was profitable for a member to garner as many referrals as possible, encouraging some users to recruit members using spam, though officially forbidden by the user's agreement. Minors, many of whom flocked to these business models as an easy source of income, were required to obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian.
The most well-known PTS company was AllAdvantage.[1] It launched in March 1999 and grew to 13 million members in little over a year with the multi-level marketing system of recruiting new members. The scheme capitalized on the notion that anyone could make money on the internet without much effort.
AllAdvantage’s success attracted many imitators. At its peak, there were several dozen pay-to-surf companies. AllAdvantage had US$175 million in venture capital; its imitators did not and thus their members were never more than a small fraction of AllAdvantage's.
After 18 months, even AllAdvantage ceased operations. At that point, AllAdvantage had paid out over US$160 million to its members. Many members of smaller PTS companies were never paid when the companies shut down.
By late 2001 with the dot-com bubble collapsed, very few PTS companies remained.[2] This is not surprising since 100% of the revenue came from internet advertising, which was the area hardest hit.
As with many Internet business models, PTS companies attracted people trying to defraud the company out of money. First, as noted above, the companies had to deal with spammers, often having to terminate member accounts. Finally, utilities started appearing which allowed users to simulate surfing activity.[3][4] Some users even created mechanical mouse-moving devices which ran around their desks, i.e. "JiggyMouse".[5] These programs and devices allowed users to get paid simply for leaving their machines on. This began an arms race between the PTS companies who built fraud-prevention software and fraud program developers, with each releasing increasingly sophisticated versions of their software.
1.
Wonder
If you have excellent research skills and want to earn some extra cash, Wonder might be the perfect fit. We wrote about Wonder several weeks ago, and here’s how it works: Basically, Wonder invites anyone – journalists, corporations, or even individuals – to pay a flat fee for a properly researched answer to their most burning questions. In most cases, users pay this fee because they don’t have the time to do the research themselves, or because they want to make sure they get it right for an important presentation or report.
On the employment side, Wonder researchers pull out all stops to create accurate and comprehensive responses to any question posed. Wonder doesn’t have any formal education requirements for the researchers it hires, but it does prefer candidates with excellent research and English writing skills. If you’re interested in learning more, you can look into becoming a researcher on AskWonder.com, or read more about the company in our in-depth review.
2.
The Bottom Line
If you want to earn some extra cash, the internet has paved the way to more options than most people realize. Just by answering survey questions, watching television, or doing your regular online shopping, you can earn real cash rewards or, at the very least, gift cards that can be used to buy the stuff you want.
Every site we covered here is absolutely free to sign up for, although not everyone will qualify all the time. Still, if you want some almost-free money for doing stuff you were planning to do anyway, it’s hard to complain.
3.
Swagbucks
For an easy way to earn, try Swagbucks. This website will literally pay you to search and play around on the internet, with almost nothing more extensive required on your part.
The set-up works like this: Once you sign up for Swagbucks, you’ll download their search bar onto your computer. From there, you’ll earn points for shopping online, watching targeted videos, searching the web, and taking surveys. Once you rack up a ton of points, you can exchange them for gift cards to popular retailers like Amazon.com and Walmart.
So yes, Swagbucks pays you in gift cards and not money. But most people can turn those gift cards into cash if they’re creative – for example, you can score some Walmart gift cards and use them for groceries, then turn around and reduce your grocery budget that month. That’s pretty swank if you ask me!
4.
RewardTV
If you watch a lot of television, you have to try this out. RewardTV will pay you to log onto their website and answer fun trivia questions about your favorite shows.
Not only can you earn ongoing participation rewards, but you can earn entries into drawings for prizes that range from three years of free gas to $10,000 in cash. You won’t earn a lot here — maybe $10 to $20 per month — but it’s still a fun way to kill a few afternoons if you’re a TV buff.
5.
Opinion Outpost
You know what they say about opinions, right? They’re like armpits (and other less savory body parts) – as in, everybody’s got ’em. The good news is, Opinion Outpost will actually pay you for voicing your mind and taking their surveys. That’s right: Whoever said your opinion didn’t matter was dead wrong.
All you have to do to get started is sign up with an email account or social media account. Once you do, you’ll be selected for surveys you can complete in exchange for cash or gift cards to retailers like iTunes or Amazon. Plus, you can also earn entries into occasional cash drawings for as much as $10,000.
6.
MyPoints
You heard it here first, folks: MyPoints is yet another cash-back site that will reward you for shopping online and printing coupons. If you already do most of your shopping online, for example, you can score meaningful benefits on everything you buy, earning points you can redeem for gift cards and more.
Plus, you can sign up for the chance to win an Amazon gift card or earn one right away for spending at least $10 at a selected online store, such as Walmart.com, Target.com, or Amazon.com. If you need to buy stuff anyway, then this is a smart way to rack up rewards at the same time.
7.
User Testing
User Testing is another online survey site that rewards its members for giving their opinions on marketing tactics and products. Worldwide, more than 34,000 customers and companies rely on UserTesting to figure out marketing techniques and strategies and to gain insight into the minds of their users.
Signing up is free and easy. Just for visiting a website or testing a new app, you can get paid $10. Of course, participating in multiple campaigns can help you earn more and more cash over time. And each time, you’re paid $10 for about 20 minutes of work or less. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
8.
mobileXpression
While mobileXpression doesn’t dole out a set rate of cash, installing the app and answering an array of questions does put you in the running for all kinds of rewards and free merchandise. Once you install the app on one of your devices and keep it installed, you can earn everything from Amazon gift cards to electronics like iPads or flat-screen televisions, just for searching the web as you normally would.
The requirements are simple: First, you need a device that’s compliant with their software, and second, you must sign up and meet the program’s qualifications. After that, the software works independently on your device, analyzing and researching your usage with no extra effort on your part.
9.
SmartPanel
Earning nominal amounts of cash is easy with Smart Panel. Once you complete a three-minute questionnaire to see if you qualify, you can get paid for everything from living and breathing to using your phone or computer like you always have.
For starters, you’ll get $5 just for meeting their qualifications. After that, you’ll get another $5 per month just for keeping the app installed. Beyond those initial payments, you’ll earn small amounts of cash just for using your phone or computer as you always have – and letting Smart Panel analyze your search results. According to Smart Panel, you can earn up to $110 in 12 months and up to $230 in 24 months – for doing almost nothing.
10.
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