PCH Surveys
PCH Surveys Review
Publishers Clearing House (PCH) is a well-known reward site that offers users sweepstakes tokens in return for completing offers and tasks like taking surveys. In this review, we’ll evaluate the pros and cons of taking surveys through PCH to help you determine if it’s the right platform for you.
Andrew: Andrew is one of our reviewers who’s been with HuginX the longest. With a background in membership support at one of the largest survey companies, Andrew has a lot of inside knowledge of the Market Research industry and has helped us refine our reviewing criteria. When Andrew is not working with reviews, he likes to go hiking with his dog Charlie.
By taking surveys through PCH’s online portal, you’ll be able to get additional tokens and entries to their sweepstakes. PCH has partnered with 3rd party market research providers who pay PCH every time someone completes a survey through their portal. As compensation for their members’ hard work taking surveys, PCH provides their users free entry into sweepstakes.
Here are a few examples of sweepstakes:
- $100 Amazon Gift Card (enter with 1,000 tokens)
- $250 Best Buy Gift Card (enter with 2,000 tokens)
- $50 Burger King Gift Card (enter with 500 tokens)
How do I get started?
First, you’ll be asked a few screening questions to make sure a survey is a good match for you. From there, you’ll be directed to the website of a third-party survey provider, where you can take a survey that lasts anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Then, once your survey is done, you’ll be brought back to PCH.com, where you’ll receive a confirmation of the reward you may have achieved.
What about my data – are they really safe?
The survey data you enter in the online questionnaires will be shared with 3rd party market research companies on an aggregate basis. Other data types, such as personally identifiable information such as name, e-mail address and phone number, will be kept safe per PCH’s privacy policy. You may also be asked to participate or agree to a survey provider’s terms of service or privacy policy. You should always review these third-party terms of service and privacy policies carefully.
Be attentive and provide honest answers
If your responses to the survey’s prequalifying questions did not match the criteria needed for the research, you’d be directed back to the PCH website. You will receive a portion of the reward since you spent time answering as many questions as possible. Because of issues with survey quality, online market research companies frequently use consistency check questions and other tactics to ensure your answers are honest. You might lose the rewards you previously earned if caught cheating or providing inconsistent answers.
Be prepared to be screened out
Since PCH is not a market research company, all the survey opportunities are through 3rd party platforms. This can make it harder to qualify since the surveys are not as well-matched as other proprietary survey sites linked directly to market research firms. On average we only qualified for only 1/4 of all the surveys we attempted to take. The result of this is that a lot of time is wasted answering so-called “screener questions” which are usually unpaid.
Why we are critical of the sweepstakes model
While the idea of winning a large sum of money may seem attractive to many, our experience is that the drawbacks of PCH’s sweepstakes model outweigh any potential benefits.
One of the main drawbacks of PCH’s sweepstakes model is the low chances of winning. Despite the company’s claims that its sweepstakes are legitimate and fair, the odds of winning a significant cash prize are incredibly slim. In fact, the chances of winning the PCH’s top prize of $5,000 per week for life are 1 in 6.2 billion. This means that users are more likely to be struck by lightning, attacked by a polar bear, or hit by a falling flower pot than they are to win the top prize.
Furthermore, PCH’s sweepstakes model is designed to keep users engaged and spending money on additional products in the hopes of increasing their chances of winning. Users are bombarded with advertisements for additional products and services, which may seem like a small price to pay for the chance at a big cash prize. However, the reality is that the odds of winning are so low that users may end up spending more money on additional products than they would ever receive in cash prizes.
Another drawback of PCH’s sweepstakes model is that it may be seen as preying on vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or low-income individuals. The company’s marketing tactics are often aimed at those who are struggling financially, and the promise of a big cash prize may seem like a solution to their problems. However, the reality is that the odds of winning are so low that users may end up spending money they can’t afford to lose on additional products in the hopes of winning a prize that may never come.
PCH Scam Alert
In January 2023, the Warren County Sheriff’s Department posted an alert warning people of a scam involving PCH. A letter was sent in the mail claiming to be from Publishers Clearing House and claiming the recipient won $750,000. The letter says to contact the company’s branch office immediately and speak to agent “Vince Otto” for method of payment.
The letter sounded convincing until it required the winner to pay taxes and processing fees and informs the winner not to tell anyone.
PCH states on its website that “If you are ever contacted by someone claiming to represent PCH, or claiming to be one of our employees, and asked to send or wire money (for any reason whatsoever, including taxes); or send a pre-paid gift card or Green Dot Moneypak card in order to claim a sweepstakes prize –don’t! It’s a scam. If you are sent a check, told it’s a partial prize award, and asked to cash it and send a portion back to claim the full prize award, don’t. The check is fake, but the scam is real!”
Top Rewards Sites
- Join-bonus
- Varied earning opportunities
- Mobile app
- Frequent survey invitations
- ESOMAR member
- Low compensation
- No cash payments
- Repetitive profiling questions
- As promised
- Free to join
- Simple interface
- A good mix of surveys
- A lot of email invitations
- Low incentives
- Screening too often is not a pleasant experience.
- Many complex matrix questions can be difficult to answer.
- Surveys work well across different devices
- Surveys that match your personal interests
- Survey invitations in accordance with demographics
- It does exactly as it says on the tin.
- Translation mistakes in questionnaires
- It's not easy to reach the helpdesk
- There isn't a lot of documentation.
- A wide range of payment options is available
- Interesting survey opportunities
- Low payment threshold
- Informative and well-structured FAQ and help-pages
- Transparent points system
- Average payout per offer
- The offer page could be better structured
- Good paying surveys
- Easy to use
- Earn cash, not points
- Accounts may become inactive after 10 days of inactivity
- High payout minimum
This is how we review gigs
Disclosure: While HuginX is editorially independent, we may earn commissions on sign-up links.
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