Taking part in a paid survey program is a great way to make some extra cash from home; whether you’re trying to supplement your income, or just to bring in some extra spending money.

However, just because something is advertised as a ‘paid survey’ doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed payment for your efforts. Nowadays, companies are using variations of the paid survey model to save money on their end, but leaving you with the short end of the stick. Here are types of paid survey websites to avoid if you are only filling out surveys for the cold, hard cash.

Prizes in Lieu of Cash

Some companies offer physical prizes in exchange for your input. What’s more, though – you’re not guaranteed a prize if you fill out a survey; instead, your name will be pooled with other survey-takers, and one or more ‘lucky’ workers will win the prize or prizes. If you’re hoping to get more out of your time than the hope of winning some physical object, in lieu of cold, hard cash – avoid prize-giving survey programs.

Cash-Pot Drawings, or Raffle Awards

This type of paid-survey program falls in line with the previous category, except you could potentially win a big pot o’ cash – usually upwards of a few hundred, or even a few thousand, dollars. How this works is simple – usually the drawings take place on a monthly basis, and everybody who has filled out a survey within those 30 days will receive one entry into the drawing.

See, instead of the company paying out $2-$5 per survey to hundreds, or even thousands, of entrants – they pay out a few hundred bucks to one or two of the entrants. Sure, it saves the company money – but do you really want to spend 5-30 minutes on a survey that might pay? While it’s not really any different than playing the lottery, except your cost is time, rather than a few bucks – there are enough survey programs that actually pay real money; it’s just not worth the hassle most of the time.

Paid survey programs are a great way to bring in a little bit of extra cash, and you can get paid to take surveys online while working from the comfort of your home. However, if you are truly filling out these surveys because you want or need the money, not because you necessarily enjoy it – do yourself a favor – skip the time-wasting non-paid survey opportunities.