Synovate Research was a mainstay in the U.S. paid survey industry for many years, long before the internet.  It seemed to disappear, however, and some users are wondering not only what happened, but if they lost the money, they had earned.

The short answer to that question is no.  You didn’t lose anything.  Synovate was acquired by Ipsos i-say.  The French company has positioned itself as the third largest global research company in the world with the acquisition.

Ipsos was founded in France in 1975 and acquired Synovate in 2011, though we are only recently seeing the changes resulting from this.

The new company boasts over 40 years of experience, and in 2015 they rebranded themselves as “Game Changers.”

What is Synovate Global Opinion Panel?

Though now part of iPsos, their purpose hasn’t changed.

This is a market research company that exists to obtain and provide the most up to date, legitimate marketing information possible so companies can provide consumers with what they want, creating a win-win situation for both sides.

Sign Up

When I went to sign up, I could not find a place to do so on the website, so I opened a support ticket and asked about signing up.

I followed a link from another reviewer’s site to see if I just missed the actual sign up link.  No such luck.  This is where I got the message that the offer to sign up was not currently open to U.S. residents.

There was a link to another offer, but it sent me to another survey company all together.

Patience paid off, however.  The next day I received a response to my support ticket that provided another link.

There I was able to sign up as a United States resident.  The moral of the story?  Don’t waste your time like I did mine, just click here to sign up.

The process is standard, with the same information required by most.  I was asked for my phone number and did not provide it.  It was no problem.

What if I Was and Existing Member of Synovate?

According to another reviewer, all accounts and balances were transferred over, and any existing balance was converted to the new system equally.

This means if you had a $10 balance, that balance is still there and available.

Surveys

There seem to be plenty of surveys available according to those that have been members for a while.  There are also a lot of screeners and panel questions, but remember, filling these out thoroughly increases your chances of receiving surveys you qualify to complete.

It also decreases your chances of being sent surveys you will screen out of.

As with all survey sites, the length of time the surveys take and the amount of points they pay out vary based on the topic, the client, and the demographics needed.

Loyalty Program

I see this occasionally but not often. Ipsos offers bonus points for sticking around and taking surveys.  For example, after you take 5 surveys, you will receive 25 bonus points.

After 10 surveys, you will get 50 bonus points.  Bonus points continue to increase up to 400 bonus points for 125 surveys.

The loyalty program runs from January 1 to December 31, and surveys do not carry over.

Rewards

There are a few rewards options for cashing in your i-Say points.

PayPal and Prepaid Visa

You can cash in your points for a PayPal deposit or a prepaid Visa.  For PayPal, the minimum is $15 or 1530 points.  You can get a $10 prepaid Visa for 1,000 points.

Gift Cards

The standard variety of gifts cards that you typically see on these sites is available here as well. Walmart, Amazon, and a host of other retailers and dining establishments are all out there.  The minimum cash out for gift cards is 500 points for a $5 Amazon gift card.

Though the terms and FAQs state you must have a 1,000-point minimum to cash out, it is unclear without trying if you can actually cash out for a $5 card with only 500 points in your account.

Charity

You can also cash in your points to make donations to charity.  This is something we are seeing show up on paid survey sites recently, but iPsos i-Say has one of the most comprehensive charity selections I have seen.

Among many others, you have choices to donate to well-known charities such as Doctors without Borders, the American Heart Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Ronald McDonald House, the Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity. Donations convert at a penny per point, so a $5 donation is 500 points, a $10 donation is 1,000 points, etc.

Sweeps

Points can be used to purchase sweepstakes entries as well.  Prizes include items such as grills, golf clubs, bicycles, luggage and more.  Most entries are 200 points each.  Winners are notified via email as well as under the sweepstakes tab on their account.

Prizes do expire, so if you enter a sweepstakes, be sure to continue to check to see if you won.  You do not want to forfeit your prize.

Do Points Expire?

As long as you are an active member, points do not expire.  If you go more than 180 days without any activity, you will be considered inactive.

You can report a vacation through the website, but you still cannot go more than 180 days without being active on the site without jeopardizing your points.

Please note that their rules do not state a period of time that you must remain inactive for them to terminate your account.

The 180 days come from the information on reporting a vacation.  It is listed as the maximum amount of time you may be away before there are negative repercussions.

If you are not active on your account and do not report a vacation, there may be an issue with less an 180 days, since there is no specific time period spelled out in the Program Rules.

What is My Ipsos iSay Login?

If you were already a member, you should be able to use the same login information.

If it does not work, I suggest using the contact information on the iPsos website.

Reviews

Synovate was not accredited before the acquisition, but it did have an A+ rating with no reviews and no complaints.

Ipsos is not accredited either, and it has an A+ rating.  This isn’t bad for this type of company, and the lack of an “A” rating stems from 2 complaints that have not been addressed by the company.  These are the only two complaints on file.

Other reviewers state that there are plenty of surveys available and they pay above average for the industry.

The minimum balance for cash out is definitely lower than most even at $10.  Many survey sites require $20 to $25 to cash out.

Privacy

Ipsos claims that they never, share your email address and claim to be 100% spam free.

While this is a bold statement, the fact that they use both TRUSTe and Habeas, two of the top email compliance agencies, and belong to multiple top market research organizations makes it more believable.

They are serious about not spamming you.

Can I Answer Surveys on My Mobile Device?

They do not currently have an app, but there are a select number of surveys that can be accessed through the website on a mobile device.

Is Synovate (iPsos i-say) Legit or a Scam?

These guys are legit.  They are the third largest market research firm in the world.  Obviously, with a company, this big everything isn’t going to run perfectly all the time, but they are what they say they are.

They are not trying to scam money or information out of you.  They are working in the best interest of their clients, and they need panelists for that.

Conclusion

This is a top-notch paid survey site.  They have their privacy policies locked down, they offer a variety of rewards, decent payout per survey, a low cash out minimum, and plenty of surveys to choose from.

This all translates to more opportunities for you to get paid and more options for how you are paid.

This is one site that should definitely be in your “get-paid-to” arsenal.