Toluna Review: Earn Cash, Gift Cards & More by Sharing Your Opinion

If you're on the hunt for a flexible way to earn a bit of extra money without leaving your sofa, paid survey sites are always worth a look. Among the biggest names in this space is Toluna – and it offers far more than just questionnaires. Think competitions, community interaction, and even a few games, all designed to help you rack up points that turn into vouchers or real cash.

Best of all, signing up is completely free.

What’s inside this guide?

• What exactly is Toluna and how does it work?

• What rewards can you swap your points for?

• Honest user reviews – the good and the frustrating

• 6 smart strategies to boost your points balance

What is Toluna and how does it work?

Image: Toluna sign‑up page

Toluna is an online community platform where you can complete regular surveys in exchange for rewards. Members who take part are called 'Toluna Influencers' – because the opinions you share help major brands fine‑tune their products, identify what's working, and fix what isn't.

You earn points for each activity, and those points can be redeemed for gift cards, charitable donations, or straightforward cash payouts. But surveys aren't the only game in town – you can also collect points by engaging with other members, joining contests, and playing quick games.

How much can you realistically earn?

There's no fixed answer, because your earnings depend entirely on how much time you invest. That said, surveys remain the most consistent and rewarding way to accumulate points.

According to Toluna's FAQs, individual surveys can pay anywhere from 15 to 50,000 points, depending on their length. In practice, though, we found that most available surveys fall in the 2,000–4,000 point range.

Based on the points required for gift cards, £1 is roughly equivalent to 5,500 Toluna points. One important catch: PayPal withdrawals are only available in £35 instalments. If you want to redeem a smaller amount, you'll need to choose a gift card instead. Many of those vouchers are for supermarkets or Amazon, which means they're almost as flexible as cash itself.

What can you buy with Toluna points?

Instead of listing every retailer in a table, here's the quick summary.

Most major UK retailers – including Tesco, Argos, Asda, Currys, John Lewis, Just Eat, Primark, and Sainsbury's – offer £10 e‑vouchers for 55,000 points, which works out to exactly 5,500 points per £1.

For larger amounts, £30 vouchers at shops like Amazon, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, and Tesco cost 165,000 points – maintaining that same 5,500‑point‑per‑pound rate.

The only exception is PayPal cash, which is redeemed in £35 blocks for 190,000 points – slightly better value at about 5,428 points per £1.

Beyond material rewards, Toluna also lets you donate points to good causes. For example, you can plant a tree in Ecuador or Thailand for 14,000 points, or provide four meals for malnourished children in Africa for 2,500 points – a nice touch if you'd rather give back.

Toluna reviews – what users actually say

We asked our Facebook deals community for their honest experiences with Toluna, and a clear theme emerged: it takes serious time and patience to build up enough points for a meaningful payout.

"I personally found it took too long to build up the points, but if you don't mind the time it takes then I'd recommend it. There's all sorts you can do on there, not just surveys." – Narice

"I've used it for years and managed to get the £35 PayPal credit a few times. Takes such a long time to get there though." – Rochelle

"It takes ages to build up the points, but you do get sent loads every day. [Your points] also expire 16 months after you earn them, so I lost £20 worth of points." – Sophie

"Yeah it's good if you're willing to put in the time and commitment, takes an awful lot of surveys to build up points [though]." – Shannon

The bottom line? Toluna won't make you rich overnight. But if you pair it with other survey platforms (like our favourite, Branded Surveys), you can build a decent little side income over time.

6 proven ways to earn points on Toluna

Here's how to make the most of your membership:

1. Complete Toluna surveys

Image: Cat using a laptop – Credit: Violet Giddings / Flickr

Surveys are the bread and butter of Toluna. They're the most reliable way to earn points, and there are nearly always several available on topics ranging from personal banking and shopping habits to films, travel, and sports.

Each survey clearly displays its point reward and estimated completion time. The more you complete, the more Toluna learns about you – which means better‑matched, more relevant surveys land in your feed over time.

As a new member, you'll often get screened out after a few initial questions (e.g., "Do you have children?"). That's frustrating, but it settles down once Toluna builds your profile.

How much do surveys actually pay?
Most pay between 2,000 and 4,000 points and take 5 to 20 minutes. Since 5,500 points ≈ £1, the effective pay can be modest – so always prioritise shorter surveys with higher rewards.

To compare, calculate the Points Per Minute (PPM) – simply divide the points offered by the estimated minutes. For example:

• Survey A: 3,000 points / 10 minutes = 300 PPM

• Survey B: 4,000 points / 20 minutes = 200 PPM

Survey A is clearly the better deal. You can even turn this into an equivalent hourly rate: multiply PPM by 60, then divide by 5,500. In our test, the average worked out to about £2.50 per hour – with outliers ranging from £0.82 to £5.50. Yes, that's below minimum wage, but if you cherry‑pick the highest‑paying ones, it's still a painless way to add a few quid to your pocket.

2. Fill out your Profile Surveys

Head to the 'Account' tab and look for 'Profile Surveys'. There are 13 in total, each paying up to 100 points and taking just a couple of minutes.

These help Toluna understand who you are and what you're interested in. You can only complete each one once, so it's best to knock them all out when you first join – that way, future surveys will be far more relevant to you.

3. Vote in Sponsored Polls

Under the 'Sponsored Polls' tab, you'll find simple multiple‑choice questions that take just seconds to answer. Most pay around 15 points each.

A quick word of caution: occasionally, you'll spot polls with no points attached at all. Always check for the reward badge before voting – if there's no points value shown, you won't get anything for your click.

4. Take part in monthly contests

Image: People lifting a trophy – Credit: Ververidis Vasilis / Shutterstock

Toluna runs regular community contests to encourage interaction. For example, in their October 2024 contest, members were asked to guess a song from a photo – and five randomly selected participants each won 1,000 points.

It's a fun, low‑effort way to bag bonus points on top of your regular activities.

5. Refer a friend to Toluna

Referral bonuses are always welcome – and Toluna delivers. Share your unique link with friends, and you'll receive 500 bonus points for every successful sign‑up (up to 10 referrals per month).

Just a heads‑up: Toluna checks each referral for legitimacy, so don't bother trying to create fake accounts – they'll spot it!

6. Play Toluna's games

Under the 'Games' tab, you'll find a handful of fun distractions – some permanent, others time‑limited. The star attraction is the Daily Toluna Wheel, a free spin that can land you anywhere from 40 to 1,000 bonus points – unless you hit the dreaded "Better luck next time" segment.

All games are free, so there's nothing to lose and a few extra points to gain.

Final verdict

Toluna isn't a get‑rich‑quick scheme – and no survey site ever will be. But if you enjoy sharing your opinions, have some spare time, and stick to the most efficient surveys, you can definitely earn a small but welcome stream of extra cash or vouchers.

It's free to join, so there's really no risk in giving it a try. And if you catch the survey bug, don't stop here – check out our full list of product testing companies to unlock even more freebies and earning opportunities.