Help
Points for Thoughts membership is invitation only. Please check your inbox for an email from Free Spirit® for your chance to join.
Can I join Points for Thoughts if I live outside the United States?No, unfortunately membership of this online panel is open only to residents of the United States.
We send out survey invitations on a regular basis, but cannot say who or when any member will receive invitations. This is because each survey is customized and based around the research goals for each individual client. Depending on your profile, we may ask you to complete surveys more or less often. For this reason, we ask you to keep your profile as up to date as possible. Please note some firewalls may prevent delivery of our survey invitations.
Why are surveys conducted?Points for Thoughts conducts surveys because businesses, governments, public bodies, and similar organizations are interested in the views and attitudes of the people who use their products and services. The more they know about what customers and citizens think, the easier it is for them to improve and adapt what they supply.
How long does an average survey take to complete?The number of questions varies from one survey to another. We try to keep surveys as short as possible, although we have to make sure the results are meaningful. In general a survey should take around 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
Can you mail the surveys to me or conduct them over the phone?Unfortunately there is no other way to take part in these online surveys, you need to complete them over the Internet.
No. We do not sell the personal information of our members and we will never try to sell you a product or service.
Who can I talk to if I have any privacy concerns?Contact information is provided in our Privacy Policy which is linked from the bottom of the pages on the Points for Thoughts website.
Why did I get an e-mail with a link to join Points for Thoughts if I didn't apply myself?It is possible that someone made a typing error and accidentally submitted your e-mail address while asking to join Points for Thoughts. It's also possible that someone has used your e-mail address without your permission. If you don't want to join, simply ignore the e-mail and the reminder that will be sent. Your details won't be included on our records and you'll not be contacted again.
Why do you need my personal information?Generally, personal information is used: (i) to communicate with you regarding Points for Thoughts membership and survey participation; (ii) to tailor survey opportunities to you; (iii) to comply with legal obligations, including, without limitation, complying with taxation requirements; (iv) to administer and manage our incentive programs and fulfill your requests for incentives; and (v) to update our records.
Badges are awarded to members who activate their account, continue to take surveys regularly, fill out their survey profile, and earn Free Spirit® points.
There are five levels, Bronze for beginners, Silver, Gold, Platinum and our highest level, Diamond.
At every level there are key achievements (known as badges) awarded for your survey activity.
The membership levels are related to aspects of your membership, focusing on activities like taking surveys and earning Free Spirit® points.
How do I level up?You can level up by unlocking all the achievements available at your current level in a 365 day period. For example, if you’re a Bronze member, you need to complete all the available badges relating to Bronze membership in order to level up and become a Silver member.
You can achieve badges for different levels above your own – for example, if you have completed 100% of your survey profile, you’ll get a Platinum status badge for that section – but you cannot reach Diamond level until you’ve achieved all badges within Platinum.
What is a Bronze member?Bronze members are just getting started. To reach Bronze status, all you have to do is sign up and activate your account.
What is a Silver member?Silver is the first step on the ladder.
To reach Silver status, members must:
- Complete 25% of their survey profile
- Take one survey in the last week
- Complete their first survey
Gold members are becoming regular survey takers.
To reach Gold, members must:
- Complete 50% of their survey profile
- Take a survey in two consecutive weeks
- Complete their 10th survey
Platinum members are active and regular survey takers who have almost completed their survey profile.
To reach Platinum status, members must:
- Complete 75% of their survey profile
- Take a survey in three consecutive weeks
- Complete their 25th survey
Diamond members have reached the top level. They have a complete survey profile, have completed fifty surveys (or more) and maintain regular survey activity.
To reach Diamond status, members must:
- Complete 100% of their survey profile
- Take a survey in four consecutive weeks
- Complete their 50th survey
To maintain your badge status, you must ensure that you continue to take surveys regularly - at least once a week. If you do not maintain your survey activity, your badge for consecutive surveys over one, two, three or four weeks will be lost and you’ll drop to the next level down.
Similarly you must keep your survey profile updated – some sections expire over time, such as technology, electronics and gadgets and automotive – so if you see your profile drop in percentage since you last logged in, check back and complete any sections within your survey profile that are less than 100% complete.