Like many of us, I have been searching the internet for ways to boost my income, even more so in these times of ever-increasing prices of food, fuel and so on.

In the past I have undertaken surveys for Ciao but now that they have reduced their payment to 10p per survey I have not taken one for a while.

My favourite survey site at the moment is Lightspeed, for several reasons. Firstly, they pay a reasonable amount for their surveys, usually 110 Lightspeed points, which is not quite £1. Secondly, I find their surveys are not long-winded and I usually complete them in less time than they say they will take; for example, I was notified of one yesterday that they suggested would take between 20 and 25 minutes, and I managed to complete it in 15 minutes. For that I received 110 Lightspeed points.

The subjects they survey are almost always relevant to me and are made as interesting as it is possible to make, say, a crisps survey. Indeed, a survey I undertook last month resulted in a huge pack of very tasty crisps being delivered to my door for my delectation and I was able to complete their survey very favourably.

It is a simple process to join Lightspeed; you complete a profile page which is essential so that the right sort of surveys are sent to you. You are informed by email of the next relevant survey and, once you log in to do it, you are reminded that it has to be completed in one session. You will not be able to log out and then back in so will need to make sure you have the time to complete it. There are usually a few simple testing questions to ascertain if you are the sort of person they need for the survey. Unlike some survey sites, they do not use up too much of your time at this stage. Some sites ask several time-consuming questions and then tell you you do not fit their criteria which can be infuriating. If you are not suitable for the survey, they award you 10 Lightspeed Prize Draw points. So far, I have been doing surveys for Lightspeed for about four months and have yet to win one of the draws!

Lightspeed credit the points you have earned immediately so you can keep track of your earnings. You can redeem your points for cash (via PayPal), various goods or as donations to charities such as the NSPCC.

The surveys are very easy and user-friendly and, on each page, there is a link to someone you can email if you have a problem.

All in all, I am very happy with Lightspeed - I think they pay a reasonable amount for the effort and time they expect you to take, the surveys are easy and relevant and you are not kept waiting for your points. Redemption is swift; so far I have received my cash within ten days each time I have made a request.