[jcsaxx]

Not a work from home job, but extra money. I can earn around $250 monthly by donating plasma. I'm being paid for my time, not the plasma. To make the whole $250 it takes about 4 hours weekly, so about 16 hours monthly. It depends how fast your blood flows and how many people are in front of you to donate.

Plasma is used for medical treatments, so donating plasma is a win-win.

[Remy3188]

I've heard of this, but never considered doing it. Isn't it really hard on your body? Are they picky about the donators like they are with blood? And must you go once a week, or do you get paid per visit?

I would consider doing it, since it is for medical purposes, but 4 hours a day is a long time!

[Winterbunny]

i also heard this really hurts to do this.

[seattlesue]

It doesn't hurt at all.

[happyscrappinmama]

How do you find out where to do this?

[400000coupons]

My DH does this half the year when he isn't doing seasonal road construction in the summer. The one for our area is Biolife Plasma Services. They do pre-donation physicals before your first visit and every six months after that. They weigh you every visit and that determines how much they blood they take. They also take your blood pressure and check your heart rate. Some issues people I know have had include:

Low iron (disqualified)
Low weight (female, under 100lbs)
Low heart rate (DH is in super shape, so he gets cleared by the nurse if he's under 50 for his heart rate test)

Of course, they check for blood borne illnesses (HIV) and you have to answer some questions about lifestyle every time you donate.

Biolife pays via a reloadable Visa card by Chase and they add money every time you donate. Sometimes they offer more money per donation if their donation rate goes down.

Be aware: you have to schedule your initial physical with them before donating and the wait list/schedule can sometimes be a month out, but after that, you can schedule your donation days online for months in advance.

Our locations even have child care available (can't remember if there's a fee) that you can schedule during your visit. Nice perk.

Anyway, he doesn't mind the needles and likes to use the hour or so to catch up on reading or news with his iPad.

The saline they clear your veins with at the end can leave you a little chilled, especially in winter.

[kimmyann123]

yikes!! scary im afraid of needles...

[jcsaxx]

I can donate twice weekly. It hurts a little, but just when the needle breaks the skin. I started last year. There are many reasons why someone would be disqualified. If you need extra money and want to help others, do it.

[omgzitsmiranda]

I know this is probably a stupid question but do provide a social security number and pay taxes on this?

[400000coupons]

Originally Posted by omgzitsmiranda

I know this is probably a stupid question but do provide a social security number and pay taxes on this?

Yes to the SSN; No to the taxes.

[Remy3188]

Well I'm really interested in doing this; however all the reviews I've read for Biolife and other places around me are really bad. The staff sucks, sometimes the places aren't clean, and they can take much longer than they should than say if you were to go to the blood center and donate for free.

Also, I've read that Chase charges you a fee when you use your prepaid card?

I guess I should make an appt. and see for myself, but it kindof bothers me that it takes longer than it should and you get charged a fee to use the money you got for donating...

[400000coupons]

Originally Posted by Remy3188

Well I'm really interested in doing this; however all the reviews I've read for Biolife and other places around me are really bad. The staff sucks, sometimes the places aren't clean, and they can take much longer than they should than say if you were to go to the blood center and donate for free.

Also, I've read that Chase charges you a fee when you use your prepaid card?

I guess I should make an appt. and see for myself, but it kindof bothers me that it takes longer than it should and you get charged a fee to use the money you got for donating...

I always take reviews with a grain or two of salt. Most people only leave a review when they have a really bad experience, not a good one. So the majority of reviews will be bad, unfortunately. That might not be the whole picture. Just my 2 cents.

Also, it does take longer than a blood donation because they don't just take your blood. They remove it, process the Plasm out and put it back. Then they flush your veins with saline. It's a longer process than just blood donating for sure. Should take an hour- an hour and a half, depending on your weight.
I have never paid a fee to use the card or to get money off of it as long as I used it as debit or used a Chase branch/ATM to get the money. I would just go into the bank, show ID and then ask to clear the card. Then it doesn't leave an odd amount on the card.

[Remy3188]

Thank you, that was very helpful. I think I may schedule an appt. for Friday.

[Kayline]

I know desperate times call for desperate measures but I'd rather donate my blood to the Red Cross; I don't think they charge nearly as much for their blood products as the paid collection places do. As far as "helping people," I'm relatively certain that the people who are helped the most by these places are the pharmaceutical companies that own them and sell your plasma for a HUGE profit.

[jcsaxx]

Originally Posted by Kayline

I know desperate times call for desperate measures but I'd rather donate my blood to the Red Cross; I don't think they charge nearly as much for their blood products as the paid collection places do. As far as "helping people," I'm relatively certain that the people who are helped the most by these places are the pharmaceutical companies that own them and sell your plasma for a HUGE profit.

Thank you for donating your blood. We all can help make the world a better place. How often do you donate? Seems like blood donations are only allowed once every 6 weeks. Correct me if I'm wrong. Plasma donations are twice weekly, I know that's how often I can do it.

I don't get charged for using the debit card.

[brieclark]

I've never donated Plasma, but I did the red blood cell thing once when my mother-in-law needed it. I kept passing out! LOL! It was quite painful for me personally where they take it out and put it back in. I'm a low-weight low-iron sissy-girl, though. My husband did it with no problems whatsoever.

[Kayline]

Originally Posted by jcsaxx

Thank you for donating your blood. We all can help make the world a better place. How often do you donate? Seems like blood donations are only allowed once every 6 weeks. Correct me if I'm wrong. Plasma donations are twice weekly, I know that's how often I can do it.

I don't get charged for using the debit card.

You are correct. The Red Cross only allows whole blood donations once every 56 days...possibly for the health of the donors-?

I'm not knocking you; I know times are tough and you gotta do what you gotta do to get by. Just because it's not something I would personally choose to do certainly doesn't make it wrong.

[Robbo]

I used to donate plasma, many years ago. It left permanent scars where the needles were placed because they are rather large... Sometimes people look at them funny. Just a thought.

[glugal]

I was the Quality Management Representative for the BioLife in my area for years. The guidelines for donating plasma are the same as donating whole blood, with the exception of frequency. The reason that you are only able to donate blood every 8 weeks is because it takes that long for your body to replenish the red blood cells. It doesnt take your body that long to replenish plasma, which is only the carrier fluid for red blood cells. There are several different plasma collection companies, Grifols Biomat, BioLife, etc. The plasma that is collected is used for burn victims and people with autoimmune disorders. As far as it hurting to donate plasma, that depends on how good the phlebotomist is. They are only permitted to use certain veins in the arm, so if you have a history of being difficult to stick, I wouldn't recommend donating. As in a previous post, you have to meet certain criteria each time you attempt to donate, and this is regulated by the FDA. Donating plasma is completely safe to the donor and it does help A LOT of people.

[kstover0426]

I have thought about doing this before...but....I am so scared of needles and this sounds extra painful, my arms are tensing up thinking about it
But the money sounds great, maybe worth sucking up it or sending hubby

[400000coupons]

Originally Posted by kstover0426

I have thought about doing this before...but....I am so scared of needles and this sounds extra painful, my arms are tensing up thinking about it
But the money sounds great, maybe worth sucking up it or sending hubby

See, that's what I did: send Hubby. Lol. His veins are to Big Gulp straws what mine are to Capri Sun straws. So. He goes.

[kstover0426]

Big gulp!!!
I am going to talk to him about this tonight!

[glugal]

Originally Posted by 400000coupons

Yes to the SSN; No to the taxes.

Originally Posted by omgzitsmiranda

I know this is probably a stupid question but do provide a social security number and pay taxes on this?

Yes, you will need to provide proof of your SS#. This is only so that they can check the National Donor Deferral Registry which is used by ALL plasma centers and whole blood collection centers. If for some reason someone is Permanently Deferred from donating at one collection center, they may not donate at ANY collection center, plasma or blood.

You do not have to pay taxes on the money you receive.

[glugal]

Originally Posted by happyscrappinmama

How do you find out where to do this?

Here are a few sites to help locate a plasma collection center. These are separate companies.

www.biolifeplasma.com
www.plasmacare.com
www.biomatusa.grifols.com

I worked in the plasma industry for quite a while and had the opportunity to visit MANY centers within my company. I cannot attest to EVERY center, but all of the centers that I visited were clean, neat, and professional. They are all regulated by the FDA and are routinely inspected by the FDA. I know this because I was responsible for hosting the FDA auditors while they were at the center.
If anyone is fortunate enough to live close to a plasma collection center, I highly recommend it. I personally donated for 4 years while I was in college, and then worked in the industry. It truely is a win-win situation. You get paid tax free and you also know that you are possibly helping a child somewhere with an autoimmune disorder or other illness.

[jcsaxx]

The plasma center I use is called Octapharma Plasma, Inc.