Pinecone Research Reviews and Features

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Pinecone Research

85 Broad Street, New York, New York  10004 US
Tel: 800.864.1224   Contact: https://members.pineconeresearch.com/#/ContactUs
Operated by: The Nielsen Company, LLC

KEY FEATURES:

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PAYMENTS OFFERED

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HOW TO PARTICIPATE

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REDEEMING REWARDS

Typically, rewards are delivered within a few business days or sometimes even immediately after completing a survey. Your first 100 points will equate to $1, which will be sent to your home address.

Pinecone Research is a trusted leader in the survey panel industry. They are owned and operated by the market research company Nielsen, whose operations are headquartered in New York.

Pinecone Research focuses on improving the quality of tomorrow’s products through collecting research via paid surveys and product testing opportunities offered to consumers.

How Pinecone Research Works

pinecone research website

Pinecone Research Sign Up

Pinecone Research is an invitation-only survey panel, where members can earn rewards for participating in online surveys and product tests. Potential new members must be invited by other members to join, or they must find a join link posted on a website. SurveyPolice currently offers Pinecone Research signup links for Americans, Canadians, and people living in the UK: » Join Pinecone Research here.

To learn more about how to sign up for Pinecone Research, including tips on joining and why there are membership restrictions in place to begin with, check out our article on how to find an invitation to join Pinecone Research, as it should help answer any questions you may have about the process.

Payment and Rewards

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Reward Types and Amounts

For each survey successfully completed, Pinecone Research awards its members a minimum of 100 points, which equals $1.00 in your local currency. For example, Americans will earn $1.00 USD per survey, Canadians typically earn $1.00 CAD per survey, while Britons earn £1 per survey completion. There are a variety of rewards options that accumulated points can be exchanged for. These include:

  • Bank Transfer - Pinecone offers cash payments issued via bank transfer. When selecting this option, you will be asked to create a 'wallet' on a third-party payment processor website. Once set up, you can request a cash payment deposited directly into your bank account. Payments are issued in $10, $5, and $3 increments (which can be in different quantities; ex. 4 x $3 = $12). Bank transfers are typically issued within 48 hours of request, but can take up to 3-5 business days.
  • Amazon e-Cards - You can choose to receive an Amazon gift card with your collected points. The e-card will be sent directly to your email account.
  • Other Gift Cards - Pinecone Research offers a variety of gift card options including Starbucks, Apple Store, Walmart gift cards, as well as many others. Gift cards may be digital or in physical format and are listed under these categories.
  • Merchandise - Pinecone Research offers an extensive merchandise catalog consisting of various small electronics, household items and more. Merchandise rewards will be mailed directly to your home.
  • Prepaid Virtual Visas – prepaid Visa cards are available for redemption, however, they may only available to US residents.
Points Value: 100 Pinecone Research points = $1.00.

Redeeming Rewards

To redeem your rewards, simply visit the Pinecone Research website and log in to your account. From there, click the "Redeem" button to access the reward site. Under the SHOP tab next to HOME tab, select the reward items you wish to redeem and once you click on an item you are interested in, click the shopping cart icon to add the item to your cart. Click the shopping cart icon on the right side of the page to complete your order.

Note that PayPal is no longer offered as a rewards option and was replaced by bank transfers.

Earn your First Check/Bank Transfer Automatically

Once you complete your first survey, which is always worth a minimum of 100 points, Pinecone Research will automatically send you a check for $1.00 to the mailing address on your profile, or will ask you to cash out via bank transfer. This is a security measure to establish your profile and account. After your first check/bank transfer (or 30 days of being an active Pinecone member, whichever comes first), you will have the option to choose the form in which you would like to receive your future rewards.

Visit Pinecone Research's website 

Survey Taking Experience

Survey Types

Interesting online surveys are e-mailed to members, and are on a variety of different topics. As a Pinecone Research member, you are part of an elite group that represents consumers and households like yours nationwide. Your opinion is important to manufacturers who count on people like you to help predict which products will be developed and which may not be suited for launch. Paid surveys opportunities usually take about 15 to 20 minutes of your time to complete and you will be notified by e-mail when one becomes available.

Product Testing Opportunities

Occasionally, Pinecone may mail out products for their members to test from home. These may be physical products, or food items that may come delivered in a cooler. A follow-up survey is usually provided as part of the product test. These opportunities are highly sought after, as you may receive free food (or a product that you might be able to keep), as well as a paid follow up survey!

Visit Pinecone Research's website 

Community Features

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Pinecone Research App

If you prefer to take surveys on the go, you can download the Pinecone Research app onto your iOS or Android mobile device. The app will allow you to view available surveys, take online surveys, view and redeem your points, view your account history and more. Just remember to first join the Pinecone Research panel itself before attempting to take surveys through the app!

Quick Customer Service

If you have a question on anything Pinecone Research-related, do not hesitate to send in an inquiry through the website. The response time is usually 1-3 business days, or even quicker depending on the workload of employees during the time of your question.

Is Pinecone Research Legit or Scam?

pinecone research legit or scam

Is Pinecone Research Legit?

Pinecone Research is legitimate and is not a scam. This survey program is over fifteen years old and has paid out millions of dollars in rewards to its members. Pinecone offers quality paid surveys and product tests to its members and is known for offering fair rewards. Operated by Nielsen, a market research leader, Pinecone Research is not a scam and is a completely legitimate website.

Eligibility: Available in select countries including USA, UK, Canada, Pinecone Research is an invitation-only panel.


Please note that PInecone Research has been targeted by a cashier's check scam. If you receive a large, unexpected check seemingly from Pinecone, DO NOT attempt to cash it!

Pinecone Research Reviews (695)

5 Star Reviews (387) 55.7
55.7
4 Star Reviews (94) 13.5
13.5
3 Star Reviews (51) 7.3
7.3
2 Star Reviews (41) 5.9
5.9
1 Star Reviews (122) 17.6
17.6

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Great site

May 23, 2015 by Woody from United States

Been a member almost a year and have been very pleased with everything. Consistently sent surveys that are interesting and payout, and only a couple of issues/bumps that were resolved quickly and responded to....and also products sent to have tested. Can't say enough great things about them.

Great!

May 19, 2015 by jessica from United States

Been a member for only a couple weeks and already have enough to get a few bucks on PayPal. A lot of great rewards to choose from. I used a small amount to donate to a hungry children's charity. I love when sites offer things like that as an alternative to cashing out, but not the only thing you can get. Highly recommended. One note though: be patient. Also make sure you edit your settings to allow no limit on surveys or they'll only send one a week or so.

One of my favs.

May 13, 2015 by Rachel from Canada

So far I have been happy with the surveys. Points add up quickly, when you are sent surveys. *This one is a limited one, but they at least tell you that when you sign up - only so many given in a months period*. They seem to have decent redemption options and are reasonable on payout times.

Also Dropped From Panel

May 12, 2015 by Steve from United States

I will also echo the recent posts about being dropped from the panel for no apparent reason, or reasons that didn't make sense. After being a panelist for almost 8 years, I recently stopped getting surveys like the others. And also like others it was when I answered one while on vacation. In my case, I didn't get to a few during that time as well, but received several upon my return that were promptly completed.

The first time I inquired I received a generic response about responding to surveys quickly and all appeared to be normal. A few weeks went by with no surveys, so I inquired again.

The second time I was told: "A review of your record shows that you have not been able to complete several product evaluation studies. Periodically, we remove names from the database of those we have not heard from on regular basis. We tried to contact you numerous times prior to removal. You have been removed from the panel."

Here's where they are caught lying. As an IT professional I run my own email server. I have full access to all logs and communication and had created a survey email address just for them. Not a single email was received with their claim of contacting me multiple times.

Their blunt treatment of someone who's done everything asked over the years really speaks to what they think of us. I think 8 years of studies classifies as "hearing from me on a regular basis."

I would beware of them. So many positive reviews here that I would have agreed with before, but along with what others have written here recently, something is going on with them.

Why can't they all be this simple?

May 2, 2015 by Ashlaye from United States

The system is so easy to use and every time I'm sent a survey, I've already been pre-qualified. I generally receive an invite to participate every 2 weeks.
The reward system allows you to cash out via Paypal (which processes the next day) or you can save up your points to buy things in their online store (e.g. books, CDs, jewelry, etc.) I always go with the Paypal option. :)