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

pinecone research rewards

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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Love this survey site

April 30, 2015 by Ashley from United States

Pinecone never fails me. I get 2-5 surveys a week at $3.00 a piece. The surveys are never longer than 10 minutes and are usually pretty interesting to complete. I've also had a few product tests at home, which is always a bonus.

Dropped by pinecone

April 7, 2015 by Rebecca from Canada

I also was recently dropped due to them "refreshing" their panelists. I also recently completed a survey out of country - I was on vacation in Mexico and the surveys stopped immediately after that. I've been a panelist for 10 years. They wouldn't give me a reason beyond refreshing their panelists and that they would be unable to reinstate me. It's too bad, I enjoyed the surveys but I'm pretty disappointed that if it was truly a regular review that brought about my deactivation that they didn't proactively notify me of the change. It's left a bad taste in my mouth.

The Best

March 25, 2015 by Roberta from United States

I've been a member of PineCone Research for many years. I joined when they paid $5 a survey. but now its $3, but they send me enough so I'm quite satisfied with what i get. this is the only survey site i can think of that pays you for every survey and extra if they send you a free product to try and review. love it!!

BEWARE FALLING PINECONES!

March 20, 2015 by Hilary from United Kingdom

I have been with this site for 3 years and up till now never had any problems. However, recently the survey invites seemed to stop and I found that I could not access my account. When I contacted them they said they had stopped my account because I had answered a survey when out of the country. This was totally wrong, as I have not been out of the country for a year. When I complained they said they would reinstate my account - they did for 1 survey then I found that they had stopped it again. This time they said they were 'refreshing' their membership and I was no longer required. Again I complained saying that I was particularly put out as they do not have the decency to tell you what they are up to, you are left to discover your account has been stopped and I also felt this was linked with my supposed answering of a survey whilst abroad than 'refreshing' their membership. Once again, they reinstated my account for 1 survey then stopped it again. They now will not acknowledge my emails at all. This is a disgusting way to treat a panellist who has always answered their surveys promptly, honestly and strictly adhering to their privacy rules. They expect the highest standards from their panellists but do not treat their panellists with any respect. I do not know what is going on with this company - they were fine until they revamped their site, but I would warn anyone thinking of joining them not to think they are in anyway better than any of the other survey companies - they have proven themselves to be just as bad.

Best Survey Site

March 14, 2015 by ashley from United States

I've been a member of Pinecone Research for years and they never fail to keep me coming back. The surveys are always relatively easy for the $3.00 payment they always give. The surveys are also short enough to keep my attention.