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 (388) 55.8
55.8
4 Star Reviews (93) 13.4
13.4
3 Star Reviews (52) 7.5
7.5
2 Star Reviews (41) 5.9
5.9
1 Star Reviews (121) 17.4
17.4

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Once was the best

May 30, 2023 by Kris from United States

Used to love this site. I would only receive an e-mail if I qualified for a survey. Now I rarely receive an invite and when I do I seldom qualify. When I qualify I usually have problems with the site loading, etc. Not worth the effort anymore.

Pinecone Research reply logo

Pinecone Research responded to this review on July 12, 2023

Hi Kris,

Thanks for the review. We conduct our surveys via router system which attempts to locate a suitable survey for you based on your profile information. Usually, panelists will receive 2-3 qualifying surveys per month, depending upon our clients' needs.

Thank you for your participation and we hope to see you again.

Regards,
Karen Scott
I got removed from the panel for non compliance

February 17, 2023 by Ioana from United Kingdom

After spending a year completing tens of studies I noticed that I stopped getting notifications so I tried to login into my account with no success. I contacted the team and they have told me that I was removed for non-compliance, but I am not sure what they were talking about as I didn’t receive any products to review in the period they were saying I didn’t comply with the requirements. They didn’t want to add me back as apparently there were no openings at the time, nor let me get the incentives I collected throughout the year. If I would’ve ignored their requirements at least I would’ve withdrawn the cash, but that was not the case at all.

Pinecone Research reply logo

Pinecone Research responded to this review on March 21, 2023

Hello,

Thank you for leaving your review! Non-compliance is generally caused from lack of participation in studies. Unfortunately, once an account has been deactivated and inactive for a long period of time, we no longer have access to the information needed to reinstate an account. The only way to become a member of the panel again is to locate one of our banner advertisements.

We once again apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your previous membership with us. If you have any further specific questions relating to your account, please use the link below:

https://members.pineconeresearch.co.uk/#/ContactUs

Best Regards,

Karen Scott
Excellent

January 31, 2023 by Raymond from United Kingdom

Great survey company, with excellent pay. And very quick payments.

Pinecone Research reply logo

Pinecone Research responded to this review on March 21, 2023

Hello,

Thank you for your review and your feedback! We are happy to hear you are enjoying your experience with the Pinecone Research panel!

Best Regards,

Karen Scott
Predictable and worthwhile

October 26, 2022 by Douglas from United States

I get a survey two or three times each month. Most surveys start with a handful of qualifier questions. If you pass, you proceed to the main survey. Each survey pays $3 within a couple of days of completion, worthwhile for the amount of time you spend. Cashout isn't immediate, but I've never had a problem that I have had to contact them.

The software they use needs to be improved. The survey itself runs very well. But a different software/server setup is used for the qualifier questions. It can literally take minutes to respond to a qualifier question, and sometimes there is no response at all. It occasionally takes several attempts to enter a survey. This has been going on for a couple of years and I don't know why they never fix it.

Pinecone Research reply logo

Pinecone Research responded to this review on March 21, 2023

Hello,

Thank you for your review and your feedback! We are happy to hear you are enjoying your experience with the Pinecone Research panel! Your feedback on the router screener will be passed on to our team.

Best Regards,

Karen Scott
Edit - What Happened?

October 19, 2022 by Deb from United States

Recently, I wrote a review on Pinecone Research giving a 5* rating. Not sure what happened, but my last 6 surveys, by just clicking on them, I get the message The study is already closed and no longer available. Please be sure to check your email for your next available opportunity."

OLD: Pinecone Research has spoiled me for all other survey companies. Although I don't get a lot of surveys to complete, I almost always qualify. And, the surveys are short and easy to understand. They payout quickly and redeem quickly