Pinecone Research: Pays Points for Research Projects

What is Pinecone Research?

Pinecone Research is one of many consumer products research outfits that enlist consumers to complete detailed surveys. When you complete a survey to the end, you’ll receive “points” that can later be used to purchase products and gift cards.

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How it works

When you sign up, the site will ask a raft of questions about you and your family. (Only one member of a household can join Pinecone. And that household member gives “consent” for the site to collect data on all members in the household.) The questions will ask about your age, income, gender, ethnic group, household size, profession, and, often, about products you buy.

When you interact with the website, more information will be gathered, including your computer’s IP address, location data and data from your browsing history.

If the site has a panel that needs someone in your profession, position or demographic group, they’ll contact you. Each survey has specific requirements and pays a set rate. If you qualify and complete a survey, your payment will be available in your Pinecone account within 3 to 5 days

Pinecone Research review

However, the number of points you receive are likely to value your time at about $3 – $6 per hour. That’s in line or better than other survey sites. But it certainly isn’t enough to spend time on the surveys, if you have anything else to do.

Spending rewards

The site has two ways you can use your rewards. You can purchase things on the site; or you can use accumulated points to buy gift cards that you can use elsewhere.

Expiration

However, know that there are several ways that you can lose your reward points. If you get kicked off the site for any reason, the site has the right to take your accumulated rewards. If you are inactive for more than 12 months, the site will cancel your membership and take your rewards. Pinecone also has a sweep-up provision that says it has the right to take your rewards for any reason at all.

Want to try Pinecone Research?

Click here.

Recommendations

We don’t recommend any survey sites, unless you’re stuck in an airport or on jury dury and need some way to bide your time. Otherwise, they ask for a great deal of personal information in exchange for very little money.

A better option are focus groups. Focus groups also ask for a lot of personal information to see if you qualify. But they pay dramatically better — often more than $50 an hour.

You can find focus group opportunities at FindFocusGroups; Shifrin-Hayworth, or SignUp Direct.

What their users say (from TrustPilot)

Why is it so hard to redeem rewards? I always get as far as the shopping cart at the end and then can’t go any further. If I click on the cart at the top right, I get ‘Shopping Cart is empty’! What the…..? I can’t ever find the code for Amazon Vouchers and always have to ask for help. Today, even the drop-down menus of the FAQs weren’t working either! Most survey companies send you the Codes by e-mail. So much hassle!

I haven’t had a survey from them in months as apparently they wrote to my home address and I didn’t reply. Given that I live in building divided into flats I can only assume it went to one of the neighbours who was able to view my personal details thanks to this company’s shoddy practices. Given that I always refused the offers of home product tests for this very reason I am absolutely furious that they would unilaterally decide to do this. Avoid at all costs!

Little money for little effort

I joined pinecone in 2018 (four years ago) and since then I’ve cashed out £170 in amazon gift cards. Surveys are infrequent and so it is slow to earn money with pinecone but each one pays £3 for about 5 minutes of your time and it is a genuine survey site. I’ve never been screened out of a survey and I’ve even had a couple of surveys where I’ve been sent items to test at home. It’s a bit of extra cash for doing very little so I’m happy with it.

This site was great. You could cash in your points and they would mail you a check. Now you have to link your bank acct. and they send you codes with a pin to send the $$ to your acct. I have $110.00 that I have been trying to transfer and none of the codes or pins work I’m beyond frustrated and have been unable to contact them.

Changed for the worst

It was good until 1 year ago. Until June 2021, I got regular surveys and their website loaded without any issues. Since then, every survey I start ends with an error message. Their website does not work using Firefox or Chrome. They have also deducted points from my account due to inactivity.

Got an email and filled the survey to be told 3/4’s way through “thanks but you don’t qualify for this survey you just filled out. Thanks for all your info, but you wont get anything even though we just took 30 minutes of your time”

I enjoyed the platform when I started, but unhappy about not getting paid for a survey that I completed to the end. The indifference and lack of apology from the person that handled the communication is also annoying. I got sent another survey, but this one is struggling to download and timing out, so I won’t be completing it.

Updated 3/2/2023