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Pinecone Research Review

https://www.goodfinancialcents.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/MG_5503-150x150.jpg
  • Written By:
    Jeff Rose, CFP®

    Jeff Rose, CFP®

    Jeff Rose, CFP® is a Certified Financial Planner™, founder of Good Financial Cents, and author of the personal finance...

    Read More
  • Updated: March 7, 2022
  • 5 Min Read
  • Advertising Disclosure

    Advertising Disclosure

    GoodFinancialCents® has an advertising relationship with the companies included on this page. All of our content is based on objective analysis, and the opinions are our own. For more information, please check out our full disclaimer and complete list of partners.

Quality Verified THE GFC® PROMISE
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Quality Verified

GoodFinancialCents® partners with outside experts to ensure we are providing accurate financial content.

These reviewers are industry leaders and professional writers who regularly contribute to reputable publications such as the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Our expert reviewers review our articles and recommend changes to ensure we are upholding our high standards for accuracy and professionalism.

Our expert reviewers hold advanced degrees and certifications and have years of experience with personal finances, retirement planning and investments.

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Why You Can Trust GoodFinancialCents®

GoodFinancialCents® partners with outside experts to ensure we are providing accurate financial content.

These reviewers are industry leaders and professional writers who regularly contribute to reputable publications such as the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

Our expert reviewers review our articles and recommend changes to ensure we are upholding our high standards for accuracy and professionalism.

Our expert reviewers hold advanced degrees and certifications and have years of experience with personal finances, retirement planning and investments.

Pinecone Research is one of the older players in the survey game and has been a long time leader of the industry. If you’re looking for an easy way to earn some extra cash by reviewing products, Pinecone Research Review should be at the top of your list.

Get started with Pinecone Research>>

What Is Pinecone Research?

If you’re wanting to get into the survey game or make some extra money, Pinecone Research is a great place to do that. You can set up your account and get started in no time. More than likely, you’ll get your first survey in a matter of days.

Pinecone Research has established itself as one of the best panel survey sites available. They have higher payouts, easy qualification, and an excellent reputation. Sure, you won’t earn a second income of Pinecone Research, but it’s a quick and simple way to put some extra change in your pocket.

How Does Pinecone Research Work? 

The idea is simple – the Pinecone research team will invite you to particular surveys that you’ll answer based on your thoughts and opinions, and they will give you rewards points for completing the task.

You can then redeem those points for gift cards, cash, or prizes. It’s as simple as that. Think of it like going to Chuck E Cheese’s, but instead of playing games to earn tickets, you complete surveys to earn points.

Get Started With PINECONE RESEARCH

Getting started with Pinecone Research is simple. It’s almost like making an account at any other site. All you have to do is create a profile, and then answer some basic questions about yourself.
They are going to ask you some general questions about your age, how many people are in your home, and some of the things that you consume or like to do.

Every once in a while you’ll continue to get these “household” questionnaires, and Pinecone uses these to see which surveys you’ll qualify for and get you more opportunities.

You won’t get any reward points for completing their household questions, but they will only take you around 5 minutes, and they will give you more opportunities for rewards points.

After you finish your first survey, Pinecone will automatically send you the first $3 check to your address. They do this as a security measure to ensure that all of the information is correct and that you’ll be able to receive your future payments.

If you don’t want to wait for a check for your payout, there are several other ways that you can redeem your points. Another way that you can get your money is by linking your PayPal account and requesting a transfer of the points into your account.

If you want to request a PayPal transfer, it will typically take around 3-5 days to get the money in your account. Another way that you can redeem your points is by having them put on an Amazon gift card that they will email directly to you.

This is going to be the quickest way that you can access your points and have them redeemed. As long as you plan to spend the money at Amazon, you might as well cut out the middle-man and have the money put on an e-card.

The other option is that you can get your money on other gift cards, like Starbucks, Walmart, iTunes, and dozens of other stores. You can also use your points to shop in their catalog of goods. They have everything from games to electronics.

The Advantages of PINECONE

There are a lot of advantages that you’ll find with Pinecone Research that you won’t find with some of its competitors. The biggest reason that Pinecone has exploded past its competition is that they’re paying more for their surveys than just about anyone on the market.

High Payouts

For every survey that you finish, you’re going to get around $3 worth of points. Compared to some of the other sites out there, this is double what you’ll get paid.

Cash Out Anytime

Unlike other sites, you don’t have to rack up a certain amount of points before you decide to cash out. You can ask to receive your payment at any time. It’s your money, you shouldn’t have to wait until you reach a threshold to get it.

Time To Complete Surveys

When you’re looking at the time that it takes to finish the tasks, Pinecone is on par with just about all the other leaders on the market. Most surveys will take around 15 – 30 minutes depending on how quickly you read and the level of participation that’s required.

Some surveys will only require that you click between multiple answers, while others require you to type responses based on statements or questions. There are not many other sites that you’ll find that are going to have quicker surveys for you to complete, and the ones that you do will only payout around $.50 each.

Easy To Understand Surveys

Another area that Pinecone receives a lot of praise is the quality of their surveys and the ease of understanding what’s being asked. They have some of the best designed and simple tasks that you will find. With other companies, they have poorly crafted and confusing questions that will lead to frustration and little money.

Chance To Participate in Product Testing

The longer that you work with Pinecone Research, the higher your chances of getting selected to do a product testing survey. In these situations, Pinecone will send you a product, you’ll get to test it, and then you’ll have to complete a survey about your satisfaction or any frustrations that you had. Not only will you get the money from doing the survey, but you’ll also get to keep the product.
Another unique advantage of Pinecone is that they enter their active users into a bi-weekly and quarterly drawing. Every active user is put into a pool, and they select one winner bi-weekly to get $500, and you’ll also be entered into the quarterly drawing to win $4,500.

You don’t have to do anything special to be entered, just be active and you’ll have a chance to win the extra bonus. 

The Disadvantages Of PINECONE

Here are a few disadvantages of Pinecone Research.

Point System Instead of Cash

Instead of getting the cash in your account, you get a certain number of points, and then you can redeem those points for a check or gift card. It’s not a drastic change, but it has increased the amount of time between the point that you finish a task until you can actually receive your money.
As long as you don’t need your money the very next day, then this isn’t a huge disadvantage, but if you hate to wait, then you may want to look somewhere else.

Not Always Accepting New Members

One of the biggest pitfalls of Pinecone is that they don’t always take new members. Unlike other sites that will allow anyone to join, Pinecone is a little more restrictive on their memberships.
There are some periods where they won’t accept any new members at all, and other points, they only take members that are referred through websites or by another member.

Wait For Survey Match

Because you’ll get all of the surveys through email, you’ll have to wait until Pinecone matches you with a survey that you qualify for. The more surveys that you complete, the more opportunities that you’ll have, but you’ll still be limited on the number that you can do.

Depending on your qualifications, you could receive anywhere from one a month to 4 or more a month.

How Does Pinecone Research Compare?

Company

Best For

Worst For

Sign-Up Bonus

Pinecone Research

No minimum amount for cash out

Not always accepting members

$0

Survey Junkie

Higher survey payouts

Not many surveys offered

$0

Swagbucks

Access to exclusive deals

Paid in Swagbucks, not real $

$10

History of Pinecone Research

Pinecone Research was founded in 1998, and is owned and operated by Nielsen, a marketing research firm. Nielsen uses Pinecone Research to receive feedback from consumers on different products and services.

Summary

Pinecone Research surveys will not replace your full-time job but are an easy way to make some extra money.

Pinecone Research has established itself as one of the best panel survey sites available. They have higher payouts, easy qualification, and an excellent reputation.

Start your free account with Pinecone Research>>

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About the Author

Jeff Rose, CFP® is a Certified Financial Planner™, founder of Good Financial Cents, and author of the personal finance book Soldier of Finance. He was a financial planner for 16+ years having founded, Alliance Wealth Management, a SEC Registered Investment Advisory firm, before selling it to focus on his passion - educating the masses on the importance of financial freedom through this blog, his podcast, and YouTube channel.


Jeff holds a Bachelors in Science in Finance and minor in Accounting from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale. In addition to his CFP® designation, he also earned the marks of AAMS® - Accredited Asset Management Specialist - and CRPC® - Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor.

While a practicing financial advisor, Jeff was named to Investopedia's distinguished list of Top 100 advisors (as high as #6) multiple times and CNBC's Digital Advisory Council.

Jeff is an Iraqi combat veteran and served 9 years in the Army National Guard. His work is regularly featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc.com and Entrepreneur.

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