Reward program terms
Last updated
Draft — pending legal review. This document is structurally complete but has not been reviewed by counsel. It must not be relied on until that review is done.
1.What the program is
Scrap Metal Pickup pays contributors for information that makes the directory more accurate: new listings, corrections to existing ones, reviews of haulers you have actually used, and small verification tasks. Contributions earn points. Points convert to money.
Participation is voluntary and free. You must have an account with a confirmed email address to earn.
2.How points are earned
Current award rates:
| Contribution | Points | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Approved new listingMust survive 30 days | 100 | $1 |
| Approved correction to an existing listing | 25 | $0.25 |
| Review with 50+ charactersMax 5 rewarded reviews per month | 20 | $0.20 |
| Adding a photo to a review | +10 | $0.10 |
| Verifying a phone number still worksMicro-task | 5 | $0.05 |
| A listing you submitted reaches 5 reviewsQuality bonus | 50 | $0.50 |
Points are awarded only after a moderator approves the contribution. Nothing is credited on submission alone. A rewarded review must be at least 50 characters; star ratings without written text are welcome but earn nothing.
3.Maturation and clawback
Approved points are held in a pending state for 30 days before becoming redeemable. If a listing is removed during that window — because it was fraudulent, duplicated, or the business does not exist — the associated pending points are reversed.
We may also reverse points already matured where we later establish that the underlying contribution was fraudulent.
4.Payouts
Conversion is fixed at 100 points = $1 — that is, 1,000 points is $10. The minimum payout is 2,500 redeemable points ($25).
Payouts are made by paypal or gift card through a third-party fulfilment provider. Your account must be at least 7 days old before a first payout. Requests totalling more than $50 in a calendar month are reviewed manually before being released.
Payment identity and tax details are collected and held by the payment provider, not by us.
5.Tax
If your earnings reach $600 in a calendar year, US tax rules require us to collect a completed W-9 before making further payments. You are responsible for any tax owed on what you earn.
6.Conduct and prohibited contributions
The following are prohibited and are not eligible for points:
- Reviewing a business you own, work for, or are otherwise affiliated with.
- Reviewing a listing you submitted yourself.
- Submitting a business that does not offer pickup, or does not exist.
- Submitting duplicates of listings that are already in the directory.
- Operating more than one account, or coordinating accounts with others.
- Automated or bulk submission of any kind.
- Reviews that are paid for, solicited, or written by the business itself.
We use rate limits, device fingerprinting, and manual review to enforce this. Accounts found in breach may have points removed, payouts declined, and access to the program withdrawn.
7.Incentivized review disclosure
Reviews written in exchange for points are publicly labeled as incentivized on the listing page. This is required by the FTC's endorsement guidelines and we apply it without exception.
The reward for a review does not depend on its rating. A one-star review earns exactly what a five-star review earns, and we do not reject reviews for being unfavourable to a business.
8.Changes to the program
We may change award rates, thresholds, and payout methods at any time. Points already earned are honoured at the rate in effect when they were earned. We will announce material changes before they take effect.
We may suspend or end the program. If we do, you will have at least 30 days to redeem any balance at or above the minimum payout threshold.
9.Contact
Questions about the program, or a decision you want to dispute, go to our contact page. Related policies: Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.