Challenge rules

Six challenges are available across Explorer, Devoted, and Origin tiers:

Qualifying drink rule (all challenges). A qualifying check in requires purchase of a drink prepared or served by staff at a cafe, coffee shop, tea house, or boba shop. Self-serve coffee stations, hotel lobby coffee pots, office break room machines, and vending machines do not qualify. Qualifying beverages include: coffee (any style), tea, matcha, chai, hot chocolate, boba and bubble tea. Smoothies, juice, pressed beverages, fountain drinks, bottled or canned drinks from a fridge, and self-serve cold beverages do not qualify. The rule in one sentence: if a person at a cafe or tea house made it or served it to you, and you paid for it, it counts.

Open challenges (Explorer 30 and Daily 50). Any cafe or shop. These challenges accept check ins at any location where a person makes or pours a qualifying drink for you. This includes chains (Starbucks, Dunkin', Peet's, Dutch Bros), independent shops, gas stations with a coffee pot, tea houses, boba shops, diners, bakeries, and hotel lobbies. Any qualifying drink made for you counts.

Exploration challenges (Pulled 50, 100, 200, 300). Independent independent shops only. These challenges require visits to unique, independent specialty beverage shops. No chains. No Starbucks, Dunkin', Peet's, Dutch Bros, or national or regional chains of any kind. The shop must be a standalone independent cafe, roaster, tea house, or specialty beverage shop. Each visit must be at a different shop. Repeat visits to the same location do not count toward the total. Eligible locations include independent coffee shops, local roasters, and recognized third-wave specialty chains (Blue Bottle, Intelligentsia, Verve, Stumptown, and similar). Specialty status is determined by Google Places category data and may be manually adjusted by our moderation team.

Specialty status is determined by Google Places category data and may be manually adjusted by our moderation team. If you believe a shop is incorrectly classified, you can submit a reclassification request through the app.

Locations that never count: grocery stores, home addresses, office break rooms, or any location without a staffed counter serving prepared beverages.

Maximum 2 check ins per calendar day, total. This is a daily total across all challenges combined, not 2 per shop or 2 per challenge. After your second check in of the day, the check in button is unavailable until midnight in your local timezone. The daily limit resets at midnight.

When you reach the daily limit, the app shows: “You’ve hit your daily limit. 2 pulls per day. See you tomorrow.”

60-day cooldown after each challenge completion. After completing any challenge, you cannot re-enroll in that same challenge for 60 days from the date of completion. During the cooldown period, the challenge card shows: “Completed. You can enroll again on [date].” The cooldown applies to all challenges: Explorer 30, Daily 50, Pulled 50, Pulled 100, Pulled 200, and Pulled 300.

The 60-day cooldown begins on the date your challenge is marked complete, not the date your payout is processed.

Pulled 100, Pulled 200, and Pulled 300 require 30 days of account age before enrollment. Explorer 30, Daily 50, and Pulled 50 are available from day one with no waiting period.

All check ins from day one count toward any enrolled challenge, your Pull Map, streaks, badges, and leaderboards. Nothing from your first 30 days is wasted. The 30-day gate only prevents enrollment in the three highest-reward challenges. It does not delay any check in activity.

When a Pulled 100, 200, or 300 challenge is not yet available to you, the challenge card shows: “Available after 30 days on Pulled.”

Explorer 30 and Daily 50. One check in per shop per calendar day. You may check in at the same shop on consecutive days (each counts). A second check in at the same shop on the same calendar day does not count toward your challenge total and will be blocked with a message. You may still visit as many different shops as you want on the same day. Each counts once, subject to the 2 check in daily limit.

Pulled 50, 100, 200, and 300. Each shop counts once. Repeat visits to a shop you have already counted do not increment your Pulled challenge counter, regardless of how many times you return. Visiting the same shop 50 times counts as 1 unique shop, not 50. You need 50 (or 100, 200, 300) genuinely different shops. The check in itself still registers on your Pull Map, your streak, and any active Daily 50 challenge. It simply does not advance your Pulled challenge counter.

Blocked check in messages. If you attempt a duplicate same-shop same-day check in on Explorer 30 or Daily 50, the app will show: “You’ve already pulled [Shop Name] today. Come back tomorrow, or try a different shop.” If you check in at a shop already counted toward your active Pulled challenge, the app will show: “You’ve already pulled [Shop Name] for this challenge. Find a new shop to keep exploring.”

Every challenge check in passes through multiple verification layers:

Layer 1: Automated (every check in). GPS coordinates must place you within 80 meters (approximately 250 feet) of the claimed shop. Two photos are required for every check in. Photo one: inside the cup, showing the drink. Photo two: your drink held up with the shop environment visible behind it. Both photos must be taken in sequence through the app camera. Photos from your camera library are not accepted. By completing a check in, you confirm that you purchased a drink at the claimed shop. This attestation is recorded with your check in and serves as your confirmation of a qualifying purchase. Travel speed between consecutive check ins must be physically possible (check ins implying speeds over 500 mph are auto-rejected). Each photo is hashed. Duplicate photos are auto-rejected. Accelerometer data must show device movement during capture (static captures are auto-rejected). Multiple accounts on the same device are flagged.

Layer 2: AI verification (challenge check ins). Photos are analyzed for: a real coffee shop environment, a visible branded element (menu, signage, cup), absence of screenshot or manipulation artifacts, and consistent lighting. The intensity of AI review scales with reward size. Daily 50 check ins receive standard automated checks, while Pulled 100 and above receive AI verification on every check in.

Layer 3: Manual review (before payout). Before any challenge reward is approved, our team reviews a random sample of at least 10 check ins from the challenge. We verify photo authenticity, GPS consistency, and overall patterns. For rewards of $1,000 or more, all check ins may be reviewed.

No receipt required. A photo of your drink is the only verification required. Receipts are never requested as a standard step. In rare cases involving a specific account under fraud investigation, Pulled Coffee reserves the right to request additional documentation from that account only. This is not a standard requirement and will not affect normal users.

Layer 4: Pattern analysis (ongoing). We monitor for same-IP multi-account activity, collusion patterns, and burst signup anomalies on a weekly basis.

Layer 5: Post-payout audit (quarterly). A random 5% of completed challenges are audited after payout. If fraud is discovered post-payout, we reserve the right to recover the funds.

Pulled 50 requires a minimum of 30 days to have elapsed between the first and last qualifying check in, regardless of how quickly 50 unique shops are visited. This prevents artificially compressed completion through travel blitzes that don't reflect genuine exploration.

Daily 50 and all other challenges have no minimum elapsed time beyond what the check in requirements naturally impose (one check in per unique shop per day).

Pulled 50 and above require giving at least 10 props (acknowledgments) to other users' check ins during the challenge period. This ensures participants are active community members, not isolated grinders. Props given before the challenge start date do not count.

You may run up to 3 challenges simultaneously. A single check in can count toward all active challenges it qualifies for. For example, a specialty shop check in can count toward Daily 50, Pulled 50, and Pulled 100 at the same time.

Completing certain challenges unlocks exclusive physical and digital artifacts in addition to the cash reward.

The Pulled Card. Earned after completing Pulled 50 at Devoted or Origin tier. A luxury artifact delivered in premium packaging.

The Pulled Crest. Earned after completing Pulled 100 at Origin tier only. A luxury artifact delivered in premium packaging.

The Pulled Table. Earned after completing Pulled 300 at Origin tier only. An invitation to The Pulled Table, an exclusive annual gathering for Origin members who have completed the ultimate exploration challenge.

These artifacts are in addition to, not a replacement for, the cash rewards listed above. Shipping details and delivery timelines are communicated after challenge completion.

Challenges are user-initiated. You start when you are ready. Once started, the clock runs continuously. There is no pause or restart. If you do not complete the challenge within the time limit, the challenge expires and progress is lost. You may start the same challenge type again immediately.

Timestamps are based on the time the photo was captured (embedded in metadata), not the time the check in synced to our servers. Offline check ins that sync later use their original capture timestamp.

Method. All payouts are sent via PayPal in USD. You must maintain a valid PayPal account linked to your Pulled profile. We do not support Venmo, Wise, bank transfers, or other payout methods at launch. Pulled Coffee is not responsible for PayPal fees, currency conversion charges, or processing delays on PayPal's end.

New account hold. All new accounts are subject to a mandatory 30-day hold before the first payout is eligible. Rewards earned during this period are held until the 30-day mark, then released after verification. This applies to every new account without exception.

Verification. All challenge completions are subject to verification before payout. This includes automated checks, AI-based photo analysis, and manual review. For Pulled 100 and above, a minimum of 10 random check ins are manually reviewed before payout is released. Pulled Coffee reserves the right to request additional verification for any payout at any time.

Verification timeline. After challenge completion, verification typically takes 5 to 7 business days. Complex cases or high-value rewards ($1,000+) may take up to 14 business days.

Payout timing. Once verified and approved, payouts are initiated within 3 business days. PayPal processing time is typically 1 to 2 additional business days. Total time from challenge completion to funds in your PayPal account: approximately 7 to 14 business days under normal circumstances.

Forfeiture. Payouts are permanently forfeited if fraud is detected at any point, including after a payout has been made. Post-payout fraud discovery may result in fund recovery efforts.

Taxes. Reward earnings may be considered taxable income depending on your country of residence. Pulled does not withhold taxes. You are responsible for reporting and paying any taxes applicable to your jurisdiction. Tax reporting requirements vary by country. See our Terms of Service for details specific to your region.

We operate a three-strike system for human-reviewable offenses:

• First offense: Warning issued. Check in flagged for review. No immediate account action.
• Second offense: Account restricted. All active challenges paused pending review.
• Third offense or confirmed fraud: Permanent ban. All pending and future payouts forfeited. Account terminated.

Automated triggers (impossible travel speed, duplicate photo hash, no accelerometer movement) result in immediate check in rejection. These do not count as strikes. The check in simply does not register.

Fraud severity scales with reward size. Daily 50 ($150-$350) receives standard automated review. Pulled 50 ($250-$500) adds AI verification on flagged check ins. Pulled 100 and above ($1,000+) applies AI verification to all check ins plus mandatory manual review before payout.

If you complete 90% or more of a challenge and miss the deadline by a narrow margin, you may request a review. Extensions of 7 to 14 days may be granted at our discretion on a case-by-case basis. Extensions are not guaranteed and are not available for challenges missed by a wide margin.

Device changes mid-challenge (broken phone, new device) trigger a soft flag for review but do not invalidate your progress. Contact hello@pulled.coffee if you change devices during an active challenge.

Seasonal challenges run quarterly on dual-hemisphere tracks (northern and southern) based on your GPS location at enrollment. Monthly mini-challenges (Weekly Warrior, Explorer's Dozen, Local Legend) follow the same verification and payout rules as main challenges but with smaller rewards and shorter timeframes.

Explorer 30. Reward of $50 credited to Pulled Balance requires active Explorer tier subscription maintained continuously throughout the challenge period, 30 check ins at any café or coffee shop within 90 days (any drink prepared by a barista or poured from a pot qualifies), and active subscription for 7 days following withdrawal processing. Maximum 2 completions per calendar year per account.

Daily 50. Requires 50 check ins at any café or coffee shop within 90 days. Any drink made for you counts. Devoted reward: $150. Origin reward: $350. Any shop that serves coffee or tea qualifies: chains, independents, gas stations, convenience stores, diners, bakeries, hotel lobbies. No minimum elapsed time. Reward credited to Pulled Balance after automated verification. 30-day hold applies to new accounts.

City Champion. Rank number one on your city’s leaderboard for an entire calendar month. Devoted reward: $50 per month. Origin reward: $100 per month. Repeatable monthly. Requires Devoted or Origin subscription active for the entire calendar month. Reward credited to Pulled Balance after the month ends and ranking is confirmed. 30-day hold applies to new accounts.

Pulled 50. Requires 50 unique verified independent shops within 90 days. Minimum 30 days must elapse between first and last qualifying check in. Devoted reward: $250. Origin reward: $500. Only independent coffee shops, local roasters, and recognized third-wave chains qualify. 10 props to other users required during challenge period. Reward credited to Pulled Balance after automated and AI verification. 30-day hold applies to new accounts.

Pulled 100. Requires 100 unique verified independent shops within 180 days. Devoted reward: $1,000. Origin reward: $2,500. Independent shops only. 10 props required. All check ins subject to AI verification. Minimum 10 random check ins manually reviewed before payout is released. Reward credited to Pulled Balance. 30-day hold applies to new accounts. Pulled Coffee reserves the right to request additional verification.

Pulled 200. Requires 200 unique verified independent shops within 365 days. Devoted reward: $2,500. Origin reward: $5,000. Independent shops only. 10 props required. Full AI verification on all check ins. Full manual review of entire check in history before payout. 24-hour hold after review submission before approval. Reward credited to Pulled Balance. 30-day hold applies to new accounts.

Pulled 300. Requires 300 unique verified independent shops within 18 months. Devoted reward: $5,000. Origin reward: $10,000. Independent shops only. 10 props required. Full AI verification on all check ins. Full manual review of entire check in history. 48-hour hold after review submission before approval. This is the maximum payout in the Pulled system. Reward credited to Pulled Balance. 30-day hold applies to new accounts. All payouts require explicit approval before execution.

All challenge rewards require an active Explorer, Devoted, or Origin tier subscription at the time of challenge completion. Users must be 18 or older. All challenge rewards are credited to the user's Pulled Balance. Withdrawals are processed via PayPal. All rewards are denominated in USD. Pulled Coffee is not responsible for PayPal fees, currency conversion charges, or any taxes applicable in your jurisdiction.

Pulled Coffee's verification system is the sole arbiter of challenge completion. All decisions are final, subject to a 30-day appeal window. To appeal, contact hello@pulled.coffee within 30 days of the determination. Pulled Coffee's decision on appeal is final.

Age requirement. You must be at least 18 years old to enroll in any cash challenge. The app requires a one-time age confirmation before first enrollment.

Maximum reward disclosure. The maximum reward of $10,000 requires completion of Pulled 300 at Origin tier ($129.99/month, or $815.99/year for Founding Origin). Devoted tier reward for Pulled 300 is $5,000. See the challenge overview above for full tier-specific reward amounts.

We may update challenge rules, reward amounts, and verification requirements. Changes apply to challenges started after the effective date. Challenges already in progress at the time of a rule change are governed by the rules in effect when they were started. Material changes will be communicated at least 30 days in advance.

Questions about challenge rules, verification, or payouts: hello@pulled.coffee