Upside Review 2023: Rack Up Real Savings At The Pump

My Upside Review will look at a free app that can help you save money on gas purchases.

I’m a big fan of cash back apps, and we’ve checked out the best gas rewards programs– and Upside came out on top.

I personally use the Upside app all the time and love earning cash back on things we need to buy anyways.

We’ve found many offers available at participating merchants near us, and the gas cash rewards have been consistent.

Using Upside can help get you free money which will help save you money each month with rising gas prices.

So let’s talk about the app’s details plus the significant savings you’ll earn using it!

Upside Review: Key Takeaways

Here is some quick info on Upside you should know about:

Upside is a cash-back app that helps you earn money back on purchases at participating gas stations, supermarkets, and restaurants.
Cashback = free money!
The app is easy-to-use and free to install.
Cashback is available for participating merchants’ gas stations in 40 states.
You can get a bonus for signing up – and an extra $0.25 per gallon in cash back!
Earn cash through PayPal, bank accounts, mailed checks, or gift cards

What is Upside?

Upside has a simple concept: you use the app to find nearby savings at grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants.

When you use the app at the gas station, you will get a cash-back reward for every gallon of gas you purchase.

It connects the app users with participating companies like gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants or fast-food chains.

Upside was founded in 2015 as a cash-back software, originally as the Upside app.

After a successful test in Washington, D.C., restaurants and supermarkets were quickly added to the app.

The Upside app is available on the Google Play and Apple App Store. The app gets 4.4 stars on the Google Play Store and 4.8 stars on the Apple App Store. 

It’s free for you- Upside makes money from the restaurants and gas stations on the app since they’re helping market those businesses and bring in sales.

Gas Cash Back

When you use the Upside app, you earn back $0.25 per gallon for buying gas at a participating gas station.

There are usually several offers available each day at different gas stations. Plus, the eligible gas stations are nationwide, so you can use Upside wherever you go.

Gasoline discounts or a gas rewards credit card from the same business, for example, may be used in conjunction with Upside’s cash-back offer.

You can also use the app to compare gas prices and see if the savings stack up in your favor.

Upside offers are only valid for up to 50 gallons of gas. However, you can claim as many receipts and check-in options as you like each month.

Restaurant Cash Back

If you’re looking to save money on your restaurant purchases, then the Upside app can help.

You can get 35% cash back on your meal, which can add up over time and give you more money to eat out or save for other fun.

It’s also important to note that not all restaurants are on the Upside app, and some offers have limitations. However, there are still plenty of participating restaurants to choose from.

Groceries Cash Back

Upside is a great way to be frugal when buying your groceries, and they offer 15% cash back at participating grocery stores.

Stacking other coupons, discounts, and loyalty programs on top of using the Upside app allows you to save more than a few bucks on your purchase!

See what stores are nearby and see if they’ve joined the app. That way, you can save more money and get cash rewards without shopping out of your way.

Get Signed Up

Step 1: Sign Up & Add Your Cards

To use Upside, you’ll need to sign up for a Upside account and provide your information.

You can earn additional cash back if you use our link to sign up!

Once you have a Upside account, open the app and link your credit or debit card to your account.

This may seem strange to you, but it’s just to verify when you use an offer.

The app checks your transactions for participating stores to give you the cash back on your purchases quickly.

To hook up your credit card:

Click the Upside menu in the top left- the gray circle with three lines on it.
Look down the menu and find “My Wallet.”
Click “Add a New Card.” It’ll bring up a screen to input your credit or debit card information.
Once you have entered your card information, click “Done” to save the card information.

Once that’s done, you can check for offers and start claiming savings through the Upside app!

Step 2: Claim Offers & Go Buy

 

After entering your card information, look for offers at gas stations, grocery or convenience stores, and restaurants.

Click the participating merchants’ offers when you find one you are interested in. You can find the offer’s details by clicking the “More Info.”

The Upside app will tell you the local gas prices and steps on how to earn the cash back on your offer. 

After you claim the Upside offer, you’ll need to purchase your gas or buy food within the allowed time for the offer.

You have four hours for gas stations and restaurants and 24 hours for grocery stores.

Head to the same gas station for the offer you claimed and make your gas purchase, or head to the grocery store or convenience store to make your food purchase.

Be sure to use the credit or debit card linked to your account to get cash back on the purchase!

Step 3: Check-In & Get Cash Back

As of 2021, you no longer need a debit card or credit card receipt to earn cash back from Upside.

The app verifies your purchase through your card linked to your account, as we mentioned before.

After making your purchase at the gas station, grocery store, or restaurant, check the Upside app to confirm your purchase.

We have personally earned over $50 using the app for just a couple of months. 

Simply sit back and wait for Upside to confirm your purchase and deposit cash back into your Upside account.

Our Upside Promo

Customers who sign up for the first time are eligible for a $0.20 per gallon cash back bonus on their next gas purchase when using a partner link.

This way, you can save up to $0.45 per gallon in one trip, which is a true blessing when you visit the gas pump next.

Here’s our Upside link for more gas savings! Sign up now and see what offerings you can get today.

Getting Paid

You can cash out the money in your Upside account to your Paypal, a bank account, or to gift cards after they have processed your purchase.

Unlike other cash-back apps, Upside doesn’t have a minimum balance you must meet to withdraw your savings to a Paypal account or bank account, but some fees may apply for fast cashouts.

Gift cards do have a $10 minimum requirement to cash out via cards.

It takes Upside anywhere from 4 – 24 hours to process your purchase. When your purchase is completed, Upside will send you an email letting you know your rewards total.

You’ll see how much you’ve earned in the top right corner of the Upside app. Click on the amount, which will show you the options for cashing out your Upside earnings.

You can have your Upside cash back deposited into your PayPal account or bank account, receive a check mailed directly to you, or convert your cash to a digital gift card for select online shops.

You can use your rewards for a digital gift card to:

Amazon
Lowe’s
Steak ‘n Shake
Starbucks
CVS Pharmacy
Texas Roadhouse
Dunkin’
AMC Theaters
Cold Stone Creamery
Kohl’s
Chili’s Grill & Bar
Taco Bell
Cabela’s
IHOP
Red Robin
Target
Walmart
Apple Gift Card
Nike
Home Depot
Google Play
HGM
Papa John’s
Applebee’s
Panera Bread
Bed Bath & Beyond
Maggiano’s Little Italy
Bloomin’ Brands

Fees & Restrictions

While the Upside app is free, some fees may be charged in certain situations.

A $1 fee for cashing out small amounts on the Get Upside app is charged.

The fee is waived if you wait to cash out your balance or if you refer a friend that is actively using the app.

Here is a breakdown of the fees per Upside:

Bank: $1 for cash-outs that are less than $10
PayPal: $1 fee for a cash-out under $15
Gift card: $0 in fees, but cards may have a $10 minimum

Other Cash Back Apps

Now that I’ve given you the rundown on the main info, my Upside App Review wouldn’t be complete without telling you the other savings apps you can use.

We have used many cash back apps to get savings, and here are 5 apps that you can use to rack up more savings shopping:

Honey

Honey is a free browser plugin (and phone app) that helps you save more money automatically. It searches for discount codes at checkout when you shop online.

The Honey app works with the following web browsers:

Chrome
Firefox
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Opera

You can use Honey Gold points to redeem as gift cards for popular retailers like Amazon, eBay, and Target. You’ll need at least 1,000 Honey Gold points to exchange them for gift cards.

Learn more about using the app in our Honey review!

Capital One Shopping

The Capital One Shopping browser extension looks for coupons, promo codes, and savings while you shop to try and save you money.

Customers have saved over $70 million using Capital One Shopping! It’s free to install and has a 5-star rating on the Google Chrome Web Store.

If you’re looking for a way to save while shopping online, then the Capital One Shopping extension is worth checking out.

Ibotta

The Ibotta app can save you money on your grocery bill with cash back on items you regularly purchase, like milk, eggs, and bread.

And, there is often some cash back bonus for purchasing specific items or completing certain tasks. For example, you might earn an extra $0.25 for buying a quart of milk or $1.00 for buying two loaves of bread.

You can use the Ibotta app on Android or Apple phones, or you can use it on your computer. We have the app installed on both, so we can use the Ibotta app when shopping online.

Check out our Ibotta review for more info on this cash-back app!

Rakuten

Rakuten (formerly eBates app) is a user-friendly cash-back program that’s one of our favorites. You can use Rakuten to get rewards, coupons, and promo codes.

You’ll receive discounts on most items when you use the Rakuten app. Although the may be small, they build up quickly over time.

So far, Rakuten has paid over $1 billion in cash back to its members, and we are happy to have saved a good chunk of change using them for the last decade!

The Rakuten app is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a way to save money while shopping online or in-store.

FAQs

Is Upside legit?

Yes, Upside is a legitimate cash-back rewards program. You can earn rewards for buying gas and food at participating locations near you.

We personally use the app and have cashed out our rewards with no problems. Several offers are usually available each day, and you can earn up to 35% cash back on your purchases.

Plus, the participating restaurants and gas stations are nationwide with some local brick-and-mortar businesses.

So if you’re looking for an easy way to earn some extra cash, we recommend signing up for Upside.

If I claim an offer, how long do I have to use it?

Each offer will have the details of how long you have to use the offer after you claim it.

Once you claim an offer, you usually have four hours to buy gas at the gas station, four hours to claim food purchases at restaurants, and 24 hours to claim purchases for grocery stores.

How do I cash out my earnings?

Cashing your earnings out on the Upside App is relatively straightforward.

Just go to the ‘Cash Out’ section in your account and choose the method you want to use to cash out.

You can have your money sent to your PayPal account, through your bank, get a check straight to you, or convert your cash into digital gift cards for online retailers.

There are $1 fees for cashing out your money if your account has less than $10 (bank deposit) or $15 (Paypal deposit). You’ll need a $10 for digital gift cards as well.

Do I have to hook up a card/bank account to Upside?

Cash isn’t eligible for cash back through Upside. You can only use a debit or credit card linked to your app.

You need to connect a payment method (debit card or credit card), so Upside can verify when you have purchased a claimed offer.

Upside does not collect or store any of your financial information. They have partnered with Plaid, a 3rd party service.

Plaid specializes in providing secure linking of banking information. Find out more about Plaid and the security and privacy measures on their website.

Are there limits to using Upside?

There is a limit to how much gas you can purchase using the Upside gas station offer. Your gas fill-up amount is limited to the first 50 gallons of gas at the participating gas station.

Grocery stores will offer you cash back of up to 15% on your purchases.

There are no restrictions on the items you can acquire. Every product and brand will earn you money back.

If you use an Upside promo code, they will list the restrictions to using it.

My Thoughts

To wrap up my Upside App Review, Upside is a free app that offers cash back rewards for buying gas and food at participating locations.

It can help with your household grocery budget and also help with gas expenses.

It’s easy to use and offers rewards for buying gas and food at a gas station locally and nationwide.

There’ sure to be an offer at a nearby gas station or grocery store that you can claim and use to earn cash.

Overall, we would recommend using Upside to help with your household expenses. It is easy to use, and you can find offers at participating locations nearby.

Plus, who doesn’t love to earn cash back? Check out Upside here and start saving!