Everyday purchases such as gas and food are necessary, but can become quite expensive. Learn how you can get cash back on gas, restaurant, and grocery purchases in this Upside review.
Gas prices are nearing their highest levels in four years, according to the Oil Price Information Service.
The average national gas price average has increased to $2.88 per gallon. If you want to avoid paying insanely high prices for your gas without having to search and find the cheapest gas near you, Upside might just be the perfect solution for you.
Table of Contents
What is the Catch with Upside App?
UpSide (formerly known as GetUpSide) is a site and app that can be used to get cash back from grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants in the US. They partner with local businesses to get exclusive deals only users on the site can get.
We’ll go into the types of deals you can get later, but here’s a basic rundown of what’s offers:
- Gas: Up to 25¢ per gallon cash back on gas
- Groceries: Up to 15% cash back on groceries
- Restaurants: Up to 35% cash back at restaurants
Upside locations
You can use Upside in hundreds of locations across the country, many of which are near you. To see a full list of locations, click here. To see what locations are near you, click here!
FreeCash: It pays you to test apps, play games & take surveys. Get paid up to $497.82 per offer! Start Earning!
Earn Haus: Earn up to $25 per survey. Plus same-day payments via PayPal, Venmo & Check! Join Earn Haus!
InboxDollars: Paid over $57 Million to members to watch videos, take surveys, shop and more. Get $5 instantly!
Pinecone Research: Want high-paying surveys? Pinecone is the site you want! Join today! (UK - Canada)
KashKick: Get paid directly into your PayPal for watching videos, surfing, shopping and more. Join KashKick Now!
Swagbucks: Get paid to watch videos, shop online, take surveys and more. Join now & get $10 instantly!
How Does Upside Work?
Here’s a step by step guide to get started on getting cash back.
- Step 1: Download the app and make an account. You can get the app for either iOS or Google Play by going to Upside’s official website.
- Step 2: Use the app whenever you need gas, items from the station, car services, and other available offers.
- Step 3: Claim the offers before purchasing.
- Step 4: Snap a picture of your receipt after your purchase and send it in the app. No need to keep track of cards or coupons.
- Step 5: Earn cash back on every transaction. It’s just that easy.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when using the app. These tips can help you earn your cash back easily without any stress.
- To get cashback by uploading receipts, make sure you only upload your own receipts. If you use other people’s receipts, the app will notice the difference.
- Make sure you claim your offer before you purchase. Offers claimed after a purchase may not be eligible.
- Pay with a credit or debit card. Cash payments are not eligible.
- If you use another discount, your cash back will be changed to match the price you paid.
Types of Offers
There are three different types of offers you can get with the app:
- Gas
- Restaurant
- Grocery
Gas offers
Offers are valid for the first 50 gallons of gas your purchase. So, for those first 50 gallons, you’ll earn cash back. If you purchase more than 50 gallons, you won’t earn cash back. You can also get cash back on convenience store purchases, car washes, inspections, and oil changes.
Restaurant offers
Save money whenever you go out to eat! Take a picture of your restaurant receipts to get money. You’ll have to claim the offer within four hours after eating.
Grocery offers
Any time you get your groceries, get cash back on each purchase!
This is the newest feature they’ve added to the app, so they are working on improving the offers each day. You’ll be seeing new grocery stores partnering with them soon.
Some things to note about grocery deals:
- Cash payments aren’t eligible for deals. You have to pay with a debit or credit card.
- You must claim your offer before you make your purchase. If you wait until afterward, you might not be eligible anymore.
- Food stamps, EBT, SNAP, and WIC purchases aren’t eligible for cashback.
- You can only redeem two grocery offers per week.
It really is a great way to earn cashback. Scanning your grocery receipts to earn cashback is something nobody should miss out on. I mean, you’re buying groceries anyway. You may as well take a few seconds and upload your receipts to get something back.
Referral program
The app now has a paid referral program for you to use. Share your link via email, social media, or chat apps to start earning rewards.
Advertisements
There are two types of rewards with the referral program: first-time bonuses and ongoing bonuses. When you bring in a new user, you each will get a bonus the first time they spend more than $10 on a gas purchase.
The ongoing reward is that you also get a bonus for every gallon of gas they buy in the future. You will also get a bonus every time one of their referrals gets gas!
This is a great way to encourage your friends to continue using the app. Every time you share the app, you aren’t just helping others save money, You’re getting a nice bonus too!
Getting Paid
It takes one to two days for your offers to be processed once you submit your receipt. Once they are done, you’ll be notified by email or mobile to let you know.
After that, you can cash out whenever you want. They can pay you through PayPal, Check, to gift cards.
User Reviews of Upside App
One of the most important things to find out about these kinds of programs is what their users think. Here are three separate reviews we found from Reddit, Apple App Store, and Google Play.
“Upside has the highest cashback per gallon I have seen in a while,” said one Reddit reviewer.
“I’m not quite sure what Upside’s business model is and how exactly they operate, but I’m not complaining! I’m getting money back on stuff I would have had to buy anyway. Easy savings that you actually see back in your pocket,” said an Apple Store reviewer.
“This app is great! You can use it anywhere you go to find more reasonable gas prices. Sometimes the rate is the same price as the other gas stations, but anytime I can get the discount I use it. I have not had any issues with the refund received,” said a Google Play user.
Upside Better Business Bureau Rating
This business has a B rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). There has been only one complaint made in the past twelve months, which was closed.
If you’d like to check out their business profile on BBB, click here.
Is Upside Legit?
Without a doubt!
Ultimately, Upside is worth checking out if you do a lot of shopping for groceries and gas. Considering how often people need to refill their tanks or shop for food, those extra cash back rebates can really add up. It’s an easy way to save money on gas and food.
If you also participate in the referral program, you can end up saving almost as much as you spend!
Are there any apps you use to get cash back? Have you had any experiences with the app Upside? Let us and our readers know what you think in the comments below!
Mary Jo Britner
I was using upside and my cash earned disappeared. I won’t use again.