Intro
Rising prices are pressuring everyone’s budgets. Whether you’re fueling up for the daily commute or grabbing dinner on the go, these rising costs add up quick. Learn how you can take a little of the sting out of gas and restaurant costs with an app that has earned its users over $800M in cash back!
How the Upside App Earns You Cash Back
We’ve used the free Upside app (referral link) for years for gas, but recently, they’ve really expanded on it. Now, not only can you get cash back on gas, but also on restaurants, convenience stores, and in some areas, even grocery store purchases!
For us, the two features we use most are the cash back offers at gas and restaurants.
First, when it’s time to fill up gas, we’d check the app for the nearest gas stations and navigate to the one offering the biggest cash back.
Here’s a sample of the biggest ones for gas stations near us at the time of writing:
- BP – 26¢/gal cash back
- Chevron – 26¢/gal cash back
- Shell – 25¢/gal cash back
Second, when we’re in the mood for food, we’ll check the app for the restaurants with the biggest cash back offers and choose one that sounds appetizing.
The cash back you get from restaurants through the app can be huge! We’ve seen offers as high as 45% cash back, but here’s a sample of some of the biggest ones in our area at the time of writing:
- Marcos’s Pizza – 28% cash back
- Sonic – 25% cash back
- Taco Bell – 24% cash back
You may wonder how Upside can afford to give you all this money back. Is there a catch? Fortunately, there’s not! Â
Upside partners with gas stations and restaurants which pay them for the added visibility their stores get from being featured on the app. And in turn, Upside shares a cut of that payment with you! It’s a great arrangement for all.
So how much can you earn from Upside? In theory there’s no limit, but it’s dependent on how much you travel by car and dine out. Ride share drivers for example can earn a -ton- of money in cash back on gas. But we break down estimated earnings the average family can expect at the end of this article.
How to Use the Upside App
If you’re ready to give the app a try, just visit Upside and select “Get the app” which will open up the Apple or Android store. Â
(Note: Signing up via the referral link above gives you a bonus 15¢/gal cash back on 1st gas fill-up + 10% extra on 1st restaurant or grocery purchase!)
If you’re on the fence and would like to gauge how much the app could help you before installing, visit the link above and select “Find offers near you” at the top of the page (or under the top menu button on mobile).
This will let you see all the cash back offers currently available in your own area.
After installing, the app will guide you through how to use it and help you set up an account.
But here’s a crash course on how to use it:
1. Find the gas station or restaurant in the app that you plan to visit, and click “Claim”.
2. After paying, return to the app and select how you’d like to earn cash back (they give you 4 hours, so no rush):
It’s that easy! The cash back appears in your account pretty quickly, often within a day, and it seems like a very reliable process, as we’ve never had an issue with Upside failing to pay out.
Redeeming Cash Back from Upside
Redeeming cash back you’ve earned on Upside is fast and easy.
At the top of the app is a running total of the cash back you’ve earned. To redeem, just tap that button and then choose your preferred redemption option.
Upside conveniently offers many different redemption options, some of which you can see in the image below. (Walmart is another popular one for us!)
Note: Upside requires a minimum of $10 earned for redeeming with certain options above like gift cards.
Additional Benefits of the Upside App
In addition to cash back for gas and restaurants, Upside also offers cash back at convenience stores and grocery stores! Â
So if you’re stopping at a convenience store for gas and decide to purchase items inside, you can also earn cash back on those items.
Currently grocery store cash back is only available in a few select markets, but they appear to be expanding it, so keep an eye out for it to come to your area. This addition has the potential to be huge!
Bottom Line
The free Upside app is a great way to earn additional cash back on purchases you’re already making and to take a bit of the sting out of rising prices at gas stations and restaurants.
We estimate the average family can earn $373/yr in cash back simply from using the app for gas and restaurant purchases you’re already making today.
And with the recent additions of cash back for convenience store purchases and grocery stores, there’s a potential to earn much more than this as they continue partnering with more stores.
Give the Upside app a try, and let us know what you think! Â
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Earnings from the Upside App
The math behind the cash back earnings from the Upside app:
Earn:
- Average family of 4 spends $3,517/yr on gas per BLS data
- We’ll assume cash back of 25¢/gal per current avg, which is 8% off the current avg gas price nationwide of $3.14/gal
-
- $3,517 x 8% = $282/yr cash back earned on gas
- Average family of 4 spends $5,691/yr on restaurants per BLS data
- We’ll assume just 20% of total restaurants eaten at are listed on Upside with avg 8% cash back rate (per Upside)
-
- $5,691/yr x 20% x 8% = $91/yr cash back earned on restaurants
- $282/yr + $91/yr earnings = $373/yr earned from gas & restaurants using Upside
Time Required:
- +1 hr spent reading this article, setting up Upside app, and cashing out yearly
- +1 hr spent claiming offers on the app (120 offers/yr x 30secs/offer = 60mins/yr)
- =2 hrs required
Results:
- $373/yr earned
- $373 earned / 2 hrs
- =$187/hr earnings rate
2 responses to “Earn Cash Back on Food and Gas with the Upside App”
Great article, Matt! I think I will try it out.
Thanks Elizabeth, hope you find the app as helpful as we have!