This web page was initially printed in January 2022 and displays the pricing, rewards charges and the creator’s experiences of that point. The remainder of the article has since been up to date.
Key takeaways
- Upside, previously often called GetUpside, is a money again app that gives limited-time offers for customers to assert.
- These offers will be stacked with bank card rewards, however they’ll’t be stacked with loyalty packages or different reductions with out decreasing the share of money again you get within the app.
- Whereas it’s fairly simple to search out fuel stations and eating places providing reductions on the app, it’s not practically as simple to search out collaborating grocery shops.
Upside is a money again app that’s greatest identified for providing money again at sure fuel stations (together with some eating places and grocery shops). Any financial savings are welcome as of late. Nationally, the typical worth for a gallon of unleaded fuel was $3.52 in July 2024, in keeping with AAA. Whereas this isn’t practically as excessive because it was in 2022 when fuel costs have been hovering at a median of round $4.00 a gallon, it’s nonetheless larger than it was in 2021.
Upside’s promotions stack along with your present bank card rewards. Like retailer coupons, buying portals, card-linked provides and different money again apps (akin to Dosh and Ibotta), Upside is one other manner to save cash. And if you mix a number of financial savings methods on the identical buy, the 1 to six % money again you can get on fuel, eating and groceries with a rewards bank card is just the start.
How Upside works: The advantageous print
Although Upside’s web site touts relationships with nationwide manufacturers akin to Shell, BP, Phillips 66, Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King and lots of others, it’s vital to notice that solely a few of these retailers’ areas supply money again by way of Upside. And in my expertise, it’s a definite minority.
You may get fortunate and discover one thing that works for you. I’ve discovered you’re extra prone to strike gold with a restaurant deal than at a fuel station or grocery retailer, but it surely relies upon. And it’s not simply well-known franchises; many small native eating places are on Upside, too. The app’s pitch to companies is that it’s focused promoting that will increase gross sales and will be attributed to particular purchases.
In the event you see a deal you want on the Upside app, it is advisable do the next to benefit from it:
- Click on “declare supply.” This must be accomplished earlier than you make your buy.
- Proceed along with your buy utilizing your credit score or debit card. You solely have 4 hours to make a purchase order.
- Click on “I paid with this card.” Be certain your cost methodology on file is similar because the cost methodology you used to make your buy.
After clicking on the “I paid with this card” button, the transaction will transfer into your “Historical past” tab and be proven as pending. Upside will use associate knowledge to substantiate that you just’ve paid with that card, so that you gained’t have to add a receipt such as you used to. Nevertheless, if it may well’t discover your transaction in its associate knowledge inside 10 days, it gained’t provide the money again, even when you’ve paid.
When you obtain your money again, you possibly can redeem it as typically as you want, with no minimal redemption quantity.
Can Upside provide help to save at fuel stations?
In my space (a suburb of New York Metropolis), GasBuddy knowledge and my private expertise indicated {that a} good worth for a gallon of standard fuel was round $4.25 in 2022. Upside was promoting an 11-cent low cost off a $3.79 per-gallon worth just a few miles from my home. That sounded too good to be true, so I drove to the station to test it out. Positive sufficient, the worth was truly $4.69 per gallon!
I visited one other fuel station touting 15 cents off $4.33 per gallon by way of Upside. The precise worth was once more larger than the app promised, however solely by six cents this time. I elected to not refill since I may have gotten an analogous worth at my common station with out the effort of ready to obtain my money again from Upside.
Nevertheless, newer offers in different elements of the nation present extra profitable offers. In North Carolina, for instance, provides can vary anyplace between 56 cents to 61 cents in money again per gallon.
Gasoline bank cards to pair with Upside
Basically, fuel rewards bank cards are my favourite tip for saving on fuel purchases. I take advantage of the Blue Money Most popular® Card from American Categorical, which provides 3 % money again at U.S. fuel stations. That’s stable, though not prime of the road (my predominant motive for utilizing that card is its distinctive 6 % money again at U.S. supermarkets — on as much as $6,000 in annual purchases, then 1 % money again after that).
Some in style playing cards which provide doubtlessly larger fuel rewards are the:
- Citi Customized Money® Card: Earns 5 % money again (on as much as $500 every billing cycle, then 1 %) in your prime eligible spending class every billing cycle, which might be the fuel station class if that’s all you utilize the cardboard for.
- Costco Wherever Visa® Card by Citi*: Earns 4 % money again on eligible fuel and EV charging purchases, together with fuel at Costco (on as much as $7,000 per 12 months, then 1 %)
- Sam’s Membership® Mastercard®*: Earns 5 % money again on fuel from any U.S. fuel station, not simply Sam’s Membership fuel stations (as much as $6,000 per 12 months, then 1 %)
- PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card*: Earns 5X factors on fuel paid on the pump and at EV charging stations.
You should use these playing cards to pair with the Upside app to avoid wasting much more. Nevertheless, I wish to stack my bank card rewards with fuel stations’ loyalty packages every time attainable. A lot of the main fuel manufacturers have apps that scale back the worth by 5 to 10 cents per gallon on prime of the bank card rewards you earn. Whether or not these loyalty packages give you kind of than Upside will largely depend upon what offers pop up the place you reside.
However you possibly can’t totally mix loyalty program reductions with Upside reductions. Upside’s advantageous print part inside every deal states that different reductions (except for bank card rewards) might scale back your Upside low cost.
What restaurant offers can you discover on Upside?
In my space, I may’ve used Upside to earn 14 % money again at a neighborhood deli and seven % money again at a number of different mom-and-pop eating places (all of those rewards are capped at $10). None of my close by Dunkin’ Donuts or Burger King franchisees gave the impression to be providing offers.
Outdoors of New York, a number of the newer promotions that I used to be capable of finding embody:
- 22 % money again (as much as $10) at a Taco Bell in Texas
- 21 % money again (as much as $10) at an Arby’s in Delaware
- 20 % money again (as much as $10) at a pizzeria in California
- 18 % money again (as much as $10) at a bar in North Carolina
- 14 % money again (as much as $10) at an ice cream store in Florida
What about utilizing Upside for grocery retailer financial savings?
I used to be excited once I first heard Upside provides money again at grocery shops since meals is certainly one of my household’s most vital spending classes. However that is essentially the most restricted of Upside’s three classifications. I couldn’t discover any collaborating retailers in my space.
Hopefully, you’ll have higher luck. Upside’s web site claims that it has offers from greater than 175 grocery retailer areas nationwide. A few of these grocery manufacturers embody:
- Woodman’s Market
- Piggly Wiggly
- Gelson’s Markets
- Vicente Meals
- Cardenas Markets
- Worth Chopper
- Northgate Market
I discovered a few Cardenas Markets areas within the San Francisco Bay Space that publicize reductions, one with a whopping 21 % money again, however once more the cap is simply $10.
Don’t get me improper: I’ll take a free 10 bucks, however my household typically spends $300 per week on groceries, so I’d like to get 21 % off that.
The underside line
I don’t see plenty of financial savings alternatives once I peruse Upside’s obtainable offers close to me. It additionally issues me that the app isn’t exhibiting the newest fuel costs. When you may fare higher, my opinion is that Upside sounds higher than it truly is.
Nonetheless, the app may help you save fairly a bit right here and there in case you’re capable of finding good offers in your space — particularly in case you pair it with a stable money again bank card. You’ll doubtless discover offers at fuel stations and eating places, particularly chain eating places, earlier than you discover offers at grocery shops.
Have a query about bank cards? E mail me at ted.rossman@bankrate.com and I’d be comfortable to assist.
*Details about the Sam’s Membership® Mastercard®, PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card and the Costco Wherever Visa® Card by Citi has been collected independently by Bankrate. The cardboard particulars haven’t been reviewed or accepted by the issuer.
