Upside
Decreasing the Outgoing > Cashback Services > Gas Cashback Service > Upside
On June 14, 2022 the US made a new record high gas price. Regular unleaded gas stood at an average of $5.02. While gas prices have fortunately subsided, they’re still not fun to pay. And, while credit cards and CardCash can help reduce gas prices, little will help more than Upside. While Upside technically provides cashback for restaurants and groceries in addition to gas, the restaurant and grocery categories are somewhat sparse, so this review is focused on gas cashback.
About
Upside Services, Inc. was founded in 2015, and since then they’ve saved customers $300 million. The service exists exclusively as an app, in which you find deals at local gas stations that offer cashback.
How does it work? First, Upside partners with a gas station that offers customers cashback on gas. The cashback offer draws customers to that particular gas station, so the gas station gets business, and the customer gets cashback, so it’s a win-win for everyone. Between the gas stations and other partners, Upside partners with over 100,000 locations nationwide.
How it works
The process is very simple. The app’s home screen shows a map of your area and you click a button for what offer type you’re looking for (gas, grocery, etc.). The map then filters for your selection, at which point you can choose your station. (Alternatively, you can search for your station in the search bar.)
Next, claim the cashback offer and choose which card you’re going to pay with. Upside only allows purchases with credit cards and debit cards. You can’t use a credit-style loyalty card or gift card because that would mean that Upside isn’t what brought you to the business (the card did), and Upside’s whole business model is to bring customers to businesses.
Once you claim your offer you have four hours to fill up.
The Upside app makes it easy to find cashback offers in your area.
Cashback is usually deposited 2-3 days after your purchase. The cashback can then be used to buy a gift card from a number of popular retailers, such as Amazon, Walmart, and Google Play.
Alternatively, you can cash out straight to your bank or PayPal. However, a $1 fee is charged for bank payouts of less than $10 and PayPal payouts of less than $15, unless you’ve referred one user who was active in the last month.
Features
Across my tenure with Upside, the average baseline cashback in my area is about $0.15/gallon, though this number fluctuates. What do I mean that the $0.15/gallon figure is a “baseline” amount? Upside stacks other specials and rewards on top, potentially giving you more cashback.
It’s easy to calculate how much money you could save with Upside. If you’re buying 10 gallons of gas per week and receive $0.20 cashback per gallon, that adds up to $104 per year. This process is an efficient use of your money.
Upside can be stacked with the Discover it credit card, making it easy to nab an additional 5% cashback per gallon.
Upside has a convenient customer service feature in which you can easily chat in a question and they’ll email you back. While this may seem like a basic service, some companies seem to make special efforts to hid customer service options. Upside is not one of those companies!
You can really increase your cashback amount by utilizing Upside’s refer-a-friend program. The referral bonus varies, sometimes offering an extra $0.15/gallon for a fuel up, or a $5-$10 cash bonus.
To receive a $5 signup bonus click the button below.
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