Upside
- Best for: Drivers and diners with participating businesses on their weekly routes
- What Sets It Apart: Cents back per gallon at Shell, bp, and other stations, on top of card rewards
- Welcome Offer: With a friend’s invite code and a first purchase of at least $10, tax and tip aside, 15¢ a gallon more on a fill-up and 10% back on a grocery or restaurant purchase
- Rewards: Gas offers average 11¢ a gallon and grocery and restaurant offers 8% back, by Upside’s count; set by location and your spending
- Payouts: Bank transfer in 5 to 7 business days, $1 fee under $10; gift cards, most from $10; no PayPal
- Features: More than 100,000 participating stores, by Upside’s count; offers good for 4 hours at gas stations and restaurants, 24 at grocery stores
- Cost: Free to use
- Eligibility: U.S. only; iOS 16 or Android 11 or later; a linked debit or credit card
- Pros: Stacks on card rewards; most claims post within four business days; instant on Pay with Upside offers
- Cons: A station’s loyalty program can cut gas offers to 1¢ a gallon; Pay with Upside may not earn your card’s gas rate; cash back expires after six inactive months
Use Upside if participating gas stations sit on the routes you already drive. Claim an offer before you pump and pay with a card linked to the app, and the cash back comes on top of your card’s rewards. Where few businesses near you take part, it isn’t worth the extra step.
Upside is a free app that pays drivers and diners cash back at more than 100,000 gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, and restaurants, by its count. Each offer is for one location, and the business can change it often, based on its prices, its traffic, and your spending habits.
Key Features
- Gas offers averaging 11¢ a gallon and grocery and restaurant offers averaging 8% back, by Upside’s count
- Offers claimed in the app before you buy, good for 4 hours at gas stations and restaurants and 24 at grocery stores
- Purchases matched through a linked debit or credit card, or through an uploaded receipt when an offer takes Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay
- Free to use, with cash outs to a bank account (no fee from $10, a $1 fee below) or to gift cards, most from $10
- A friend’s invite code, entered before your first claim, that adds 15¢ a gallon on a fill-up and 10% back on a grocery or restaurant purchase for each of you, with a first purchase of at least $10, not counting tax or tip
Pros
- Cash back on top of your card’s own rewards
- Most claims post within four business days
- Instant cash back on Pay with Upside offers, where you pay the store with a code bought in the app
Cons
- Gas offers that can drop to 1¢ a gallon when you also use the station’s loyalty program
- Bank transfers that take 5 to 7 business days, and no PayPal option
- Pay with Upside charges billed by Upside, which may not earn your card’s gas or grocery rate
- Cash back that its terms let expire after six months with nothing earned or cashed out
Commuters who buy 12 gallons a week at Upside’s average offer of 11¢ a gallon earn about $69 a year, on top of their card’s rewards. Drivers with no participating stations on their routes get more from the card-linked offers already in their bank’s app.
Learn more about Upside or see how it compares to the best gas apps.
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Advertiser Disclosure: Many or all of the offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us, and some companies pay for sponsored content. That compensation may influence which products we cover and where and how they appear on a page, including the order in which they appear. We do not include every company or offer available in the marketplace.
