Upside Review [2024]: Get the Best Local Deals and Cash Back

Do you compare gas prices before you fill up or check what offers are available at grocery stores before you decide where to shop because you're looking at how to save money? Maybe not. But what if it was really easy to find the best local deals and get cash back too? Enter Upside, the app that helps people save at gas stations, restaurants, and grocery stores in select U.S. cities and states.

Although there are plenty of cashback and budgeting apps out there, Upside is unique. It lets you look at retailers near you on a map, so you can see what’s close by and find out where to get the most bang for your buck on everyday purchases.

Learn more about how it works in this Upside app review.

What is Upside?

Upside is a startup dedicated to helping brick-and-mortar businesses attract more customers while helping people get more purchasing power in their local communities. Since the company was founded in 2016 in Washington D.C., more than 1 million users have earned more than $10 million cash back. 

Upside, also referred to as Upside on its website and app, is a legitimate site that has been featured in many local news publications, in which individuals share their savings stories. The app is available in both the Apple App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play Store for Android devices. 

How does Upside work?

When you open the Upside app, you’ll see participating merchants featured on a map. For example, you’ll be able to view gas prices and see how much cash back you can earn per gallon of gas at nearby big-brand stations. You’ll also see the cashback amount available at each location. 

When you’ve selected a participating gas station, click the “claim” button to add the offer to your account.

You will need to enter the credit or debit card you plan to use for the purchase. Your card information is encrypted by Stripe. You can earn cash back on gas purchases made with a credit or debit card and certain digital payment methods, including Samsung Pay, Apple Pay, Apple Card, Google Pay, Shell Drive for Five, and Dasher Direct.

When you’re done pumping gas, check in to log your purchase. If you can't check in, you'll need to upload receipts to the app. 

Next, you'll wait for your offer to process. It can take up to 10 days for your offer to be processed, after which you’ll receive a payout to your Upside account.

The process works similarly for grocery stores and restaurants. Claim an offer at a grocery store or restaurant near you, enter your card information, shop, and wait for the offer to be processed. (Remember to use your credit or debit card!) For restaurant purchases, you’ll get cash back on your total before tax and tip.

You do have a limited amount of time to go to the retailer after you claim offers, so keep an eye on the time. For example, I had 4 hours to use an offer at Sunoco before it the offer expired.

How much cash back can you earn with Upside?

In the D.C. area, you can earn up to 35% back at restaurants and 15% back on groceries with Upside. And anyone in a participating city can get up to 25 cents per gallon cash back. The more you spend, the more you can earn.

You can cash out your Upside earnings at any time to your PayPal account, your bank account, or a gift card. However, there’s a $1 fee for cashing out via PayPal in an amount less than $15 and a $1 for bank account cash-outs for less than $10. 

The fee is waived if you wait to cash out until you have more money in your account, or if you refer a friend and they are actively using the app. There’s no fee for cashing out via digital gift card, but the minimum is $10, and you can cash out only in round amounts.

How to maximize your earnings with Upside

• Refer your friends. Upside offers a generous referral program. If a new user signs up with your promo code and spends $10 or more on gas, you and your friend will both get a bonus. You’ll also get a bonus for every gallon they purchase in the future, and for every gallon their referrals purchase in the future. That can add up to a lot of extra cash.
• Combine with loyalty program rewards. You can typically use Upside with store loyalty programs to earn more rewards. 
• Check the app frequently. You never know what great offers might be available nearby. Even if your tank isn’t empty yet, you might see a great cashback offer and decide to purchase half a tank to earn the cash back.
• Shop with a cashback card. You can double up on earnings if you use a cashback rewards card to pay for your purchase.

Common questions about Upside

How to get started with Upside

You must be at least 18 years old (or at least 16 with the permission of an adult) to use Upside. It's currently available for Apple and Android devices. 

To get started, you’ll need to download the app in the App Store or Google Play Store and create an account using your email, Google login, Apple login, or Facebook login information. 

You should also allow the app to access your location so you can easily locate nearby deals.

Other money-making opportunities to consider

Although Upside is an excellent money-making app, it’s not the only tool you can use in your search for how to make extra cash. In fact, there are other apps that also allow you to snap a photo of your receipt and earn cash back.

One of these is Ibotta, which gives you several options to earn. You can link a store loyalty account, shop in-store and upload your receipt for a rebate on qualifying purchases, or shop online and earn just by clicking on a qualifying retailer.

If you like the idea of earning rewards without spending a dime, check out Shopkick. You can earn points for doing things like walking into stores and scanning barcodes in addition to earning from your purchases. These points, called kicks, can be exchanged for gift cards to popular retailers.

If your focus is on saving money on gas, GasBuddy could be a good alternative. It's a gas app that helps you find the cheapest gas in your area and offers a free gas card that allows you to earn up to 25 cents off per gallon. 

Bottom line

Figuring out how to manage your money with the help of a few different cashback apps on your phone can be valuable, but don’t try to use them all for the same purchase. You’ll receive cash back only from the last offer you claimed or the last link you clicked to a particular retailer. You can, however, use a cashback app in conjunction with a rewards credit card to earn even more. Enjoy shopping — and saving!