With prices of everything going up a lot of people are looking for ways to save their money. As a stay-at-home mom, I am constantly looking for ways to stretch our budget. Whether it be cutting costs, using coupons, or shopping the clearance sections. One way our family saves money is by using the Upside App.

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What is Upside?

The Upside App is an app for your phone that gives you cash-back when you purchase gas from specific gas stations. There are also various restaurants and convenience stores that participate. When purchasing gas, you receive so much back per gallon (example: 10 cents per gallon cash back.) Restaurants and convenience stores usually offer a percentage back (example: 10% cash back.) After you earn enough cash back, you can cash out into a gift card or directly into your bank account.

Is the Upside App Just Another Scam?

I know what you are thinking, this is probably just another one of those apps that wants to collect my information, and I can’t actually earn any money from it. Trust me, my husband and I thought the same thing before doing our research into the Upside App. However, I am here to tell you that this app is not one of those scams! We have personally been using this app for a few years and have cashed out several times.

Is the App Easy to Use?

I think the app is very user-friendly and is easy to get started. After downloading, there are a few simple steps that you will need to do in order to earn cash back. (See How Do I Get Started Using Upside below for information on how to earn an extra 15 cents per gallon.)

1. Open your app and click on Find Offers at the bottom of the app. You can also find offers by searching an area on the map. The app will show you all available offers in your area.
2. Click on the offer that you would like to use. Click Claim.
3. Head to your gas station that you claimed the offer for and purchase your gas. Afterwards, you select your card that you made your purchase with and select “I’ve paid.”
4. That’s it! They usually process your cash back in 2-4 days.

Things to Know Before Using Upside

Although the app is easy to use, there are a few things that you should know in order to get the most out of the offers.

1. You need to claim the offer before you make your purchase. This is probably the hardest part for me as I often forget to claim the offer before getting gas and then I am out of luck. The good news is that you have 4 hours to make your gas purchase after you claim your offer.
2. It gets tricky if you try to combine an Upside offer with other discounts. Their terms state, “If combined with other discounts, cash back offer may be reduced by up to 5 cents per gallon.” I have had mine denied because I used the app alongside a fuel rewards discount. I found that I normally end up saving more money by using the Upside app alone.
3. You must use a credit or debit card to make your purchases. This makes it really easy for you to claim your cash back. You can easily add your cards to your Upside Wallet so that you don’t have to manually enter them or remember to take pictures of your receipts.
4. If you want to cash out your earnings and you only have a small amount, there might be a fee taken out of your account. As of the time of this writing, as long as you are cashing out at least $15 at a time, there are no fees associated with it.

How Much Money Can I Earn?

The amount of money that you earn is based on how much you use the app. If you are good about remembering to claim your offers, you will start earning money in no time. The cash back amounts that the gas stations and restaurants offer change often. Sometimes you might only earn 1 cent back per gallon. However, I have seen up to 26 cents back per gallon several times! There are several factors that determine how much you earn, such as frequency of gas purchases, how many gallons you purchase at a time, and the number of participating locations in your area.

Is it Worth It?

Are you going to get rich from the cash back that you earn from the app? No, of course not! However, it is a simple way to earn money for making gas purchases that you were going to make anyway. Why not get some money back for it! You have several different options to select from when cashing out your earnings. You can have the money sent to your PayPal account, directly to your bank account or pick from a variety of gift cards. For something that just takes up a few minutes of your time, the amount earned is worth it. We like to cash out for gift cards to restaurants that we can use while traveling to save money while on vacation.

How Do I Get Started Using Upside?

Download the Upside App from the App Store or Google Play Store. After downloading, open the app and set up your account/profile. Use my referral promo code of YQVS6 as a special bonus to get an extra 15 cents back per gallon on your next offer! Before claiming any offers, you will need to apply the promo code in a few easy steps.

1. On the main screen of the Upside App, click on the 3 lines icon at the top right corner of your screen.
2. Click on Profile.
3. Click on Promo Code.
4. Enter code YQV26 and select Done.

After entering in your promo code to get your bonus, you will need to make one purchase of at least $10. You will then receive your bonus discount of 15 cents back per gallon! What are you waiting for? Download the Upside App now, enter the promo code, and start earning cash back now!

Thanks for reading our review of the Upside App. Check out some of our other reviews for our honest opinions on more products and services.