How to Earn Cashback on Groceries, Restaurant Bills, and More

Regularly buying essentials, such as groceries and gas, can be expensive, especially with the unexpected price increases, inflation, and other economic issues. Sometimes, you may feel pressured or exhausted after all of the expenses.

Fortunately, many stores, restaurants, and gasoline stations now offer cashback options where you can earn a small percentage back from some of your purchases. There are multiple cashback apps nowadays that provide coupons and special deals you can avail yourself of before purchasing a specific product or service. One of our personal favorites is Upside.

With Upside, you can enjoy cashback from more than 50,000 locations, including your go-to restaurants and grocery or convenience stores while supporting communities and caring for the environment at the same time.

What is Upside?

Formerly known as GetUpside, Upside rebranded in April 2022 upon raising $65 million in equity financing and $100 million in debt financing from General Catalyst with participation from existing investors, Bessemer Ventures, and Builders VC. This brought the company's valuation to $1.5 billion.

Upside is not your typical cashback app that simply provides cashback. It also helps businesses gain customers and gives customers cashback on their purchases, mostly at grocery or convenience stores, gas stations, and restaurants. The win-win: Upside only makes money once it brings proven profit for businesses.

Upside also aims to help local communities thrive and protect the environment. In fact, it has already driven $550 million back into local communities, given $300 million cashback to consumers, and committed one percent of total revenue to sustainability initiatives related to its areas of operation. More communities are growing stronger, and people are encouraged to do good for the environment with its financial, social, and sustainability impact.

How to Earn Cashback With Upside

Using Upside is very easy, so learning how the app works won't take a lot of time. You don't need a special loyalty card to use it either. Additionally, Upside keeps your data secure and never sells your personal information.

All you have to do is download the app and create an account with your email, Apple ID, Google login, or Facebook login information. Then, allow the app to access your location to find the best cashback offers for you. After that, Upside will show you all of the offers within your vicinity, which you can view on the map or in a list. This includes the available offers and their distance from you.

There are several categories - gas, restaurants, groceries, and conveniences - so you can easily check the participating businesses and see how much cashback you can get on your purchases. You can also get additional rewards every time someone you refer uses your invite code.

Make sure to claim your offer before your purchase, though. Upside puts a timer on it, which usually lasts a few hours. If you can't complete the deal within the specified time frame, simply click the unclaim button and just claim the offer again when you're ready to make a purchase.

To get your cashback, take a photo of your receipt, scan it via Upside, and upload it. Meanwhile, in some establishments, you may opt for a check-in, where Upside will compare the offer location to your current location and the last four digits of credit cards you have in your Upside wallet to verify your offer.

It will only take a few days to process the receipt and get your cashback. Once credited, you'll be notified via email, after which you can cash out your money safely through the app. You can cash out via PayPal, your bank account, or a digital gift card.

Start earning cashback and making an impact with Upside here.