There has been no shortage of talk regarding inflation over the last several months. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index – showed a 9.1% increase year over year (YoY) when it was released earlier this month, the largest YoY increase since 1981. We see it in every facet of our lives: at the pumps, grocery stores, restaurants, housing and the list could go on and on. I know personally, I’ve been looking for ways in which to save some extra cash, and it’s probably something majority of Americans are searching for. A really cool, easy way to save what could add up to be $100+/month at the pump is an app called Upside. As you are in your car making your normal commute to and from work, you have probably heard of their advertisement telling you of a way to get cash back every time you fill up your gas tank. The first few times I heard the advertisement, I honestly did not pay much attention to it and thought it can’t be as easy as the advertisement is portraying. It took my brother to mention it in a conversation a little over a month ago, telling me he had downloaded the app and how simple it was, for me to look at it further. One of the main reasons I prefer the app over other rewards programs is your discount is not tied to how much you spend at a specific store (i.e Kroger or Food City) – the discount can be used at any of the partner organizations shown at the bottom of this post. I’ve found the steps are fairly straightforward, and at this difficult time for many people, this is such an easy, cool way to save some extra cash.
How it works:
- Download the Upside App from Google Play or the App Store
- Create your profile with your username and password
- Add a credit card that you would like to link to your account/you can also link a checking or savings account when you cash out your savings
- Not all gas stations can be used for it – you will see an “Offers” section mid-way through your screen (see below, along with partner corporations)
- Select the gas station that is most convenient for you/or the one with the largest discount
- Claim the offer
- Once you claim the offer, you will have 4 hours to check-in at the specified location – after 4 hours, the offer will expire
- Once you arrive at the gas station, check in on the app
- Make sure you use the card that you have linked to your account
- You will get a message saying you should see a debit to your account within 2-4 days
It is as simple as that! You also get rewarded for referring other friends and family to Upside!
Hopefully you get as much out of the app as I have!!!
