All offers / Cash back / Upside
Examined Jul 27, 2026 No cash signup bonus Code must come from a friend There is no Upside signup bonus. There is 15 cents a gallon, and you have to ask a person for it.
$1.80 on a twelve gallon fill-up, $3 on a twenty gallon truck tank: that is what an extra 15 cents a gallon comes to. Upside is a rate app, paying you back a set number of cents per gallon on fuel you were buying anyway, and the referral raises that rate once, on one purchase. The referrer then earns 10 cents each time you make an Upside purchase over $5, before tax and tip.
- A flat cash bonus for signing upThere is none
- The referral boost on a twelve gallon fill-up$1.80
- The same boost on a twenty gallon truck tank$3
The referral raises the rate once, on one purchase. There is no flat dollar signup bonus.
What pays what
| You, new user, code entered first and a first purchase of $10+ | +15 cents a gallon on your next gas buy |
|---|---|
| You, on the same trigger | 10% bonus on your next restaurant or grocery buy |
| The friend who referred you | The same boost, both parts |
| The friend, every time you spend over $5 afterwards | 10 cents |
| A flat cash bonus for signing up | Does not exist |
| Claiming any offer before you enter the code | $0, and it cannot be undone |
| A first purchase under $10, before tax and tip | $0 |
| A code you found on a website or blog | Against Upside’s terms |
| Tobacco, alcohol, prescriptions, lottery, cash back at the till, tips | Never earn cash back |
These figures come from Upside's own support article, the clearest statement it publishes. Its in-app referral screen says the program is personalised to each user and shows a figure that does not match the support article, so check your own app before you plan a fill-up around it. Upside also reserves the right to change the amount and frequency of referral bonuses whenever it likes.
Do this, in this order
- Get the invite code from a person, privately. A text message from a friend is the sanctioned route. Nothing published on a site can be relied on, and Upside can void codes it decides were distributed for widespread public use.
- Enter the code before you claim a single offer. Upside says most promotions, referral codes included, only apply to your first offer, and once you have claimed that first offer you are no longer eligible. Install the app, enter the code the way you would a promo code, and only then start claiming.
- Make the first purchase $10 or more, before tax and tip. Anything smaller does not register the referral. Note the two thresholds: $10 for the first purchase that qualifies you, and $5 for each later purchase that earns your friend their 10 cents.
- Know what never earns. Tobacco, alcohol, prescription medication, lottery tickets, cash back taken at the till and service tips are all ineligible, and apart from the referral program you can only earn on purchases you personally made. Upside can also suspend or close accounts and claw back rewards it considers fraudulently earned, including revoking cash back already issued.
- Cash out with the fees in front of you. Upside charges $1 to send money to a bank when the cash out is under $10, $1 to PayPal when it is under $15, and nothing for gift cards. Bank transfers take 5 to 7 business days. The terms also reserve the right to impose a minimum distribution amount of up to $20 at any time, and Upside may issue a tax form such as an IRS Form 1099 in your name. On a balance of a few dollars, taking a gift card is the only version where you keep all of it.
- Do not leave the account idle for six months. Cash back rewards expire if your Upside account is inactive for six consecutive months, and inactive means no rewards earned from your own purchases and none redeemed.
Is it worth your time?
Upside is a decent app for people who drive a lot and buy fuel every week, and the cash back is real money, not points. The referral is a courtesy: a couple of dollars on one fill-up for each of you, and a trickle of dimes for your friend afterwards. Join because the everyday rates near you look good, not because of the bonus, and if you are joining anyway then ask someone for their code first so you both get the small boost.
