Travel

Stop High Gas Prices with Upside Gas App: Free $7 Sign-Up Bonus + Save 25¢ Per Gallon

A gallon of regular gas currently costs $3.47, on average, according to the latest data from the AAA. Gas prices across are climbing as the Fourth of July week approaches.

The current gas prices for 2024 have been fluctuating due to inflation and other factors. Fortunately, there are ways to beat the high gas prices. Using cash back apps is one way to do this. For example, some apps allow you to get cash back from gas purchases. This means you can get money back each time you fill up your tank, which can make a huge difference over time. By taking advantage of cash back apps and other discounts, you can save money on gas and beat the high prices caused by inflation.

Now is a great time to download apps that help you save money on gas. The current promo is that if you sign up now you get an extra 25 cents a gallon off your gas and they have a restaurant offer where you dine-in or out once and they give you another 40 cents off! In addition, they are offering a Generous $7 all-time high sign-up bonus if you sign up here.

The Upside Gas App (formerly “Get Upside”) lets you earn up to 25 cents per gallon cash back at over 5,000 gas stations across the U.S.A. While it is available in most states it is not showing up in some such as Washington but you will find it in Florida and states such as Texas.

You’ll get gasoline savings at many big gas station brands when you use Upside, including Casey’s, Shell, BP, Exxon, Marathon, Sunoco, Valero, Citgo, E-Z Mart, 7-Eleven, Circle K, and many more.

The program continues to expand its partnerships to give you more cash back options. During the few weeks I’ve used it, GetUpside has added and notified me of new gas station deals in my area.

Step 1: Download the App

The GetUpside app is the only way to participate in this cash back program. Once you download it, create an account using your email, Google login or Facebook login information.

When you sign up via this Upside Referral Link and enter Invite Code B263E2, you’ll get $7 Cash Back Bonus Plus an extra 25 cents per gallon cashback on gas – on top of whatever great offer you find in the app.

That means you could get up to 65 cents per gallon cash back on your first fill-up with the Upside Gas App.

Step 2: Find Participating Businesses in Your Area

Once you enable location services in the app, GetUpside will show you the deals closest to you. You can view the offers on the map or in a list under the corresponding category.

The available categories are gas, groceries, food and free gas.

The first three will show you the participating businesses around you and the amount of cash back you will receive on your purchase. However, the free gas tab is a little different.

“Free Gas” is GetUpside’s referral program that provides additional rewards every time your friends buy gas where you can actually make money each time they fill up.

Step 3: Claim an Offer and Check-in

Now, pick an offer to claim. It’s best to claim offers just before you make your purchase because GetUpside puts a timer, which typically lasts several hours, on your claimed offer.

Before you claim an offer, make sure to comparison shop. If the deal is for gas, use an app like GasBuddy or take a look at local prices on Google Maps.

Comparison shopping for the lower overall price is always a better deal. Don’t just go somewhere because it has an incentive, especially if it is more expensive.

If you see a deal that looks good to you, click the claim button to activate the offer and start the timer.

Step 4: Complete Your Claimed Deal

To view active offers that you have claimed, go to the “Claimed Offers” section of the menu in the upper left-hand corner.

This list also tells you how long you have to finish each offer. To successfully complete the deal, you need to make your purchase in the set time frame and use a credit card.

If you don’t think you’ll be able to complete the deal in the time you have left, click the unclaim button on the offer page.

Step 5: Upload the Receipt

Some gas stations require you to upload a receipt but some just have you check-in so this step isn’t always required.

One of the best things about GetUpside is that you don’t need to enter your credit card or banking information to get cash back like most other rewards apps. Instead, you just upload the receipt from your claimed deal.

To upload your receipt and complete the deal, go to an offer you’ve claimed and click “Upload Receipt.”

Take a picture of the entire receipt and wait for GetUpside to scan it. After it’s finished, a checklist pops up to tell you if the app was able to read the information it needed from your receipt.

GetUpside says it takes between a few hours and a day for the money to be available in your account. The only negative for me is that it asked me about every single item being in the receipt but hopefully it only does this on the first time.

This works similar to the ibotta and fetch grocery apps where you upload receipts but this is with gas and sometimes food.

Step 6: Claim Your Cash!

You can take out your money by going to the menu in the app and clicking “Cash Out.”

GetUpside gives you the option to cash out via PayPal, check or digital gift card. You need a minimum of $1 in order to take any money out of your account.

If you would like to receive your cash via PayPal or check, there is a $1 service fee unless you meet the minimum withdrawal. The fee-free minimum is $15 for PayPal and $50 for a check. You can also eliminate this fee by referring a friend to GetUpside.

Digital gift cards are only available in set amounts, so you have to earn that amount of cash back in order to get one.

The cash back I earned for this test showed up in my GetUpside account in about five hours. They sent me an email to let me know my cash back has been credited.

2024 Bonus Promo Codes for UPSIDE Gas App (Existing Users)

B263E2 (25 cents new users)
SOFI35. 35 cents off next 2 fillups. Works for some existing users but not others
UBERPC20 – 20 cents/gallon on the next four fill-ups.

Use the following promo codes to get up to $2 off per gallon, or up to $30 total savings:

SHOPPERS35
USHIP35
GOPUFF35
AMEX35
PERKSATWORK230

2024 Promotions available to STACK on top of your bonus:

Dine out this weekend for an extra $5 cash back! Today and tomorrow only! Spend $10 at an Upside restaurant and we’ll add an extra $5 cash back to your account.
Use an AMEX Card with the Upside app to earn an extra 35¢/gal cash back on gas on TOP of the bonus you already have!

GetUpside Review

The GetUpside app is a legitimate way to earn cash back on participating gas, food and grocery stores. My area does not have grocery offers yet, but there are tons of gas deals available and I am seeing some restaurants pop up at 7% back such as Boston Market.

Check the app each week for deals such as an $5 cashback on gas fill-ups or dining!

Here are a few tips and perks I enjoyed while using the GetUpside app:

Easy claim and upload process: GetUpside provides clear instructions to help you along the way.

No credit card or bank information necessary: I like that I did not need to link a credit card to participate and that I didn’t need to link a bank account to get the money out of my GetUpside account.

You can stack it with other cash back programs. I tried to stack this GetUpside with my Fuel Rewards on a Shell Gas Station fill-up and I was not only able to get 15 cents a gallon off using my T-Mobile Tuesdays credit but also an additional 15 cents from this app. It did notice that I was stacking offers so it did not pay on the amount already discounted which was fine but at least I was able to stack the majority of the amount.

You can make money from your friends fueling up and using the app. Once you download the app, you’ll have access to your own Upside referral code, which you can share with your friends and family to give them an extra 15 cents per gallon cash back, and you’ll get an extra 15 cents per gallon cash back on their first use.

In order to qualify for the bonus as a referrer, your referee must spend a minimum of $10 on their first gas purchase, but there is no minimum spend requirement in order for the referee to redeem their extra 20 cents per gallon on their first gas fill-up.

Earn Ongoing 2-Tiered Upside Referral Bonuses from Friends you referred. In addition to the extra 20 cents per gallon cash back referral bonuses, Upside provides you with ongoing bonuses for every gallon of gas that your referrals (and their referrals) buy in the future.

2¢/Gal Tier: Each time one of your direct referrals buys gas in the future, you will earn a 2 cents per gallon bonus deposited into your Upside account.
1¢/Gal Tier: Each time one of your indirect referrals (i.e., your referral’s referrals) buys gas, you will earn a 1 cent per gallon bonus deposited into your Upside account.

These ongoing bonuses are different than the 20 cents per gallon redemption bonuses that you earn, which require a gas purchase in order to get the cash back, as the ongoing bonuses are deposited directly into your cash-out balance, and don’t require further gas purchases in order to redeem them.

There is no limit to the amount of users that you can refer or the bonus rewards that you can earn.

Yes, it’s legit. This pretty much sums up how amazing this app is and we know it sounds too good to be true but it’s not. It is just a little hassle to spend a few seconds of your time to upload a receipt and make sure you select your gas station before fueling. That is the only hard part is forgetting to use the app before fueling. Keep in mind the company may go bankrupt or give less in rewards once everyone starts using it.

Stackable with Other Apps. You can pretty much stack this with Exxon Mobil’s rewards program and Shell Fuel Rewards and award apps such as Dosh and Drop where you automatically get cash back. Gas prices have no signs of going down so why not use every app and frugal option we have to save money at the pump?

Avoid Scams When Booking Travel Online (or by Phone)

A friend of ours recently fell for an imposter booking site and now he wants his money back. Not only did they have an imposter site but they had a phone number that showed up in the search results that he called. We are no strangers to scams when it comes to credit via telemarketers or on social media but not everyone knows how bad it is when it comes to travel.

He found it by Googling “Hilton Doubletree Dallas Market Center” Instead of taking him to the official hotel site, the search results led him to a third-party company called Reservationstays com similar to another imposter site Guestreservations com and Snaptravel. They also gave a phone number in the results starting with (844) which sounds legit.

And that’s where all his problems began.

It looked like the hotel website — it definitely wasn’t

“When you click on this link, it appears to be the Doubletree Hilton website,” he says. “The photos and layout are the same.” He also went on to show me on his phone how it came up in Google search with a phone number and link. We called the phone number together on speaker phone.

Warwick boutique hotel in Texas listed with 844 number and Reservationstays domain name that is not the actual hotel number or website.

They answered quickly and we asked for the specific hotel. They told us it was sold out but said they could offer us a 6pm checkout. He asked them if they would offer breakfast and the rep said they would even throw in dinner. We were trying so hard not to laugh as I have Diamond with Hilton and Titanium with Marriott and have never checked out later than 4pm. A 6pm checkout or even dinner most likely wouldn’t be possible for Paris Hilton herself.

He claims Reservationstays com charged him a deceptive $19 fee on top of a $138 room rate. In some cases the fees have been as high as $159. He can try to deny the charge on his credit card but he may end up having to pay the charge at the end of the day. After he tried to call the Reservationstays to speak to them about this charge they kept calling back from this 385-374-0300 number which also comes up as a telemarketer.

Telemarketing hotel scam from a 385 number. Scams are everywhere especially in the credit and travel business.

Don’t want to get fleeced by an imposter booking site? Careful where you click or who you call.

This story is a cautionary tale for the rest of us to look carefully before booking. There are sites out there that look legit but may not be. But you can easily spot them. Also remember to never give your credit card number out over the phone to any of these advertisements you see. Make sure you call the hotel direct.

How to avoid a scam travel booking site or phone hotline

Do your research. It’s worth Googling the name of the website to see if anything has been written about it online. Travelers should also always check the small print before processing their transactions.
Know your destination and book direct. Type the web address directly — and carefully. Bear in mind that some unscrupulous third party imposter booking sites have snatched up domain names with common misspellings of the companies they’re spoofing. And they’re waiting for you to make a mistake.

Reservationstays and Guestreservations com didn’t respond to messages asking about his case. The site describes itself as an intermediary focused on “connecting travelers” to bargains. “As an independent travel network, we can get you the same deals you expect with a bigger travel agency or direct from the hotel.

I tried to duplicate his reservation. The problem is when you search with Google or any other search engine that is paid for by advertisers the first thing you will see in the top spots is actual AD’s and not the true hotel website or phone number especially if it is a boutique hotel such as the Warwick or Sonesta chains. You will normally see ads based on what you have searched in the past and this will vary with everyone individually.

And while it’s true that Reservationstays and Guestreservations’s site does not claim to be an official Holiday Inn, boutique or Hilton site, it also doesn’t specifically say it isn’t. (There are clues, though, including the bright red notice that says, “Jackpot! This is today’s low rate,” and an annoying countdown clock that only gives you 10 minutes to make up your mind about your reservation. Just like what you would find on some other non-direct hotel booking sites.)

A spokeswoman for InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns Holiday Inn and Candlewood Suites, said it is not involved in transactions that customers make on third-party websites such as Guestreservations.

“We encourage guests to book directly through our channels for greater control over their reservations, and to access exclusive loyalty rates,” she added.

Signs You Might Be on a Scam Hotel Booking Site

There are a lot of third-party websites that aren’t linked to the hotels they market at all. This is fine, since most well-known booking sites are built to show you most of the hotels in the area so you can find the deals.

But some sites try to copy the overall look of a major chain’s site and will trick you into clicking on theirs instead of the real site.

Before you book a room, look for warning signs, like:

A blurry or unofficial logo
Prices that seem a little too low, even for a great deal
Strange amenities such as a 6pm late check-out that no hotel would ever do with a third-party site
URLs that aren’t straightforward – such as not having a .com behind the name such as hilton.com, warwickhotels.com or IHG.com. An example of a bad actor would be warwickmelrose.reservationstays com. You would see it come up with Warwick as the name in the link but it’s not the actual hotel nor is it a booking site unless it is warwickhotels.com.
An HTTP URL instead of an HTTPS URL (the “S” shows that the link is secure), especially on the checkout page

A warning from the Federal Trade Commission about Scam Phone Numbers and Sites

The Federal Trade Commission issued a warning about imposter sites that seem to be posing as the real thing. The agency said it heard from customers who searched online and thought they were booking on a hotel website, only to find they’d unknowingly been doing business with someone else.

“For those times you’re looking to book directly with a hotel,” the FTC warned, “make sure that’s what you’re doing.”

Since then, the problem has gotten worse. It’s not the legitimate online travel agencies such as Expedia and Booking com perpetrating the scam, says Ari Lightman, professor of digital media and marketing at Carnegie Mellon University.

“It’s the sites deliberately set up to dupe consumers,” he says. “They’re becoming more lucrative for hackers trying to obtain data on individuals.”

You are always better off booking with something you know such as Hilton’s direct website or the Hotel Tonight app. You can tell that it is an ad as it will normally be marked slightly meaning you have to look very close to who you are booking or giving your credit card information.

Look at the website you’re on very carefully before booking. Some travel sites look legit but aren’t. Not only did our friend book by calling a phone number from this site listed in Google he also gave them his credit card over the phone and security code. He was charged a fee on top of the hotel rate. The hotel rate was actually cheaper booking direct. It was also not the hotel he had originally set out to book that this booking representative told him was sold out. It was not.

It’s not just Google: Event and convention sites are fooled by fake links or phone numbers they recommend

One example is the The XL Center “the center of sports and entertainment for Hartford and the state of Connecticut.” A legit website that lists the same 844 phone number with the Candlewood Suites an IHG hotel. The exact same number my friend called who charged his credit card an additional fee.

Google search for specific number linked to hotel scam.

We did a google search for the phone number (844) 996-3737 and came up with this result . Notice the XL Center with Candlewood Suites Hartford below it. This is because Google scrapes snippets of sites to list in the results but XL Center was relying on their own search for the hotels phone number and not giving out the true phone number on their site. The event center did give out the legit link to the actual hotel. When you go to the XL Center website you will see the following:

Candlewood Suites Hartford listed on XLCenter website with the wrong phone number to scam booking site.

Candlewood Suites actual website on the IHG.com page (Candlewood Suites is owned by IHG properties that also owns Holiday Inn).

As travel has become more frequent after coming out of a pandemic all of us are trying to find the best rates. Almost every search found several official-looking options. We came very close to using one of these sites by mistake several times when booking international trips. Airlines aren’t exempt from scammy booking sites that can lead to booking mistakes either.

Third-party websites are sophisticated as they can look almost identical to legitimate airline or hotel websites. Always verify you are on a secure webpage to make reservations or book travel.

Perhaps the best way to avoid these sites is to pay attention. If you’re booking an airline ticket, hotel room or getting a visa, read the website’s address. If you’re not on the official site, odds are you’re dealing with a third party. And that third party may try to rip you off.

Beware: Wyndham Hotel Sneaks “Resort” Fees On You at Non-Resort Hotels

Just when trying to book travel gets harder and harder trying to navigate with all of the different ways we are nickeled and dimed with airfare and hotels. You may not notice resort fees sometimes because they are hidden in the taxes and fees section of your bill instead on your room rate where it should be. That is our biggest problem with these fees is they are not part of the room rate to compare to other hotels in the area for the best deal.

Looking at hotels in New York City we looked at the Marriott, Hilton, and Wyndham hotels. Wyndham was the only one that sneaked resort-like fees onto the booking. They actually called them City Hotel fees at one hotel in Manhattan and a hotel a few blocks away they called these Facility Fees of 25.00 plus tax a night. Yes, thats a full $25 PLUS TAX A NIGHT. If that doesn’t make your eyes spin I don’t know what does!

I discovered this as I recently had a booking at the Henri property in the Chelsea area of NYC. I booked a rate that was the same price as the Element in Times Square just to discover upon check-in that I would have to pay an additional $25 fee for bottled water everyday aka a resort fee. This is unacceptable. I could’ve stayed at a hotel down the street with a full kitchen and a social snack hour that this hotel doesn’t have. I’m paying more for a hotel that is worse.

I was excited before booking this hotel because I had been granted Wyndham Platinum status through a status challenge but had forgotten some other Wyndham problems of the past. I had forgotten that a hotel I stayed at in Orlando had the same resort fee hidden that I didn’t even realize after checking out. Although I can half way understand hotels in Orlando near Disney, off the Las Vegas Strip. or in South Beach Miami charging resort fees as those are actual resorts.

Let me comment on the Platinum status with Wyndham that is basically worthless as i’ve had two stays and not one upgrade and nothing but two free waters at one location in which I was charged a resort fee anyway for those same waters. If that doesn’t make me feel like i’ve been made a joke out of Wyndham I don’t know what does!

Congress needs to get involved with these hidden hotel fees with more transparency if these companies cannot do it themselves. We as consumers need to at least call them out as these are unacceptable and I refuse to stay at ANY hotel that charges these fees and if I find out about it after booking I will be even more livid. It’s not just hotels that do this we discovered that Postmates and DoorDash have these hidden fees as well.

Another thing to mention about Wyndham hotels as we live in the days of going after people and businesses that use straws. This company wraps every cup with plastic at their hotels instead of just stacking them like most would do. Why would each cup need to be wrapped up in plastic? That seems like such a waste and i’m surprised environmentalists are not going after the wasteful chain.

Swap Homes with an Exchange Marketplace – Avoid Hotels for Cheaper Travel!

californiahomeexchange Home exchange is a way to trade between travelers and swap where you stay in their home while they stay in your home. Don’t worry it’s not going to part of some reality TV show like Wife Swap. It is part of the great sharing economy that is now helping families across the world save from the high fees of hotels, taxes, and travel expenses. Homes, bungalows, apartments, condos are all listed on home exchange marketplaces for people who want to experience the world and not be locked down in one location. One great thing about it is the experience of living like a local if you choose not to be in a touristy area.

You are enabled to list your home and to search other homes where you would like to stay in these marketplaces. They normally facilitate the trade between you and the other homeowners. You are expected to pay an annual membership fee for this service but if you consider the cost of a hotel rooms you may save quite a bit of money. Once you decide on your destination and family you would like to exchange homes with you communicate with them to discuss specifics. Your personal email is not involved so that you will not be spammed by some business that is acting like a homeowner. You then move on to the next step of agreeing to each others terms and prepare for travel and getting your home ready for visitors to enjoy.
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Free 500 AAdvantage Miles for a 1 min Facebook Survey

American Airlines has one of my favorite miles programs out there so this is pretty exciting to get an easy 500 miles added to your account especially if you need some activity in the account. All you need to do is fill out a 1 or two minute easy survey on Facebook that awards 500 American Airlines AAdvantage miles. [Read more…]

1,000 British Airways Avios combining with BMI

This only took about 5 minutes although it seems complicated it really is not. First, you have to sign up with this link for a BMI Diamond Club loyalty account. Make sure that you fill in the space that says voucher and enter 1JA1KD. Click over to the statement and you will see that you have 1,000 points in your account. If you did not enter it correctly like I did the first time you will see a zero balance. The voucher code is what gives you the 1,000 Avios. You then sign into your British Airways Executive Club account here. Once you sign in you goto “Manage My Account” then “Combine My Avios”.
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Earn up to 4,200 Bonus Free Club Carlson Points by viewing a vacation book

We are excited about this new contest and easy way to earn free points each day. This started this week from Club Carlson. In case you are not familiar Club Carlson is the loyalty program under the umbrella of Carlson Rezidor Hotels including Country Inns and Suites, Park Inn, Radisson, and Radisson Blu. Radisson Blu being one of my favorites. You can enter the sweepstake to win 5 nights at a Club Carson hotel for two people, business class airfare, and $5,000 in spending money. While doing all of this you each day you can earn 100 points just for viewing beautiful hotels and resorts that Carlson Club has to offer for a minute or so until September 24th.

Every week between August 14 and September 24, 2012 Carlson Club is giving away an amazing getaway that includes five nights at a Carlson Rezidor hotel, roundtrip business-class airfare for two, and USD $5,000 in spending money.
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Free Luggage Tage from KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

This is a great find. You can get your own personalized free luggage tags from KLM Royal Dutch airlines and make your suitcase stand out more on those international travels this summer. Ready to style your suitcase? KLM is giving away a limited number of free luggage tags, to make you stand out in the crowd. There are only around 8,000 left at last glance and they are going fast so get one now! With this you can personalize your baggage and give them a unique makeover.
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Earn 100 American Advantage Miles for joining the challenge

You can help kids in need and earn a quick 100 miles. You also will have the chance to win up to 100,000 AAdvantage miles from American Airlines. You need to visit the AAdvantage Facebook page and participate in our Summer Miles Challenge benefiting the American Airlines Kids in Need program to get these miles.

Directions on how to register and enter for a chance to win up to 100,000 American Airlines: AAdvantage miles:
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Traveling to London this Summer?

You may not be aware that you can use your Discover Card on purchases in London this Summer really anytime. Discover Card bought Diners Club and part of the deal is more access to the places that Visa and MasterCard serve. A few years ago I traveled to London and I left my Discover Card at home there was no need for it. You could really only use American Express, Visa, and MasterCard. I opened up my Discover Card statement the other day and noticed a London flyer in there and was shocked to find out they were offering these promotions.

The flyer said to let them know if I’ll be traveling to London this summer and if so I will Pay no foreign transaction fees, Earn 2% Cashback Bonus on every purchase in London from 6/2-8/31/2012, and Get special offers on transportation, restaurants and retail. The extra two percent in the UK is in addition to the 5% quarterly bonus program which will include movies, theme parks, and gas starting July 1st. So if you happen to see a movie while visiting the UK you will get back 7%. You will NOT find an offer this incredible for foreign travel. If that was not enough they are offering (Through 8/31/12), $0 promotional fee and standard purchase APR on cash advances at banks and ATMs in the U.K.

Step 1: Make sure you have a Discover More Card
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