“Upside is not just about making money; it’s about making a difference in people’s lives.”

– Arianna Huffington.

 

Imagine you’re cruising down the road, stomach rumbling. You pull into a gas station, heart sinking at the price on the pump. But wait! You whip out your phone, open Upside, and… cha-ching! Cash back on your gas. Pretty sweet, right? Yes, that’s what Upside do! The app that magically puts money back in your pocket. You use it, you earn – it’s pretty straightforward.

But have you ever stopped to think, “Wait, how does Upside make money?” Is there a catch? Don’t worry, there’s no hidden room filled with gumball machines fueled by expired coupons.

Upside operates on a win-win model, and understanding how it works benefits everyone. This blog will provide you with every detail you must know about Upside. How does Upside make money? Its benefits, drawbacks and also how you can develop your own Upside-like app.

So, let’s begin!

 

What is Upside App?

Upside is a cashback points app that allows users to get deals and receive actual money back on purchases they make. With the Upside app, users can save money when shopping at physical stores by using their mobile phones. Additionally, this app avoids points or confusing reward systems.

It is one of the best money earning apps that directly provides cashback in the form of cash which users can deposit in their account. Also, upside services inc. may be utilized with credit card points or debit card purchases you already make, so you can save the most money possible.

 

How Does the Upside App Work?

Now you must be wondering “ how does getupside work?”. Well, users need to first sign up through the account and then use the app. A coupon mobile app development company has explained the working mechanism of Upside app. Let’s have a look at the steps:

 

1. App Install:

Users first download the Upside app if they haven’t already. After that, they fill in all the details to complete the sign-up process.

 

2. Link Payment Card:

Now they go to “my wallet” and enter the first 6 and last 4 digits of their debit or upside credit card used for gas purchases. This verifies users are the one paying by using payment gateway.

 

3. Find Gas Station Deals:

Once card linked, users open the map to see nearby stations offering cash back. The app also shows gas prices after the upside cash out is applied, so they can find the best overall deal.

 

4. Claim the Offer:

Now click the “claim” button for the gas station they want to visit.

 

5. Check In and Follow Instructions:

Upon arrival at the pump, users hit “check in” and follow any additional instructions. Upside might ask for a receipt upload sometimes, so grab one just in case.

 

6. Wait for Cash Back Processing:

Now users should allow 2-4 days for their cash back to be processed. It can take up to a week according to the app, but it’s usually faster.

 

7. Cash Out the Earnings:

Once the balance reaches $10 (minimum cash out amount), users can transfer it to their bank account, PayPal, or get a gift card.

 

 

How Does Upside Make Money – Business Model

So now you must be wondering “how does Upside make money?”. Well, their major revenue stream is from affiliate commissions and white-label solutions. So, below is the business model of Upside app explained by a mobile app development firm.

 

 

1. Commission Affiliated    

Most of Upside’s money comes from affiliate fees that its network of over 40,000 partners sends it. Upside makes a small amount of money every time a customer files a receipt. It is a secret how much money the business gets from each partner.

Still, the commission rate is different for each type of item. Upside will get 4.5% of the payment value if a person buys pizza from McDonald’s. They may get 9% of the total amount they spend at Gelson’s if they place an order through Upside.

 

2. Selling Aggregated Data   

As of now, the GDPR says that collected data, which is sensitive information used for statistical reasons, is not really “personal.” But how does Upside make money? A lot of people want this information since cash-back schemes manage sales in stores. This method is used to make marketing campaigns more effective. Businesses like Ibotta sell both private and combined data.

 

3. Selling White-label Solutions   

You can now get white-label software solutions from Upside for its bigger partners like Uber, Current, GasBuddy, Lyft, and more. For users, companies of all sizes can use the Upside partner API to give them tailored deals right in their own app. And because of this, Upside gets more referral income from these APIs.

 

4. Personalized Deals   

To make good deals for its users, Upside uses machine learning algorithms that have been taught on millions of customer data points, such as its customers’ location and debit/credit card transactions. Every time a customer buys something, they get a personalized deal. Over time, the tailoring is also improved to bring in more money and sales.

Basically, Upside uses AI to show users more relevant goods that they might not have thought about buying before. You can also collaborate with an AI development company and build a cashback app with AI-personalized features.

 

Where Can You Use An Upside App For Cashbacks?

Users can use the Upside app to earn cashback on everyday essentials at three main places. Let’s have a look:

 

1. Grocery Stores

Users can stock up on their favorite food items and household essentials while earning cash back. Upside partners with various grocery stores which offer cashback percentages on their purchase. With grocery delivery app development, you can provide cash back rewards to users on their daily purchase.

 

2. Gas Stations

Users can fill up their tank and earn cash back per gallon. Upside works with over 45,000 gas stations, so there’s a good chance they’ll find a participating location nearby.

 

3. Restaurants

Users can enjoy a delicious meal and get rewarded for it. Upside collaborates with restaurants which enables users to earn cashback on their dining bill. Just like Upside, you may build an app that provides cashbacks with a restaurant app development company.

 

 

6 Key Benefits of Using Upside Cashback App

Upside offers a convenient way to save money on things users already buy. This makes it an amazing app to have on everyone’s phone for everyday errands. Below are the benefits users can get after using Upside cashback apps.

 

 

1. Earn Cash Back on Everyday Purchases

Users will definitely encounter a question–”how does Upside make money on everyday purchase?”. They can get cash back on things they already bought. For example, gas, groceries, food, and things they buy at convenience stores. Upside works with different companies to give users cashback rewards when they shop from their stores.

 

2. Easy to Use App

The Upside app is easy for anyone to use and find their way around. It’s easy to find nearby businesses that are participating, check out the current cash back deals, and start getting cash back before users buy something.

 

3. Flexible Redemption Options     

Users can redeem their Upside cashback money in different ways. They have two options for getting their cash back. Either they can deposit the amount in their bank account, or they can get gift cards to different stores.

 

4. Regularly Updated Cash Back Offers

Upside’s cash back deals are always being changed. So users can always find new ways to save money on the things they purchased. The app will always notify them about the best deals in their area.

 

5. Referral Bonus

Upside has a referral program that gives users a chance to earn bonus cashback when they refer friends to the app. When their friend signs up and uses their given referral code, users will both get a bonus cashback reward.

 

6. Saves Money on Gas

For many people, gas prices can be a big cost. Users can get cash back from Upside for every gallon of gas they buy at gas stations that are part of the program. Over time, this can save user’s a lot of money.

 

3 Major Drawbacks of Upside Cashback App

Everything has its pros and cons; and the same applies to the Upside app. It has some major drawbacks in areas which are mentioned below:

 

 

1. Not Available Everywhere

One major disadvantage of the Upside app is that it is not available at every location. There are some places where the Upside app does not provide cash back options. It should be global-friendly. Also, the business model is restricted to specific business categories and does not apply to all sorts of stores.

 

2. Prices Aren’t Always Accurate

The next drawback of the Upside app is that the prices are not always accurate. It shows users both cashback offers and the gas price. However, Users have reported issues when prices Upside price were different from what the gas station actually charged.

 

3. Does Not Work With Cash

The cashback offer that Upside provides only works with Debit or Credit cards. It does not work with cash. It is the major issue as most of the users prefer to use cash. They may only redeem the receipt if they pay with credit or debit cards.

However, you can use this as a chance to add a feature that lets users pay with cash and get cash back. For that you can take help form an on-demand app development company to make an app like Upside.

 

 

Top 5 Upside Alternatives For Cashbacks

Upside is the best app that facilitates cashbacks in the form of cash and not any rewards. However, you must know other apps that are doing great in the market. So, let’s have a look at the best coupon applications to make money.

 

Upside Alternatives	Available Platforms	Features	Downloads	Ratings
Ibotta	Android | iOS	● Get real cashbacks not rewards ● Linking loyalty accounts ● Bonus and incentives to users	10M+	4.5
Rakuten	Android | iOS	● Buy gift cards from chosen shops ● Notify about the cheaper item ● Earn money with vacations	10M+	3.7
RetailMeNot	Android | iOS	● Earn up to 20% back at select stores ● Use BNPL ● Up-to-date coupon codes	10M+	4.8
Dosh	Android | iOS	● Automatically deposit the cashback in the wallet ● Cashback on travel ● Can use cash however you want	1M+	4.5
Drop	Android | iOS	● Stack your savings ● Earn rewards ● Guilt-free shopping	1M+	1.2

How To Build An App Like Upside?

Now that you know about the pros, cons, how does Upside make money. You feel confident that you can create an app like Upside that will stand out. You can take assistance from an iPhone app development company to build an amazing cashback app. But first, let’s look at the essential steps of Upside app development.

 

 

1. Validate App Idea

First, you should get your cashback app idea like the Upside idea checked out by an iOS or Android app development company. To find out if there is a real need for cashback apps, it is important to do a thorough market study.

By studying their USP in depth, you can learn what makes your rivals different and set yourself apart. Like Upside, you can offer your app all over the world instead of just in certain places. This could help your app get a lot of users.

 

2. Find Mobile App Development Team  

The next stage for Upside app development is to find the best ewallet app development company. Creating a solid app takes experience. Additionally, if you have the expertise and skills, you can also build your own app.

Moreover, when you work with a reputable mobile app development business, you can get access to developers, designers, and project managers who have a lot of experience. Once you finalized the development team, you can move on to the next section.

 

3. Prototype And Design    

Now start working on prototype and user interface. From the user’s viewpoint, they talk about the app working. Following that, the design team can draw and build app wireframes to give a rough visual picture of the idea.

If the digital wallet app development team decides to go ahead with their plan, they can make a prototype, which is an early version of the software that will be used to build the MVP, which is the final result. It’s important to start with a low-fidelity prototype that only does the most basic things. Before moving on to a high-fidelity prototype that looks a lot like the final result.

 

4. Create An MVP

Making an MVP with a few key features helps you understand your idea better and gives users what they need. Based on how well the MVP worked, it may be worth making more investments. You can invest in cross-platform development which can save a lot of money.

Now comes the real question: what should the MVP have? The team looks at the results of the market data when choosing which features to add. As an example, it might make sense to allow scanning electronic receipts promptly if all platforms already have it.

 

5. Test & Launch

Now comes the testing part, which is necessary to make sure the app works correctly. Testing must be done using a variety of methods like unit, beta, and API testing. After testing your cashback app, you can finally make your app available to the public. But the process doesn’t end here; you need to keep an eye on app performance.

 

 

How Much Does It Cost To Develop an Upside App?

Now if you have made up your mind of building an app like Upside. Your next question would be — “what is the cost to develop an app like upside?”. Well, it can vary depending on what functionality you want in your app, level of complexity, what technologies will be used and so on.

However, we can provide a ballpark figure of Upside mobile app development cost. It can lie between $8000-$25000. You can look at the table for better understanding:

 

Factor / Integration	Cost Range ($)
Basic UI/UX Design	$1000 – $3000
Frontend Development	$2000 – $6000
Backend Development	$2000 – $6000
Database Setup	$500 – $1500
API Integration	$1000 – $3000
Authentication System	$500 – $1500
Push Notifications Setup	$500 – $1500
Analytics Integration	$500 – $1500
Version Control System	$200 – $500
Deployment Setup	$500 – $1500
Testing and QA	$1000 – $3000
Project Management	$500 – $1500
Contingency (10-20%)	$800 – $5000
Total Cost	$8000 – $25000

 

Now that you have an idea about the cost to build an app like Upside. You should get in touch with a  mobile application development company and get a full breakdown of the costs. They will tell you the exact price based on your budget.

Build Your Own App Like Upside & Make Huge Money!!

The way Upside does business is a great example of a win-win situation. People who use the app can get cash back on everyday purchases made at gas stations, restaurants, and grocery shops. Up side app makes a long-term business plan that benefits everyone in the market by using profit-sharing agreements and white-label solutions.

Thus, if you are fascinated with the success of Upside and want an amazing coupon app development solution, now is the perfect time to invest. Get in touch with us and make huge money with outstanding Upside clone app development solutions!

 

Frequently Asked Questions!!  

1. What Is the Catch With Upside App?

There are various drawbacks. To begin with, users can only get cash back for up to 50 gallons of gas. We also saw that some deals were not as good as they seemed—in one case, they were about 40 cents less.

As cashback benefits are only awarded for in-person transactions, it seems obvious that you cannot receive them if you use a same-day delivery service to take advantage of an offer from a restaurant.

 

2. How Does Upside App Make Money?

Upside makes money by following the 4 revenue streams:

• Communion Affiliate
• Selling Aggregated Data
• Personalized Deals
• Selling White-label Solutions

3. Is Upside App Legit?

Yes, it is a legit app. Using Upside regularly will save users money. That extra cent can really add up if users drive for a living.

4. How Do Free Apps Make Money?

There are many methods through which free apps make money. Below are some of them:

• Advertising
• Freemium
• Crowdfunding
• Banner ads
• Subscriptions
• Video ads

5. Does Upside Sell Your Data?

The Upside makes it clear that the company does not sell user data and only retains it for internal use. However, the firm has been the subject of allegations regarding the sale of user data to third parties for the purpose of marketing.