The Drop App offers points on shopping purchases at top retailers including Amazon, Walmart, Target, various grocery stores and restaurants, and more. Just link your credit or debit card in the app, and you’ll earn up to 30% back in points (look for special offers), with the points redeemable for various merchant gift cards from Drop. You can sometimes earn more with the bonus offers such as with Boxed.com.
You have to link your credit and debit cards to the app so they can see where you spent money. Then you’ll earn Drop points to redeem for gift cards at select retailers. Points can only be earned at the five specific retailers you choose from the list (full list below). After initially choosing five stores, it’s not possible to change your selection. Choose your 5 stores you frequent carefully!
How to get a sign-up bonus from Drop and start earning cash back:
5% Cashback Bonus at Restaurants, Home Improvement Stores, and Select Streaming Services, January 1 to March 31, 2025, on up to $1,500 in purchases.
Discover has announced all of the rotating 5% cashback categories for 2025. The categories are as follows:
January–March: Restaurants, Home improvement, Streaming
April–June: Gas Stations, Uber & Lyft
July–September: Restaurants
October–December: Amazon.com
Tip: If you are not signed up for Discover IT then use our Discover $100 Bonus link. Simply make one purchase to get your $50 bonus! Don’t forget double cash back for the first year, which means you can get $100 referral bonus along with double for 5% cash back categories.
Discover has announced their 2019 categories for five percent cash back on categories that include groceries, gas, rideshare, dining out, and Amazon. The 5% back on Uber and Lyft actually pay more than the Uber Visa Card which is one of our favorite everyday spending cards. The Uber Visa pays 2% back on actual Uber Rides.
Our strategy will be to cancel our American Express Blue Cash Preferred card that is 6% in January when the annual fee comes up and use the Discover It card for groceries at 5% back. You can buy gift cards at stores such as Whole Foods, Kroger and Albertsons to get 5% back on everything doing this.
In April, we will switch from using the Cash+ card to the Discover Card to get 5% back on rides share. I feel safer earning with Discover than with Cash+ from U.S. Bank even though it’s the same 5% back. We will also use the Discover IT Card for Gas purchases.
A look at a previous year #cashback bonus calendar
Our favorite category is normally restaurants because we do lots of spending at nightclubs, bars, and dining out. We max out this category each year. This is only 1% above the Uber Visa which pays 4% year-long with no maximum putting the Uber Visa as our most used card right now.
As for shopping at Amazon in October through the end of the year that is most likely going to be a 5% category with Chase Freedom and Citi Cards so that’s not really a big deal.
Uber is rolling out a new program that frequent travelers have been requesting for years. The ridesharing service announced Uber Rewards, its very own loyalty program that will reward riders with Uber credits and elite status that comes with many perks.
The program resembles an airline rewards program. It’s free to join, but riders won’t be automatically enrolled, so make sure you opt-in in the app. You may also look into stacking miles with this program with a credit card that pays back on rideshare.
There’s two main aspects to the program: First the rewards you earn, and second, the different tiers of elite status you can attain and each perk that comes along with it. You can see how to earn points below:
Earn 3x points per eligible dollar spent on Uber Black and Uber Black SUV trips
Earn 2x points per eligible dollar spent on UberX, UberXL, or Uber Select
Earn 1x points per eligible dollar spent on Uber Eats and Uber Pool trips
Redeeming points with Uber Rewards
With Uber Rewards, 500 points can be redeemed for $5 in Uber credit, meaning that each Uber point is worth a penny. In other words:
You get a $5 credit for every ~$167 spent on Black and Black SUV (~3% return)
You get a $5 credit for every $250 spent on X, XL, and Select (~2% return)
You get a $5 credit for every $500 spent on Eats and Pool (~1% return)
These rewards will be added to your overall Uber Cash balance, so you’ll be able to redeem multiple credits towards a single ride.
Earning status with Uber Rewards
Uber Rewards has four status tiers — Blue, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. The requirements to earn status are as follows:
Blue status requires 0 points (the starting level for most)
Gold status requires 500 points, so requires ~$167-500 of spend or you get it if you have already matched this from previous months of spend.
Platinum status requires 2,500 points, so requires ~$833-2,500 of spend
Diamond status requires 7,500 points, so requires $2,500-7,500 of spend
Here’s a full listing of the perks offered at each tier:
Uber Blue status allows you to earn rewards
Uber Gold status gets you priority support and the ability to get flexible cancelation
Uber Platinum status gets you price protection on a route and priority pick ups at airports
Uber Diamond status gets you premium support, highly rated drivers, complimentary upgrades, and complimentary delivery of three Uber Eats orders
How does flexible cancelation work?
If you cancel a ride, you’ll get an in-app message letting you know if the ride qualifies for a refund of the usual cancellation fee. You’ll only get this refund if you rebook the ride within 15 minutes and complete the trip. Flexible cancellations are only available to Gold, Platinum and Diamond members. Pool and Express Pool trips are not eligible. This benefit can be used once per hour at most, up to three total uses per month. This benefit is only available in the US and may not be available in all locations, such as certain airports and venues/stadiums.
How does price protection work?
When you unlock the Platinum level, you’ll be prompted to set your two favorite locations. Once you’ve set these, any ride taken between those two points will enjoy a lower price that won’t be as affected by traffic or dynamic pricing. The price protection benefit has a 35% maximum discount per ride. You may be charged the amount of the price that exceeds 35% off the real-time (non-protected) price. Your chosen route can be changed once every 30 days by contacting support. This benefit may not be available in all cities, or for all possible routes. Only UberX trips receive price protection. and does not apply to scheduled rides.
How does priority picks up at airports work?
Based on driver availability, Platinum and Diamond members may receive faster pickups. This benefit is only available at some airports due to local regulations and rideshare agreements. Shorter wait times are not guaranteed for any given airport pickup.
How does complimentary upgrades work?
Complimentary upgrades are sometimes given on select UberX rides. These upgrades are only available to Diamond members. This benefit is not available in all locations, and excludes certain airports and venues/stadiums.
How does Free Uber Eats delivery work?
Once Diamond level is unlocked, you’ll receive three free Eats deliveries. These free deliveries will be added to your account automatically and will apply to your next three UberEats orders. You’ll need to have an Eats account. Free delivery means no booking fee and no busy area fee.
2019 Updates on Uber’s Rewards Program
[January 2019] We are stoked about the new Uber Rewards program and have been using it over a month now. We were given Platinum level because i’ve already taken hundreds of Uber Rides and several Eats orders over the past year which is how they count that. I haven’t noticed any big differences in service or the cancellation fee credit or waiver. I still get cancellation fees sometimes even when booking another ride immediately. So maybe they have some kinks to work out.
I have received the $5 credit after racking up 500 in points which was nice. The rewards program may be a replacement for the Ride Pass which saved me tons more money at giving me 15% to 20% off of all rides in the U.S. I would much rather have the Ride Pass but welcome this if I can eventually get to the Diamond level that will help out some at least with a free UberEats delivery.
In related news the Uber Visa Card which is becoming highly popular among Uber riders recently sent us a survey and you can see here.
The Uber Visa Card from Barclays is too good to be true as it has no annual fee and gives you more benefits than 98% of the cards on the market. Most bloggers won’t tell you about it. They are owned by the banks or are too greedy to do so. This is the best card on the market so when I see a survey in my email to fill out I do so immediately. I want to stop any chance of changes to this amazing card.
Currently you get an amazing 4x back on dining, 3x back on travel, and 2x back with online purchases including Uber rides. You also get benefits such as the top of the line cell phone coverage if you lose your phone or break it and a $50 credit on Netflix and music subscriptions. This is all without an annual fee. No other card does this. The bloggers won’t tell you that they are too busy pumping the Chase Sapphire card a useless card in my book but they get a hefty $150 commission on each application while you only get pennies back on dining and everyday purchases.
The survey asked me to look over the packages below and select the card that you would be most likely to apply for and use. I picked the right column as I would not apply for either. This is not as good as the current card offering.
Alaska Airlines has partnered with 12 ski resorts for the 2018-2019 season where you can get a free lift ticket just by showing your boarding pass. Just make sure to keep your Alaska Airlines boarding pass, or print out extra copies, and show your pass at the mountains sale office to redeem your complimentary lift ticket. Skiing isn’t normally cheap so this is a great offer to take advantage of it.
Lyft has announced that on election day (Tuesday, November 6th) they will be offering 50% off rides nationwide and free rides to ‘underserved communities that face significant obstacles to transportation’
Lyft has not said how the codes will be issued. The rideshare company is partnering with a number of voting organizations (Vote.org, Nonprofit Vote, TurboVote) and it talks about product integration.
They also have not said what areas they decide receive free rides vs 50% off rides. This could cause potential controversy but hopefully it gets more people out to vote.
If you haven’t signed up for Lyft be sure to check out our promos page here.
Update: Both Uber and Lyft plan to offer folks free (or heavily discounted) rides to voting booths around the country. Uber will add a “Go to the Polls” button in its app, which will hail a free ride to the nearest voting booth. Lyft will give away 50% off promo codes, as well as free rides to “underserved communities that face significant obstacles to transportation.” (more…)
Instacart is a delivery service where you can get Kroger, Whole Foods, Costco, Sprout’s, ALDI and more delivered in as little as an hour. Right now they are offering a $35 Promo Credit For New & Existing Users with Promo Code DSANDERS121D3. If you haven’t used the service before you can get free delivery and an additional $10 in credits making it $45.
The Offer
Instacart is offering a $35 promo credit for new and existing users when you use promo code DSANDERS121D3
Additional $10 Credit for New Users Plus Free Delivery
The Fine Print
Credit will deduct once $35 in items is added
Jan 31, 2021 at 11:59 PM PST
New users should be able to get a free 14 day trial of express (free delivery), just remember to cancel it or you will be automatically rebilled. New users can also get an additional $10 promotional credit. This stacks with the $35 credit for $45 credit plus free delivery.
The Chase Freedom Card since we first broke the news of this card release on our site years ago has been one of our favorite no annual fee credit cards. This is because it offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, for up to $1,500 of spend per quarter. While it was one of the first cards of its kind we mostly just use it to max out the 5% cashback in these categories.
5x on Holiday Shopping
Between October 1 and December 31, 2018, the Chase Freedom Card will offer 5x points on the first $1,500 of combined purchases with wholesale clubs, department stores, and on Chase Pay transactions. With Holiday shopping coming up you should get value out of being able to earn 5x points at wholesale clubs and department stores. The department stores category will be especially popular for holiday shopping.
If you don’t yet have the Chase Freedom Card you can still apply and take advantage of the fourth quarter bonus category.
Previously they offered from July 1 through September 30, 5x points for the first $1,500 of combined purchases for Lyft, Walgreens, and gas stations. Up until now, Chase has kept the 5x points category for the fourth quarter of 2018 was a secret. Maybe they were keeping it from Discover who normally gives an easier redemption for cash back than Chase.
Were happy to see the Chase Pay bonus that was available in the first two quarters of the year back for the fourth quarter. That’s a bonus category that’s easy to max out, given how many companies accept Chase Pay (including Starbucks, Uber, etc.).
5x at Walmart Hack
You can get the 5x bonus at Walmart and Walmart.com. Get the walmart app and sign up for Walmart Pay. Use Chase Pay as your default method of payment for Walmart Pay and then use Walmart Pay in the store using the Walmart app and selecting Walmart Pay, then scan the QR code at the register and it gets charged to your Chase Pay. Make sure the Freedom card is your default for Chase Pay. Walmart.com directly supports Chase Pay at checkout. Just log into your Chase Pay account. I maxed out three quarters using this trick.
Huge Discounts on Gas
Also Chase Pay allows you to pay at a Shell gas pump and you can link your Fuel Rewards card/discount to it so you can still redeem your discounts. No scan required, you’ll just use the phone app to activate the pump. I use this to reduce the risk of card skimming at gas stations and also have electronic receipts. Learn more about how to save tons on Shell gas purchases here.
Uber Eats offers a 25% Off Discount valid towards one Uber Eats Restaurant Order when you apply COUPON CODE: NINJANOMS at checkout (apply in payment section at checkout).
SPENT is a free expense management service that pays you cash back on your purchases at participating brands and stores including Amazon, Uber, Staples and nearby stores. SPENT lets you register your credit and debit accounts in order to import your expenses and display them in real time, allowing you to automatically categorize and organize your transactions into folders however you want.
You can now get a $10 cash bonus when you download the SPENT Money App, register your new account, and make your first cash back purchase with SPENT. You can see the $10 bonus mentioned on the SPENT Money App page in both the App Store and Google Play.
3% Back on Gas Purchases including Costco, Exxon & Shell
The Spent app seems to be doing generous cash back offers but some of these are only for a limited time. One example, you can get 3% back at gas stations including Costco and other stations that normally do not offer any kind of incentives. The Shell 3% cash back especially sticks out for me because I’m already enrolled in their Fuel Rewards program and this is stackable with that to not only get discounted gas but earn cash back. The Exxon station offer is also an extra 3% cash back on top of the already generous new Exxon/Mobil rewards program.
The app was originally designed for freelancers and business owners to manage business and personal expenses easily. Just as Tinder popularized the idea of swiping left or right in its mobile dating app, SPENT uses swipes to categorize personal and business expenses: left for personal, right for business. Now the app seems to be going mainstream and taking the place of apps such as Personal Capital.
There are several apps that manage your expenses by connecting to your bank and credit accounts, pulling and organizing transaction data. Some may use Quickbooks, Quicken, Personal Capital, or even Billguard to track these transactions and feel a bit more secure than an app they haven’t heard of. You may also be wary of sharing account information or mostly use cash. We like this app because when you make a personal or business purchase at any one of over one million places, you qualify for cash back over and above what you earn with an existing credit card. This is without having to enter a receipt or do any labor if it’s done on your credit or debit card.
Lyft has announced that on election day (Tuesday, November 6th) they will be offering 50% off rides nationwide and free rides to ‘underserved communities that face significant obstacles to transportation’
The Chase Freedom Card since we first broke the news of this card release on our site years ago has been one of our favorite no annual fee credit cards. This is because it offers 5x points in rotating quarterly categories, for up to $1,500 of spend per quarter. While it was one of the first cards of its kind we mostly just use it to max out the 5% cashback in these categories.
Uber Eats offers a 25% Off Discount valid towards one Uber Eats Restaurant Order when you apply COUPON CODE: NINJANOMS at checkout (apply in payment section at checkout).
SPENT is a free expense management service that pays you cash back on your purchases at participating brands and stores including Amazon, Uber, Staples and nearby stores. SPENT lets you register your credit and debit accounts in order to import your expenses and display them in real time, allowing you to automatically categorize and organize your transactions into folders however you want.
3% Back on Gas Purchases including Costco, Exxon & Shell