Get Cashback for What You Already Buy With Dosh
At some point in my transition from lighthearted person to older woman, I was obsessed with money-back opportunities. I am definitely not as passionate about it as some people are, but if there is a punch card or points system I can use for a retailer that ends up getting me a discount or something free at the end, you better believe I am participating …
The biggest place to go is credit cards. One gives me more cash when buying plane tickets and the other gives me extra money to buy groceries … it’s a complex system that can get better if folded right. For example, if the loyalty program gives me a 10% discount on my purchase, and my credit card gives me another 3%.
Last week, I found an iOS and Android app that caught my attention with these efforts: Dosh .
The app works quite simply. You link your credit card and then when you shop at participating stores they give you cash back, usually somewhere between 3-10%.
Unlike some other programs in which you have to select an in-store cashback offer prior to purchase, you automatically agree to every cashback return option to Dosh when you sign up, making it a fixed and forgetful experience type.
In the app, you can see places near you where you can earn cashback, as well as places on the Internet where you can shop and receive cashback. In my area, the app works with a number of places that I already visit regularly. You can also get a 7.5% refund at the Bed Bath & Beyond online store and discounted hotel rooms.
Many online stores are the same ones that Chase offers me money back deals, but in the case of Chase I need to log into my account, see that they participate in the discount, and then click on the Chase’s website link to enter deal. With Dosh, it all happens by simply swiping a regular card.
You can cash out your Dosh balance to your bank account or PayPal as soon as you have accumulated $ 25. You will also need a credit card associated with your account.
One weird thing: when I initially went to add my credit card, Dosh refused to let me add my most used cards because she was already connected to Yelp. It turned me off a bit that they knew my card was plugged in somewhere else, and annoyed that I couldn’t take advantage of both with my most used card. It doesn’t look like the same cash back offers are available for both services in my area, so ¯ \ _ (ツ) _ / ¯.
Another note: Dosh returns all money in exchange for information about you that he can share with the retailer. So now instead of a bar on the street, knowing that “someone” bought three martinis last Friday, he knows what a woman my age bought. They know how to best promote themselves and build some loyalty in the process – given the choice of the bar where I get a 10% discount and the bar where I always pay full price, I will always choose that discount.
If you do not want such information to be disseminated, then this is not for you.
However, if you are in the market for a cashback program, it is pretty straightforward as you don’t need to sign anything and just make purchases with your card as usual. You won’t get rich, but you can earn enough to buy some more martinis.