This Has Gotta Be Addressed.

It’s time, y’all.  It’s time to address this head on.

I can’t believe I’m doing this, but Imma ’bout to write a whole post addressing the inexplicable paranoia I’m seeing SO MUCH from the comment sections of our videos about the FREE GetUpside app (one of the Chicks on the Right sponsors).

Out of all of the amazing and awesome sponsors who’ve supported our show, and whose products/services we’ve shared with our followers, I have just never seen the level of mistrust towards a company service that is FREE TO USERS as I have with this one, and I gotta tell ya – y’all have me completely baffled.

For those of you who are readers and not listeners/watchers, GetUpside is one of our podcast sponsors.  It’s a free-to-download app for your phone, and it allows you to seek out nearby gas stations, restaurants, and in some areas grocery stores, and get cash back on your purchases at those establishments. It’s awesome, because there’s no downside.  You’re likely already buying gas, so WHY NOT get cash back for it?  WHY NOT get cash back on purchases you’re already making inside gas station convenience stores?  WHY NOT find out which restaurants in your area offer cash back too? If you’re like me, you’ll likely find new eateries you haven’t tried before.  That’s just another bonus of the app.

But there are so many naysayers in our midst.  So many people are doing everything they can to come up with reasons that this is a bad thing – and I’ve just been sitting back and watching, shaking my head, and wondering if these folks are any fun at parties.

Let me address some of the concerns I’ve seen, and hopefully put them to rest once and for all.

1.”There aren’t any participating gas stations in my area!”  Ok – well, that sucks. And if you’re in Wisconsin or New Jersey, you’re absolutely right – those states do not yet have participating partners.  BUT, if you’re planning a road trip through any other states, the GetUpside app will get you cash back in a whole bunch of places!  We used it on our recent road trip from Indy to SC, and found participating gas stations all along our route. Even better, cash back percentages on purchases INSIDE those gas stations are even higher, so getting drinks and snacks was a no brainer, especially since we were gonna buy them anyway.

2.  “I don’t wanna provide my credit card information.”  You’ll only need to share the first six and last four numbers of your credit card on the app – and that’s simply for them to be able to verify with the establishment that you did, in fact, make a purchase there.  It’s literally no different than, you know, USING YOUR CREDIT CARD AT THE ESTABLISHMENT, which you’re already doing.  And if you’re hardcore and only using cash to buy stuff in 2022, then yes, we’ll concede this app is not for you. In fact, we’ll concede that probably NO app is for you. 🙂

3. “This has to be a scam, because how does GetUpside get the money to give me cash back?”  Oh ye of little faith.  Allow me to try to give a 30,000 foot overview.  It’s a win-win-win business model.  GetUpside makes money from referral fees paid by the gas stations/restaurants/stores it has partnerships with. These partners pay GetUpside whenever a customer buys a product that’s eligible for cashback rewards. GetUpside offers retailers exposure on its platform in exchange for an agreed-upon slice of the revenues. The retailers, in other words, pay GetUpside as they might any other advertiser, they get a higher volume of sales as a result because they’re getting exposed to new customers, GetUpside pays the customer an agreed-upon cash back percentage (which varies from place to place but is always completely transparent to you), and everyone comes out ahead.  THERE IS NO DOWNSIDE.

4. I don’t wanna give GetUpside my personal information.”  The number of people I’ve seen posting this sentiment ON FREAKING FACEBOOK and other social media platforms that currently have ALL OF THEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION actually makes me LMAO. But fine – if you’re posting on Facebook – a platform that doesn’t pay you at all and knows everything about you – that you don’t want an app that DOES pay you to know just very specific and limited stuff about you, then I’m not gonna be able to change your mind. You’re entitled to whatever level of self-delusion you wanna have about online privacy. :)YES – the GetUpside app will need to have basic information about you in order to pay you, and show you offers that are close to the area in which you’re seeking out  gas/restaurants.  But you’re not required to GET the app.  That’s the beauty of this.  If you don’t wanna get the app, then don’t.  But please stop being the person who is also trying to convince everyone ELSE not to get the app, when it might actually really benefit them. Stop being that person. No one likes that person.

5. “I don’t wanna give GetUpside my banking information.” Then don’t. There are multiple ways that you can cash out on the money you earn through the app.  If you don’t want the money deposited right into your bank account, you can also get paid via paypal OR via multiple different gift cards. Check out all these options:

That’s a screenshot from my GetUpside app right now. As you can see at the top right, I’ve earned $11.77 cash back recently, and I have all kinds of choices on how to get that money – either via paypal, deposited right to my bank account, or aaaall of those gift card options. The only information GetUpside will need in order to get your gift card to you is your email address.  I actually saw one person complain that Target was an OPTION, and they hate Target, so that’s why they weren’t gonna get the app.  Seriously.  I can’t.

6.  “We get more money from (insert other gas card here) than GetUpside.”  Neato.  Good for you.  Thanks for sharing.  But GetUpside works with a multitude of different retailers.  Perhaps some folks might get more benefit out of GetUpside than they do with your gas card option.  WHAT IS THE POINT OF SAYING THIS?  I will never understand this.  Is it just to be negative about our specific sponsors?  And if you want to be negative about our specific sponsors, why are you following us to begin with?  Do you not understand that it’s because of our sponsors that we’re able to provide you with tons of free content?

7.  “What does GetUpside get out of this and how are they using my info?”  Great question.  Mostly already answered in #3 above, but also, they’re super transparent about how your info is used. And again, remember, you’re not being forced to use this app.  If it’s not for you, that’s fine.  But there’s literally no reason to be paranoid and negative.  I’ve absolutely loved the app personally, my family loves it, there are a ton of users who have gotten a tremendous benefit out of it.  If it’s not for you, that’s fine.  There’s still no reason to be a jerk about it.

8.  “I tried this app and it didn’t work.” The vast majority of the time, this is a result of user error (no offense).  But rarely, you might face a legit app issue.  The good news is that help is available. If you’re trying to download the app and use our promo code and you’re having issues, send an email to [email protected], and we’ll make sure it’s forwarded to the fine folks at the app who will get you taken care of.  Easy peasy.

As with any of our amazing sponsors, we pass along our discounts to you because we believe in them, we use them, and we love them.  That doesn’t mean you’re gonna love 100% of the companies we promote, and that’s ok.  But with so many people questioning this free app, I felt it was worthy of being addressed in more detail. I hope this information helps explain things a little better!

For more detailed information about how the app works, check out this page.