Tired of High Gas Prices? This App Does the Hard Work for You

On a day trip, I found myself comparing gas prices station to station — excited over a few cents, which is a pretty low bar. Most drivers do the same. Luckily, the Upside app will do this for you and more.

Upside is an app that gets you cash back per gallon of gas. With it, you simply look for offers around you, claim one, and earn cash back after you refuel.

For the frequent commuter, Upside can help you save a chunk of change (especially if you do gig work with your car, like driving for a rideshare app like Uber or DoorDash).

Upside is pretty straightforward to use. Once downloaded, you'll be asked to select the type of gas you use and add a payment card. The app displays a list of nearby gas stations, showing the cash back per gallon. Simply claim an offer and fuel up at that station within 4 hours — once your transaction is complete, your cash back will be on its way.

Your offers will vary depending on your location. I live in a suburb near a highway, making gas stations abundant. Generally, Upside shows me over 20 offers in my area, while a more rural area might be more limited.

Upside is most beneficial for those who fuel up more than once a week. Rideshare drivers are among the ones who would get the most bang for their buck — especially if you’re a driver who logs several hours for a single patron and still has a full day of work ahead. Beyond rideshare drivers, long-distance commuters stand to benefit too. A close friend of mine racks up a hefty gas bill driving an hour each way to work every day.

To put it in perspective: during the last time I filled up, I used roughly 13 gallons of gas. My local 76 charged $6.10 per gallon — a $79.30 total. With Upside's $0.64 cash back per gallon, that's $8.32 back. If you add that up over a month, you’d get $41.60 cash back in total. A more frequent driver would save even more.

Upside has its drawbacks. Being in a rural area will limit the gas offers around you, and at times, the only participating station may be out of the way. Even with plenty of offers, they can be low enough to make no real difference.

One important thing to keep in mind: you must claim an offer before fueling. Businesses can change an offer at any time, so you'll want to claim and lock it in before refueling. If you forget to claim the offer, you miss out.

There are also daily limits to Upside. You are only allowed to use two gas offers daily and are limited to 50 gallons per offer. For a single user, this shouldn’t be much of an issue. However, if you need to fuel up multiple vehicles or require over 50 gallons in a single refueling session, you’ll likely hit the limit.

One notable drawback is that the offers decrease over time. On my first day with Upside, my local 76 charged $6.10 per gallon with a $0.64 cash back offer. After five days, it lowered to $6 with a cash back of $0.26. Using my earlier math of 13 gallons per week for a month, that same trip now only nets $16.90 in cash back — not the $41.60 I calculated before. This is a common onboarding tactic that gets new users hooked at the start with the promise of saving.

No matter how you look at it, Upside is best used in conjunction with other methods, especially with long-term use.

Upside can be stacked with other offers and programs to a certain degree. Using other cash-back cards or coupons alongside Upside will reduce your cash back per gallon. If GasBuddy, Checkout 51, or another cash-back program has already processed your purchase, you won't qualify for Upside cash back.

High gas prices affect everyone differently. If you have the means, joining a wholesale club can help you save on gas, but that's not an option for everyone. Upside and other cash-back programs can provide some financial reprieve in the meantime. It wouldn't hurt to try the app and see what savings are around you. Upside is worth downloading, but it works best alongside other ways to save — not as a replacement for them.