We’re always on the lookout for new apps that help us save money or earn extra money as a side hustle. So when we heard about a new app called Dosh that offers cash back on purchases at thousands of stores and restaurants, we couldn’t wait to download the Dosh app and give it a try.
But we’re also nervous about downloading unfamiliar apps and handing over our personal information to them…especially debit and credit card numbers. That’s why we did our research first and determined there is no such thing as a Dosh scam.
We’re confident the Dosh app is completely legit and an easy way to earn cash rewards on things you were going to buy anyway.
Keep reading our full Dosh review below to learn more about how Dosh works and how to earn as much cash back as possible.
What Is Dosh And How Does It Work?
Dosh is a new smartphone app that is set to become a big rival of cash back reward sites like Ebates and Swagbucks.
All you have to do is download the app to your smartphone, set up an account, and link one or more of your debit or credit cards to start saving. You’ll automatically earn cash back whenever you make a purchase at participating stores or restaurants using your credit card.
The best part is that everything happens automatically. You never have to worry about scanning pictures of your receipts, entering promo codes, or visiting a portal site to unlock an offer in order to earn cash back.
Just shop like you normally would and earn cash back while you do it.
Dosh truly is a set it and forget it way to earn money.
In fact, it’s so easy that I sometimes earn money with Dosh without even trying.
Just the other day I stopped in at Dunkin Donuts to grab some cold drinks for the family and literally seconds after I paid for the drinks I received a notification that I had earned a cash back reward from Dosh…
I didn’t even realize that Dunkin was a participating store and didn’t expect a reward at all. So I earned a super easy 53 cents on a purchase I was making anyway. Not bad!
Once your account reaches a minimum of $25 you can cash it out via direct deposit or Paypal. You can also choose to donate your balance to charity.
As with other cash back apps, you can only save money if you spend money. It’s never a good idea to spend money just to earn cash back, but if you do a lot of shopping and live in an area with many participating stores then Dosh will save you a ton of money.
How To Earn Money With Dosh
This is the part of our Dosh review that you’ve been waiting for. Let’s talk about the different ways you can earn money with the Dosh app:
Earn $5 When You Link Your Credit Card
When you download the Dosh app and link your first credit card you’ll earn an instant $5 reward. There’s no waiting for this bonus, you’ll see it available in your Dosh Wallet right away.
Earn Cash Back In-Store
Grabbing breakfast at IHOP? You just earned a 5 percent reward on your meal. Pick up a new outfit at Lane Bryant? A neat 10 percent reward is heading your way. Buy some office supplies at Staples? That’s another 2 percent reward on its way.
You don’t need any coupon codes and you don’t need to worry about scanning your receipt. Just sit back and watch the cash in your Dosh Wallet grow.
Earn Cash Back Online
If you are a frequent online shopper you can save a lot of money by using the Dosh app. There’s no need to enter a promo code or click on a specific link, just shop at participating stores using your credit card and watch your rewards go straight to your Dosh wallet.
Earn Cash Back On Travel
So this is actually a new feature that was rolled out in July 2019. You can now book hotel stays at over 600,000 participating hotels and earn cash rewards on your stay.
My wife and I have been planning a trip to Niagara Falls for a few days this summer and as you can see below Dosh has some great deals available. They have a Sheraton right by the falls at $209 a night for 3 nights and then a cash back reward of $95.14. That’s a great reward!
If you combine your hotel savings with cash back rewards earned at nearby stores and restaurants you can return from your vacation already having saved for your next!
Earn Money By Referring Your Friends
When you download the Dosh app and sign up, you’ll see an option to Refer your friends and family. Clink on that link and you’ll be given a special Dosh referral code that you can share via email, text message, or on your social media accounts. When one of your friends clicks on the link and signs up for Dosh, you get a $5 referral bonus!
Just think about your social media accounts with hundreds or even thousands of followers and imagine how much money you could potentially earn by referring them to Dosh.
Heck, if you got just 20 of them to sign up you’d have a cool $100 in your Dosh Wallet!
Full Disclosure – The links to Dosh on this page go through our actual Dosh referral code (https://link.dosh.cash/mikec72). If you click on one of them and sign up you’ll be helping to support the site at no cost to you. (You’re Awesome!)
Is The Dosh App Safe?
This really is the key question isn’t it?
Everyone wants to save money and earn cash back, but you also want to be careful about handing over your personal information.
So is the Dosh app safe or is it just another scam?
Judging from my own personal experience as well the the accounts of numerous users I’ve spoken to, Dosh is 100 percent legitimate and safe to use.
They use banking level security to protect your data. Everything is SSL encrypted and your credit card information is protected with Braintree, the same technology used by Paypal.
What does the Better business bureau think of the Dosh App? Well since November 2017, Dosh Holdings Inc has had a BBB rating of A. That’s pretty impressive!
Listen:
If even the government can get hacked, no one is immune. But Dosh is doing everything it can to keep your data safe and secure.
Other Cash Back Apps Like Dosh
Dosh isn’t the only cash back app available. The big difference is that Dosh is a truly set and forget app while other cash back programs require extra steps to get your rewards. Let’s take a quick look at how some of the other cash back sites stack up against Dosh.
Dosh vs Ibotta
Ibotta is another of our favorite cash back apps and it is definitely worth trying out. Ibotta has all sorts of participating stores but they lean heavily toward groceries.
With Ibotta, you have to scroll through the active offers and manually add them to your My Offers section. Then after you buy the items you have to take a picture of the receipt to receive cash back on each of the matching items.
Dosh vs Ebates/Rakuten
Ebates (also known as Rakuten) has been around forever. They’re the 800 pound gorilla of a site that Dosh is trying to take on. Ebates has lots of participating stores and you can earn cash back while shopping online or in store with a linked credit card.
The difference is in order to earn the rewards, you have to visit the Ebates site or app to “activate” the deal before then moving onto the site you want to shop at. That extra step could mean lost rewards if you aren’t aware that a particular store is part of Ebates program.
As we said earlier, Dosh is easier because you just have to use your linked card and never have to worry about activating or unlocking an offer.
Dosh vs Swagbucks
Swagbucks is another site that offers cash back on purchases made at participating stores using a linked credit card. As of this writing, Swagbucks has the most limited numbers of stores in their program, called Swagbucks Local, though they are trying to build that up and I expect the program will grow in the future.
Of course, Swagbucks offers many other ways to earn free gifts and cash just for doing everyday things online. With Swagbucks you can earn cash and free Amazon gift cards by watching videos, answering surveys, doing searches, trying out products, and more.
Related: Read our full Swagbucks review here.
Drawbacks of Dosh
This wouldn’t be a fair review if we didn’t also include some of the things we aren’t crazy about.
Only Available in the United States
As of this writing, you can only use the Dosh app if you live in the United States, are age 18 or older, and have a US based mobile phone number. If you live outside you unfortunately can’t use the app. Hopefully that changes soon.
Can’t Link Credit Cards You’re Already Using On Similar Sites
If you already have credit cards linked with similar cash back sites like Ebates or Swagbucks, you can’t link them to Dosh at the same time. Dosh doesn’t let you link the same card to multiple sites, so unfortunately you can’t stack savings by getting cash back from multiple sources.
Somewhat High Minimum Payment Threshold
You have to reach a balance of at least $25 in order to cash out your rewards. You’ll get an instant $5 just for linking your first credit card, and if you’re a big shopper you’ll reach $25 in no time.
But if you’re frugal and living on a tight budget it could take some time for you to hit the magic $25 mark. We’d like to see them reduce to minimum to an easier to hit target like $10.
Limited Participating Stores For Now
Dosh is still the new app on the block and they have plenty of room to grow. As of this writing, they don’t have partnerships with as many stores and restaurants as the more established Ebates has. But they are adding new offers all the time and that will only increase the opportunity to save in the future.
Who Are Some of the Participating Dosh Merchants?
We can’t give you a full list of participating Dosh merchants because there are just too many to list and new stores and restaurants are popping up all the time.
Here’s a partial list of some of the most well known Dosh merchants who offer cash back on purchases and the current rate of the reward:
- Dunkin – 4%
- Pizza Hut – 3%
- Staples – 3%
- Denny’s – 5%
- Lane Bryant – 10%
- Journeys – 5%
- Crocs – 5%
- Forever 21 – 2%
That’s just a small sampling of the Dosh merchants available and it doesn’t include any of the independent stores and restaurants in your local area
Should You Use The Dosh App?
We’ve been testing Dosh out for ourselves and we consider it an outstanding app for saving money. It’s completely free to join and there are no fees at any time. The app is easy to use and safe. Dosh is definitely not a scam.
Unlike other cash back apps that make you jump through hoops to get your reward, Dosh is a piece of cake. Just hook up your credit card and shop as you normally would. Then sit back and let your rewards accumulate.
Dosh is an absolute no-brainer for anyone who likes to save money.
Click here to download Dosh and start saving today.