For a long time, my only interest in dining rewards was how to earn the most points per dollar spent with one of the best credit cards for dining.
Sure, I also liked racking up bonus miles through an airline dining rewards network or stockpiling OpenTable points for dining credits. But then I discovered what I consider to be one of the most underrated dining loyalty programs out there.
InKind is an ultraconvenient dining rewards network of around 8,000 restaurants, bars and coffee shops (mostly in larger U.S. cities) where you earn cash back on dining purchases that you can then redeem toward future bills. It’s super easy to use, and while its formula isn’t exactly innovative, I find it extremely lucrative as someone who lives in a major metropolitan area with several InKind options, especially because members also regularly receive valuable referral bonuses and activity-based discounts.
Here’s everything you need to know about InKind and how to maximize your restaurant spending with this fantastic program.
Related: Airline and hotel dining rewards programs: Which is best for you?
How do you use InKind to save at restaurants?
InKind is an easy-to-use app that can save you tons of money at participating restaurants — Pop’s Bagels, Couplet Coffee, Employees Only and Yamashiro are a few of my favorites in the Los Angeles area. Just download the app to your Apple or Android device, create an account and add at least one credit card to your profile. This is what you will use to pay your bill.
Then you can search by location, preferred cuisine or specific restaurant name to see what eateries in your area are available. Dine out (or order takeout or delivery when available) and use your card to pay through the app, and you’ll earn up to 25% cash back within the app to use on future orders. It’s as simple as that.
Even better, you get $25 cash back to use on your first meal of $50 or more when you sign up directly or through a friend’s referral link, so you start saving right off the bat. This is limited to one use per new member.
The double play here is that if you get a friend who already uses InKind to refer you, they also get a dining credit of $25 to $50 when you use their code to sign up and then eat at a restaurant.
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Then, you can refer friends with your own link to earn cash back toward your own InKind dining.
InKind also frequently offers promotional savings, such as $25 off your next meal of $50 or more for your birthday and $10 off your next meal if you dine out within a week, so keep an eye on your email inbox for extra savings.
Related: The dining statement credits that save me over $1,000 every year
How to earn and redeem InKind cash back
When you dine at a participating restaurant or order takeout or delivery (when available) through the app, you just open up your InKind app and hit the “Pay bill” button.
Then, follow the prompts on your screen. Sometimes you can scan a QR code at the register or on the receipt that should then automatically generate the check in the app. But occasionally, you’ll have to manually enter the check number and amount you want to pay.
Next, choose the card you want to pay with and whether you want to use any of the InKind cash currently in your account — and voila, that’s it. After you pay, the restaurant staff should be able to confirm it through their system.
You’ll typically see your InKind cash back for the portion you paid deposited into your InKind wallet within 24 hours. While cash-back earning rates range from 10% to 25%, depending on the venue and even the day of the week, in some cases, in my experience, most restaurants offer 20%, giving you a really solid return on your spending.
The cash back deposited into your InKind wallet can be used on future purchases through the app. You do not earn cash back on tips, fees or any portion of a check covered by InKind Cash or other discounts.
So, let’s say you spend $100, not including taxes or tip, at a restaurant offering 20% cash back. That’ll give you $20 in InKind Cash to use on a future restaurant tab. If you have InKind Cash already in your account that you’d like to applyl toward your bill, simply select it in the app. You’ll earn cash back on the remaining portion of the bill that you’re paying.
The one major catch is that InKind Cash expires at the end of the last day of the second calendar month following the calendar month in which it was earned. So, if you earned cash back July 31, it would only be good through Sept. 30. But if you earned it Aug. 1, it would be good through Oct. 31.
While you’ll have to pay attention to your earnings to ensure you use them in time, the app will notify you if your InKind Cash is expiring. Continuing to spend money through InKind does not reset this expiration clock, but the app will automatically apply your oldest cash back to purchases, so you don’t have to worry about using newer credits by accident while older ones expire.
Related: Can you earn rewards with a dining rewards program and a credit card at the same time?
Stacking credit card rewards with InKind cash back
Here’s where things get interesting … and even more lucrative.
Because InKind purchases code as “dining” and you can use pretty much any credit card you choose to pay dining tabs through the app, this is a fantastic opportunity to double-dip on your earning potential by using a card that earns multiple points per dollar spent on dining.
For example, if you have the American Express® Gold Card, you can earn 4 American Express Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on dining purchases at restaurants worldwide (on up to $50,000 spent each calendar year, then 1 point per dollar spent) made through the InKind app and still earn cash back. So on that $100 tab at a restaurant offering 20% cash back through InKind, you’d earn $20 cash back and 400 Amex points.
Likewise, if you have the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees), you can use InKind to earn cash back for future InKind dining purchases, plus 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent on the dining expense, so you’d end up with $20 cash back and 300 Chase points.
Related: Best dining credit cards
Other InKind perks and drawbacks
Before you get started with InKind, there are a few other benefits and downsides to keep in mind.
- InKind offers bonuses for referring friends, typically $25 when they join and use the app for a meal of $50 or more. They sometimes go up to $50 for the referrer, though, so keep an eye out for promos sent via app notifications or emails.
- InKind also frequently sends out limited-time promotions ranging from $5 off your next meal to $25 off when dining over the summer. Be sure to check the terms and conditions and use the promo before it expires.
- Double-dipping with a credit card that earns bonus points on dining is a great way to multiply your rewards.
- Keep the two-month InKind cash-back expiration policy in mind since you don’t want to rack up a bunch of InKind Cash only to lose its value.
- You can preload your InKind wallet by buying InKind Cash with a bonus ranging from 25% to 33%, depending on how much cash back you purchase. Unless you know you have a lot of InKind dining coming up soon, I’d suggest skipping this option and paying on a case-by-case basis.
Related: Monthly checklist: Credit card perks and benefits you should be using
Who benefits most from using InKind?
While it can’t hurt to join InKind, no matter how often you eat at restaurants, as the app is free to download and use, you’ll get more value out of it if you regularly dine out, especially in major metropolitan areas. That’s because most participating restaurants are in or around big cities like New York City and Chicago, so if you live in a more rural area, your choices will likely be more limited.
Bottom line
InKind is one of the most lucrative yet underrated dining programs out there. Not only can you earn up to 25% cash back on dining at thousands of restaurants around the country, but you can also stack your earnings with credit card rewards by earning bonuses on those same purchases.
Although the short expiration window for InKind Cash is a drawback, if you regularly dine out at participating restaurants, you can use InKind to save hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars per year on meals you’d be enjoying anyway.