Welcome to my Dosh app review.
Dosh is currently one of the most popular cash back apps, with millions of installs. I heard about Dosh back in 2017, and downloaded it in early 2018 to see what all the hype was about.
Since I’ve been using Dosh for quite a while now, I feel that I’m in a good position to give a thorough, honest review based on both my experience and what I have heard or read from others.
Dosh App Review
Dosh is mainly a service that guarantees you money back when you make a purchase from any store that is a part of its partner program.
And the best part is you don’t have to upload or scan the receipts to get these cashback rewards. It’s designed in a way that the moment you link your debit or credit card, Dosh will take care of the rest for you.
Dosh works with online stores, restaurants, retail stores, hotels, and many other places where you can have access to your banking cards.
Dosh is available for both Android and iOS. Dosh is unlike most other cash back apps in that you don’t need to scan your receipts in order to earn cash back. Instead, you connect your credit/debit card and bank account to Dosh, and then cash back is automatically added to your Dosh account whenever you make a qualifying purchase.
Dosh Safety and Security
Since you have to link a card and your bank account, it’s especially good to be concerned about privacy. Privacy has always been important, but it is becoming an increasingly mainstream issue now, with frequent reports of various hacks and data leaks.
In the case of Dosh, there have been no security issues. They take security very seriously, as evidenced on their homepage. Dosh cannot even store credit card information since all the data is securely tokenized and vaulted using Braintree, a PayPal service.
Dosh also uses services called Cash Flow Solutions, Inc. and Plaid to, according to Dosh’s Terms of Service, “gather users’ data from financial institutions.” These services are used in part for verification and require users to submit their bank account login information to Dosh (Dosh does not store the information by itself).
The Dosh app is also secured with 256-bit SSL encryption, meaning the data it stores cannot be intercepted by hackers.
Is There Any Possibility of a Scam?
Dosh has an A rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and works with major companies such as Sam’s Club, Forever 21, and Pizza Hut.
With that said, there are always possible risks associated with using anything online, and with Dosh requiring sensitive financial information, it’s especially good to remain vigilant. However, it doesn’t mean Dosh is not safe, or there are chances of scam.
How Does Dosh Work?
Part of shopping for many people is looking for opportunities to save money on purchases by finding and using coupons, discount codes, and cash back apps.
The problem with these methods that deters most people is the work involved. The regular run-of-the-mill coupons and discount codes for 1-5% cash back can be too much of a hassle to even bother with. And most cash back apps require users to submit a picture of their receipt before they can receive any cash back.
This is where Dosh comes in.
Dosh is essentially a “set it and forget it” application. All you have to do is sign up, link a card, and then whenever you use that card you get cash back automatically applied to your Dosh account. No digging around for coupons, no scanning receipts, no hassle.
Download and sign up
The very first thing you need to do is go to your App Store (iPhone) or Play Store (Android) and download the application. After the installation is complete, open the app and sign up with all your basic information.
Link your card
After you’re done with the signup, link a card, and then whenever you use that card, you get cash back automatically applied to your Dosh account. No digging around for coupons, no scanning receipts, no hassle.
Browse through different offers
Once Dosh is installed on your phone and your first card is linked, you can browse all the offers available on the app. You can browse through specific categories, view a map or a list of all the in-store offers near you, or view a list of online offers.
In-store offers are from businesses that have partnered with Dosh. Next to each listing is the cash back percentage the business offers.
Note: if you live in a less populated area, there may not be many nearby offers available. If you’re in a decent-sized city however, there should be plenty.
There is a decent selection of online offers available through Dosh, including offers from big names like Pizza Hut, Sephora, and Forever 21. For those who do a lot of online shopping, this would be a great way to cut down on some costs.
Best Features of the Dosh App
In this section, I’ll talk about the best features the Dosh application has to offer.
Auto cash-back
Without question, Dosh’s cashback is a huge draw. Your linked cards can easily help you to earn automatic cash back. And the best part about this feature is that it doesn’t require any paperwork. Once you hit the $25 milestone, use PayPal or Venmo to withdraw this cash.
Restaurant offers
Restaurant offers and cashback are other passive earning methods that this app offers. When you browse through the different restaurant offerings and make a confirmation, you can instantly get 10% cashback from local restaurants.
Make sure you look for special offers, as this can provide you with more cashback.
Aids you in making reservations
Another nice feature that Dosh offers you is it lets you book hotels and earn cashback as a reward. This is an excellent way to earn passively even when you’re on vacation. You can easily get from 20 to 40% during your hotel stays. A cherry on the top income process, don’t you think?
Ways You Can Make Money with Dosh
Dosh is good for more than simply getting cash back from stores. There are other ways to earn money with Dosh, some of which can be very lucrative.
Link a card for a free $1
When you link your first card, you will immediately get $1 for free. If you regularly use more than one card, you may want to link the others in order to get cash back for purchases you make with them. Each additional card you link will earn you an extra $1.
Refer your friends to Dosh
In the Dosh app, you’ll notice a menu item called “Refer”. When you click this, it will display your unique referral link/code. You can send this to friends and family through SMS, email, and social media, or you can manually copy and paste it wherever you want.
When someone clicks your unique referral link and downloads Dosh (or enters your referral code when they sign up), and links a card, you will get a referral bonus – in other words, free money.
The referral bonus is currently $5. Sometimes Dosh will run promotions and increase the referral bonus to $8, $10, or even $15.
The income potential for simply referring others to Dosh is quite high. Let’s say you send the link to 100 people. Even if only 20 of them sign up and link a card, you’ll earn $100. Obviously, this scenario is not realistic for many people. But earning $5 for simply having a friend sign up using your code isn’t too bad (and it’s very easy).
In July 2019, Dosh introduced cash back on hotel bookings and along with that, another referral incentive: $25 in your account every time a referral of yours books a hotel.
Book hotels through the app
If you are planning a trip somewhere, you can use Dosh to save money on hotel stays. In the app, click the “Hotels” menu item. From there, you will see a list of popular hotels and the average cash back per night you can earn using Dosh.
Most show savings of $40-50/night, but some (the more expensive ones) offer over $200 back per night.
The Advantages of Using Dosh
Passive income and various rewards aren’t the only advantages of using Dosh. There are many other notable benefits that add to the list.
Widespread coverage across the United States
Dosh is only available in the US. However, this app works at over 100,000 locations across the nation. Even when you’re surfing through different deals and offers in Dosh Travel, you’ll be amazed that there’s no opportunity shortage to earn different rewards with Dosh.
Nice cash rewards
The best part about Dosh is that it doesn’t provide you with gift cards; the only way it rewards you is through cash. So, when you reach $25 in your account, you can easily cash this amount out. It’s plain and simple!
Different ways to make money
The best and one of the most effective ways to make money is by spending on Dosh partners. And one of the significant reasons that make this app a great pick is its various money-making offers.
Whether you stay in a hotel, purchase from resellers, or go to restaurants, you can make a nice passive income with this app.
How Does Dosh Pay?
Once your Dosh balance reaches $25, you can cash out by Direct Deposit, PayPal, or Venmo. Usually the funds take several business days to transfer, but sometimes it only takes a few minutes.
There is one caveat though. You have to get cash back from a Dosh merchant at least once before you can cash out, even if you’ve hit the $25 minimum with referrals. There are a decent number of offers available on the app though, so this requirement shouldn’t be too prohibitive.
I took the below screenshots to show the process of cashing out, as well as to show payment proof.
Drawbacks and Complaints of the Dosh App
Here are a few shortcomings that you’re likely to face when using this application.
Comparatively high minimum cash out amount
If you compare it with different other applications like Checkout 51, you’ll know that these apps let you redeem the cash when you’ve earned $20. However, Dosh’s minimum withdrawal requires $25, and this may appear a bit high!
The offers and special deals Dosh offers are indeed worthwhile. Yet, the high minimum redemption amount is a drawback.
No department store or Discover cards
If you’re into department stores or Discover cards only, then Dosh is not for you. This is because Dosh doesn’t support such credit cards.
Cards link to a single Dosh account only
A single credit card will only link to one Dosh account. So, if you have share cards or even a joint card, then only one person can add the card to their account. Although this isn’t much of a drawback, every member of your family are active card user.
If you’re still uncomfortable linking your card, there are plenty of other cash back apps you can use, such as Ibotta and Rakuten – neither of which require users to link a card or bank account.
Not getting cashback for online purchases
According to Dosh, it takes about 30 days to receive cashback for online purchases. But some users reported that after making an online purchase, it did not even show up as “Pending” on the Activity page in the Dosh app.
Limited amount of offers, especially in rural areas
Dosh used to work with gas stations and even Walmart, but that’s no longer the case (at least as of September 2019). Longtime users, including myself, have noticed the number of offers available in the app start to dwindle. There should still be plenty of offers available in densely populated areas though.
Some offers are no longer available
Sometimes certain merchants will stop working with Dosh. This can be frustrating as a user if you are accustomed to receiving cash back from a particular store.
Alternatives to Dosh
Here are some Dosh alternatives that you may want to consider.
Drop
There was a time when Drop was like Dosh, but now it’s pretty much less passive, which is not good news. But that doesn’t mean Drop isn’t a good cashback app. You can earn sweet rewards from this application as well.
In addition, you can redeem Drop points for free gift cards. Moreover, signing up for new services can aid you in making $50 to $100 with Drop. You can often get 5% or even more cashback when purchasing through the app.
Fetch Rewards
This is another must-try Dosh alternative app, especially if you’re into food shopping and groceries. Fetch Rewards isn’t as passive as Dosh, but still, it’s pretty good.
Fetch Rewards compensates you for buying their partner-brand products, and you also need to upload a receipt as proof (not something that you need to do while using Dosh). Moreover, you can get 3,000 points or $3 for easy and free gift cards.
Ibotta
Ibotta is a cash-back app just like Dosh, and it gives interesting cashback offers. Although some enable cash back for buying any brand of a certain product or for any purchase at a specified store.
Unlike Dosh, you may need to scan your receipt and upload it to the app to obtain the cash. However, some stores do let you attach a loyalty card to this app to avoid scanning receipts.
Is Dosh a Scam? Final Thoughts….
Dosh has millions of downloads and a 4.5 star rating on the Google Play store. There have been no security issues with the app, despite the sensitive personal and financial information it requires. Dosh is working hard to address any issues with the app, as evidenced by their replies to every review.
I downloaded Dosh, linked a card (and at the time was not required to also link my bank account), and have cashed out numerous times and have had no trouble. It is one of the best and easiest cash back apps I have used.
Dosh provides a good way to earn a little extra income just by shopping like normal. I would recommend Dosh to most people, but for those who are more concerned about privacy, I would recommend using a less intrusive app such as Ibotta or Rakuten.
Thank you for reading my Dosh review. Have you ever used Dosh? If so, what do you think of it? Feel free to leave a comment below and if you have any questions, I’d love to help out.
Thanks for reviewing Dosh!
I thought they started out pretty hot, but now are more of a dud.
They had a cashback at Walmart deal for a while, that was awesome. I got a few of my friends to sign up at that point and was able to cash out.
Thanks again for the review!
After reading about this ‘Dosh App’ on this page, etc..I, just now, downloaded the app on my cell {and yes, used your link/code..}..I then opened the app on my cell & ‘Joined’..Then, I went to Link 1 of my cards and got an Error page..?? I’ve been, repeatedly, exiting and retrying..to No Avail..this app is Not letting me even Add a credit card and then states, when you are exiting the app, that the app will not work/pay without a Linked card..?? Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated..Thank You!!
Have a Blessed Day to All!!
Sorry I did not get back right away. Have you tried contacting Dosh about the issue? You could also try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.
I use my Discover card for most transactions. I downloaded then quickly deleted the app after discovering that they don’t connect with Discover cards.
Hi, I’m thinking about joining DOSH, but I’m looking to find a complete list of businesses (especially Nationwide businesses like Walmart) that participate in the program. I have searched online with no luck, so I’m reaching out to you, in hopes that you can help me. I would like the names, and what cash back percentage they offer. I hope you can help. Thanks in advance! Have a great day!
I do not think a complete list exists (I have looked extensively as well). But on their homepage, there is a scrolling list and if you hover over the company logo it tells you the cashback percentage. There is also a list of available merchants within the app itself, but the offline offers change based on your location.
Wait, so I just recently signed up to DOSH, and it comes up as a dollar sign in cash. Reading through comments, it’s only for Americans, meaning British people won’t get money? I’m British, and the money comes up as dollars, so is there a point in me continuing to the site, or no? because the comments say it works in ‘America’ only?
Thanks,
Bushra
That’s an interesting question…I did not even know it was available outside the US. I suppose you will find out once you try withdrawing your earnings. Let us know how it works out!
I have contacted Dosh numerous times about cashback that was not put in my account. I have received emails asking me to send them receipts so they could manually apply my cashback I sent them in twice and I am still waiting. Terrible app very few places and terrible customer service.
Dosh is actually a decent and legit way to make money on the side the hardest part is just getting people to believe how easy it really is to do
Yup. I’ve been in the make money niche for a while now and Dosh is by far the easiest method I’ve encountered.
This is also where they “get you.” Do you see the fine print at the bottom of the Walmart ad in the app? Well it says at “participating stores only.” No word on which ones do either. So good luck finding a Walmart that will give you cash back in Dosh. I’ve tried at least 8 different ones around me.
Do you have to make online purchases through the app to get cash back? Or will it recognize your debit card if you purchase through a website?
You have to go through the app for online purchases.
I have referred several people. 6 signed up and linked their cards. I immediately received $10 for each of them. I have several that signed up but never linked their cards so they are pending and no reward. $20 has already been transferred to my checking account. It took about 3 business days from transfer date to being available. I have not made any purchases yet. I love the referral program.
Great to hear. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I used this app twice on yesterday at Walmart which is in the DOSH app and I have yet to receive my cash back and it also doesn’t show in activity I feel really cheated . After making a purchase , how long does it take for you to receive cash back and for it to show in your activity log ?????
It does take a little while for the cashback to show up. But it will eventually, don’t worry. In my case, it took two weeks I believe.
Has anyone had trouble logging into their account due to your phone number changing? I recently changed my number and didn’t update it in the app and when I login it doesnt give me the option to login in with email. I have also tried to contact them twice with no reply.
I referred 4 people and hit transfer to my bank account and still haven’t received any money. I think this is a scam. Super disappointing
Transfers don’t usually happen right away.
It is stating on my pending referrals that one of them is pending cash back transaction and it is only saying that for that one referral? Not the other one I just received the money from. Why would it require her to make a in store transaction but the other referral I had it did not require her to do that in order for me to get my money?
It could depend on the circumstances. Several months back, you only got money from referrals if they made a purchase. So if you referred her during that time period, the only way to get the referral bonus is for her to make an in-store transaction.
Otherwise, the only other feasible explanation would be that Dosh can’t verify the card she linked until a purchase is made with it. Who knows if this is the case, just a guess.
Not accurate! I have referred 3 people over the past week and I have verified with all three that they have not only linked a card, but have used in to get cash back already. Yet I still haven’t received any referral compensation. They all three still show as “pending cash back transaction.” Their advertisement clearly states that the newly referred user only needs to link a card, not make a transation. I’m beginning to believe Dosh is a scam and has some underlying purpose.
That doesn’t sound right. I can verify that I am receiving the bonus after referrals link a card; I would get in touch with Dosh directly about this. Something must be amiss with your account.
Well, it’s right. I’ve only had a couple referrals work upon card linking. The rest, a no-go. It’s pretty clear to me that they are not following through. It clearly states bonus awarded upon referral card linking. It does not say pending cash back transaction, which I noticed in your article above you having the same issue before. So, I don’t think it is far fetched to believe that Dosh just doesn’t want to distribute bonuses to existing users as long as they get new users. Oh, and I’ve had a ticket open for days with them reporting this. Of course, no response. I’m sorry, but I call scam on this one!
That really is disappointing! I’ve never had any issues like that, so I’m not sure there’s anything I can do to help. I wouldn’t give up though – I had a ticket open with them for over a week before they got back to me, so you might still get this resolved. Hope it works out!!
Very dissapoiting indeed, but no worries. Thank you for the hope, but I’m moving on. Too many other good apps out there. I’m not wasting time on one that doesn’t care for it’s users and has some questionable business practices.
I have been using dosh since the beginning of summer and was able to quickly earn $16 from exxon alone but then they took away exxon, for a month I waited and was so happy exxon came back but as I go there almost daily I noticed I received credit for my first transaction, but each day used after I have no received my 3% back.. my account is stuck at $17.. at this rate I’m just pissed, never received a referral credit after I know and watched 3 ppl use my referral link and link their own cards, I doubt I’ll ever get to $25 min to redeem, sucks
I had to wait quite awhile too for the Exxon offer to credit. I wouldn’t give up yet. As for your referrals, I’m not sure what’s going on there…If you go into the app and look at “Pending Referrals” on the Refer page, is there a notice that says “Pending cash back transaction”? Sometimes even with a linked card, Dosh can’t verify it’s legit and therefore only gives the bonus once a purchase is made with it.
Dosh advertises that it uses Walmart but I don’t see it available even in search.
Only walmart.com, not physical locations.
Dosh is not crediting spend at Sam’s gas-station while it is advertising a 10% rebate on all Sam’s spend.
An excerpt from today’s email when I inquired about why I haven’r been receiving my Mobil Cash Back:
the Exxon Mobil offer has been discontinued as of 08/04/18. We hope to have the Exxon Mobil offer in our feed again sometime in the near future.
Thanks for the notice! The review has been updated. 🙂
I am sure this will be deleted, but the same question was asked of Solavei when Ryan Wuerch and his sister started up that company, collected millions from their WFH types, and then went belly up after raking in tons of cash. Now they’ve got DOSH, and is it safe people ask? That depends if you trust the Wuerches. People said the same thing before Solavei was big, and of course everyone at Solavei was told to hush the rumors and say they weren’t true. Then 3 years later it all came true, and boom, now they’ve got a new deal to collect your money from. If you honestly believe this propaganda, then you deserve to lose your money to them.
Hello,
There’s a big difference between Solavei and Dosh besides the fact that their business models are unrelated. Big enough that I’m not at all concerned (but we’ll see what happens, I guess!)
With Solavei, people had to pay for the service. But with Dosh, it’s 100% free. Solavei was described as borderline MLM, whereas Dosh simply has a single-level referral program.
Interpret it as you like, but it’s clear to me Dosh is very different from Solavei and as far as I’m aware, does not pose a risk to users.
Is there anything about Dosh specifically that gives you pause besides the fact it was founded by Ryan Wuerch?
I’m trying to delete my account but I’m not able to, do you know how to do that?….I also tried to contact their support team to help me with the issue but the link always takes me to FAQs, is there a way around this?
I looked, and there doesn’t appear to be a way to delete your account from within the app. I would contact support; here’s a direct link: https://appsupport.dosh.cash/portal/newticket
How do I get the hotel credit? Do I need to “activate” an offer? Or can I go on, for instance, Marriotts website and book a hotel and the cash will automatically be credited to my account?
As long as you use the card that’s linked to Dosh to book your hotel, you should get the credit.
Dish is not letting any one of my friends and family to created an account. It says, “The Number must be an American Number”… What does that mean? This sucks..
I believe Dosh is only available in the United States.
Hi there, thanks for sharing about the review of the Dosh survey site. It is really useful for me to work hopefully. Once again thanks for sharing this post with us.
You’re most welcome!
This app is horrible I use the stores in the app and I have yet to receive my cash back and it’s been over 90 days it also doesn’t show in activity I feel really cheated and it’s ridiculous
I contacted Dosh about this a little while ago, since a friend was experiencing the same thing. Dosh support wasn’t of much help unfortunately, but my friend finally did receive the cash back about a month later. Hope you get your cash back soon!
Hi I want to try dosh but I do not use credit cards can I still get money back for using my card at the locations
Do you have a debit card? If so, yes, you can still get cash back with Dosh. Check out this support article from Dosh for more information: https://appsupport.dosh.cash/portal/kb/articles/can-i-use-my-debit-card-and-receive-dosh-for-my-purchases-on-my-app
I’ve used Dish a lot, and was happy to see the bump up to 8% at Sams this weekend, BUT, when I went to check out, I couldn’t do it as credit! I always do so I can get the normally 2%. It made me check out as debit, so no cash back!! Very annoyed!
Sounds like that’s an issue with Sam’s Club, not Dosh. I’m afraid I can’t be of much assistance in this case!
You need to push cancel and then you can charge your debit card as a credit card. Sams is just encouraging debit since the fees are much less.
Another thing to think about – what if you want to stop using it?
I deleted the app a month ago and confirmed with Dosh several times that they had deleted my account were no longer tracking my credit card. Then today I got an email from Dosh that I’d earned credit for a purchase – that I made today.
I would not recommend using Dosh if you don’t want them to track your credit card forever, without your consent.
Hi Beth,
That’s disturbing…thanks for reporting that! It should be an easy fix on Dosh’s part, I would think? But nonetheless, did you contact Dosh about this specifically? I linked to their contact page in a reply to a comment above.
Hope this gets sorted out!
It’s American only which is super annoying.
What I have to say is ever since I’ve had Dosh I haven’t collected one penny. I use it according to the directions at eligible restaurants and locations on very numerous occasions. I can’t even contact them because they have no contact information. Needless to say I’m not satisfied
Hi Ed,
Have you looked through this list of reasons why this might be happening? https://appsupport.dosh.cash/portal/kb/articles/i-didn-t-get-cash-back-from-a-nearby-offer-what-should-i-do
I know one common issue is people using their debit card and expecting cashback. But as explained in the link above, you can only get cashback for purchases made with a credit card.
Also, you can contact Dosh directly here: https://appsupport.dosh.cash/portal/newticket
Hope this helps!
Actually their faq specifies you have to tell the cashier to swipe your dosh integrated card as a CREDIT!
This is a common mistake..
Thanks for letting us know!
Dosh is the worst app ever. $25.00 is a high threshold to reach. Terrible Terrible. I had my friend sign up and there are no places available in her area and she lives by B-more.
Hi Mer,
I agree that there seems to be too few places available, but Dosh is still a great way to get cash back for shopping online or staying at a hotel.