The dining app that pays you back at thousands of restaurants

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One of my favorite ways to save money on food when traveling (and sometimes at home) is with a dining program called inKind. It’s a simple app that functions as a payment method at thousands of restaurants, bars, and cafes across the country. It’s easy to use — and it’s almost confusingly rewarding.

inKind has become a go-to savings tool for many of us during our travels. From a quick bite at a corner dive to a fancy Michelin-starred meal, inKind partners with every category of establishment.

Here’s what you need to know about inKind.

You can save money on food in a variety of ways with inKind.

inKind sells discounted credit to be used at participating restaurants. It’s not uncommon to see bonuses between 25% and 33% for reloading your balance. In the past, the bonus has reached 50% during promotional periods like Black Friday.

To boot, Costco periodically sells $100 inKind gift cards for as little as $64.99. That’s effectively a 35% discount.

Whenever you pay for your meal through inKind, you’ll get up to 20% back in the form of inKind Cash Back to be used toward a future inKind bill. You’ll only earn this on money you actually spend through inKind — so if you pay partially with, say, inKind Cash Back, you won’t earn rewards on that portion of the bill.

inKind often runs promotions effectively begging you to use the program. I’m frequently sent discounts of between $30 and $50 for local restaurants after meeting specific spending requirements. For example, I recently was sent $50 off $150 at one of my family’s favorite spots. That’s savings on money I’d have spent anyway.

You can also earn between $25 and $50 per friend you refer. That can add up in a hurry.

If you’ve got a credit card that offers bonus rewards or statement credits for dining, inKind likely triggers that credit. As an example, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card comes with up to $25 in dining statement credits each month (enrollment required). Using this card to pay for a bill through inKind has triggered this statement credit for me in the past, allowing me to stack inKind promotions or cash back with this valuable credit.

The most obvious limitation to inKind is that its rewards are closed-loop. In other words, the cash back you earn isn’t nearly as flexible as true cash back; you can only use it at inKind restaurants. You also can’t use inKind Cash Back (or any inKind balance) to pay for the tip.

Additionally, inKind Cash Back expires on a rolling two-month basis. The clock resets after your most recent transaction. So if you go two months without using inKind, your Cash Back may expire.

Also note that you can’t stack Cash Back with a promotion or inKind Cash. In other words, if you’ve got $100 in inKind Cash Back and $100 in inKind Cash, just know that you can’t get $200 off a single meal.

Using inKind at participating restaurants is easy. Once you get the bill, you’ll open the app and select your restaurant (establishments are listed based on the distance from your location). Enter the check number, and your bill will appear.

You’ll then choose how you want to pay — a linked credit card, inKind Cash, inKind Cash Back, a promotion, or your card plus one of the others (you can’t combine inKind Cash, Cash Back, and promotions with one another).

Once you’ve paid, you can leave. No handing your card to a server.

inKind is worth it for you if you’ve got convenient access to participating restaurants where you live — or in areas that you travel. Take a quick look on the inKind map to see how practical the program is for you. Just don’t let it tempt you into spending money that you otherwise wouldn’t.

During a recent trip to New York, I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad, where three of the hotel’s on-property restaurants participated in inKind: the ultra-luxe Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, Zaytinya, and a rooftop bar with one of the best views in all of Manhattan — Nubeluz.

Buying Costco gift cards in preparation for this trip allowed me to lower my bill by 35%.

All to say, inKind is one of the easiest ways to save money at restaurants, as long as it complements your dining goals.

Sign up for the inKind app