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One of the easiest ways to earn some extra cash is by taking advantage of apps and websites that offer cashback.
I’m a firm believer that if you are going to do some shopping, you might as well earn cashback if you can.
There are a lot of different cashback apps available for use and I feel that each one has its purpose and even like to use several different cashback apps at once to maximize my earning potential.
In this review I’ll talk about the Fluz App, which is totally different than typical cashback apps. Fluz not only lets you earn cashback from your personal purchases, but you can also earn cash from the purchases your friends make!
Table of Contents
About Fluz App
Fluz is a network based cashback rewards app that was launched in early 2018. Fluz claims to offer higher potential cash rewards than any other cash rewards program in the world.
How Fluz Works
Fluz works like a lot of other cashback apps in that you link a credit card or debit card and then shop as usual.
When you shop at one of their partnered merchants, you’ll automatically receive cashback rewards in the form of cash that you can have directly deposited into your PayPal account or cryptocurrency
Before shopping, you will have to activate the offers you want in advance before shopping with your linked card (i.e. 5% cashback at iTunes or 1% cashback at Starbucks).
But earning cashback from shopping isn’t what makes Fluz unique. Fluz is considered a “global cashback rewards co-op”, that encourages its users or “Fluzzers”, to build communities
This means that when you invite friends to join Fluz, they become a part of your network. When they make a purchase you benefit by receiving cashback too.
The cycle continues when your friends link up with their friends, letting you earn a small amount of cashback when they make purchases too. You don’t even have to know the person and you’re benefiting from their shopping.
Fluz gives you the potential to earn cash 24/7, even when you aren’t actively spending money at their partnered merchants.
How to Get Started With Fluz
You can download the Fluz app directly from your app store or if you click the link above, you’ll type in your phone number to be sent a text directing you to download the app.
When you download the app, right up front Fluz claims to pay you up to 100x more than any other cashback app.
If you click on their little disclaimer, you’ll see that this forecast is based on the average household spend in the following categories: groceries, entertainment, Amazon, travel and dining out.
As you swipe through the Fluz overview, you’ll learn that growing your network is essential, as each person who makes a purchase means more cashback for you as well.
Again, Fluz is all about building a community and spreading the Fluz word essentially.
Signing Up
Within the app you will need to provide your phone number to create an account. Fluz will send you a secret code to put in to verify your information.
From there you will put in your email, first and last name, as well as a password. Then Fluz will think for a minute as your account gets generated. For me this took a full minute.
Once this is complete, you will be tasked with putting in a four digit code and your digital fingerprint. After this you will be able to see a list of the offers available in your area.
But the final step to complete your account is to link a debit or credit card. Then you can simply shop as usual at one of the partnered retailers offering cashback deals in your area.
Note: If you link a debit card, be sure that it has a Visa, Mastercard or American Express logo on it.
Inviting Friends
Fluz is the only cashback app that pays you for other people’s purchases. You can invite friends directly from the app via text, email, or your own unique referral link.
You can also opt to share your referral link on all of your social media outlets to grow your Fluz network even faster. Each “seat” in the network can have up to 65,000 people connected to it.
The larger your network, the more cashback you can earn. And this cycle can continue even more when those friends connect with their friends, because you will make money off of them too.
Fluz Payment Options and Purchase Tracking
Fluz has two payment options that allow you to earn cash back. The first is Easyswipe and the second is Fluzpay, which is scheduled to launch soon.
Easyswipe
Easyswipe is the standard payment option, where you add your card to your Fluz account and enable location services to browse nearby offers.
Once you find an offer you like, you need to activate the offer by pressing the “activate” button on the offer screen.
From there you can shop in-store as you normally would with the card that you have linked. When you make a purchase you will automatically earn cashback.
Easyswipe is recommended for those individuals wanting to earn cashback on a local level.
This option also has a “cool down” period of 24 hours, meaning you can’t take advantage of an offer at the same location more than once before 24 hours has gone by (So no, you can’t go to Starbucks ten times in a row).
You will see the cooldown time within the app, so you will know exactly when you can take advantage of a deal at that retailer again.
Fluzpay
Fluzpay is the newer payment option that Fluz is offering and is best for online shopping with international retailers.
To use Fluzpay, you first find an in-store or online offer that you want to use. You will enter a specific store credit value to use at your favored merchant (i.e. $20 at Taco Bell) and make a purchase with the credit card you have linked with your Fluz account.
Fluz will give you an instant barcode to use in-store or a code that you can use online during check out.
You can also apply your cashback earnings to a purchase from retailers within the app. The retailer must be one that accepts Fluzpay.
You don’t need to use your FluzPay credit right away, but they do work on a per merchant basis, so you can’t use your $20 credit at Taco Bell at a Chipotle.
Tracking Your Purchases
The Fluz app allows you to track your purchases and the purchases of those in your network. You won’t be able to see what your network friends are specifically buying (unless they make their account public).
You will be able to see their performance and your earnings (i.e. you earned $2.50 because John Smith just shopped at Nike).
Earning Cash With Fluz
The main way to earn cash with Fluz is to link your credit or debit card and shop as usual. The amount of cashback earned will vary from merchant to merchant.
This percentage will be listed next to the retailer in your list of available offers. Some of Fluz’s top affiliated brands are:
- AMC Theaters
- Applesbees
- Amazon
- Krispy Kreme
- iTunes
- Chipotle
- Sephore
- Macy’s
- Nike
The second primary way to earn cash with Fluz is to be a super social butterfly. Fluz is changing the way we earn cashback and they are empowering their users to do that by building a community.
Your network is key when it comes to making cash fast with the Fluz app. You will want to encourage your friends, family and coworkers to sign-up with Fluz using your referral link.
You will also want them to connect with their friends, family and coworkers, because those people will become part of your network too.
Though keep in mind that the cashback earned does diminish a bit when friends of friends make purchases. But since it is free money, we can’t complain too much.
Additional Ways to Earn Cash
Fluz offers leaderboard competitions and challenges which award various prizes. Fluz currently has 4 cash prize challenges that you can unlock:
- Earn $150 when you invite 30 people personally to Fluz and they each make a $100 purchase in the app within their first 30 days of signing up
- Get $100 when you invite 100 people to Fluz and they make a purchase of $100 (this is a recurring challenge)
- Receive $150 when members in your network have collectively reached $10K in Fluz app purchases
- Earn $350 when your personal invites have invited a 1,000 or more new members to Fluz, who have all made $100 purchases within the Fluz app
Clearly these challenges are very…challenging, but if you’re out to make the most out of the Fluz app, then they could be fun goals to reach.
Cashing Out With Fluz
There are no transaction fees whenever you decide to cash out your earnings. And you aren’t restricted by how often you can cash out and when.
That being said, there are a few steps to complete before you can cash out to your PayPal account. You must first link a verified credit card, verify your email, reach a minimum wallet balance of $26, and redeem at least 1 offer with a Fluz merchant.
This means that you can’t just rely on your earnings from the people in your network in order to cash out.
Currently PayPal is the only cash out option with Fluz, though they plan on launching an option for direct deposit to your checking or savings account.
Pros and Cons of Fluz
Pros
- FREE to sign up
- No receipt scanning or points to cash in
- Can search for deals by keyword (i.e. pizza, coffee, shoes, etc)
- Up to a 60 mile radius so you can see all of the available offers around you
- Cash out with PayPal or even to a personal checking or savings account (this option isn’t available yet but will be soon)
- Can also request your payout in crypto (Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH))
- Monitor personal cashback earned and network cashback earned
- You aren’t required to invite friends to earn cashback (though you should so you can earn even more cash without spending a dime)
Cons
- Still very new, so there are lots of bugs continually being fixed
- Fluz is advertising features that haven’t launched yet
- While you can be connected to 65,000 people, you only earn cashback 15 people deep from your “seat” in the network
- Though Fluz is linking with national retailers, they haven’t launched this feature yet so current deals are limited on a local level
Extra Information About Fluz
Since Fluz is still fairly new and as they are planning to launch a few updates in the coming weeks, I wanted to offer a few things to keep in mind when using the Fluz app.
- You must make 1 purchase annually in order to stay within the Fluz network
- If you’ve linked a debit card, you MUST use it like a credit card when you make a purchase (do not put in your pin number)
- It can take 24 hours and up to 7 days to have your cashback earnings go from “pending” to “available”
Is Fluz Legit and Worth the Download?
As a cashback app, Fluz is definitely legit. This isn’t a Ponzi scheme or pyramid marketing, even though they are encouraging you to connect with people. You aren’t required to buy or invest anything.
The developers of Fluz simply want you to shop as you usually would and earn cashback, plus earn cashback from your friends and their friends. For them it is all about building the Fluz community and sharing in mutual benefits.
That being said, I think I would wait to download the app until Fluz fully launches everything they are promising, like top national retailers and Fluzpay. Until then, you are limited to local stores and restaurants.
Though if you want to go ahead and get started earning cashback on a local level, then download the app and just keep an eye out for the updates that are coming.
Final Thoughts
From what I’ve seen, Fluz has a lot of potential as a cashback app. I really love the network and community building vibe. Plus earning cashback without having to spend money is a really nice feature…especially if you have friends and family that love to shop.
If you’ve tried the Fluz app or plan on trying it, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy frugaling!
