I recently learned (via Miles to Memories) of a new app called Drop, which is another cashback style app, promising to give a rebate on purchases that you make at specific stores. I’m familiar with shopping portals as a way to earn cashback and points, but Drop differs in a few ways
- You link your debit and credit cards and the purchases you make give rebates automatically – no need to go through a portal
- You can only get cashback at 5 specific stores, and once you set it, you can’t change it.
- Your “cashback” actually comes in the form of points, which you can trade in for merchant gift cards at a rate of 1000 points for $1 (i.e. 10000 points gets you a $10 Amazon gift card)
How to sign up for Drop
Drop has a website but there is currently no way to sign up via the website. Drop is currently in an open beta. You can download the app (Android, iPhone) but you need a referral code to sign up.
You can use my referral code icgjk to sign up. You’ll earn 1000 points (~$1 in GCs) if you sign up and so will I.
How Drop works
Once you sign up, you link your credit or debit cards by signing in to your bank, similar to how you might do it with Mint. I can understand if you feel reluctant to do that, so if you do, then obviously this is not the app for you.
Then you pick your 5 stores you want to get “offers” at. Per Doctor of Credit, here are the possibilities
- Amazon.com – 20 points per $1 (2%)
- Walgreens – 10 points per $1 (1%)
- Walmart – 10 points per $1 (1%)
- Target – 10 points per $1 (1%)
- Whole Foods Market – 10 points per $1 (1%)
- Trader Joe’s – 15 points per $1 (1.5%)
- Safeway – 11 points per $1 (1.1%)
- HEB – 20 points per $1 (2%)
- Fred Meyer – 20 points per $1 (2%)
- Uber – 15 points per $1 (1.5%)
- Starbucks – 15 points per $1 (1.5%)
- McDonald’s – 10 points per $1 (1%)
- Dunkin’ Donuts – 17 points per $1 (1.7%)
- Chipotle – 15 points per $1 (1.5%)
- 7-Eleven – 19 points per $1 (1.9%)
- Shell – 3 points per $1 (.3%)
- Bath & Body Works
- Urban Outfitters
- Macy’s – 1o points per $1 (1%)
- H&M – 5 points per $1 (.5%)
- Seamless – 20 points per $1 (2%)
- Blue Bottle Coffee
- Peet’s Coffee & Tea
These are ongoing offers – there are also a variety of one-time offers; for instance I got one offering 2000 points ($2) after spending $20 at Amazon.
Will it last?
I have no idea how long it will last. It seems like there might be a lot of different ways to get an outsized number of points. So while I can see this business model working for your average customer, I feel like it’s fairly likely that caps or limitations put on it, at least at some stores. After all, we’ve all learned that companies love to give away free money and then act surprised when everyone wants some.
Did you sign up for Drop?
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Yes
Can you use the same cards you add through the shopping portals as well (double dip)? Or is it one or the other? I use portals alot and would prefer the points from them over this but as an added incentive it would be worth it. Thanks!
I guess I’m not sure if online purchases also work with Drop – or if it’s in-store only. If online purchases do work then yes, it seems like you could double dip
Was really curious to give this a try, but having to sign in using my login credentials for the banks turned me off. Happy to put in a credit card number (because I can always change that if compromised). But giving this level of access to an app without a track record yet is just too sketchy —
especially when I have multiple cards linked to a single login (and even my mortgage under one of them!).
That makes sense Leslie. I understand some people will not be comfortable with that kind of access. We were talking about that over on the PWaC miles and points Facebook group. Do you use things like AwardWallet or Mint?
I use AwardWallet, but it’s been around the block for quite awhile and I trust it. I also just don’t quite understand why this app needs full account access when there are other apps that can give cash/points/credit back with just the credit card number. Going to go join the discussion over on the FB group!