inKind is an app that allows you to settle your bill at over 3,000 restaurants, bars, and cafes across the US. Put simply, you can pay your restaurant bill in the app using the credit card of your choice at restaurants that participate and both earn credit card rewards as well as “cash” that can then be spent on future inKind purchases.
When inKind first launched, I had seen it advertised (and knew that both Stephen and Nick used it), but then looked for local restaurants and didn’t see much available.
So, I let it get off of my radar…which was a mistake.
On a recent trip to Hawai’i, I knew that I’d be taking some family out for dinner and saw that a couple of local restaurants that I liked were on inKind. I was able to buy $300 in gift cards for $180 during one of Costco’s regular sales and combined that with a $25 referral bonus from Stephen Pepper, enabling me to treat my in-laws to a ~$300 meal for ~$170 out of pocket…all for simply paying my bill through the app:
The ever-increasing amount of restaurants and bars that take inKind, combined with the frequent offers that can be had to get discounted inKind cash and the ease of use, makes this an app that anyone who dines out regularly should have.
Here’s what you need to know about how to get started.
How to enroll for inKind
- First, it’s worth checking to make sure that there are restaurants in your city or the cities you intend to visit (you can search on their home page). inKind has added a ton of outlets over the last couple of years, but there are still some “deserts for dessert.”
- Sign up for inKind through a referral link. You don’t have to sign up through a referral, but if you do, you’ll get a $25 reward to use on a dine of $50 or more (and we’ll get some referral dollars to spend).
-
- Feel free to use one of our links with our thanks:
How to use the inKind app at restaurants
- Search for nearby inKind restaurants either in the app or search on their home page.
2. After you finish your meal, when your server brings the check. Open the app, select the restaurant and then tap on “Pay Bill:”
3. The next screen will have you enter the check number, which should be easy to find on the check.
4. The following screen will then show you the total bill and provide a section to enter the tip. You can pay for the entire balance of your meal using inKind credit, but the tip has to be paid for separately on a credit or debit card within the app.
5. Submit the payment and you’ll then confirmation in the app that you bill has been paid:
6. The restaurant server will then receive notice that your bill has been paid and you’re good to go.
inKind “cash” and “cash back”
There are two primary types of balance that you can accumulate with inKind: “inKind Cash” and “inKind Cash Back.”
inKind Cash
inKind Cash is the result of prepaying for credit that can be used at any inKind restaurant. There two components that make up your inKind Cash – the purchased amount and the promotional amount, both of which have different expiration policies.
For example, if you were to take advantage of an offer from inKind to buy $200 in credit for $120, the $120 would be the “purchased amount” and would never expire, while the “promotional amount” would be the additional $80 and have an expiration for three years from the date purchase. The funds on inKind gift cards purchased through Costco or another retailer never expire.
There are several ways to get great discount on inKind cash:
- Buy gift cards. Costco regularly has gift cards on sale for 30% off, or $69.99 of $100. Occasionally this they will go on sale for 40% off, and you can buy $100 in cards for $59.99.
- Card-linked spending offers. American Express, Chase and Citi frequently have card-linked offers that allow you to get large discounts from pre-purchasing inKind credit.
- inKind promotions. inKind itself will run regular promotions that either increase the amount of credit you get for dining or give you a discount on pre-purchasing credit.
inKind Cash Back
inKind Cash Back are the rewards that you earn for paying for “engaging with the program.” There are two primary ways to earn Cash Back
- Dine and Earn. When you pay your bill using the app using a credit card on file, you’ll get up to 20% of the amount you paid back (excluding tip) to spend on another visit. If you pay part of your bill with your inKind balance, you won’t earn that 20%.
- Refer friends. inKind always referral offers going that allow both the person doing the referring and the person using the referral to earn credit when meeting the purchase minimum (usually $50) on their first visit.
The terms say that cash back from both referrals and dining will expire 60 days from the date it was earned and that the oldest cash back will automatically be used first.
Quick Thoughts
I’m a little embarrassed at how long it took me to get on the inKind train, but I’m all aboard now. The amount of area restaurants on the app, combined with the ease of getting discounted inKind cash, means that I can now save a bundle going to places that I would already go to – and maybe try a new one every now and then.
There are still many smaller towns where there’s little to no restaurants on the app, and it’s more or less useless internationally, but I continue to be amazed at what is there and how fast the selection is expanding. It’s worth it taking a look at for anyone who likes to dine out.
Want to learn more about miles and points? Subscribe to email updates or check out our podcast on your favorite podcast platform.
We have become regular users for some time now. Chicago has lots of options near our home and these are place we really enjoy. We’ve also used it in Hawaii where it made a big difference in our meals out. Don’t sleep on the Costco sales!
The restaurant (Inkind) landscape is barren in SW Washington State
I know Kent, the second biggest city in the state has zero InKind locations, this is a travesty
The only thing I would warn your readers about in using referral links to signup to inKind is that many restaurants offer a welcome offer that can easily exceed the $25 from the referral. Initially these offers did not have the “new users” language but it has been added recently.
For example when Shinbay in Phoenix was initially added to inKind it was offering $120 off the bill for new users.
I would strongly recommend people first look to see if a restaurant they are interested in is offering a welcome offer before using a referral link to signup.
I figured it out. Your hyperlink in the 1 takes you to a different site with a $9.99 monthly fee.
Ahhh…I didn’t realize that we were linking to the search map on the inKind Pass page. Thanks for noticing that, I’ll change that link on our other posts about inKind as well.
One question to ask is who’s getting robbed to provide this much cashback and so many discounts? I don’t know if the restaurants have the margins to give away 10%+ of the bill.
Maybe it’s a new round of clueless VC money, which will run out soon enough.
It’s an interesting business model for both restaurants that want to access investment capital and yes, VC money. https://www.forbes.com/sites/garystern/2021/04/02/inkind-innovating-restaurant-financing-without-ownership/
Is this for barely-open restaurants? I’m curious why established restaurants would want to join. Seems like it’s only for whoever has very low traffic.
Ironically this fin-tech is from Austin and has crap for restaurant selection in their own backyard. Pretty much nothing that I would ever want to go to.
I’m guessing that for established restaurants, this is a no loan source of capital for remodeling, new marketing, initiatives, etc. But yes, restaurants participating in this program are certainly making a bet on their medium and longer term prospects.
Found this on Reddit. So it’s basically for any restaurant that’s desperate for cash up-front, willing to feed people for pennies over a spread out time.
Don’t think I’ll be seeing any place I’d actually want to go on that app.
>>>
As a restaurant owner, I am considering whether to go with inKind Capital or not. On the surface, it seems like a great deal–they make a pre-purchase of food and drink credit at a discount, which they sell to guests. This should drive new customers into the restaurant, and those customers are incentivized to spend more. There’s no debt or equity that the restaurant has to give up, as it is not a loan. Customers get some pretty great deals too. Sound fantastic for everyone, right?
Until you find out that it’s the small business restaurant owner who pays for all of it. Based on my conversation with an inKind account manager today, the cost of the prepaid food and beverage order is always at a 50% discount. For example, as a starting deal, they would give us $10k for $20k worth of food and beverage for their customers. So all those great deals you’re getting–they are entirely funded by the restaurants. And while sure, it’s great to get additional customers, restaurant margins are razor thin across the board–less than 10% average nationally, and that includes the giant corporate restaurants with deep pockets. So why would I even consider doing something like this? Between inflationary pressures on food costs, skyrocketing labor costs, and the fact that overall restaurant-going numbers are down across the board (also likely due to inflation effects), we are really struggling. We may be desperate enough to get any kind of positive movement in our guest numbers that I’m actually considering it.
Salvation Pizza in the Domain has great wings.
I regularly use it there.
mr. negative
Why did you not address the $9.99 monthly fee to belong?
Because there isn’t one? Normal use is free. I haven’t paid a dime since I signed up. The inKind Pass is the only thing that they charge for, which is their “VIP” service.
your hperlink is the problem. See my comment above. 😉
Hey Tim, welcome aboard the InKind train! There are a few decent InKind restaurants in Seattle (I like Tavolata and Victor Tavern), several in Las Vegas, and a ton in NYC. Hope you can experience a few more InKind restaurants tis year 🙂