Dosh Review
Dosh is a new app that is currently in public beta. Dosh is a card linked loyalty program, it works as follows:
- You link your debit or credit card (Visa, Mastercard, or Amex)
- You’ll receive credit (“dosh”) for making purchases with Dosh partners
The credit can then be donated to charity or transferred to your bank account. They also have a travel section where you can earn credit for booking hotels, renting cars or booking activities. According to this SEC filing they raised $2,305,000 in a seed round (total investment now exceeds $6 million).
According to Dosh they have partnered with over 100,000 brands and merchants to offer their users opportunities to earn credits. Currently, it seems that the card-link offers on Dosh are all for restaurants. Card linked loyalty programs are nothing new, we have a whole post comparing the different options. Dosh runs on Empyr, along with a number of other loyalty dining programs that run on that platform (MOGL, Living Social, Swagbucks, Yelp).
The main problem with card linked loyalty programs is if they are truly set and forget then there is no added value to merchants (they aren’t getting any incremental sales). It’s also difficult to get merchants to enroll in these programs as it’s usually not possible to restrict what transactions do and don’t earn rewards (e.g you can’t restrict a purchase that uses a coupon for example).
Dosh aims to provide value to merchants by using geo-targeted offers. When there is an offer in your immediate area you’ll be alerted to that specific deal.
There are also serious privacy and security concerns. Data breaches are becoming more and more common and giving an app access to payment data can be a scary proposition. All apps and websites will state they have state of the art security, but data breaches can and still do occur.
Shopping Portal
Aside from the card-linked offers for in-store purchases, Dosh also features a robust shopping portal. Some of their rates seem decent; as always, check around to make sure you get the best rate.
Referral Program
Dosh has a referral program which usually offers $1 for the new member and $5 for the referrer. The bonuses are only given if the new member links a card in the Dosh app.
If you’re interested you can support the site and say thank you by using my link. You can also share your own Dosh referral links in this linked post (please do not share them in this post, as I’d like to keep that for discussion about the app itself).
Our Verdict
It’s impossible to judge an app before it’s actually launched and you’ve used it. I’m not a big fan of handing over payment data to an app, I’m also not a huge fan of being notified about offers that in all likelihood I have no interest in. For me this is definitely a wait and see type of app. I’d be interested to hear others thoughts in the comments below. Update: As some readers pointed out, I’m probably being overly negative. This app does have promise and could be very useful depending on the type of deals they offer.
I used your link but it doesn’t translate into a referral within the app. You have to use the ‘CHUCKS2’ code after you sign-up and enter it into the app. 🙂
I’m with Doc initial skepticism, too much data floating out there for anyone to get for referrals to places I don’t go to.
Other than the referral link, it will be great if you can also type your referral code. I went to the referral link but was asked to enter referral code.
[removed – don’t spam your links]
Use that link to get 5$
[removed – don’t spam your links]
Use that to earn 5$
… support the site and say thank you by using my link.
Done
Dosh suspended my account and cannot be reinstated it seems. I was on vacation in the Philippines and also booked a hotel room there using Dosh. I also obtained a Philippine prepaid number and sim to access the internet including accessing the app. Then I find out I can’t transfer any money after returning to the US. This is their explanation:
Thank you for being a part of our Dosh Public Beta.
If you’ve seen a message that your account has been suspended, that we have detected potentially fraudulent activity, you can no longer access your account, then your account may have been deactivated for one of the following reasons:
Code Type
Dosh Message
Reason
VOIP or Non-US Telephone #
Uh-oh! Your account has been suspended, as Dosh only supports US-based phone numbers.
You registered with a non-US (including Puerto Rico) or VoIP or you do not reside in the United States. It is stated in our Terms of Service
Section 6(a) that you must register with a US, non-VoIP mobile phone number.
Non US Card
Uh-oh! Your account has been suspended, as Dosh only supports US-based credit cards at this time.
You registered an ineligible credit or debit card or you do not reside in the United States. Our Terms of Service
Section 6 outlines what types of cards are eligible.
Potential Fraud Activity
Uh-oh! We have detected potentially fraudulent activity in your account. Please contact customer support.
Your account has potentially fraudulent activity. Per our Terms of Service
Section 6(g), we reserve the right to suspend your account.
Travel
Uh-oh! Your account is under review due to potentially fraudulent travel activity. Please contact customer support.
You have unusual trave activity. Per our Terms of Service
Section 6(g) & 7 we reserve the right to cancel your travel services and suspend your account.
As a policy, once you have been suspended for a potential violation of our Terms of Service, the funds are returned to your account and are not available for transfer. You have the ability to ask for a review of your account. This is only for those people who believe this decision was an error. However, once you have violated our Terms of Service you will permanently be restricted from using Dosh, transfers currently in progress will be halted, and your funds will be forfeited.
I hope this information helps!
I will close this ticket now.
I’m actuallya looking to sign up to dosh as is my wife. we use only ibotta. wills sign up with referral all I ask is you sign up to robinhood takes 5 mins and you get a free promo share worth 5.00 to 300.00 no money need be invested great site. win win.[removed]. so many great apps with free money these days!
I downloaded the app today from a friends referral. My screen went to “Account Settings”. It already had a credit card number on file. NOT mine! Found out it was hubby’s. He doesn’t have the app downloaded & never has! Kinda scary…..It wont let me change it & has the statement in RED “To make this purchase, ask your organizer, ____, to provide a new payment method”. Now I’m questioning if this app is safe???
I installed the app but literally couldn’t find one offer that worked for me. Well here’s hoping it improves in the future.