Fluz Review: A Cash-Back App For Stacking Rebates

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Fluz is a legit cash-back app with a clean user interface and two key aspects that help it stand out from the crowd. 

1. You can stack rebates with other discounts and cash-back sites to achieve greater savings. 
2. It’s one of the only apps that offers cash-back at everyday retailers like grocery stores and restaurants.

It’s an enticing premise, but my limited testing produced mixed results. 

This Fluz review outlines the app’s pros and cons, covers the key facts you need to know, and gives a real-world example of how I was able to successfully stack my rewards by jumping through one moderately inconvenient hoop. 

We’ll also look into some of the company’s marketing claims, including whether it is a viable source of income.

4.2/5

Fluz gives you cash-back when you shop at partnered merchants and pay with the Fluz app. This means you need to link a payment account — which can be a debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal or bank account — and then enter your exact purchase amount within Fluz immediately prior to checking out. Then, you’ll get a gift card code (for online shopping) or a QR code to scan (for in-store shopping) to pay the merchant. In return for this extra step, you’ll earn between 1.5% and 25% (but usually between 1.5% and 5%) of your purchase price.

Pros:

• Fluz is stackable with all other cash-back apps and rewards portals, which can dramatically increase your overall savings.
• The cash-back you earn is credited to your account instantly.
• After making your first withdrawal of $15, future withdrawal minimums are only $1.

Cons:

• You have to go through the in-app payment process for every purchase.
• Different payment methods earn different cash-back rates, and the most common options (debit and credit cards) tend to be the lowest.
• In-store payments don’t always work as expected.

Sign Up For Fluz

7 Key Facts About Fluz

These are the seven most important things to know if you’re thinking about downloading Fluz.

1. Fluz is essentially selling you a gift card code, which you use to pay for your purchase. In theory, this gives you the ability to use the app for both online and in-store purchases. However, both of my in-store purchase attempts were unsuccessful (read what happened), and some retailers require you to print out a physical code. 
2. You can stack Fluz with other cash-back apps, like Rakuten and Swagbucks. Fluz doesn’t require you to use a specific shopping portal to earn cash-back. That means you can still earn store loyalty points and credit card points, use coupons and promo codes, and/or use other cash-back apps in addition to Fluz. (Use our cash-back calculator to see how much you can save by stacking.)
3. You can’t stack Fluz with store-specific or category-based credit card bonuses. For example, Amazon Prime Rewards Signature Visa cardholders get 5% cash-back at Whole Foods. But since you’re technically paying Fluz — which gives you a gift card to use at Whole Foods — you won’t earn that 5%.
4. Different payment methods earn different cash-back rates. For example, you can often earn up to 3% more by paying from your bank account as compared to your credit card, Apple Pay or PayPal.
5. Not all payment methods can be used at all merchants. For example, some offer cash-back when paying with a bank account, but not when paying with a credit card or PayPal account.
6. The company promotes 25% cash-back “boost” offers, which are earned upon signing up for Fluz (you get two if you’re referred and one if you sign up on your own). But this discount only applies to the first $10 of a purchase; the rest of the purchase will earn you the original cash-back rate. Boosts also expire after 60 days.
7. Fluz is one of the only apps that offers cash-back at everyday retailers like grocery stores and restaurants, including offers at merchants like Whole Foods and Kroger. 

Fluz Review: The Basics

Fluz is fundamentally different from other cash-back apps in one very important way: you aren’t required to use the company’s online shopping portal or click a referral link to earn. 

Instead, you shop directly on the retailer’s website (or through a cash-back portal of your choice) and then, prior to checking out, pay the full order amount to Fluz instead of the retailer. Fluz immediately provides a gift card for the exact amount of the purchase, which you use to pay for your order.

How Fluz Works

• Step 1: Download the app. When you sign up for an account, be sure to use a name that matches the payment method you plan to use, and be prepared to provide a phone number and email address.
• Step 2: Add a debit or credit card. Note that you cannot update the name associated with the card you enter, which is why it’s important to sign up with the name that matches your preferred payment.
• Step 3: Find a retailer. There were 468 partnered companies during our testing period, including many major retailers, grocers and restaurants.
• Step 4: Shop normally. There are no special steps required — just shop online or in-store as you always do.
• Step 5: Enter the exact amount of your purchase into the Fluz app (including tax). Fluz charges the card on file and provides you a gift card code, a pin and a QR code.
• Step 6: Enter your gift card code online, or show the cashier the QR code on your phone.
• Step 7: Accumulate cash-back. The cash-back earned for each transaction is instantly credited to your Fluz account (although there is a $15 minimum for your first withdrawal).
• Step 8: Transfer your earnings to your bank. You can request a payment to your bank or via PayPal, Venmo, or a virtual debit card.

Tip: Worried that you’ll forget to look up a business while you’re out and about? If you’re willing to give Fluz access to your real-time location data, the app will try to ping you whenever you visit a partnered retailer. However, alerts don’t always work as expected. I visited two participating retailers while sharing my data and wasn’t notified by the app while at either location.

Additionally, Fluz now offers “Fluz Parties,” where the savings achieved at select retailers increases with the number of shoppers participating in the party. You are guaranteed to earn the initial cash-back amount, but if enough shoppers take part in the offer and the party goal is achieved, your earnings will be higher. For example, you may earn a guaranteed rate of 10%, but 30% if the party’s goal is met.

Finally, Fluz also plans to offer a “1-time card” option that works much like a prepaid card. Fluz users will be able to add money to their card and then use it anywhere Mastercard is accepted to earn 1.5% cash-back. As of the time this article was published, 1-time cards were mentioned in the app but were not yet available to users. We’ll update this section when the card goes live.

One important note is that a one-time card must be used within 24 hours of purchase.

How Much You Can Earn With Fluz

Fluz has a large number of partners that offer cash-back rates of between 1-20%, although most offers are for 1-5%. Additionally, upon signing up, you will receive up to two 25% boosts, which can be used to save 25% on the first $10 spent at a participating boost retailer.

Note: If you download Fluz using a referral code you will get two boosts; if you download Fluz without entering a referral code, you will only receive one.

I conducted three tests to see whether Fluz works and how much I could save on a few typical transactions.

One important note is that cash-back rates differ depending on how you pay. Here’s an example of five major merchants, chosen to represent a range of purchase categories, and their respective rates:

Here are the results of my Fluz app tests.

Test #1: Online Rebate Stacking

One of Fluz’s main selling points is that you can stack it with other cash-back portals — a major benefit that could potentially double your savings. So for my first test, I wanted to see if stacking works in practice. 

Step 1: I logged into Swagbucks and searched for Under Armour. I received a pop-up offering me an additional $10 bonus to shop through the portal — this was a bonus because it was my first time shopping through Swagbucks — and clicked the button.

Step 2: I was shown several Under Armour promo codes and selected the one I wanted to use. Note that these codes are not Swagbucks-specific, and you could use a free tool like Capital One Shopping to find them automatically.

Step 3: I was taken to the Under Armour website, where I logged in with my Under Armour username and password (which I created during a previous visit). I shopped the “Sale” section and added two items to my online cart.

Step 4: I opened Fluz, searched for Under Armour, and entered the estimated total I saw in my cart. I then created and entered a pin number in Fluz (for security purposes), and was presented with my gift card information.             

Step 5: I began the checkout process on the Under Armour website and entered my Fluz gift card number and pin in the gift card (not promo code) box. The gift card was successfully added to my account. I then realized that the sales tax had not been accounted for on the previous screen, so I paid the $1.56 difference with my credit card.

Step 6: I checked my Fluz account and confirmed that I received credit (~4% cash-back) for my purchase.

My total savings/earnings — including all of my various deals and cash-back options — for this transaction were as follows:

My $54.99 order cost me $14.63 once everything is paid out, and I confirmed that both the Swagbucks and Fluz bonus were applied.

How Much You Can Earn By Stacking Rewards

Here’s an example of how stacking rewards can potentially save you more money. For this example, we chose a sampling of popular merchants that offer cash-back on at least two of the platforms listed below.

In the Fluz column, we used the highest-paying payment option (bank account). In the Rakuten and Swagbucks columns, we displayed the total cash-back rate available by combining the platform with Fluz.

Related: Learn more about our favorite online rewards platform in our Swagbucks review, and check out the premier cash-back portal in our Rakuten review.

Test 2: In-Store Shopping, First Attempt

The online transaction outlined in Test 1 (above) worked so well that I decided to try an in-store purchase at Dunkin’ Donuts. I went to the drive-through window and asked if the store was able to scan gift cards off of phones. After a good bit of discussion between the Dunkin’ team members, the answer was “no.” 

The people behind the counter had never scanned a phone before and didn’t have any idea how to do it. So I paid with a credit card instead, and headed over to my third test location.

Test 3: In-Store Shopping, Second Attempt

If possible, my third test was even less successful than my second one. 

How can you be less successful than not completing a transaction? 

Well, I ordered a footlong meatball sub at Subway (I promise I did not eat all this food myself) and walked to the register to pay. I asked if they accepted gift cards and could scan a phone, and the cashier said “yes.”

There was even a scanner ready and waiting! 

It took me all of 20 seconds to check out via the Fluz app, and I received my gift card immediately. I scanned the QR code, but the cashier said she received a message that the code was invalid. 

Much to the dismay of the other people in line, I insisted on trying six more times.

The help section of the Fluz app said I should ask the cashier to manually enter the gift card information, which I did. The cashier looked at me and, as her eyes darted between me and the growing line of obviously annoyed people behind me, said she had no idea why it wouldn’t scan. She indicated that her checkout system didn’t provide an option to enter the code manually. 

I asked if I could try to enter the code on the credit card terminal on my end. She reluctantly agreed, the guy next to me groaned, and I made one last unsuccessful attempt. The cashier then pleaded with me to use my credit card instead, and I finally complied. 

I slunk out of the store with the other Subway customers staring holes in the back of my head. I was annoyed because my effort to save 7 cents had cost me $7.62, as I bought a gift card that I was unable to use.

Fluz’s help section says that all gift cards purchased through the app are non-refundable. I tested this policy by asking a customer service rep (via chat) for a refund. It took 45 minutes (mostly of me waiting for him to respond). The rep tried to convince me to keep the gift card to use another day in exchange for a 35% voucher.

Update: Vouchers are now called boosts, and are for 25% cash-back on the first $10 of a purchase, not 35%.

I said “no thanks,” as I would prefer not to relive that experience. He submitted my refund request, and the next day I received an email stating that I might not get a decision on my request for 10-15 days. 

I’ll update the article if/when Fluz decides what to do with my request.

Update: After approximately two weeks, I did finally receive a refund. 

Fluz Referral Program: A Legit Network Marketing Business or a Waste of Time?

Fluz places a high priority on referrals — much more so than other cash-back apps. This may have something to do with the fact that Michael Rosen — the former CMO of Herbalife, one of the most notorious network marketing schemes ever — is one of Fluz’s leaders.

Each Fluz member can build a network that extends out five degrees. For each member’s personal network, they can only have two members signed up under them. For example, regardless of how many people you personally sign up, only two people will be considered “first degree” connections. 

Additional members signed up by you (or by the members that you signed up, or those who are randomly assigned to your network by Fluz) move to the “second degree” spot, which can contain up to four members. Additional sign ups are pushed to the outer rings of your network, which is capped at 63 members total (including you).

Once your network has all 63 spots filled, you automatically begin a new network with any additional members that are created in or for your organization. There are no limits to the number of networks you can create. 

Fluz specifically states that your personal networks can be filled by your direct referrals, their referrals down to five levels of separation, as well as people who are randomly assigned to your network by Fluz. 

It’s a slick offering, but as you’ll see below, it’s not likely to become a significant part of your income.

How the Fluz Referral Program Works

Once you have made at least two transactions that total at least $25, you can participate in Fluz’s referral program. To be paid for purchases made within your network, you will need to make at least $10 of purchases on Fluz each month.

When you invite others to join your Fluz network, and they subsequently sign up and make a purchase through the app, you earn a commission based on their earnings.

In typical multi-level marketing fashion, you continue to earn these commissions for purchases made throughout your downstream network. In other words, you make money when the referrals in your personal network use the app, but you also make money when their referrals use the app.

You may be wondering how much you will actually make. Well, every time someone in your network makes a standard purchase, you will earn 0.3% of their purchase amount.

Therefore, for every $10 spent in your network, you will earn $0.03.

Note that for purchases made with an “exempt” retailer — including Amazon, Walmart, Sam’s Club and numerous others that can be found on Fluz’s exempt gift card retailer list — you will earn significantly less. Instead of 0.3%, you only earn 0.05% (or $0.005 for every $10 spent).

These earnings are available for the first 100 monthly transactions in your network. To earn on additional transactions in your downstream network, you’ll need to get familiar with Fluz’s (somewhat complicated) Royalty Levels, as shown below.

Here’s what the terms in the table above mean:

• Monthly Personal Transaction Volume is the amount of money you spend with Fluz merchants each month.
• Monthly Qualified Personal Referrals is the number of people you’ve referred in the month who have subsequently made at least two purchases that total at least $25.
• Qualified Lifetime Personal Referrals is the total number of people you’ve referred who have subsequently made at least two purchases that total at least $25.
• Eligible Transactions for Referral Royalties is the number of transactions that you can earn a commission from.

As your network increases in size, you have the ability to earn a commission from more transactions; however, you need to continue to use the app yourself (and, for higher transaction amounts, you’ll need to bring new people in each month) to earn the maximum amount possible. 

The maximum amount you can earn will vary from month to month based upon your achievements during that month.

If you’re able to maintain your Royalty tier level for three months in a row, you’ll earn a cash bonus, which varies by membership level.

If you earn your highest royalty level yet — even if it’s a lower level, e.g., MAX 1K — and are able to maintain it for three consecutive months, you will earn a one-time $1,000 bonus.

Additionally, you will earn $5 for every person you refer so long as that person makes two Fluz network purchases that total at least $25 within 30 days of signing up.

Your rewards will build up in your account and can be used for Fluz purchases or withdrawn to your linked bank or PayPal account. 

If you build a network, keep these two very important pieces of information in mind:

1. You are required to spend $25 in personal transactions through Fluz, or bring on a new member every six months, to keep your network(s) active.
2. To actually earn from your downstream, you must spend through the app every month (the amount required varies by Royalty Level).

How Much You Can Earn With the Fluz Referral Program

Per Fluz, you’ll earn an average of 10 cents per transaction when friends in your network make purchases.

Here’s the math: At an average of 10 cents per transaction, your network would have to make 100 purchases to generate $10 in income. Plus, you’ll need to spend $10 each month (per the Royalty levels above) to earn anything.

Fluz claims that users can earn passive income through the app. Given the requirement that users must make monthly purchases, and at higher tiers must also bring in qualified members monthly, we think considering this income “passive” is a bit of a stretch. While we think Fluz is an excellent cash-back shopping tool, its referral program — even considering the residual income opportunity — has a relatively low pay rate compared to its competitors.

For example, while Swagbucks doesn’t pay for downstream referrals, you collect a solid 10% of your own referrals’ lifetime earnings. Another option is Rakuten, which typically pays a $20-$40 upfront bonus for referring new users.

Getting Paid

The cash-back you earn is added to your Fluz balance instantly after you make a purchase. Once your balance reaches $15, you can withdraw funds via Bank/ACH, PayPal or Venmo, or request a transfer to a virtual debit card. 

Once you’ve reached that initial threshold, you can then make later withdrawals at any time for any amount over $1. One caveat is that if you choose to withdraw money to a prepaid Visa card, the withdrawal minimum is always $25.

Cashing out is straightforward. In order to withdraw money, you need to link a verified card and verify your email account. Fluz won’t charge you any fees to cash out, but if they’re charged a fee from your bank, PayPal or Venmo, they deduct that fee from the transfer amount.

The most likely complication with the process is the link between Fluz and the payout entity. For example, if your Fluz phone number doesn’t match your Venmo phone number, or if your Fluz and PayPal email addresses don’t match, there can be issues. Therefore, it’s important to ensure you sign up with the same information for all of these services. 

Finally, consider using your Fluz balance to pay for future purchases. Any purchases that are paid in full with your Fluz balance will earn you an extra 1% cash-back.

Fluz FAQs

Fluz Review: Final Verdict

Using cash-back portals is essentially a way to get free money, and Fluz offers the ability to earn even more cash-back on the purchases you’re already planning to make by allowing you to double-dip. The fact that it works with Amazon earned it a sport on our list of the best cash-back apps.

My online experience was positive, and I will continue to use the app for online retailers. If you’re already a user of cash-back portals like Swagbucks and Rakuten, signing up is a no-brainer. 

Additionally, we think the flat cash-back rates offered at supermarkets makes this one of the absolute best cash-back apps for groceries.

Unfortunately, my in-store experience with the app was less than stellar, and I don’t intend to try the app again in a face-to-face scenario.

Finally, our view on Fluz’s referral program is that the pay rate is far too low to justify putting any significant energy into building your network. There are better-paying referral programs, such as Rakuten, which pays a $20-$40 bonus.

Vanessa Zeigler

Vanessa Zeigler is a freelance writer and editor focused on personal finance and time management. She has an MBA from Duke University and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). She writes about frugal-living techniques, side hustles, product testing, selling on Etsy and eBay, and using money-making apps. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Upwork and Etsy.