inKind Deal Stack: $25 Off $50 For New Or Existing Users — Then Earn Up To 20% Back On What You Pay

inKind is a closed-loop dining payments and rewards platform. You pay participating restaurants via the inKind app, and in return you earn inKind Cash Back (store credit usable in the inKind network) and can also use prepaid dining balances (gift card–like credit).

Under the hood, it’s also a restaurant-financing model: inKind funds restaurants by buying their future food & beverage credit and then selling that credit to diners (often with a “bonus” to encourage spend).

There’s been a bunch of discussion online and in blogs lately about the program, so I thought I’d lay out the basics of how it works and the lucrative plays here.

Pay-as-you-go (earn 20% back as credit)

• You link a credit card, pay your check in-app, and earn up to 20% back on the amount charged to your card (excluding gratuities/fees).
• If you cover any part of the bill with discounts/offers, previously earned inKind Cash Back, or prepaid balances, you don’t earn cash back on that covered portion.
• Earned inKind Cash Back expires fast: two months after the calendar month earned (e.g., earned January 15 → April 1).

Prepay funds (get a bigger bonus up front)

• You can “add funds” and get an upfront bonus (currently shown as 20%–33%, e.g., pay $249 get $300; pay $999 get $1,275).
• Per inKind’s terms: the amount you paid (Paid Portion) never expires; the bonus/promotional portion expires 3 years from purchase.

Subscription (inKind Pass)

• Optional $9.99/month membership that still earns 20% back when paying via the app with tips/fees are charged to the card on file.

InKind has thousands of participating restaurants.  My app claims 5,632 currently.

New members being referred by an existing one get $25 off $50+ on a qualifying dining purchase.   Normally the referrer receives $25, but that’s currently bumped to $50.

There’s also a $25 off $50 offer that works for both new and existing users (HT: Doctor of Credit). They run these semi-regularly which is great.

For a brand-new user, this is a 50% discount on the first $50 (before tax/tip). And you still earn 20% back on the portion charged to your card (but not on the discounted part).

For an existing user who can refer someone: this is very strong but bear in mind that the balance has the short expiration window (2 months after the calendar month earned).

Strategically: the real value is whether you’ll repeat-use inKind.

• If you won’t be back to an inKind restaurant soon, the “20% back” component is often breakage by design.
• If you will be back (or you’re in a dense market for it), stacking “closed-loop 20% back” + your card’s dining multiplier can be very good (inKind explicitly pushes the “double dip” angle).
• If you’re comfortable prepaying, the 20%–33% upfront bonuses can beat the 20% earn rate, with the paid portion non-expiring and the bonus good for 3 years.

In Austin, I eat at The Well, Waterloo Ice House (they have playgrounds), Peaced Tortilla and Bar Peached, Wu Chow, Lao’d Bar and Old Thousand. So it’s very much worth it for me.

You’ll also often see “refer yourself / multiple accounts” discussed, which is of course against inKind’s Terms. Feel free to leave your referral code in the comments.

inKind get $25 off $50+