inKind is a dining app that lets you pay restaurant bills from your phone and earn money back for your next visit. On its homepage, inKind says you can earn up to 20% back at thousands of restaurants, and that it works with 10,000+ top-rated restaurants across the U.S. How the inKind dining app works comes down to three kinds of balance, a cash back clock that runs out, and a short list of things a balance can't pay for. This guide walks through each of those, from inKind's own terms, and ends with where a card credit like the Citi AAdvantage Executive's fits in.
Quick Answer
You pay your bill through the inKind app with a card on file, and inKind sends back up to 20% of the amount as inKind Cash Back to spend at a later visit. That cash back expires, and it can't cover tips. If a credit card gives you an inKind credit, check that card's own terms for how it applies.
What inKind Is
inKind describes its process in three steps. You dine at a participating restaurant, then pay your bill and earn up to 20% back, then spend that cash back at any restaurant on the app. The homepage says you settle up in the app in seconds.
inKind's terms say it sometimes runs limited-time promotions that raise the percentage above 20%. During those promotions, the percentage you'll get at each restaurant is displayed in the app. The app is on the App Store and Google Play.
The Three Balances
inKind's terms split what you hold into three components. You may hold some or all of them, depending on how you use inKind.
- inKind Cash: what you get when you prepay for food and beverage credit. It has a Paid Portion that never expires and a Promotional Portion that expires three years from the purchase date. The Paid Portion is used first.
- House Accounts: balances you can redeem only at one particular restaurant.
- inKind Cash Back: what you earn when you pay a bill through the app. It was formerly called inKind Credit Back.
How inKind Cash Back Works
When you pay a bill through the app, you receive back up to 20% of the amount charged to your card on file, excluding gratuities, fees and service charges. The terms say it's added to your account within 24 hours of an eligible purchase. If you pay all or part of a bill with discounts, bonuses, earlier Cash Back or other inKind balances, you don't earn Cash Back on that part of the bill.
Cash Back has a clock on it. It expires at 11:59 PM on the last day of the second calendar month after the month you earned it, so Cash Back earned in October expires on December 31. The clock resets when you redeem at a participating restaurant, buy inKind Cash, claim an external inKind gift card, or receive Cash Back through a qualifying referral.
What a Balance Can't Pay For
inKind's terms say its balances can't be used for tips, prior balances, shipping or handling, room charges, administrative fees or other charges or fees. Only one component of balance, meaning inKind Cash, a House Account or Cash Back, can be used per transaction at a participating restaurant. Balances also can't be combined with other offers, coupons or promotions unless the restaurant expressly permits it.
A few more rules apply. Balances aren't redeemable for cash unless the law requires it, restaurants may have blackout periods, and some restaurants may be limited to certain inKind tiers or subscription levels. Using a balance for alcohol depends on the law where you are.
Other Ways to Earn
Besides paying a bill, the terms list four more ways to earn Cash Back: an inKind Pass subscription, referrals, an Ambassador Program and Challenges. A referral counts when the person you refer pays a bill that meets the minimum spend.
New guests can get $25 off a first $50 or larger meal, limited to one per guest. inKind's gift card site, give.inkind.com, offers up to a 20% bonus on digital gift cards.
Using a Card Credit
Citi has added inKind dining credits to its AAdvantage Executive card, and our news article on the Executive's inKind credits covers how they're reported to work, including where reports differ on tips. Our guide to the Executive's other statement credits covers the rest of the card's credits.
Conclusion
If you eat out at participating restaurants, open the app before you order to check for a promotion, and spend your Cash Back before it expires. Leave tips to your card, and don't count on stacking a balance with other offers unless the restaurant says so.
