Pei App Review | Earn Cash Back And Bitcoin In-Store

Please Note: As of December 2021, Pei has shut down. For a similar Bitcoin cashback experience, try Lolli.

Taking advantage of reward programs is one of my favorite ways to save money. I have to give a big shoutout to the creators of the Pei app, because it is one of the easiest to set up and most convenient to use of all the cash back apps currently available.

What is the Pei app?

The Pei app is a cash back app that works in the background after you set it up by connecting a card. You receive rewards for purchases from certain companies, like Starbucks, Walgreens and even Uber.

Do cash back apps really work?

Cash back apps do actually pay you cash back for your purchases. These companies make their money by setting up agreements with retailers to get paid a referral commission when a member or user of their service buys from that retailer. Then, the app simply pays you a percentage of what the retailer pays them for referring you. Simple!

How to use Pei

Once I downloaded the Pei app, all I needed to do was enter your name, email, and phone number then link my credit card. Now, many of my everyday purchases are earning 1% cash back, with some even earning up to 20% back. I can withdraw these rewards in cash or Bitcoin, and these rewards are in addition to the travel rewards I’m earning on my credit card. If you’re creating a Pei account, be sure to use code gvh84e to earn $5 when you sign up.

Once you’re set up, Pei app allows you to earn rewards by shopping at thousands of retail partners with more than 100,000 store locations. Whenever I use my linked credit card at any of these locations, I earn cash back – automatically. After any eligible purchase, the points show up in my account within 2 to 4 days (usually much faster than that).

Pei Cash Back Bonuses: ‘Party Cash’ and ‘Cashback Boost’

Although some of the reward percentages offered by partners seemed low to me, there are two other ways you can earn extra points.

Party Cash

The Party Cash option enables you to quadruple your cash back if you and a friend (or friends) make purchases at the same time at a partner store location. To enable, scroll to the Party Cash section of the app, select the partner and hit ‘Start Party Cash.’ The app will prompt you to send invites to your friends. When your friends accept, do your shopping and you’ll automatically increase your reward – up to 4% cashback – when you all check out using your linked cards.

This is a quick and fun way to get an extra 1% on your rewards. I use this option every time I go to Starbucks. Another good hack is to buy a big ticket item together with a friend – ask them to buy a pack of gum with their linked card.

Cashback Boost

Pei app also offers users an opportunity to earn an extra 1% cash back on all purchases during a single 48 hour period (up to 500 points, or $5). This includes anything you buy from any store, not just partner stores.

To activate a Cashback Boost, you need to accumulate 20 points in the app from the following actions:

Link a new card to Pei app(1 pt.)
Refer a friend and have them register with Pei app (2 pts.)
Shop with one of Pei’s ‘preferred’ partners (you’ll find this category on the app) (2 pts.)
Make 5 shopping trips to any partner in one month to earn 5x loyalty bonus plus 1 point (1 pt.)
Redeem points using the gift card option (1 pt.)

Once you qualify, you can activate your boost period at any time – great for holiday shopping.

You can also earn a Cashback Boost if you refer a new store to Pei and they become a Pei partner. You can earn $100 plus 10% of the revenue for 12 months from each new merchant you refer, up to $500 per merchant.

Cash Back from Online Shopping: Chrome Plugin

Pei recently added a Google Chrome browser extension so you can earn points from online purchases at more than 8,000 stores.

Install the Pei – Automatic Cash Back extension for Google Chrome on your computer. When you’re shopping online, click on the browser extension and open a shopping session. You’ll see the reward amount offered on that site in the pop-up. Just complete the purchase using the card you linked to Pei to earn your reward.

I purchased a gift for a friend from Overstock.com using the online option and earned 7% cash back. And again, that reward is in addition to the reward that I receive through my credit card already for shopping online.

Pei Retail Partners – Up to 20% Rewards

Find partners in your area by selecting the map pin icon in the upper right-hand corner of the app. Partners include large national retail chains as well as local specialty stores and restaurants.

Quickly check out nearby stores offering cash back on the map – including major retailers like Target and Starbucks.

Some of the most popular nationwide Pei retail partners include:

McDonald’s
Starbucks
Walgreens
Uber
Petco
Subway
Chipotle
Taco Bell
Great Clips
Gap
Chick-fil-A

As you would guess, in cities as big as New York, Chicago and LA the number of participating partners is in the hundreds. When you move the locator pin to these cities, you’ll see the map fill with hundreds of merchants from chains to specialty stores (many of which offer higher rewards than the chains!).

For example, in New York you’ll find 4+ star restaurants such as Lathan House and J.J. Kinahan’s and stores like Marc Jacobs offer 20% cash back. In Chicago, neighborhood restaurants like The Arrogant Frog, Cafe Istanbul and Runa Japanese offer 5% to 20%. And in LA, Beelman’s Pub, Pepper’s Jamaican-Belizean, Umami Burger and the First Draft Taproom are just a few of the restaurants offering 5% to 20%.

Cashing out of Pei

Pei app requires a balance of at least $25 in your account for you to redeem your points. When you decide you want to withdraw your points, you’re offered three different redemption options:

Cash, which can be deposited into a PayPal account (cannot be applied to a debit or bank account)
Bitcoin, which can be transferred to an external Bitcoin wallet
Gift cards

One benefit of claiming your rewards using gift cards is that some retailers offer a 1% to 3.75% increase in the value of the card. When you select gift card withdrawal in Pei, your options will be listed and each will show the bonus amount if it’s being offered.

Is Pei app safe?

I am always wary of apps that require banking details. However, Pei app uses Plaid when linking your debit and credit cards to their app so they never have access to your bank or card details. Your banking information is encrypted immediately when it’s entered into Plaid’s system. Your login and password are never shared with Pei. Major apps like Venmo, Robinhood and Coinbase also use Plaid, so I’m fairly confident in it. The Pei app itself uses strong 256-bit bank level encryption for security purposes.

When you’re redeeming points, Pei app also uses a 2-factor authentication method. Pei will send a text message to your phone containing a confirmation code that must be entered to complete the transaction.

Finally, to see local Pei merchants, the app needs to access your phone’s location services. I typically turn this off for most apps, but Pei is particularly annoying with notifications if you don’t give it access.

If you have questions or concerns about security, you may be able to find answers in Pei’s privacy policy.

Disadvantages of Pei

With all the advantages and options offered by the Pei app, it can be challenging to find many disadvantages – however, there are a few:

Finding local offers requires you to give the app access to location services. If you disable location services, Pei will send you frequent notifications asking you to turn it back on.
You must live in the United States to use Pei.
Many Pei partner stores set weekly reward limits.
The $25 minimum for withdrawal is high, requiring $2,500 in spending at 1% rewards.
You cannot change your phone number on Pei – you need to create a new account.
The reward level offered by merchants is lower than some other reward programs.
Pei has a limited number of grocery partners (which is a good way to stack rewards!)

What People Say About Pei

Overall, the Pei app seems to be receiving good reviews with an impressive 4.7 / 5 rating from 3,500 people on the Apple App Store. However, the actual reviews tell a deeper story about earning potential.

Some of the positive comments included in recent reviews:

‘Little to no effort to receive great benefits. I always cash out to BTC, so far that value has doubled since my last deposit from my Pei account cash back’
‘The app was not loading . . . they fixed it. My info saved and it works. Super easy app to use and doesn’t require a bunch of scanning receipts.’

Some negatives exist as well, mostly related to bugs. One user reported on the r/beermoney subreddit that Pei’s Cashback Boost was only earning them 0.1%, not 1%. A very helpful Pei Team redditor u/pei_tom stepped in to help. Other negative reviews from long time users tell us that Pei has lowered their bonuses over time and raised their withdrawal limit from $15 to $25. One user noted that the referral bonus was low, but still ended their review with:

“Overall though, this is my favorite rewards app. This is a “set it and forget it” type app, so you earn points without even trying. It is similar to earning points for cash back with a credit card company, and you’ll rack up money in no time.”

Pei Alternatives

If you’re just learning about cash back programs, compare Pei to the programs below or check out our guide on how to earn Bitcoin.

Fetch

Fetch is a cash back rewards app like Pei that offers greater earning potential on grocery purchases. The only drawback is you need to upload a picture of your receipt to Fetch every time you shop. Rewards are earned based on discounts that Fetch offers on any of the specific brands or items included on your receipt. As with Pei, there are also special bonus discount offers on some items and a friend referral program that enable you to earn extra points.

Fetch only offers gift card rewards, but you can cash out after accumulating just $3 in value. This is one of the lowest redemption levels for any shopping rewards program.

Ibotta

Ibotta is another of the popular shopping apps similar to Fetch, but it includes more types of retail partners. With Ibotta, you select items you plan to purchase from a list of discounted items and brands on the app before you shop. After you shop, you upload a photo of your receipt to earn rewards. Ibotta also offers cash back through online shopping with the Ibotta Chrome extension.

Once you’ve accumulated $20, you can cash out your reward to either a PayPal or Venmo account.

Lolli

Lolli is a cash back program like Pei with a vast list of more than 700 partners, many of which are also registered with Pei. A couple key differences with Lolli are:

Lolli can only be used for online purchases, not in-store ones.
Any payment method will still earn you rewards with Lolli.
Reward levels with Lolli are higher than those available with Pei.
Rewards from Lolli take longer to hit your account – up to 30 or even 90 days.
You automatically earn Bitcoin on your purchases with Lolli.

Once you accumulate $15 or more, you can withdraw Bitcoin from your Lolli account. Create a Lolli account here.

Stack More Savings

Most of us are always searching for ways to save money and increase our earnings. The Pei app and other similar programs give us a way to save a bit of money while we’re spending it as part of our daily routine, especially when you combine programs to ‘stack’ savings. Saving that money in fiat currencies like dollars is one way to do it, but cash is designed to lose value – so I’m glad Pei has an option to save Bitcoin, the hardest currency in the known universe.

You can also earn interest on your bitcoin by moving it to a platform like BlockFi. This can maximize your rewards on saved Bitcoin once you’ve stacked it via Pei or other online shopping apps.

Get $5 When You Start Using Pei

I hope this Pei app review helped you better understand how to get Bitcoin cash back for your shopping. To earn $5 when you start using Pei, use code gvh84e when creating your account. This also helps me earn $5 for referring you and providing you info on this app!

Get $5 with code: gvh84e

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Pei App Review | Earn Cash Back and Bitcoin In-Store

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