Promo: If you’re new to InKind, follow this link to get $25 off your first dining experience of $50+
I’ve written in the past about InKind, my favorite dining rewards app. InKind currently has an improved refer a friend bonus — while this was supposed to expire shortly, the offer has just been extended by a couple of weeks, so I’d like to cover those details.
In this post:
InKind’s generous refer a friend bonus offer
InKind has a generous refer a friend program. Ordinarily, when you refer a friend to InKind and they complete their first dining purchase of $50+ (before tax, tip, etc.), you each get a $25 bonus to use toward a future dining experience.
We’re currently seeing a limited time offer available, at least through some accounts. Through February 15, 2026, the person referring another person to InKind gets $50 for the referral, while the person being referred still gets $25. So of course this improved offer benefits the person referring more than the person being referred. However:
- The $25 bonus for the person being referred is as good as offers with the program get
- Once you’re referred, you can also start referring others, and be rewarded in that way
You can find my refer a friend link here, and others are welcome to leave their link in the comments section as well.
Why I love the InKind dining app
There are many dining rewards apps out there, though I’d argue that InKind is in a league of its own when it comes to the quality of restaurants, plus the level of rewards offered.
The major downside to InKind is that the network of restaurants isn’t that huge, at least outside of major cities. In total, InKind has over 3,750 participating restaurants around the United States, with many being in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, etc.
InKind offers a flat 20% back in rewards on all dining spending. It’s not like other apps, in the sense that it doesn’t matter when you dine or how you make a reservation. You just trigger the rewards by paying through the app while at the restaurant, and it couldn’t be easier.
InKind also often sells credits at a huge discount, so you can legit score massive discounts on great restaurants. Living in Miami, some of the restaurants I most frequent belong to InKind — Chug’s, Michael’s Genuine, Otto & Pepe, etc.
If you dine out and live in a city that has InKind, you’re missing out by not joining. It’s funny, I often have friends who are hesitant or put off joining, and then when they finally do join, they can’t stop telling me how much they love it, and how they can’t believe they took so long to sign-up. For more details, see my guide to the InKind dining app.
Bottom line
InKind is an awesome dining rewards app that I use constantly. If you’re considering referring friends, it appears that through February 15, 2026, InKind is offering double the rewards. Ordinarily, when you refer someone and they make a $50 purchase, you each receive a $25 reward. With this offer, the person referring gets $50, while the person being referred gets $25.
You can find my refer a friend link here, and others are welcome to leave their link in the comments section.
So i looked into exactly how inkind makes money since i kept seeing them pop up.
What it is:
It sounds like inkind is primarily a bank where they provide financign to restaurants. They basically buy dining credit at a discount, then in turn sell this to us (also at a discount).
You as the consumer then use the credit by going to a restaurant and paying the bill with the app...
So i looked into exactly how inkind makes money since i kept seeing them pop up.
What it is:
It sounds like inkind is primarily a bank where they provide financign to restaurants. They basically buy dining credit at a discount, then in turn sell this to us (also at a discount).
You as the consumer then use the credit by going to a restaurant and paying the bill with the app rather than with a credit card. I think 95% of my servers knew what it was and it make it pretty seemless, the other 5% they had to call over another waiter which usually knew how it worked.
Why restaurants are on it:
Restaurants get an upfront chunk of cash from inKind, and instead of paying it back like a normal loan, they accept inKind credit as people come in and eat. It helps with cash flow and brings in customers who already have money committed to dining there.
How inKind makes money:
From what I can tell, it’s a mix of:
Not paying restaurants the full face value of promo credit
The financing structure of giving cash upfront and getting paid back over time
Some credit never getting used (same as gift cards)
So it’s more of a financing + customer acquisition thing, not a delivery app taking big cuts.
I will say though, it is pretty location dependent on how many restaurnats will actually be in your area so you should prob look it up on their site before sigining up. In seattle there's a good amount which is why it makes sense for me
If anyone wants to try it, I’ve got a referral link that usually comes with extra credit. Thanks and much appreciated if you use my link!:
https://app.inkind.com/refer/GSJ99RJ4
also costco has some gift cards right now so if you stack that on top of the promos, it becomes pretty cheap!
https://app.inkind.com/refer/RU1OWLG8
Much appreciated if you use our link below! Join inKind and you'll get $25 to spend at amazing restaurants!
https://app.inkind.com/refer/U8EM1GXD
If you're a Costco member, you can buy InKind credit for a discount. $65 for $100 in credit right now through Feb 22.
https://www.costco.com/p/-/inkind-one-egift-card-thousands-of-restaurants-100-value/4000233859?langId=-1
The discounted credit can also be stacked with this $25 off $50 referral offer, that means you'll get $90 off in total! Thanks in advance if you use my link: https://app.inkind.com/refer/SMASJTJZ
If you're a Costco member, you can buy InKind credit for a discount. $65 for $100 in credit right now through Feb 22.
https://www.costco.com/p/-/inkind-one-egift-card-thousands-of-restaurants-100-value/4000233859?langId=-1
The discounted credit can also be stacked with this $25 off $50 referral offer, that means you'll get $90 off in total! Thanks in advance if you use my link: https://app.inkind.com/refer/SMASJTJZ
President Trump enjoys using this app.
Thank you, Ben.
https://app.inkind.com/refer/Y30MVEPD
https://app.inkind.com/refer/VY8LD1JP
https://app.inkind.com/refer/UMIRNUNY
InKind has been great. It takes the recent hefty dining price increases and brings the cost of dining out back to a more reasonable level. Seems like a win-win for restaurants and customers so worth a try at least once. Thanks if you use my referral link below. And Thanks Lucky for letting us post them here. Bon Appetit!!
https://app.inkind.com/refer/K8OO5NZF
Hey! Join inKind and you'll get $25 to spend at amazing restaurants! https://app.inkind.com/refer/XREZAVBT
Buy InKind credit from Costco for a discount. $65 for $100 in credit right now through Feb 22.
https://www.costco.com/p/-/inkind-one-egift-card-thousands-of-restaurants-100-value/4000233859?langId=-1
The discounted credit can be stacked with this $25 off $50 referral offer. Thanks in advance if you use my link: https://app.inkind.com/refer/Y63PURGE
After referring, hpw long does the friend have to dine?
Unless something changed, thought it was 30 days, though I can't seem to find that anywhere now.
Yeah, wait till you hear Citi’s considering adding $51 to the annual fee to the AA business card, and the key new benefit is $100 InKind dining credit… you know, more expiring coupons. Folks just freaking *LOVE* that… NOT.
https://app.inkind.com/refer/WJTVAXD2