Last updated on February 3rd, 2025 at 09:49 am
Raise (formerly Slide) is a free payment app that allows you to earn cash back on purchases made at the more than 150 top retailers featured in the app. Cash back percentages vary by retailer but typically range from 0.5% to 8%, with periodic brand-specific “boosts” lifting cash back percentages to 10%, 15% or higher.
To see the list of the brands, stores and retailers that have partnered with Raise, click on the ‘Shop’ tab at the bottom lefthand corner of the app.
Note: Prior to mid-November 2023, the Raise payment app was known as Slide.
Raise also operates a gift card exchange where users can: buy gift cards at a discount; earn Raise gift card exchange (GCX) cash on full-priced gift card purchases; and sell unwanted gift cards and receive payment via direct deposit or PayPal.
Yes. Raise is a legitimate payment app that rewards users with cash back by making purchases at participating retailers.
As of January 2025, Raise has a 4.4 out of 5 star rating in Apple’s App store. Notably, it has a much lower 2.9 out of 5 rating at Google Play.
Raise can be used in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with the latter two territories added in November 2024.
1. Begin by entering your payment information into the Raise app. Use the ‘Wallet Tab’ and select ‘payment methods’ to enter one or more credit or debit cards. Alternatively, PayPal or Apple Pay can also be used to pay for purchases made using Raise.
2. Shop at a participating merchant, either in-person or online.
3. Select the retailer where you are shopping and enter the total amount of your purchase, including taxes and/or tip. Generally, the payment amount must fall within a certain range, say, between $5.00 and $500.00 or $10.00 and $1,000.00. The range of possible payment amounts varies by individual retailer.
4. Hit ‘Continue’ and review your payment method, then Click ‘Confirm Purchase.’
5. As soon as you hit ‘Confirm Purchase’ your payment method will be charged for the amount entered, and cash back is immediately earned on your purchase and placed into your Raise cash account.
6. Scan the Raise gift card barcode at checkout or present it to the cashier for scanning. If a barcode scanner is not available, you or the cashier can key in the gift card serial number and 4-digit PIN number (if any) to complete your purchase. When shopping online or placing an order in a retailer’s app, it’s the same process. At checkout, simply enter the gift card serial number and 4-digit PIN number (if any) to complete the purchase.
Note: You don’t necessarily have to create your gift card at the time of sale. For example, you can create your Raise gift card in advance and then use it later. But Raise is designed to function as an exact change gift card, so it makes the most sense to create your gift card and use the entire balance in a single transaction.
7. Your Raise cash balance is found in the ‘Wallet’ tab and shows you your current balance, as well as your lifetime earnings.
8. Raise cash back can be used for any gift card purchase. In other words, you can make purchases using the cash back you have earned by using Raise.
You can enter credit card(s), debit card(s), PayPal, Apple Pay and select cryptocurrencies as payment methods in Raise. If you have entered multiple payment methods you select one at time of purchase.
An in-app integration with Wallet Connect allows Raise to support several different digital wallets, including Coinbase. The Raise app currently accepts USDC, USDT, DOT, BTC and SOL as payment for any gift card.
Note: From the retailer’s perspective you are paying with a gift card, but you are paying for that “gift card” with a card, PayPal, Apple Pay or a cryptocurrency.
Reward Yourself With Our Free Newsletter!
Sign up for the All Good Points newsletter and get the latest money making tips straight to your inbox. We won’t sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time!
No. It should not interfere with or preclude earning credit card rewards or rewards from the retailer. In other words, if your credit card offers 1% cash back on purchases and you earn 3% cash back by using that credit card to pay with Raise, you should earn both the 1% cash back and 3% cash back on your purchase, not to mention any reward points, miles or cash back offered by the retailer.
You can review your Raise gift card history by clicking either the ‘Activity’ or ‘Wallet’ tabs in the app. Click on each individual gift card to review the gift card details and transaction history.
Some retailer gift card transaction receipts include functionality that allows you to check your remaining balance, edit the remaining balance (for your own reference only), and mark a gift card as having been spent. But Raise is best utilized as an exact change gift card, where the entire balance of the gift card is used in a single transaction.
Yes. The minimum purchase amount starts at $5 and varies by retailer.
Using Raise, one cannot purchase a single gift card worth more than $2,000.
A user can spend up to $10,000 per day using Raise.
Your purchase amount must be greater than or equal to $25 when redeeming promotional credit in the Raise app.
Reward Yourself With Our Free Newsletter!
Sign up for the All Good Points newsletter and get the latest money making tips straight to your inbox. We won’t sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time!
It’s a continuously evolving list, but at the moment Raise works with a diverse array of stores and retailers including:
– Apparel brands like Banana Republic, Eddie Bauer, GAP, L.L. Bean and Lands’ End
– Automotive retailers like AutoZone and Jiffy Lube
– Baby and Kids’ stores like babyGap, Carter’s and OshKosh B’gosh
– Beauty brands like Bath & Body Works and ULTA.
– Dining options like Blimpie, Burger King, Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, Jersey Mikes, Five Guys, Longhorn Steakhouse, Outback Steakhouse and Panera Bread
– Entertainment options like AMC Theatres, Sling TV and YouTube TV.
– Grocery stores like Albertsons, Kroger and Ralphs
– Home improvement stores like Ace Hardware, Lowes and Big Lots
– Pet stores like Petco and PetSmart
– Shoes brands like Adidas and Puma, and shoe stores likes DSW
– Sports and outdoor sports brands like Academy Sports & Outdoors and REI, plus NFL Shop, NHL Shop, NBA Store and the MLB.com Shop.
Yes. The process is much the same as when using the Raise app in a brick & mortar store.
1. Begin by entering your payment information into the Raise app. Use the ‘Wallet Tab’ and select ‘payment methods’ to enter one or more credit or debit cards. Alternatively, PayPal or Apple Pay can also be used to pay for purchases made using Raise.
2. Shop at the online store (or app) of a participating merchant.
3. Select the retailer where you are shopping and enter the total amount of your purchase, including tax. Generally, the payment amount must fall within a certain range, say, between $5.00 and $500.00 or $10.00 and $1,000.00. The range of possible payment amounts vary by individual retailer.
4. Hit ‘Continue’ and review your payment method, then Click ‘Confirm Purchase.’
5. As soon as you hit ‘Confirm Purchase’ your payment method will be charged for the amount entered, and cash back is immediately earned and placed into your Raise cash account.
6. Copy the Raise the gift card serial number (and 4-digit PIN number, if any) and paste that number within the merchant’s gift card field to complete the purchase.
Note: You don’t necessarily have to create your gift card at the time of sale. For example, you can create your Raise gift card in advance and then use it later.
7. Your Raise cash balance is found in the ‘Wallet’ tab and shows you your current balance, as well as your lifetime earnings.
Just about everything. In our opinion, Raise is an underappreciated payment app, and one that ought to have a far larger user base than 6 million-plus individuals. Consider making Raise your first-choice way to pay at all the brands that partner with the app, and especially when booking travel.
For example: At the time of this writing, you can earn 9% cash back on purchases with Royal Caribbean when paying with Raise. That’s $135 cash back—instantly—on a $1,500 purchase, and that’s before any other applicable rewards (cash back, points, miles, etc.) come into play.
The only drawback to Raise is that if there isn’t a barcode scanner at the point of sale, the 16-digit gift card number and four-digit PIN code need to be inputted manually. In most cases, that requires the cashier to input those numbers into their point-of-sale system, which can be a hassle and not worth the effort if it’s a small purchase.
On the other hand, if you’re buying a $1,500 appliance at Lowe’s and getting an instant 3% cash back by paying with Raise, it’s worth asking the cashier to input those numbers to get $45 cash back.
Yes. According to the Help page at Raise.com, Raise earnings expire two (2) years after they are earned.
Yes. When you sign up for an account with Raise you get a unique referral link that you can share with friends via text or email.
As of this writing, the first time a friend uses Raise to make a purchase of $25 or more, they get a $10 credit towards their first purchase and you earn $10 Raise cash.
Reward Yourself With Our Free Newsletter!
Sign up for the All Good Points newsletter and get the latest money making tips straight to your inbox. We won’t sell your information and you can unsubscribe at any time!
