Have you ever picked up a passenger who asked for your recommendation for ‘the best’ or ‘your favorite’ [X type of food]? It’s a pretty common request of rideshare drivers, especially if you live in a popular destination. What if you could earn money from your restaurant recommendations?
With Seated, you can. RSG contributor Chonce Maddox Rhea shares her Seated app review for dining rewards below. Plus, we show you how to use this app to make money while driving for Uber and Lyft.
- Quick link: Sign up and get started with Seated here!
What is Seated?
It’s no secret that people love to dine out. Whether you live in a tourist area or not, people are going to be going to restaurants often. As a rideshare driver, you may already recommend certain restaurants and entertainment spots in your area to customers.
With apps like Seated, you can actually get paid to do this.
Here on the Rideshare Guy, we are all about helping drivers take advantage of the best tips and strategies to maximize income and Seated seems like a solid app for Uber and Lyft drivers to try.
In this Seated app review, we’ll go over everything from how the app works to how you can present it to your passengers and earn some passive referral income.
How The Seated App Works: Reviewed
Seated is an app that we reviewed that rewards you for dining out at local restaurants. Right now, Seated is only available in select cities like Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston. However, we’re hoping the app has plans to expand to other cities soon.
Using the app is simple. You just download it in the Apple or Google Play store. Next, choose your city, then you can start seeing restaurant offers.
Another option would be to use the ‘Explore’ tab to get a better idea of what nearby offers are available to you at the time.
You can use the ‘walk-in’’ option when you’re on the go and need to find a nearby restaurant to dine at. Or, plan in advance by making a reservation.
Just choose the day, time, and how many people will need to be seated. Then, you’ll see all the restaurant rewards available at that time.
As you can see, this restaurant that I found on the app offers a 21% reward of whatever you spend on food.
Once you’ve selected your restaurant, whether it’s a reservation or a walk-in, you’ll confirm it on the app. Make sure to hold onto your receipt after your meal!
Upload a photo of your receipt to the app and earn rewards. The rewards you earn can be used in the Seated store to redeem with their partners like Amazon, Starbucks, Nike, Target, and more.
What’s interesting is that Uber and Lyft are also included in Seated’s redeemable partners.
This means your passengers can use the app to earn free or discounted rides!
How Can Uber and Lyft Drivers Make Money by Promoting Seated to Passengers?
Seated is an easy app to promote to your rideshare passengers. People love dining out, so whether someone is looking for the best restaurant as a tourist, or just a quick bite to eat, this app can save them money.
Restaurants on Seated allow users to earn 15% – 25% cashback on their bill, which basically refunds the tip so that money can be redeemed for other rewards and purchases.
During our Seated app review, we learned that you can make money by promoting the app to your rideshare passengers because the app gives you money when you refer someone, so it’s a win-win scenario for everyone. Just click on the gift box icon in the upper left corner in the app and you’ll be able to get your referral code.
Seated gives you $20 for each person you refer, and they get a $5 in rewards to start them off. Expect to earn your referral bonus within 24 hours of the person signing up and submitting their first receipt through the app.
If you refer 5 people to sign up, you’ll unlock partner status and 5% of what Seated earns for all of your future referee’s reservations.
So if you refer 5 people, you’ll get $100 plus 5% of Seated’s earnings all future bookings through the app for each person. As you can see, your earnings can really add up. In addition, bonus rewards through referrals don’t expire so long as your account is active.
What Restaurants Are Available on Seated?
During our Seated review, we found that the app offers a wide variety of restaurants ranging from all different types of cuisine. You can only use Seated for sit down meals at restaurants so be sure to let your passengers know that they can’t be rewarded for any takeout orders at the restaurant.
It’s best to use the app to browse restaurants in your area so you can get familiar with what is available and make recommendations to passengers.
Make sure to sign up for Seated so you can recommend restaurants you know are on Seated’s list!
The app also categorizes the restaurants based on the type of food, so this can be helpful for anyone looking for a specific type of cuisine.
Pros and Cons of Promoting the Seated App to Your Passengers
As with all apps and programs, there are some key pros and cons to consider. We always want you to be confident in your decision to use (or not use) an app, so be sure to carefully weigh these pros and cons when deciding if Seated could be right for you. In our Seated app review, we found a few pros and cons:
Pros
- Seated is easy to promote. People love to dine at restaurants and earn free stuff. You can quickly give your code to passengers or stick it in your car so they can see it and download the app.
- Earn 2 types of referral credit. Seated offers a generous $20 per referral plus 5% of each of their rewards per restaurant visit once you refer 5 people. Whether you drive for Uber or Lyft part-time or full time, it probably won’t take long to refer 5 passengers and unlock the added referral bonuses.
- Unlimited Referrals. I read Seated’s Terms of Use in full detail and it seems that there are no referral caps so you can refer as many people as you’d like. As a rideshare driver, you’re always meeting people, so promoting the Seated app can be a quick and easy way to earn more money consistently.
Cons
- Not available everywhere. It’s unfortunate that Seated is not available in all cities at this time, but hopefully this will change soon.
- Bonus rewards expire if you stop using the app. The referral bonuses you earn with Seated won’t ever expire so long as you use the app. If you don’t use the app for one year, you’ll lose your rewards. I’m not sure if this is their way of saying that you must use Seated at least once per year to dine at a restaurant, but it sounds like it.
Overall Impressions of the Seated App
I’m glad I reviewed the Seated app, because if there’s one thing people are always looking to do, it’s saving or making money. Seated is a game-changer in terms of the rewards they offer users and the perks of their referral program.
While it’s true that we can’t control some of the changes that Uber and Lyft are making and how they affect drivers’ earnings, adding apps like Seated to your rideshare strategy can make all the difference when you’re looking to boost your income.
Sign up for Seated today to start using your referral code.
Is Seated available in your city? Have you tried it? What is your Seated review? If you haven’t used it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments below.
-Chonce @ RSG
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