If you love dining out or ordering in, let me tell you about an app that could add a little extra to your experience. It’s an app called Seated, and it’s all about rewarding you for enjoying your favorite meals.

Now, before you get too excited, it’s important to research and see if it’s a good fit for you. I will help you figure that out, as I always do with my reviews.

Seated isn’t just any app, either.

It partners with restaurants to offer you rewards for making reservations or ordering food. The catch is, however, it’s not everywhere yet. So, it’s only best for those who live in cities where Seated operates and who often visit or order from its partner restaurants.  As I write this, there aren’t many options, at least yet.

How Seated Works

This app isn’t just throwing rewards at you for showing up to a restaurant.  Instead, it has a system.

By using Seated to book a table or get your food delivered, you earn rewards. These can be pretty great, considering they come from doing something you would probably do anyway. But, the big question is, is it really worth your time?

To decide, we need to dive a bit deeper into how Seated works. It’s all about making those reservations or food orders through the app. When you do, Seated thanks you with rewards. This could be awesome for regular diners who like trying new spots or have a few favorites they keep going back to.

I took a good look at Seated to see what it brings to the table compared to other apps that promise easy rewards. It’s 100% legit. You actually get rewards for using it, which is a great plus. But the real deal is understanding whether those rewards are worth the switch or if they’re just a nice extra perk.

First, let’s talk about the rewards…

Earning Rewards

First off, earning rewards with Seated is straightforward.

Once you download the app and you’re logged in, it will show you a bunch of restaurants nearby that are in on the rewards game. To start earning the rewards mentioned, you will need to book a table or order food for takeout or delivery directly through Seated.  After you have enjoyed your meal, you just snap a picture of the receipt, upload it via the app, and bam, you’ve earned your reward.

How to book and earn

Picking a restaurant and a time slot is easy.

The app lays out all the options for you, and most of the time, the reward you will get is the same no matter when you book. However, keep an eye out because some places might offer a little extra depending on the timing. Once you have made your choice, just show up, dine, and remember to keep that receipt just in case.

If you’re more of a spur-of-the-moment person, some restaurants offer rewards for just walking in. Order, enjoy your meal, and follow the same steps with the receipt to claim your reward.

And if you’re leaning toward takeout, that’s covered too. Place your order directly with the restaurant (not through other delivery apps, though, as they are not part of the deal), pick up your food, and don’t forget to take a photo of that receipt.  However, a new feature allows you to directly link your credit card so that you don’t need your receipt anymore.  As long as you pay with that card, you can bypass the picture taking.

When taking a picture, the clarity of your receipt photo matters. Make sure it’s not blurry and that it shows all the important parts, such as what you ordered, along with the time and date. A fuzzy photo means no rewards.  Again, if you do use a linked card, you won’t have to worry about doing this.  When the transaction is confirmed, your reward will become available in the app.

How Much Can You Make?

That depends a lot on where you live and how often you find yourself at restaurants partnered with Seated.

Generally, you’re looking at getting back around 5% to 20% of what you spend.  While that might sound pretty good, there’s a catch. A lot of the restaurants on Seated tend to be on the higher end of the price spectrum. If you’re watching your budget, this might limit your options and, by extension, how much you can earn through the app.

Do keep in mind that your rewards expire after 90 days of inactivity.  If you earn anything, make sure you redeem them whenever you can.

Getting Paid

Now, you might be wondering how you can use those rewards.

It’s important to know that Seated takes a different path from straight-up cash payouts. Instead, they are all about gift cards.

Once you have at least $5 in rewards, you can pick out a gift card from some pretty big names such as Amazon and Walmart. You are able to redeem these in $5 chunks.  You can choose from more than 25+ gift card options, and I’m sure there is something for you to consider.

While the gift card option is great for some, not being able to turn your rewards into cash could be a downside for others. Especially if you’re looking to put some money back in your pocket directly after you’ve spent it dining out.

Joining if Interested

If you’re thinking about giving Seated a try, there are a few things you should know about getting started.

First off, as noted, Seated isn’t available everywhere just yet. As I write this, it is available in big cities like New York, Dallas, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, and Philadelphia. They are planning to expand to more places down the line, so keep an eye out if your city isn’t on the list yet.  There’s no guarantee, however.  Right now, if you’re in one of those cities, you can expect hundreds of participating restaurants.

To sign up, the first thing you will need to do is download the Seated app.

Once you download it, opening the app for the first time kicks off the sign-up process. It’s pretty straightforward – you can sign up using your Google or Facebook account, which makes things quick and easy. However, you’re not quite done yet because Seated wants to make sure it’s really you. They do ask for your mobile number and send you a code. Punch that code into the app, and you’re all set to start exploring what Seated has to offer.

After you’re officially a member, you can start booking tables, ordering takeout, and earning the rewards as mentioned.

The Pros

• Opportunity to Earn Rewards: Users can earn rewards for dining out.

The Cons

• Account Deactivation for Inactivity: Accounts may be deactivated and rewards lost if not used within a specified period.
• Lack of Notification for Policy Changes: Users report not being informed about important changes, such as the expiration of rewards.
• Reduced Restaurant Options: The number of participating restaurants has decreased over time.
• Blackout Times: Restrictions on making walk-in reservations during peak hours.
• Privacy Concerns: Submitting receipts exposes personal dining and payment information.
• Poor Customer Service Response: Customer service may not effectively address users’ concerns or rectify issues.

Final Thoughts

In my eyes, Seated is definitely worth a shot if you’re in the right place and you like dining out at its partner restaurants. It’s a nice way to get a little extra from your meals. But if your favorite spots aren’t on there, or if you’re all about that cash back, you might want to look into other apps that can put some money back in your pocket.

However, there are a couple of things you might want to think about. For starters, you won’t be getting any cash rewards from it, just gift cards. And if you’re not in one of the cities where Seated is available, then you’re out of luck.

On the bright side, however, Seated is super user-friendly. Even if you’re not tech-savvy, you should find your way around it in no time. And you don’t have to wait forever to start enjoying your rewards, which is a big plus.