Update: They offer 20% back on Fridays (7/17, 7/24 and 7/31). It looks like you just have to activate on Friday and then have 7 days to claim.
Valid only on Fridays from July 10 to July 31, 2026 for participating businesses. Offer must be activated by 23:59 local time on an eligible Friday during the offer window and used within 7 days of activation. Refunds are limited to $10 per eligible transaction and will be issued within 10 business days of the transaction date
(Editor’s note: the following is a guest post from reader Vince)
I discovered this app a few weeks ago and have fallen in love with it. It’s by no means sustainable as a business model, but for now it’s ridiculously generous and free money to eat out at restaurants.
Franki Restaurant application
Direct link to the Franki app (but you’ll want to sign up with a referral link for the extra bonus, we’ve included Vince’s referral link below)
Basically, Fanki is like a Yelp + Instagram data aggregator + payment processor that is giving me 5% to 20% cash back at some restaurants.
Link your credit card to the app through Plaid in the app. AmEx, Visa, Mastercard all work. Then, use the linked card to pay at the restaurant.
When you open the app, you can search by what’s nearby using the map feature to find restaurants that are close to you. This will also show any restaurants that offer increased percentages back. Most offers are for 5%, and 20% is the highest I’ve seen. For perspective, within walking distance of my house, I can see 37 restaurants on the app that tip 5%, one that tips 10%, and two that tip 20%.
The real pro tip is to search for a well-known restaurant by name as even more restaurants seem to pop up there that aren’t on the map screen.
You must first link a card to see the offers available at nearby restaurants. Once you find a restaurant, tap the Get Cashback button. Then pay with the linked credit card and you’re done.
Qualified restaurants
If you’ve used Rakuten before, it’s almost exactly the same. EXCEPT unlike Rakuten: Almost. Any. Single. The local restaurant is here (at least in the Los Angeles area).
AND it also stacks with Rakuten.
Currently the app only works in the United States and of course tends to favor larger cities. I’ve heard from friends who use it in Denver, Tampa, Phoenix, and multiple cities in Texas that there are an insane amount of restaurants that it works at. According to the company they are constantly adding more cities and restaurants.
It’s clear they’re just using VC money to afford all of this, so make hay while the sun is shining.
What is NOT here currently are massive fast food restaurants like Starbucks or Wendy’s. No fast casual here like Chipotle. That said, they seem to be adding more mid-sized chains (BJ’s Brewery seems to have been added to Frank’s in my neighborhood as of last weekend) so YMMV.
Additional notes
- Refunds take about a week to go into your Franki account and then withdraw to your linked debit account (again via Plaid). No minimum is required as of now.
- There is also a leveling system, that as you level up, they drop $ when you level past a certain point, which you do by visiting places and leaving reviews, watching videos, etc. At the highest levels (9 and up) you become a Franki Insider and start getting paid $10 per video you post to places.
- For the most part, there doesn’t seem to be a cap on cash for each restaurant. My $600 anniversary dinner paid for earned 5% on the entire purchase.
- As mentioned, the Franki app also bundles with Rakuten; my breakfast yesterday got me back 5% on Rakuten + 10% on Franki.
Referral program
Referral bonus details can be found here.
Anyone who signs up using a referral link gets a special 10% cash back rate (up to 20%) on all purchases at qualifying restaurants for a month. After the first month, it goes down to the regular 5% (up to 20%).
The new member will also get $2 for signing up. And, if you’re located in California, Texas, and Illinois, then you’ll also get $10 off after you make your first purchase.
The referrer also gets a $2/$10 bonus. You can find your referral link in the cash tab in the app.
Our verdict
Like I said: by no means is this sustainable, but take advantage while you can. Your mileage may vary for restaurants where you live.
Here is my referral link, thanks for using: https://frankiapp.com/
(Editor’s note: thanks Vince for doing this write-up. Feel free to discuss the Franki app in the comments below. You can also leave your Franki referral links in the comments below, but do so in a separate comment with no additional words in the comments other than the referral link. Comments that do not match will be sent to spam.)
