Seated App Review: Get Up To 30% Cash Back at Restaurants

Seated App $10 Sign Up Bonus Promotion

🔥 Special Offer	$10 Sign Up Bonus
💵 Use Promo Code	PILAR33
👱‍♂️ Eligibility	New Users
⏰ Promo Expires	December 31st, 2024

If you love to dine out, then the Seated app may become your new best friend. That’s because this restaurant rewards app will pay you up to 30% cash back at some of the top restaurants around town. It almost sounds too good to be true. 

So I decided to test out the app and see if I could actually get paid to eat at a Boston restaurant. In this Seated app review, I’ll share with you how much I got paid, and how I was able to double dip and earn more cash back rewards.

What is Seated?

Seated is a restaurant rewards app that launched in select cities in 2017. The app rewards diners with credits that can be used for free gift cards for dining at participating restaurants. These cash back reward credits can be redeemed for $10 – $100 gift cards at Amazon, AirBnB, Sephora, Delta Airlines, Nordstrom, LuLulemon and more.

Before you get too excited about using the Seated app, you should first know that it’s currently only available in a handful of select U.S. cities.

Seated app cities include: Boston, NYC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. 

The company website does state that they’ll soon be adding many more cities to that list. So that’s welcomed news for those interested in trying the app in their own city. It’s also good to note that Seated recently raised $30 million dollars in funding to help with their expansion efforts. In due time I’m sure they’ll be available in plenty more locations around the U.S.

Seated App – How It Works

As a first time user, Seated will give you a generous sign up bonus between $10 – $40 depending on the current promotion, and when you use a promo code. You can use my promo code Pilar33 to earn your welcome bonus rewards.

The bonus amount will be applied when you upload your first restaurant receipt and can be redeemed for free gift cards.

Below are the steps to get started using the app.

Download the Seated App

First, you’ll want to download the free app here and enter your name, email, and phone number.

Enter Seated Promo Code

Next, enter the promo code Pilar33 to receive your sign up bonus reward of between $10 – $40.

Find a Restaurant

From there, you can search for a restaurant within the app and select from available options such as:

Walk In Now

On some occasions, the ‘Walk In Now’ option will appear next to restaurants. This option is just how it sounds. You tap on the option, show up NOW to the restaurant, and get seated for your meal. This is not a reservation. Instead, you’ll be able to earn rewards if there is a table available during the allotted ‘walk in’ time frame.

Dine In

When you tap on the ‘Dine In’ option next to a restaurant, it will request a reservation to book a table on your behalf. The Seated app will automatically send your information to the restaurant. Show up, check in with the host and dine in to earn rewards.

Delivery (Discontinued Option)

For the Delivery option you’ll earn up to 20% in Seated Rewards, plus you’ll help restaurants avoid high fees from ordering apps. Simply tap on the ‘Delivery’ button to start an online order. You’ll be directed to the restaurant’s preferred ordering platform to complete an order.  Submit your receipt to earn your rewards.

PickUp (Discontinued Option)

Pickup is pretty much the same as the delivery option. You’ll earn slightly less cash back rewards than if you were to dine in at a restaurant, but you’ll still earn. This option under the Seated at Home moniker will direct you to the company’s ordering portal to complete your order. Once again, submit your receipt to Seated to earn your rewards.

Submit Your Receipt

Once you have your receipt, upload it to the app using either the ‘Bookings’ tab or the ‘Orders’ tab. For Dine In and Walk Ins, it’s the bookings tab. For Delivery and Pickup, look under the orders tab to submit your receipt.

In order for your receipt to be accepted it must include:

• Name of Restaurant

• Total Price

• Time and Date

Approved receipts will be given rewards based on the total amount, pre-taxes and tip.

Get Rewards

Once you’ve dined at one of the participating restaurants, submitted your receipt, and received approval for it, you’ll be given the allotted rewards amount. The cash back amount can then be redeemed for gift cards in the Seated app store.

Some of the gift cards available in the Seated app store include:

AMC	Bath & Body Works
Barnes & Noble	Adidas
Wayfair	Nordstrom
Crate&Barrel	StubHub
CB2	Macy’s
Uber	Dunkin
TJ Maxx	REI
Sephora	Starbucks
AirBnB	Amazon
Target	and more!

You’ll be able to check your balance and see redeemed gift cards under your Account > Purchases tab.

Seated App Review – My Experience

So how well, or not so well did Seated work in Boston? 

Below is my Seated app review that dishes on the good and the bad of this restaurant rewards booking app.

Seated App Boston Review

As a frequent diner in my hometown of Boston, Massachusetts, I decided to give the app a try the day after Christmas. On this day, I took my mom and uncle to shop the sales circuit and dine out. In total, we were looking to reserve a table for 3 people.

Prior to heading out, I opened the app to see what types of restaurants were available for dine in options. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the best reviewed Boston restaurants on the list. 

By the same token, there were also a handful of restaurants I had never heard of before. But just from the pictures and reviews, they seemed worth trying at some point later on.

Seated App Boston Restaurants

To give you an idea of the caliber of restaurants you’ll see on the Seated app, here’s a quick list of some Boston restaurants where you can earn Seated rewards.

Still Water	Trattoria Il Panino
L’Osteria Boston	Strega
Pho Le Restaurant	Joia Restaurant
Society on High	Back Deck
Tip Tap Room	Waterline
Stillwater	Fuji at Ink Block
Bar a vin 1855	Rosa Mexicano
Bulfinch Social	Bar Moxy
Democracy Brewing	Alma Gaucha
Oliveira’s Steak House	LoLa Burger
Q Restaurant	Assaggio
Porters Bar and Grill	Siam Ginger
Mela Indian Restaurant	Anoush’ella
Shun’s Kitchen	Cesaria
Local 149	Shy Bird
Row 34	Mare Oyster Bar
Servia	City Winery – Boston
Symphony Sushi	The Industry
Wagamama Prudential	The Banks Fish House
Peregrine	Bar 10

Here’s the full list of over 200+ Seated Boston Restaurants where you can earn rewards.

Where We Earned Seated Rewards in Boston

Despite the plethora of amazing restaurants on the list, we decided to eat at a Seated Boston restaurant closest to us. Quite frankly, it was wicked cold out the day after Christmas, and we had parked the car a ways out. Since we were shopping in the Copley area and were closest to the new Hancock building, we decided to eat at Fire + Ice Boston.

Even though the restaurant has average reviews on Yelp and is far from fancy, it just so happens to be one of my mom’s favorite restaurants. So why disappoint her right?

I chose the ‘Walk In’ option and with a simple tap of a button, we were ready for our first Seated experience. It was 1:55pm when I tapped on this option, and according to the app, we had a time frame from NOW until 3:45 to dine at Fire + Ice to qualify for the reward.

Luckily for us, this particular restaurant was showing a 29% cash back reward, which in my opinion is a pretty awesome deal. We walked in and were immediately seated. I did not give them my name nor inform them that I had booked a ‘Walk In’ on the Seated app. For Seated ‘dine in’ reservations, I do believe you have to give them this information so they can properly check you in.

The restaurant itself was pretty empty at the time we walked in. Though by the time we left, the early dinner crowd had arrived and the place was filling up quickly. I checked the app to see if the Seated Rewards had changed since the restaurant was now busier, but it hadn’t. The 29% rewards still applied for Walk-in’s starting after 4pm.

Uploading My Restaurant Receipt to Seated App

After we finished eating and paid the tab, it was time to upload the receipt to Seated. The process was fairly simple. Under my ‘Bookings’ tab was my Fire + Ice ‘Walk in’ reservation with an accompanying ‘Upload Receipt’ button. 

I submitted the receipt and was prompted to answer a couple of quick questions in the process. One question asked whether I had decided to dine at the restaurant due to Seated, or whether I had already planned to dine there. Another question asked to rate my dine in experience at Fire + Ice between 1 – 5 stars.

Also, it’s good to mention that if you’re dining out with friends and decide to split the bill, you can still upload the entire table’s receipt and get rewarded on the full tab! That of course is assuming other people in the group don’t use Seated and won’t be uploading the receipt themselves. This means you can actually earn rewards on your friends’ tabs too. I found that to be pretty neat. 

In my case, I was treating my mom and uncle to a late lunch. So I paid for the tab in full.      

How Long It Took to Receive My Seated Rewards

About 20 minutes after uploading my restaurant receipt, Seated had approved my receipt and given me my rewards. That was mighty fast to say the least! I was not expecting them to approve it so quickly, so needless to say, I was impressed by their speedy rewards process.

For my first Seated Rewards, I received $22 for dining at Fire + Ice Boston plus a $15 welcome bonus, which was the current promotion at the time of sign up (it’s changed since then). This brought my total cash back rewards amount to $37!

For a bill that totaled $76 before taxes and tip, that was a nice amount to receive back. The added welcome bonus was the cherry on top, and is why I would recommend signing up with a promo code. 

Feel free to use my promo code Pilar33 to receive your welcome bonus. I’ll also receive a small reward so it’s truly a win-win situation!

From here, I can decide to use my rewards now, or just wait to accumulate more rewards for a bigger cash out.

I plan to use the Seated app more often after this first experience, so I’ll wait to cash out on my rewards for free gift cards.

** Quick Update! – I recently redeemed my Seated rewards to a $50 Delta Airlines gift card. It was for an impromptu trip to Atlanta to surprise my friend for her birthday. The gift card was available to use immediately, unlike similar apps that have you wait up to 3 days to access your gift card.

The gift card did work as planned to book my Delta Airlines flight as you can see from the image below. It’s always nice to find another legit app that works as stated – and one that I can confidently recommend in this Seated app review.

For this trip, I used two $50 gift cards to purchase a one way ticket from Atlanta to Boston. One was from my restaurant cash back rewards from Seated, and the other came from uploading my receipts to the Fetch Rewards app. Between both apps, I was able to earn free travel to and from Atlanta. It was so awesome!

Seated App Reviews and Complaints

Fast forward two years later and I’m still using the Seated app. I’ve redeemed a few hundred dollars in rewards and continue to be satisfied with my experience. 

My only Seated app complaint is the shrinking number of restaurants available to make a reservation. It’s a bummer, but it’s still a worthwhile app to use to save money while dining out.

Not everyone holds the same sentiment as I do. 

The Seated app has an overall rating of 4.6 stars out of 10.2k reviews in the app store, with a handful of bad reviews.

The main Seated app complaint revolves around a new policy change in which you forfeit your rewards after 90 days of account inactivity. 

Many people have complained about never receiving notification of this change and unfortunately losing their rewards.

I also never received this email notification and only became aware of the policy change after reading Seated app reviews online. 

One user commented that the email title was a generic ‘Change in Terms of Service,’ which is why it may have gone unread by many of us.

Another reason I didn’t notice the policy change was because I regularly cash out my rewards as soon as I hit a gift card threshold. I do this for all of my receipt rewards apps and highly recommend that you do the same.

You just never know what may happen tomorrow!

Now, here’s a more recent Seated app complaint that came to my attention during one of my Facebook posts where I mention Seated.

In the comment you can see that this mother of four had a great first experience with the Seated app, but not so much so the second time.

After successfully booking a NYC restaurant reservation on Seated, she headed out to the restaurant with 4 kids in tow. Upon arrival, she noted that the restaurant was closed and had been under construction for months.

That’s not a glowing review of Seated and it’s unfortunate that this happened. 

Personally, I plan to take the extra step to double check that a restaurant is actually open prior to making my way over to the location. 

Once again, I will say that my Seated app experience has been completely different from the complaints mentioned here. 

Although, I’m ‘knocking on wood’ that it will stay the same going forward!

Do Seated App Rewards Expire?

Yes, your Seated app rewards will expire after 90 days of account inactivity.

According to the Seated Terms of Service, ‘inactivity’ is defined as failing to make a restaurant booking and having your receipt verified by Seated, OR failing to redeem any of your rewards within 90 days.

Seated Promo Codes for Existing Members

Well, the Seated app got me to dine out again after running a special promotional code offering $5 off my next meal. The offer was only valid for the weekend. I took the bait.

I guess that’s what this app is supposed to do right? …Get you to eat out more to support restaurants and help keep the economy going and all that good jazz!

Now $5 may not seem like a lot of money. But when you add this to the ultra high cash back rewards, then it does give one a little more incentive to eat out. 

I went right back to Fire + Ice Boston, which once again was offering a 29% cash back reward. That brought my total rewards to $58 with Seated, after applying the new $5 promo code.

The good news here is that Seated promo codes are not just available for new members, but as an existing member, you should also expect to receive periodic promo codes. 

2/4/23 – These Seated promotional codes for existing app users seem to be a common occurrence. Just today I was given a $15 Seated promo code to dine out once again. This time, there was a $20 minimum purchase required, which wasn’t bad at all considering it costs much more to dine out with your partner. I took the offer.

Seated App Pros and Cons

So as with everything, there are some pros and cons to mention when it comes to using the Seated app. Here are a few I noticed when I tried the app.

Pros

• Cash back rewards can be very high in some cases and can be a noticeable savings to those who dine out often.

• A Welcome Bonus reward between $10 – $40 is given to new registrants when using promo code Pilar33.

• The app has a wide range of restaurants to choose from that will suit the taste buds of many people.

• The Seated app is very easy to use.

• Seated Rewards are given out quickly. Most awards are given within 24 hours.

Cons

• I noticed there are a large number of restaurants clustered in one or two areas. So you’re a bit constrained on where to eat.

• Gift cards in the Seated app store are not as many nor varied as I’ve seen with other reward apps.

• I wish some of my other favorite Boston restaurants were on the list. 

• Many of the participating restaurants are upscale and a bit pricey.

• The Seated app is currently only available in a few select cities.

@loud.money.moves

Get #seatedapp Rewards for Dining Out! Use #seatedappreferal code: PILAR33 #dineoutboston #restaurantapp #nycrestaurants

♬ Funny Song – Funny Song Studio & Sounds Reel

Seated App Review: Is It Worth It?

So now that I tried out the Seated app, do I think it’s worth it?

I think this answer will vary for everyone, but for me personally as a frequent Boston diner, I do feel the app is worth it. On one simple outing where I treated my mom and uncle, I was able to save $22 on the tab due to the high cash back reward offer. If I were to multiply this by the number of times I dine out with friends and family on a monthly basis, then I’m sure the savings would truly add up – granted not all restaurant rewards are 29%, but still….any amount of savings is great! 

There is also a fun aspect to the app when it comes to discovering new restaurants in and around the city. If you’re a foodie like me, then this is an added benefit to using the app. 

Additionally, you can stack your cash back rewards even higher such as I did on this restaurant trip. One way to do that is by paying with a Chase Freedom card to earn 3% rewards when dining out. Another way is to upload your receipt to Fetch Rewards for points towards free gift cards. 

When you add up all the savings, it makes the Seated app worth it for me. Even if you are not a frequent diner nor order out often, it only takes one meal receipt to potentially earn you a free gift card. For those reasons, I do recommend using the app for anyone interested in the added savings. 

Seated App Review Final Thoughts

What if you don’t live in one of the cities where Seated is available? 

Truly, I think that’s a bummer. But on the flip side, you can always download the app and keep it handy for when you do travel to one of the participating cities and want to try out some of the best restaurants in town! 

Ready to try out Seated? Download the Seated app here and use promo code Pilar33 to receive your Welcome bonus rewards.

Seated App Review FAQs

Below are some common questions asked about the Seated app.

What is the Seated app Promo Code?

Use Seated Promo Code: PILAR33 for a $10 – $40 sign up bonus.

What is the Seated Referral Code?

The Seated Promo Code and Referral Code are the same. The terms are used interchangeably. Use Code: PILAR33 at registration

How Does Seated Make Money?

Seated earns a referral fee for driving customers to Seated app restaurants.

How many get Seated app Reviews are there?

There are currently over 10.2k Seated app reviews in the app store with an average rating of 4.6 stars.

Is Seated app legit?

It absolute is legit! I’ve been using the Seated app for a year, and have never had an issue receiving my cash back rewards.

Show me the Seated app Crunchbase Company Profile.

You can check out the Seated app company profile and funding on Crunchbase here.