How I Found $75 in a $100 Dinner Bill
Welcome to Ngo-how, a monthly look at the savings hiding in plain sight, the credits, rebates, and referral offers most of us walk right past. This column is run by my friend Becky Ngo and is geared towards helping people in the tri-state area save money. - A. Nafis Arafat
Most of us do not overspend because we are careless. We overspend because the savings are buried three taps deep in an app we've never heard of, and nobody has the patience to go looking. I go looking and so here we are! This is the whole premise of this column.
Every month I'll bring one doable thing I've actually used myself, broken down step by step, with the fine print translated into English. Some months it'll be groceries. Some months travel. This month it is the thing most of us overspend on without noticing - eating out with a friend!
Heads up on timing: This particular offer ends August 31. If you're reading this after that date, the mechanics below still work but the bonus amounts may be subject to change. Check the app for current terms.
The Offer
Would you like to pay just $25 for a $100 meal (pre-gratuity)? And save a minimum of 25% on meals going forward? Use my referral link, bring a friend, and unlock up to $75 in combined savings on your next dinner out together.
Here's How It Works
1. Sign up with my referral link.
https://app.inkind.com/refer/VSF1TB0L
Create your free inKind account. You don't have to spend anything right away. Add your preferred dining credit card, or use Apple Pay later.
2. Go to an inKind restaurant.
The next time you dine at a participating inKind restaurant (use the Search function in the app), bring a friend who doesn't already have an inKind account.
3. Refer your friend.
Before anyone pays, have your friend sign up using your referral link. Tap the burger icon, then "Refer a Friend, get $50." They add their preferred dining credit card, or they can use Apple Pay later.
4. Split the check.
Make sure each person's portion of the bill is at least $50 pre-tip.
5. Your friend pays first.
They'll receive $25 off their qualifying purchase as a new member. Use the Pay function in the app: enter the check number, set the split percentage (50–50 for two people, 33–33–33 for three, and so on), then add gratuity — which earns roughly 20% back as credit toward your next meal when it's put on a credit card. (More on that in the Pro Tip below.)
6. You pay second.
After your friend's qualifying payment is processed, you'll receive a $50 referral credit immediately. Apply that credit to your portion of the bill, making your $50 share essentially free. (Microeconomics!)
The Math
That's up to $75 in combined savings on a $100 dinner. This saves your friend $25 and you $50.
It's one of the easiest ways to stretch your dining budget while introducing someone else to inKind. Once you've used your referral credits, you can keep saving on future meals.
Costco also sells $100 inKind gift cards for $75 (availability may vary by location and online), effectively giving you 25% off future inKind dining before any additional rewards or credits. Combined with the 20% back on gratuity, it's a great way to keep the savings going every time you dine.
The Fine Print is that referral credits can be applied toward food and beverages only. Gratuity cannot be paid with referral credits and must be charged to the credit card on file. The amount paid toward gratuity earns approximately 20% back in inKind credit for a future visit.
Participating restaurants, minimum purchase requirements, referral eligibility, and promotional offers are subject to inKind's current terms and may change over time.
Disclosure: The link above is my personal referral link. If you sign up through it and complete a qualifying purchase, I receive referral credit at no cost to you. I only write about offers I use myself, but you should know when I have a stake in one, and this is one of those times.
About Me
Becky Ngo is a NY/NJ-based finance girl who has spent many years treating personal savings like a hobby. She's the person her friends text before booking a flight or signing up for anything with a monthly fee. Ngo-how is her monthly attempt to answer those texts once, in public. Reach her at ___
Ngo-how runs every month. Becky Ngo finds the offers, rebates, and referral programs worth the effort, and tells you which ones aren't. Have one she should look at? Contact her at __