It’s not free so it’s a lie, and it works just like the other money apps that can’t bucket transactions correctly so then you have to manually do it anyway.
Response from Kudos: Smart WalletOct 8, 2026
Hi Edward - thanks for the honest feedback. We're sorry Kudos didn't meet your expectations. We do have a free version, so you don't need to pay to use it. If you got stuck on the subscription screen, close the app completely and reopen it. You can also reinstall it and choose "Shopping" or "Find Cards" as your goal to go straight into the free version.
We hear you on transaction categorization, and we're sharing it with our team. If you'd like help getting set up on the free version, email [email protected]. We're more than happy to help.
KA
Kyle Ammerist W.
Kudos kept my $3,400 balance and blamed the merchant. The merchant paid every other cash back site. Something is fishy with Kudos.
"Update, Sept 16:
Kudos responded below. Their reply confirms my point. They say they can only speak to what their affiliate partner told them about these orders and can't speak to what the merchant paid other portals. That's the whole issue. The merchant paid every other portal I used on the same orders in the same months, and is still paying today. If Kudos were to look at my orders today, they will have received payment from the merchant.
So one of two things must have happened:
1. Kudos received the payment from the merchant and made the decision to seize and keep the $3,000+ for themselves. Or,
2. If its true they didn't get paid, then that reinforces my point to avoid Kudos altogether as there's a chance you wont get payment at all.
Shoppers beware."
Original Review:
I used Kudos Boost for several months, exactly as advertised: shop through their link with their extension installed, earn cash back. On April 23, 2026, with about $3,400 pending, Kudos deleted my account with a form email accusing me of "gaming the system." No rule cited, no order named. "This decision is final."
I pushed back. On May 5 they gave me their actual reason. Quoting their support email: "XXXXX has confirmed that drop-ship orders are not eligible for commissions through their program, so no commissions were paid out on those transactions." Their position is that the merchant never paid them, so there was nothing to pay me.
Here is the problem with that. I used several other cashback portals with the same merchant during the same months on the same kind of orders. Every one of them was paid by the merchant. Every one of them paid me. Same merchant, same period, same orders. Only Kudos claims the merchant paid nothing.
And this isn't a one-time fluke. I have been shopping this merchant through cashback portals for 13 years. Over that time I have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash back on these business orders, across more than a dozen portals, and I am still being paid on them today, in September 2026, four months after Kudos told me the merchant doesn't pay on them. The merchant has never once declined to pay a portal on my orders. Kudos is the only exception in 13 years.
So either the merchant paid every portal except Kudos, or Kudos's story doesn't hold. I'll let you decide which is more likely.
Some other things from the thread worth knowing. They called the decision "final" before they'd checked with their affiliate partner. They asked me for a contact at the merchant to help their investigation, then used the merchant's answer to close the case. Mid-thread, their support rep sent me another customer's account-deletion instructions by mistake. And on July 22 they marked the ticket "Resolved" with no further message.
If you use Kudos, cash out the moment you can. Don't let a balance build, and don't count on a "final decision" email having any facts behind it.
(I do wonder what the executive at Kudos spent my $3000 on... A new Rolex perhaps?)
Response from Kudos: Smart WalletSep 16, 2026
We take this seriously, and we want to respond directly rather than in generalities.
We didn't take this decision lightly. We reviewed your account and worked with you directly, communicating throughout and investigating the specific transactions in question with our affiliate partner. We documented that process, including our full correspondence with you. At one point, you offered to connect us with a contact at the merchant to help, and we followed up with you a couple times to get that contact, though the introduction never came through.
The orders in question were drop-ship orders, which are excluded from commission eligibility under this merchant's affiliate program, meaning no commission was paid to us on them. We pass along 100% of the commission we receive from a merchant, and we don't have a mechanism to pay out on orders where we received nothing ourselves. To be clear, this isn't money we held or collected; the pending balance reflected what would have been owed if commission came through, not funds we actually received. The merchant made that determination, not us.
We understand you've raised a concern that other cashback portals were paid by this merchant on similar orders during the same period. We can't speak to another portal's arrangement or attribution with the merchant, only to what we were told about these specific orders through our own affiliate relationship.
On the process issues you raised - an early misdirected email meant for a different user and a ticket status update - we acknowledge that happened, though they don't relate to your specific case or bear on the outcome here.
We wish you well going forward.
KG
Kareem G.
The Smart Wallet Cash Back is a SCAM to steal information.
I got to level 55 on Monopoly Go! And received a text saying to check my email for my reward a $75 gift card to bath and bodyworks so I checked nothing was there, I checked my spam/junk folder, and once again nothing. I then reached out to smart wallet and they said they can’t track when I downloaded the game and reached level 55. I provided screenshots and still I was told no and they could not confirm my milestone or track my progress. A complete waste of time.
Response from Kudos: Smart WalletSep 16, 2026
Hi Kareem - we want to make sure this reaches the right company, as it doesn't appear to be about our Kudos (joinkudos.com, the credit card rewards app). We don't offer a Monopoly Go integration or gift card rewards tied to game milestones. It sounds like you may be referring to a different app or service, like Kudos Casino. We'd recommend double-checking which company you signed up with. We hope you get it resolved with the right team soon!
CH
Courtney H.
Would rate it 0 stars if I could
Would rate it 0 stars if I could.
You can basically only use this app if you give them access to all of your banking information.
Not to mention they charged me for the wrong subscription and are now refusing to refund even just the difference because the terms of the subscription they charged me for (not the one I bought) say it’s non refundable.
Also after reading their responses to customers in this thread, they are including personal information about customer accounts online for everyone to read, rather than reaching out to the person directly- what kind of business model is that.
After reading multiple threads online they seem to have the same issues. 90 day money guarantee doesn’t actually work, people aren’t actually getting their money back. Multiple people on Reddit are putting together class action lawsuits.
Be weary before you give these people your money.
Response from Kudos: Smart WalletAug 26, 2026
Hi Courtney - we're really sorry to hear you're unhappy with your experience. We've been in touch with you directly several times and walked you through the subscription and refund process, including the terms that applied to your Lifetime subscription. We explained those terms clearly, and our decision reflects them. On bank access: connecting your accounts is optional inside Kudos and is never required. Linking your cards unlocks premium features and capabilities, but isn't required. We stand by how we handled this situation, and we wish you the best going forward.
CC
Christin C.
Fave finance app
I've been really enjoying Kudos especially cheatsheet that tells me which credit card to use at specific stores like Walmart, Chickfila, etc. I used to reference my notes app to see which is the best card for different places but haven't needed it since I started using Kudos.
Another banger feature I love is their automatic offer activation. I used to spend time scrolling through my bank apps and manually activating offers one by one but now Kudos does it for me, so I don't miss out on extra savings. 10/10 recommend!!!!!
Response from Kudos: Smart WalletAug 26, 2026
This absolutely made our day! Thank you for sharing, Christin. Love hearing that the card cheat sheet has replaced your notes app. The automatic card-linked offer activation is one of our favorite features too; we're so glad it's saving you time (and making sure you're not leaving savings on the table). Thank you for being part of our community. Here's to many more savings in your future!
ZO
Zoila
Great tool to use to maximize credit card reward/points
Overall Ive had a great experience with using Kudos for the past 12 months or so. It’s a pretty great tool to make a more informed decision on which credit cards to use when making a purchase. The other bonus is getting rewards for using Kudos. On top of my own cc rewards/points kudos will reward you and you can convert it to a gift card or cash via PayPal even with the free version. It’s pretty easy to use so that you are not guessing how to maximize your credit card cash back or points in everyday or special purchases.
Response from Kudos: Smart WalletAug 26, 2026
Hey Zoila - thank you so much for the thoughtful review and for being with us for over a year now. You nailed exactly what we set out to build: taking the guesswork out of which card to use, so you're maximizing cash back and points automatically instead of trying to remember it all yourself. And love that you're stacking Kudos rewards on top of your existing card rewards. Thanks again for your kind words and for being a loyal Kudos user!
BK
Brandon K.
Great for keeping track of my Amex and…
Great for keeping track of my Amex and Chase credits. It reminded me to use my Stubhub credit before it expired and i scored some theatre tickets 💖
Response from Kudos: Smart WalletAug 26, 2026
Love that Kudos helped you catch that Stubhub credit before it expired, and even better that it turned into theatre tickets! Keeping track of all those Amex and Chase credits so nothing goes to waste is what we live for. Leave no statement credit unused!
JG
Joe G.
90 day money back guarantee is a lie
90 day money back guarantee is a lie. After poking around for 10 minutes realized all their card recommendations miscategorize spend, so the app is basically useless. Support never responded to my refund request (sent the same day I paid for a subscription). I guess I'm out $70 and feel like an idiot. Stay away.
Response from Kudos: Smart WalletJul 15, 2026
Hey Joe - this isn't the experience we want anyone to have, and we'll help sort it out. We looked for you in our support inbox but couldn't find your original message. We want to track it down.
On the card recommendations not matching your spend correctly, we definitely want more detail on that too.
On the savings guarantee itself: we know the 90-day savings window can be confusing, and we're sorry it added to the frustration here rather than helping. If Kudos doesn't save you more than what you paid for Premium in the first 90 days, you can submit a claim between days 90 and 120 and we'll refund what you paid for the annual subscription.
We'd really like the chance to make this right for you. Please reach out: [email protected].