Upside and Marqeta Partner to Unlock Growth Opportunities for Consumer Card Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 25, 2025 – Upside, a leading digital marketplace dedicated to empowering individuals and businesses financially, today announced a strategic partnership with Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ), a global modern card issuing platform. This collaboration enables Marqeta’s customers to leverage Upside’s always-on cash-back offers within their consumer card programs, helping them drive more transactions, increase retention and engagement, and strengthen their top-of-wallet positioning.

"At Marqeta, we’re always looking for ways to help our customers create stronger connections with their users," said Todd Pollak, Chief Revenue Officer at Marqeta. "Integrating Upside’s personalized cash-back offers makes it easier for customers to deliver meaningful rewards and keep their cardholders engaged where they spend most—grocery stores, restaurants, and fuel stations."

Marqeta, which serves as the issuer processor for some of today’s most innovative companies, will now offer Upside to its consumer debit and prepaid card programs in the US. This partnership enables Marqeta’s customers to deliver more value to their cardholders through personalized cash-back offers and actionable insights, enabled by seamless data flow between Marqeta and Upside. 

“Upside bridges the gap between retailers and consumers, ensuring both get more value from every transaction, and our partnership with Marqeta extends that reach even further,” said Alex Kinnier, Upside co-founder and CEO. “Our platform powers the highest-value offers in everyday spend categories by ensuring every offer drives incremental profit for retailers.”

For many consumers, the decision of which card to use is driven by the rewards they will receive. By embedding Upside’s cash-back offers, businesses can influence spend shift by giving users more reasons to think of them first at checkout. This not only increases transactions and retention but also drives sustained engagement, reinforcing their top-of-wallet positioning.

Upside helps consumers earn 3.0x more cash back than other apps on everyday purchases. Reaching 35 million consumers through its app and partner network—up to three times the reach of industry peers—Upside connects shoppers via banking apps, gig economy platforms, and fintech tools. At the same time, over 100,000 retailers use Upside to attract new customers, boost repeat visits, and drive incremental profit through measurable, attributable transactions.

To learn more about the Marqeta and Upside partnership, contact upside.com/partnerships.

ABOUT UPSIDE

Upside is a digital marketplace that connects millions of consumers with brick-and-mortar retailers nationwide. Since 2016, Upside’s personalized offers have empowered individuals to gain greater purchasing power for their essential needs while helping businesses achieve measurable profits. Billions of dollars in commerce run through the Upside platform annually, directly benefiting retailers, consumers, and sustainability initiatives. For more information, visit www.upside.com.

ABOUT MARQETA

Marqeta makes it possible for companies to build and embed financial services into their branded experience—and unlock new ways to grow their business and delight users. The Marqeta platform puts businesses in control of building financial solutions, enabling them to turn real-time data into personalized, optimized solutions for everything from consumer loyalty to capital efficiency. With compliance and security built-in, Marqeta’s platform has been proven at scale, processing nearly $300 billion in annual payments volume in 2024. Marqeta is certified to operate in more than 40 countries worldwide. Visit www.marqeta.com to learn more.

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