What is better than a delicious meal in a pleasant setting? When you get your money back! In Singapore, six out of ten people choose to dine out at least four times on a weekly basis because Singapore is a convenient food paradise and we are spoilt for choice. As a result, our monthly expenditure on food is considerable. As wise consumers, we found a lobang to earn 5% Cashback on our bill while indulging in atas southern Italian cuisine at Latteria Mozzarella Bar, Duxton Hill —with just four clicks on the phone in less than 30 seconds. And yes, you don’t even need to inform the restaurant.

Here is our first-hand experience in using ShopBack GO (available on iOS and Android). After we linked our credit card to the app, we turned on the “Location Service” to discover the restaurants nearby. We decided on Latteria Mozzarella Bar and activated the CashBack for the restaurant. Paid using the credit card. That’s it.

There are several things we like about the app. Firstly, time is invaluable, therefore user friendliness of the app is a prerequisite. ShopBack GO features more than 400 (and counting) F&B establishments, thoughtfully categorized at your fingertips and ready to make recommendations based on your whereabouts. With just a few clicks we found out details about Latteria Mozzarella Bar and its reviews; but more importantly, there is up to 10% Cashback for each eatery.

Tucked away in Duxton Hill’s historic shophouses, Latteria Mozzarella Bar may not be the easiest restaurant to locate in the area. However, thanks to the Google Map function in the ShopBack GO feature, we arrived at the restaurant without any difficulty. As hinted in the name, Latteria Mozzarella Bar serves mozzarella and burrata cheeses interpreted in various ways, as well as an extensive array of traditional Italian dishes.

We started the evening with Burratina Zucca, roasted pumpkin, and truffle ($25). Not a usual combination but they work together amazingly, giving layers of enjoyable texture and taste. The fine Italian cold cut platter (serves two, $35) comes with a generous serving of prosciutto, mortadella, and two variations of salami.

For the mains, the linguine crab and mascarpone ($28) is creamy and savoury with an abundance of crab meat, definitely a dish not to be missed by crab lovers. Porcini mushrooms and burrata pasta bake ($28) is comforting, with lots of fresh porcini mushrooms that add nutty and somehow smoky flavours to the creamy pasta.

After the meal, we effortlessly launched ShopBack GO to activate the 5% Cashback with just 4 clicks (launch app > ShopBack GO > enable location service to find restaurants > activate Cashback of the chosen restaurant) in less than 30 seconds while waiting for the bill. Then, all we had to do was to pay as per usual (swipe card, PayWave, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay). No top ups, no QR codes, no redeeming of vouchers. No hassle.

Days after the meal, while waiting eagerly for the Cashback to show up on the app, we decided to email ShopBack GO to find out more. The response was speedy and helpful. We were informed that the ShopBack GO usually takes no more than 7 days to track, confirm, and display the Cashback amount. (We used a Citibank card, which takes a longer time to process the Cashback when compared to other banks’ cards. We were told to check out the yellow box that shows up once you’ve activated an outlet for Cashback for the cards that might lead to Cashback taking longer to track.)

Six days after the meal, we were notified by ShopBack GO that $5.80 was added to our account for the $136 we paid on our own at Latteria Mozzarella Bar. This $5.80 could be withdrawn to our bank or Paypal account.  $5.80—that’s lunch money, a plate of chicken rice with a drink. For the sharp mathematic whiz, you may wonder about the discrepancies. 5% of $136 is not $5.80. Well, it is because the 5% Cashback is based on the amount before taxes.

To reiterate, ShopBack GO:

• is NOT a voucher app where you have to pre-purchase vouchers in advance
• is NOT a payment app like Alipay or Wechat pay
• is intuitive and easy to use. Just link any local Mastercard/Visa to the ShopBack feature within the Shopback app; activate Cashback for that particular merchant; pay as usual using your card; and wait for the Cashback
• allows you the freedom to activate Cashback just before you pay the bill
• is location-based, that is, ShopBack GO allows you to search for merchants near your location
• has more than 400 participating merchants from the inexpensive to fine-dining:
  • Bars: Club Meatballs, Shunjuu Izakaya (Japanese), Jekyll & Hyde, Wala Wala Café Bar
  • Cafés: Common Man Coffee Roasters, One Man Coffee, Sarnies, The Coffee Academics, The Lokal, Tiong Bahru Bakery
  • Casual / Family / Big Groups: Canton Paradise (Chinese), Paradise Hotpot (Chinese / Hotpot), Sabio by the Sea (Spanish), Saveur (French), Spizza (Pizza)
  • Fine-dining: Atout (French / Steaks), Lolla (Modern), Open Farm Community (Modern / Australian), Pince & Pints (Lobster)
  • Michelin Bib Gourmand: Yhingthai Palace (Thai)
  • Salad: Cedele (healthy), The Daily Cut, Toss & Turn, Grain Traders
  • Ice Cream & Confectionaries: Ben & Jerry’s, Famous Amos
  • Vegan/Vegetarian: Afterglow by ANGLOW, HRVST, Original Sin