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4/23/25
Helium Had us Flying High for Hours Before Grounding Us!
This morning, my DMs were blowing up as fellow referrers were asking me if I signed up for Helium Mobile yet, telling me I needed to "jump on it". I'd seen posts for Helium here and there over the past few months, but I assumed it wasn't for me because I've had T-Mobile for nearly 25 years and am grandfathered into one of the lowest family rates I've ever seen. Hat tip to RWN supporter Cassandra L., who informed me that times have changed and there's this thing now called eSIM which is a virtual SIM card. She pointed out that I don't have to switch providers and can have both services co-exist on my newer Android phone. That was all I needed to hear, and I was in!
I signed up, made a few posts and within just four hours, earned over $200 in referral bonuses! 
It turns out that the timing was perfect. You see, Helium Mobile has been running promotions with a 5-referral cap. Still impressive but not nearly impressive as UNLIMITED referrals, which was the case over the past 24 or so hours. And this was just scratching the surface of the benefits, which include:
A FREE phone number (a must for all of us in referral world) with FREE service!
PASSIVE MLM-style earnings that go 5 levels deep, where you don't just earn a referral bonus; you earn a referrral bonus from your referral's referral, that referral's referral, etc.!
An $11.40 signup bonus, $10 referral bonuses (1st-level), $5 referral bonuses (2nd-level), $1 referral bonuses (3rd-level), $0.20 referral bonuses (4th-level), and $0.10 referral bonuses (5th-level).
It's unknown whether Helium's original plan was to switch to a 10-referral cap, or if they intended to have unlimited but changed their minds after experiencing the "Referral World" effect. Either way, they deactivated the codes of members like me who reached or surpassed 10 referrals. 
You can find more information on Helium and this promotion here. Just keep in mind that you'll want to use a code from someone who hasn't reached their cap yet. You'll know when you enter the referral code. Codes like my will give you a "code is inactive" error.
I highly recommend signing up for Helium. Had I known about eSIMs and how they can coexist with your existing cell service, I would've signed up ages ago!
4/21/25
NEW, Viral - JOKO - $1 Signup, $5 Referral Bonuses [US, FR]!
https://hellojoko.app.link/tyX38HoTyP - Use code drlzop
A new cashback app called JOKO just went viral in Referral World. The app offers a $1 signup bonus and $5 referral bonuses ($600 bonus limit). To get in on this, you just need to download the app and enter referral code drlzop when asked (upper-case would be DRLZOP). Connect your main bank that has recent shopping transactions and download the JOKO extension to trigger the bonus. The bonuses hit your account instantly, and once you reach $20, you can withdraw to bank (YMMV) or gift cards. While the bonuses hit the account instantly, it can take up to 7 business days to process the withdrawal request.
A few prominent referrers are already making bank with this one and there's huge earlybird opportunity. For more info and screenshots, see my featured post here.
4/20/25
Happy 70th Birthday, Dad!
Yesterday was a milestone birthday for my Dad in that he turned 70 and it was his first birthday in the past 49 years without my mom (who passed in January). We pulled out all the stops to make sure this one was extra special for him. It was a day filled with go-kart racing, a trip to the local farmer's market, (where the first booth we saw was selling hyacinth plants, one of my mom's favorites). Hors d'oeuvres and a board game at our house, and dinner at a nice Japanese steakhouse. We all had a wonderful time, and I know Mom was with us in spirit!
Increased $10-$60 MoneyLion Bonuses are Back [US]!
https://mlion.us/$55BONUS - code $55BONUS
My biggest moneymaker is back with its famous "Referral Rush" promo! Through 5/4, get a $10 signup and unlimited $10 referral bonuses from MoneyLion (double their standard $5 bonuses). Earn $50 more as you or your referees trigger the deposit bonus, which can be done through direct deposit or by making a single $100+ transfer from within Current or Found.
MoneyLion was my top earner of 2024 AND is continuing that trend this year! I just scored another $85 tonight, $970 since 4/1, $7K since 1/1, and over $19.2K to date. See my featured MoneyLion post for more info. For more banking bonuses, see my featured post here.
HighRewards - $5 Bonuses, Easy Signup
https://highrewardsapp.onelink.me/jpka/k7ojz43b - use code HR69578
If you haven't signed up for HighRewards when it went viral last week, today (4/20) is a great day to do so! You'll get a $5 signup bonus and an instant $5 referral bonus as soon as you refer one person. Since signing up and referring a few days ago, I've already earned and cashed out $80 in bonuses. HighRewards cashes out to your choice of Amazon, Walmart and several other gift cards. Note that while the bonuses are instantly applied to your account once triggered, it may take 3-4 days to receive your gift cards after redemption. More info in my featured post here.
TopCashback's $45 Referral Bonuses!
Hat tip to RWN supporters Lisa G. and Djordje S. for this news tip!
Lisa G's link: http://www.topcashback.com/ref/lisallatham228
Djordje S's link: https://www.topcashback.com/ref/jordiesiljkovic
TopCashback, a popular cashback portal, is running a limited-time $45 referral promotion. There's no signup bonus for this one, but for each person you refer who earns $10+ cashback within 180 days of joining, you'll earn a $45 referral bonus. I'm not sure when this ends, but I expect the bonuses to return to the usual $10 promotion once it does. TopCashback is available in US, UK, France, Germany, and China.
See my Featured Cashback post for more great cashback bonuses. 
Grifin Imposes $1K Referral Cap, FAILS to Notify Us!
If you refer Grifin and have already earned $1,000 or more in bonuses, you should stop referring ASAP because as it stands currently, Grifin will not pay you any more owed bonuses. In late March, Grifin stopped honoring bonuses for some folks who signed up through me, along with my referral bonuses. I contacted Grifin on 4/1 after a couple of my referees informed me they hadn't yet received their bonuses. At first, I got the runaround from Griffin as they claimed one of referee hadn't deposited yet - even though their deposit had posted a week prior - and that the other person would receive their bonus shortly. After multiple back-and-forth replies, Grifin ultimately confessed that bonuses weren't being issued because I had reached their $1,000 referral cap, something they claimed was added to their "Refer-A-Friend" program terms in June, 2024, and was enforced even before that date.
Of course, I know this is not true since I received referral bonuses with no issues up through late March 2025.
On 4/7, I was shocked when Grifin support informed me of this referral cap. I started referring Grifin back in February 2024 when it first hit Referral World. As an early-bird member, I quickly developed a good rapport with support, reporting app bugs, and contributing suggestions for improvement. And when Grifin started implementing their subscription-based model in September 2024, they encouraged me to sign up for the discounted lifetime membership, touting how I'd already made over $3K by that point and was a VIP, and that the subscription would offer better and more frequent referral promotions for even more earnings.
While uncommon, referral caps aren't unheard of in Referral World. Some apps like Citi and TradeUp have lifetime referral caps, while other apps like Ally, Chase, Stash, and others have annual referral caps. This Grifin cap, however, is questionable - some might even say sketchy or "bait-and switch" -because whether or not the $1,000 cap was ACTUALLY included in their terms in June 2024, they never enforced it until late last month. I suspect there was an executive decision made in late March to start enforcing the cap immeditely, which of course the company has the right to do. But, Grifin failed to notify any of us of this policy change/implementation via email, app notification, or otherwise. Instead, they continued to accept new customers that referrers like myself referred to them. And they chose NOT TO honor signup or referral bonuses initially, only agreeing to honor signup bonuses AFTER I explained to them how unfair it was to people who signed up not to receive their bonus over this policy.
As for my owed bonuses, the issue was escalated on April 8th; however, there have still been no updates as to whether I'll receive any owed referral bonuses from the past few months, including those triggered by individuals who signed up in January-March.
To add insult to injury, Grifin started another increased promotion the other day. And I received an email inviting me to refer to earn the increased bonuses. I noticed that nowhere in the email does it mention a referral cap, nor does it link to the "Refer-A-Friend terms." Instead, it links to their supposed "full referral program details" which also fail to mention any referral cap.
Fingers crossed, Grifin will do the right thing. Despite my many positive experiences with Grifin in the past, I will have no problems filing a BBB complaint if they choose not to. And if you're experiencing a similar issue, or if you signed up recently and triggered the signup bonus but still haven't received it, you may want to contact support, cancel your subscription, and/or file a complaint as well.
Keep an Eye Out for Whales!
https://www.referralworldnews.com/whales
The last week each month, I publish a featured list of my top earners for the month. April's list will be published in the next few days. You can bookmark www.referralworldnews.com/whales and check back around 4/23. The link currently reveals March's top earners (18 apps that earned me over $6K). With the various new promos this month, I anticipate April's total will come close if not meet/beat that figure!
Stash's Increased $5 Deposit for $30 Bonuses [US]!
https://get.stash.com/brett_19xm496
After years of its famous "deposit a penny" requirement to trigger the signup and referral bonuses, Stash raised this minimum deposit requirement to $5. Based on the feedback I've been receiving from referees and fellow referrers, Stash has done a subpar job of implementing it.
Don't get me wrong: the promotion and the bonuses are still fantastic, currently $30 for both the referee and referrer. However, Stash only updated its promotional materials last week, although it had started implementing the changes nearly a month ago. Add to this that, depending on where you look in the app, some spots still say "deposit as little as a penny" despite the promotion change.
If you haven't signed up, I highly recommend it as Stash has been one of my top-earners multiple months this past year. Just be sure to deposit $5 or more because the last thing you want to do is deal with Stash support for weeks trying to get them to honor the penny deposit. Been there, tried that, and wish I could have those weeks of my life back (as does the person I referred).
Two Spots Left for Rare $50 Signup Bonus [US]!
https://www.referralworldnews.com/fundrise
If you haven't signed up for Fundrise yet, you can score an easy $50 signup bonus when you use my link to sign up and invest $10 (yours to keep). This is double the regular $25 bonus promo most referrers have. I only have two confirmed spots left, though (Fundrise has a $900 yearly referral cap, and I've almost hit that limit). The spots are first come, first served. More info here.
Promos Ending Soon!
The following increased bonus promotions are ending soon:
Fetch Rewards [Ends 4/23; US, Puerto Rico] - https://fetchrewards.onelink.me/vvv3/referraltext?code=XRGUGB - Sign up for Fetch with my code XRGUGB, and you'll get
$1$2 when you snap your first receipt. Increased $4 referral bonuses through 4/23 as well! More info here.ShopBack [Ends 4/15; US, AU, DE, HK, IDN, KOR, MY, NZ, PH, SG, TW, TH, VN] - https://app.shopback.com/35CNxEV4eSb - code wBUA8m - Through 4/15, ShopBack is offering a
$5$20 signup and unlimited$5$30 referral bonuses! They also boosted a bunch of cashback offers to easily trigger the bonuses. I've already earned $7.9K in potential referral bonuses and withdrew $863 last week! More info here.Big Cash (AKA BigCashWeb) [Ends 4/30; US] - $1-$100 instant signup bonus when you sign up using link https://bigcashweb.com/refer/skzlocn0 in your Chrome or Safari browser and enter Promo Code JJBONUS. Cashout at $3 to trigger bonuses and earn unlimited $15 referral bonuses PLUS 50% lifetime earnings from every referral. Earn additional bonuses when you cash out larger amounts (ie, extra $15 when you cash out $20, extra $40 when you cash out $60)! Since signing up on 2/17, I've already received over $789 in bonuses! More info here.
You can always keep updated on promotions ending soon, along with new apps and increased promotions in my featured post here.
Apps Left Behind, Pt 8!
This is the eighth installment of RWN climbing up on its soapbox in elder fashion to remind you of great apps that are still out there but not promoted as frequently. In a sea of fly-by-nighters, bait-and-switchers, and "New! New! New!" viral apps, these "tried and true" apps have been around the block, have proven themselves time and time again, but have flown under the radar in recent months (or even years):
DCU (Digital Credit Union) - https://refer.dcu.org/dcu/oard/default.aspx?referrer=v32j-e869 - I fondly remember DCU. I was among the first to share DCU's $100 signup bonus and $50 referral promotion a few years back to Referral World. Despite being an email-only invitation, I received much interest, sending out over 600 email invitations in a few short months, and I earned $2,100. Sadly, DCU has only offered its $20 signup bonus with unlimited $10 referral bonuses. While I wish DCU would raise the bonuses again, they're one of the easier promotions to trigger. Direct deposit is optional but not required. Simply deposit $5 into your savings and $5+ into your checking, and make five debit/credit transactions in the same calendar month. Note that DCU is technically a Massachussetts-only promotion, but you still qualify by making a one-time $10 donation to fund education (tax-deductible)! More info here.
InboxDollars - https://www.inboxdollars.com?rb=114537724 - $5 signup bonus, $3 referral bonuses plus 10% lifetime earnings from each referral! More info here.
Scrambly [US, Korea]- https://go.scrambly.io/Cg0Wh7 - $5.00 when you sign up and earn your first $5. Increased $10+ instant affiliate bonuses! Get 50% boosted earnings when you redeem code DOIT (all caps, no spaces). More info and steps to quickly earn
$23$34.50 or more and instantly cash out to Amazon, PayPal, and other gift cards. You can also really help your referrer out by cashing out as soon as you reach $1 since that's what triggers the referral bonus. More info here.
Did You Know?
Did you know that while I publish a new issue of Referral World News each week, I update each weekly post daily? Bookmark https://www.referralworldnews.com and check back throughout the week for the latest articles and updates!
Recap of Last Week's RWN:
Abound Returns with Fantastic Instant Bonus Opportunity [US]!
Bingo Champions Reverses Course [US]!
Hot Takes Increases Bonuses, Switches from Coins to Pick Tokens [US, CAN]!
ShopBack PAID!
NEW & EASY! Ally Bank - $100 Signup, $50 Referrals [US]!
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Mom!
MoneyLion Just Won't Quit!
Surprise Nixes Referrals!
In Case You Missed it, Don't Miss These!
ShopBack Completes Yearly Upgrade, Payments Resumed!
Big Cash's Insane Promos Extended through April!
Apps on Blast!
Promos Ending Soon!
Apps Left Behind, Pt 7!
Have a Referral News Tip?
Please email me at [email protected] if there's any new app or referral news you think I should know about and/or would like to see featured in Referral World News! If you're a subscriber and it's an app I don't have yet, I may surprise you by including your link in the featured article!
Check out my profile, where you can follow me and find my latest posts! You can also follow me on FB (#1 and #2) Find more of my referrals at https://www.referralworldnews.com/referrals.
RWN's FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/referralworldnews/
RWN's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/referralworldnews.com
