Online Receipts lets you turn your Gmail shopping receipts into reward points. Once you connect your Gmail, Mode checks your inbox for purchase receipts from online stores and rewards you with points — first when you connect, and then on an ongoing basis whenever new receipts show up. There’s nothing to scan, upload, or photograph. It runs on its own.
How do I get rewarded — what’s the deal?
You’re rewarded for sharing your online purchase data. Mode reads purchase receipts only, packages that data in anonymized form, and shares it with retail and research partners — and you get points in return after watching a short video or news article (depending on what’s available to you at the given time). It’s a fair exchange: your receipt data has value, and Online Receipts is how you claim your share of it.
What exactly does Mode look at in my inbox?
Only purchase receipts and order confirmations from online shopping. Personal emails, work emails, newsletters, and everything else are not read and not collected. Mode can’t send email from your account or change anything in it — the connection is read-only, and only for receipts.
How much can I earn?
There are two kinds of rewards:
- A welcome bonus the first time you connect your Gmail.
- Ongoing Data Dividend each day you leave your Gmail account connected so we scan your inbox.
The exact point values depend on your region, and they can change over time. You’ll always see the amount you earned on the reward screen after you watch the short video.
Connecting your Gmail
How do I connect my Gmail?
You’ll be first offered the opportunity to earn with Data Dividends during your onboarding and through the daily mission inside the app. Tap Connect Gmail, use an email that ends with @gmail.com (or your regional ending), sign in to your Google account on the secure Google sign-in screen, verify that it’s you via 2 Factor Authentication, and you’re done. You can also connect any time from Settings → Account → Connect Gmail for Receipts.
Do I really need 2 Factor Authentication enabled for Gmail for this?
Yes - this is a security measure to make sure it’s really you who is giving us access to your inbox.
If you don’t have 2FA enabled for the email you’re connecting with, we’re going to lead you through the process. Just follow the instructions on the screen and make sure to click the back button once you’ve reached this end screen.
The sign-in screen looks different from the rest of the app — is that normal?
Yes. When you sign in, you’re on Google’s own secure sign-in screen, not a Mode screen. That’s exactly how it should work — you’re entering your Google details with Google, and Mode never sees your password.
I skipped it during setup. Did I miss my chance?
No. Go to Settings → Account → Connect Gmail for Receipts and connect any time. You’ll get your welcome bonus when you complete the connection, not only during setup.
Google asked me to verify my sign-in. Is that safe?
Yes. Your Google account needs to use an extra verification (a code by text, or an approval on another device) and Google will ask for it as part of signing in — that’s Google protecting your account, and it’s a good sign. Follow Google’s prompts and choose whichever verification method works for you.
It says the account I connected is already in use. What does that mean?
Each Gmail address can be linked to one Mode account only. If you see this, the Gmail you connected is already earning on a different Mode account. Tap Use Another Account and connect a different Gmail that isn’t linked anywhere else.
I got a “Try a Different Account?” message. Should I switch?
You’ll see this if your inbox only had a few receipts. It’s just a heads-up that a more active shopping inbox tends to earn more. You can switch to a different Gmail, or tap Stay With This Account to keep going and collect your points — either choice is fine.
My connection failed. What now?
This is almost always a connection hiccup. Check that you’re on stable Wi-Fi or data and tap Try Again. If it keeps failing after a couple of tries, close and reopen the Mode app and start again.
Earning & points
How do I keep earning after I connect?
You don’t have to do anything. Once a day, Mode quietly checks your inbox for new receipts in the background. When it finds some, you’ll get a notification inviting you to watch a short video and claim your points. Tap it, watch the video, done.
I watched the video but didn’t see my points. What happened?
Points land right after you finish the video, so first check your points history — they may already be there. Points are only credited when the video is watched all the way to the end; if you closed it early, they won’t be added. If you watched to the end and still don’t see them, contact Support with the rough date and time and we’ll take a look.
The video wouldn’t load and I read an article instead. Do I still get points?
Yes. The article is a built-in backup for when no video is available, and it earns you your points the same way. Finish the article, tap back, and you’ll continue to your reward.
Do I earn a welcome bonus every time, or just once?
The welcome bonus is a one-time reward for connecting your Gmail. After that, you keep earning from the ongoing receipt rewards, not another connection bonus.
Managing & disconnecting
It’s asking me to reconnect. Why?
For your security, Google connections don’t last forever and need refreshing from time to time. When that happens you’ll see a Reconnect to Keep Earning prompt. Tap Reconnect Now, sign in again, and you’re back to earning — reconnecting only takes a moment and keeps you from missing rewards on recent purchases.
How do I disconnect my Gmail?
Go to Settings → Account → Data Dividends Permissions → Inbox Payback and tap Disconnect, then confirm. Once disconnected, Mode stops checking your inbox and you stop earning from new receipts. You can reconnect any time from the same place.
I disconnected by accident. Can I get my earning back?
Yes. Go to Settings → Account → Data Dividends Permissions → Inbox Payback or directly on the Home via the Data Dividends section and reconnect via the Inbox Payback. Because you’ve connected before, you’ll skip the intro and go straight to sign-in. Note that the welcome bonus is one-time, so it won’t be awarded again, but your ongoing receipt earning resumes.