Is Engage (SmartSpending) reliable after the Engage update?
Recent reviews are strongly critical of the app’s reliability after the rebrand and updates. Reviewers describe lag, crashes, server errors, broken checkout, and needing to use the website instead of the app. A few users still say the app works well, but the recent complaints point to a real risk that core shopping features may fail when you need them.
Since rebranding to "Engage" I frequently have "server problem" errors whenever I try to buy.
Update completely destroyed the app. now it's chaotic and impossible to reload cards. had to revert to browser version. a month after the app still crashing and three months later none of reloadable cards can be topped up. again browser version wins
The new version breaks badly and after resetting, I am not even able to login.
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Can Engage (SmartSpending) take payment but not give a voucher?
Yes, this is one of the clearest risks raised in recent reviews. Reviewers say they were charged or had money pending, but the voucher did not appear because of an error. Some say this happened while they were already in a shop, leaving them unable to use the discount and unsure how to get help.
I tried to get a voucher while in Tesco, the money has been taken from my bank account but the app showed an error and didn't give me the voucher. I've tried the live chat five times now, and it gets as far as 'connecting you to someone' but no one then appears for me to talk to! So no way to get it sorted!!! Where is the customer service?!
I tried to buy a voucher, got charged for it but a "technical error" occured and no voucher was present in my wallet. Tried again as I was in store and needed the voucher and got the same issue. Then there's no one to answer calls or chats on weekends. No FAQ to actually give help or guidance. Had to pay with cash anyway and now I've got funds locked in limbo with no indication of support.
buying vouchers and money pending on bank but no voucher happened 4 times go on live chat to get help and no one answers
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Can you access and use prepaid vouchers in Engage (SmartSpending)?
Several recent reviewers say they could not use vouchers they had already paid for because barcodes, links, voucher numbers or cards would not load or display. That is a major concern for anyone planning to rely on the app at checkout.
The wallet takes an extremely long time to load. When I try to use my vouchers, the voucher number is nowhere to be found. There are only two options available: Check Balance or Top Up. When you click Check Balance, it redirects you to the retailer's website, where you are asked to enter the voucher code—but the code is not available anywhere in the app. It just sends you around in circles, making it impossible to access or use your vouchers. Very frustrating!
No longer loads barcodes or links for my shopping vouchers, meaning I am in the shops and cannot use the voucher I have prepaid for and can't use elsewhere. I'd rather have never used the app than this because the amount I could lose by not redeeming the voucher is more than any discounts offered
I cannot access my cards - the barcode no longer displays so I cannot pay. Your customer service are not replying. Please resolve this issue.
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Why does Engage (SmartSpending) keep logging me out or asking for verification?
Login and verification problems are a recurring theme in recent reviews. Users report being locked out, being asked to sign in again, not receiving codes, or needing their work email or work phone at awkward times. Because the app is tied to employer eligibility, account access can be especially inconvenient if you cannot reach your work email when shopping.
Since this app has been rebranded and updated, it never stays logged in. You have to keep your work phone with you at all times just incase it decides to log you out, requiring 2FA each time. This never used to happen with the Smart Spending app, so I have no idea what they've done. Needs fixing asap. Very disappointing when you're looking to purchase a voucher at the shop!
it signs me out everyday and asks me to register again.
cant even login, it cant send code to mobile. its stuck.
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Does Engage (SmartSpending) let you top up reloadable or physical cards?
The app is supposed to support reloadable and physical card top-ups, but recent reviews say this feature is unreliable or broken. Complaints mention missing top-up buttons, greyed-out options, broken expiry-date entry and confusing navigation that can send users toward a new card instead of topping up an existing one.
To the developers: the ability to top up physical cards has disappeared again following an update yesterday (10 September). Everything in the app is also very slow to load.
Top-up being broken for over three weeks is laughable. The company needs to sack all of their design and development team and get in new people who have at least some idea of what they are doing. 18-06-2026 Update. Following the app update, 'top-up' has been restored so credit to the team for that. 12-09-26 Update - Unable to top up reloadable card, button greyed out. One of the most poorly design, unstable apps I've ever had the misfortune to need to use.
i used this app and really struggled just reying to topup a physical card. i found that you cant topup the card straight from the cards screen then i thought ill go to the main Physical Card page but no doing that just sends me yet another card. found out i have to navigate through 3 menus just to topup the card.
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Engage (SmartSpending) easy to use and search?
Recent reviews frequently describe the new interface as harder to use than the previous Smart Spending app. Specific complaints include poor search, difficulty finding retailers, the wallet being harder to reach, favourites being harder to access, and reloadable cards getting lost among other vouchers. Some positive reviewers still call it easy once they learn where things are.
Don't know what happened when the Smart Spending app became Engage but it now seems to be impossible to find simple lists of all retailers and certain shops don't come up in a search such as Asda even though it does offer itself in the discount programme. App has really become intuitive. Massive step backwards.
Why is the app now defaulting to Home instead of Shop like it previously did? You're making it much harder to quickly access my wallet now.
very easy to use, once you've worked out where everything is.
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Are the discounts and savings in Engage (SmartSpending) worthwhile?
There are genuine positive reviews about savings, discounts and retailer options. At the same time, recent negative reviews warn that broken checkout, inaccessible vouchers, fees, disappearing merchants or reduced displayed discounts can reduce or outweigh the benefit. The savings may be useful if the app works for your employer and the retailers you use, but the current review pattern makes reliability part of the value calculation.
I wanted so much to hate this but.... the app interface is dreadful, that it uses my work email cos it's work related benefit is tedious but I've saved hundreds of pounds buying ...well, food mainly. brilliant 👌
great discount and the app works well
This is surely illegal. On the face of it, Uber offers a 9% discount. However, once you open the offer, the discount mysteriously reduces to 4%. This is worse than just drip pricing, it's deception!
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Engage (SmartSpending) customer support helpful when something goes wrong?
Recent reviews are mostly negative about support, especially in-app chat. Reviewers say live chat connects but no one appears, support does not respond, or there is no clear weekend help. One reviewer says phone or website support worked and they managed to request a refund, so help may be more reachable outside the app.
It works for some shops, but recently bought a voucher for a new shop, paid over £100 and haven't received a voucher, it just doesn't work. Chat support in the app doesn't work for me, but on the phone or website seemed to work and I managed to request a refund.
I can no longer view my vouchers since the last update, and support isn't responding.
Appalling app that has a checkout procedure that is functionally broken, preventing purchases. On contacting their live-chat support, the agent told me that the app was trash and I should use the website instead.
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Does Google Pay or card payment work in Engage (SmartSpending)?
Payment handling is another source of complaints. Reviewers mention Google Pay not working, risk-blocked transactions, failed payments, card restrictions and an extra card-payment fee. These reports do not prove every payment method fails, but they are important if you expect to buy vouchers quickly at the till.
Google pay does not work within the app
app (clearly generated using Claude.ai) gives "Risk Blocked Transaction" error when you use Google pay. bring back your old developers loool
this extra 2.88 fee for paying by card is taking the most of the benefit away. never there previously
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Who can use Engage (SmartSpending)?
According to the app description, Engage is for people whose employer offers it as part of a benefits or employee engagement programme, and users need an eligible account. Reviews also reflect that work email or work phone access can be part of signing in, which matters if you mainly shop outside work hours.
Often forgets all my details, meaning I have to sign in to my work email address, which I don't have access to at the weekend, when I am most likely to need to use this app.
I wanted so much to hate this but.... the app interface is dreadful, that it uses my work email cos it's work related benefit is tedious but I've saved hundreds of pounds buying ...well, food mainly. brilliant 👌
Just saved $37 thanks to work!
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Answers above are generated from real Google Play reviews of Engage (SmartSpending), not editorial opinion.