What are cashback websites?
Cashback websites provide you with cash and rewards when you click through from them to purchase items online with retailers. Cashback websites are essentially reward platforms that offer you a small percentage of your spending back as a reward when you make purchases through their links. The reward is usually a small percentage of the purchase price. These websites operate by acting as intermediaries between you and the and retailers. When you make a purchase, the cashback websites earn a commission from retailers for directing you to their websites.
Why use cashback websites?
Cashback websites offer you the opportunity to earn money back on your online shopping. The total amount you can make depends on how much you buy, what you are buying and the percentage of cashback on offer. You can sometimes earn more if you choose to receive the earnings in gift cards. Additionally, some cashback sites also offer rewards for completing surveys or entering prize draws.
How to use cashback sites
- Research cashback websites. Select the sites you want to get started with and register with these. Most sites are free to join, but some might charge an annual fee
- Search for deals. Search the cashback websites to find out if they are offering deals on products or services that you are interested in purchasing
- Click the link provided. When you find a deal you want to purchase, always visit the retailer by clicking on the link provided by the cashback website. It is crucial that you click the instead of going direct to the retailer’s website to ensure that the cashback website is recognised as the referral source and you therefore receive your reward
- Complete the purchase. When you complete your purchase, the retailer will send the payment to your cashback site. The cashback website will then pay a portion of this money into your bank or PayPal account. It is important to note that you might need to reach a certain cashback amount before you can withdraw funds
What purchases qualify for cashback?
From your weekly grocery shop, to buying clothes or even taking out a new mobile phone contract, you can receive cashback on a wide variety of purchases.
Examples of products and services that provide you with the opportunity to earn cashback
- Retail and shopping (clothing, electronics, groceries)
- Travel and holidays (flights, hotels, car rentals)
- Technology and subscriptions (entertainment streaming services, broadband services)
- Utilities and bills (insurance, mobile phone contracts)
Recommended cashback websites
TopCashback. When you purchase from a retailer featured on TopCashback the retailer provides them with a commission for sending you to their website. They share this commission with you and offer you the option to receive the money into your bank or PayPal account, or a gift card. TopCashback is free to sign up to a Classic account and they also provide a Plus account which will cost you £5 of your annual cashback earnings. As a Plus Member you will receive a variety of additional benefits including a £35 bonus for referring your friends and up to 25% payout bonus through Reward Wallet. TopCashback’s offers, available to all members, include up to 6% cashback on clothes at ASOS, up to 12% cashback with Nike and up to 25% cashback with Just Eat offers.
Quidco. This cashback website has over 10 million members in the UK and is one of the top UK cashback platforms. When you shop on Quidco they will reward you with cashback. The average member earns £300 in cashback every year and Quidco even maintains that if you find a higher cashback rate for your purchase on any other UK cashback site, they will match it and add a little extra on top. The Quidco basic membership is free and their premium membership is £1 per month and provides you with boosted cashback options. You can have your earnings paid to your bank or PayPal account, or exchanged in the form of a gift card. With Quidco you can receive cashback at over 5,000 popular brands including up to 6% cashback with Boots, up to 4% cashback with Argos and up to £171 cashback with broadband, TV and phone deals.
Swagbucks. This site offers rewards and cashback. There are various ways to earn Swagbucks points and rewards and you can easily redeem these for Amazon gift cards or other gift cards. Points and rewards are provided for online shopping, completing surveys, watching videos and downloading apps. Swagbucks cashback offers include up to 10% cashback at Amazon and up to 10% cashback at Nike.
Rakuten. This site has more than 500 retail partners and is free to use. Rakuten is a cashback and voucher platform, and it provides you with the opportunity to earn money back on your online purchases. With Rakuten, you decide how to withdraw what you have earned. You can transfer the cash into your bank or PayPal account. Offers available with Ratuken include 5% cashback at New Balance and 6% cashback at Tommy Hilfiger.
Top tip for using cashback websites
Clear your browser cookie history. When using cashback websites, it is important that your chosen cashback site is part of your user journey. When you click around online you leave a ‘cookie trail’ in your browser history, so retailers will know where you came from. This trail is required for demonstrating that you are entitled to a reward. If you visit a website directly and then use a cashback link to purchase, you might not be entitled to the reward because the trail will show that you were already looking at the retailer’s website. To overcome this clear your cookie history in your browser, then click the cashback link and this will show that the cashback link is the start of your journey.
Utilise holiday cashback. Did you know that you can earn money on booking your holiday though a cashback site? There are often good deals available on flights and hotels, as well as extras such as car hire, travel insurance and airport car parking.
Ask your friends to register. Many cashback sites provide you with a bonus if you refer a friend to them. You can do this by sending an email to your friend from the referrals page on the cashback website. The email will contain a link to the cashback site with a personalised referral code to confirm it was you who provided the recommendation. It is important to consider that you might not receive the cashback until your friend has built up a certain amount of credit
Summary and inbound link here! If you decide to use cashback websites always compare offers across multiple platforms to ensure you receive the best deals. However, they can be an excellent way to supplement your income and save money.