Cashback websites pay you when you click through them, go to retailers or product providers and spend. You can make £$100s a year using them correctly.
How do cashback sites work?
If you want to buy something online or sign up to a finance product, rather than going direct, click to the company via a cashback site and you get paid for it. The amounts range from pennies for retail items to – at the top end – more than £100 for some mobile or broadband contracts.
You'll have to sign up to the cashback site, which should be free. If it's not, avoid it. Then simply log in and search for the online retailer you want to buy from, such as Argos or Tesco Direct. If it's listed, click the cashback site's link to visit that company.
Your visit is then tracked. If you buy something, an amount is put into your cashback site account once the transaction's processed. You can withdraw this once it arrives, which can take a few weeks, or even months. For some cashback sites, you need to reach a set threshold before you can withdraw.
Why do they pay out?
Cashback sites take advantage of the way commercial payments from one website to another work. They use affiliate links, which allow the retailer to track where the traffic is coming from and then pay the cashback sites for the lead.
This is a common system, used by sites that send people through from comparison results, unique content (MSE does this - see the foot of the page for more details) or using links on advertising promotions. Cashback sites simply drive traffic by giving their users some of the money they're paid.
The amount of money depends on what's spent on what as well as the commercial deal, so can vary widely. The cashback site may earn its money per click, transaction, application, or accepted applicant.
The technology's simple. Ready-made paying links are available from 'links warehouses'. Big cashback sites also have direct relationships with companies, which means they can offer a wider range of providers, earn more and negotiate their own exclusive deals.
The 5 MAJOR cashback safety rules
1- Think of cashback as a bonus only – it's not guaranteed
2- The cashback isn't yours until it's in your bank account
3- Never store cash in a cashback site – withdraw it ASAP
4- Focus on the cheapest deal, not the biggest cashback
5- Consider clearing your cookies
The top-paying cashback sites
Don't think all cashback sites pay the same. Many pay out 50% or less of what they get paid. We checked out 10 of the biggest cashback sites for the top rates and feedback.
The best sites are those that pay out 100%, so ostensibly give all the money they earn to you. Here, we focus on those.
All opinions however are our own and we do not accept payments for positive reviews.
While I can see most of the answers are from the cashback websites themselves, I’ll write answer based on my personal experience.
1. Ebates
Ebates offers up to 20% cash back at more than 1,800 online stores, though the average earnings are usually closer to 5%.
Search the site to find your favorite store, then click the “Shop Now” link to make your purchase. For example, you can get 3% cash back at Macy’s and up to 6% back for certain Amazon categories.
Your cash-back earnings will show up in your account within 48 hours.
Ebates sends you a payment each quarter based on your account earnings of at least $5 or more. You have three options for redeeming your earnings: a check in the mail, a PayPal deposit or a gift to a charity or family member.
You can earn a $5 bonus right off the bat by signing up as a new Ebates user or by referring a friend or family member.
Bigger bonus: Spend $25 at Walmart, and it’ll send you a free $10 gift card!
2- Topcashback*
If you want the site that pays the most, Topcashback* is the winner. It's free to use and pays out up to 105% of the cashback it receives from the merchant.
That might sound strange, but it's able to do this as it passes on a little of the bonuses it gets for generating lots of sales. It's also the cashback site that gets the best feedback from its users. You can take earnings as cash, or boost returns by swapping cashback for Amazon vouchers or Tesco Clubcard points.
How do I join & get cashback?
- Choose its free membership. Topcashback has no annual administration fees. New users are are signed up to a three-month trial of its 'Plus' membership – remember to downgrade before the trial is up otherwise you'll automatically be charged for a year's membership.
- You can choose to pay a $5 membership fee. Topcashback's Plus membership* gives a 5% bonus on all the cashback rates on its site, eg, a $100 cashback deal would net you $105 as a Plus member.
- Boost returns by up to 10%. Get a payout bonus by exchanging your cashback for gift cards from Amazon, Argos, M&S and more.
- Earn cashback in store. Topcashback offers cashback on certain purchases made in store.
3- Quidco*
Our Third best cashback site is Quidco*, which has similar payout levels as Topcashback above. Indeed, the two sites usually compete on exclusive deals.
How do I join & get cashback?
- Pick the basic membership. If you don't pick this, you'll have to pay a fee.
- There's a Premium membership available. For £5, Premium members get their cashback quicker, exclusive bonuses and ad-free shopping. You also get a payout bonus by taking your cashback as an Amazon gift card.
- Earn around £300 a year. Quidco says that on average its members earn £300 a year.
- You can boost cashback in stores. Quidco members can also get cashback in stores at over 7,000 locations as well as onlin