Cashback is one of my favourite ways to save money every time I shop. Why? Because you can earn a nice little incentive on things you were going to buy anyway – so technically, you get free money! But which cashback sites and cashback apps offer the best bang for your buck?
Keep reading to find out…
Key takeaways
- Cashback sites and apps offer a percentage of money back when you buy products and services
- The amount you can earn varies and could be a percentage e.g. 5% cashback or monetary value e.g. £5
- TopCashback and Quidco are the most popular cashback sites in the UK
- Chase is the most competitive banking app for cashback, offering 1% cashback on everyday spending for one year (up to £15 per month)
What is cashback?
Cashback is a great incentive that brands like to use to encourage you to buy their product or use their service. Every time you purchase an item, you can earn a little cash bonus back. Free money basically! Sounds good, right?
Find out more about how cashback works in this guide.
What can I earn cashback on?
From clothing to car insurance, you can earn cashback on just about anything, including:
- Makeup and beauty products
- Clothing and accessories
- Insurance policies
- Mobile phones and gadgets
- Furniture and home appliances
- Supermarket shops
- Takeaways
- Pet food and accessories
- ISAs and stocks and shares
Where can I get cashback?
You can earn cashback from a huge range of brands and retailers, including:
- ASOS
- Argos
- Boohoo
- Just-Eat
- Pets at Home
- Etsy
- Wayfair
- Ocado
- Tesco
And loads more!
How much can you save using cashback sites and apps?
You can save hundreds or even thousands of pounds using cashback sites and apps over time. It all depends on:
- What product or service you’re buying
- How much it costs
- Which offers are up for grabs at the time
Some companies offer a percentage and some offer a fixed fee. Most sites offer anything between 2% – 15% but you can earn £100 or more!
How do cashback sites work?
Cashback sites allow you to earn a percentage of money back when you shop online. Simply sign up for a free account, then search for your favourite retailers on the cashback site each time you shop online.
When you find your selected retailer, click ‘get cashback now’ and shop and checkout on the retailer website as normal. Your cashback will then be tracked and added to your account.
After your purchase has been confirmed by the retailer, you can withdraw your cashback straight to your bank or PayPal account. You also have the option to transfer your earnings to a gift card from a range of retailers, including Amazon, Primark, Costa Coffee, and loads more.
Read my guide about how cashback sites work to find out everything you need to know.
Best cashback sites in the UK
- TopCashback: One of the UK’s most popular cashback sites with over 20 million members and 6,000 retailers. Sign up now and get a £10 welcome cashback bonus or read my TopCashback beginner’s guide to find out more.
- Quidco: Another well-known cashback site with 10+ million members and 5,000 retailers. Get a £15 welcome bonus when you sign up and claim your first £5 in cashback. Read my ultimate guide to Quidco for more details.
- Rakuten: As a newcomer to the UK, offers cashback with a respectable 500 popular brands like Argos, Boots, and Currys. Get a whopping £25 welcome cashback offer when you sign up and spend £30. Want to find out more? Read my Rakuten review
- Widilo: Another good cashback with, featuring over 2,000 brands and sites, including ASOS, Booking.com and Groupon. Get a £5 joining bonus when you sign up and your first cashback purchase is confirmed. Find out more in my Widilo cashback review.
- Kidstart: A brilliant cashback site for parents, featuring over 2,000 retailers including John Lewis, M&S, Sainsbury’s and more. Any cashback you’ve earned goes into a savings account for your little ones.
- OhMyDosh: The UK’s ‘fastest paying cashback site’ where you get paid for completing tasks such as surveys and free trials, and get cashback when you shop with selected brands. Sign up for a 50p bonus, plus get another 50p when you complete a quick welcome survey. It all adds up! :
- Picodi: A new-ish site and app that offers cashback, promo codes and deals all in one place. Get cashback from a decent selection of retailers, including boohoo.com, eBay, Domino’s, and more. Sign up now and get a £4 welcome bonus.
Psst… Check out my top 10 cashback sites guide where I talk more in-depth about each of these sites.
Which sites give the highest cashback?
Cashback rates can vary but in general, the sites that offer the highest cashback rates in the UK are TopCashback and Quidco.
How do cashback apps work?
Cashback apps and supermarket cashback apps work slightly differently:
Cashback apps: You connect your card and the app tracks your purchases and rewards you cashback when you spend with selected retailers. There may also be an opportunity to buy gift cards within the app to earn more cashback.
Supermarket cashback apps: You download the app and look for offers on various products at certain supermarkets. Pick up these products and check out as normal, then upload a photo of your receipt and cashback will be added to your account.
Best cashback apps in the UK
- Airtime Rewards: Rewards you by taking money off your phone bill every time you shop in-store with over 150 retailers. Use my referral code: PPBMT7HU to get a 50p welcome bonus (PLUS £1 bonus if you spend with a partner retailer in the first 7 days)
- Cheddar: Earn cashback instantly on all your purchases and get rewarded when you buy gift cards on the app with retailers like ASDA, Amazon, Tesco, Boots, and loads more. Get your first £2.50 by using my referral code: CSAOUJV and purchase your first gift card on the app within 15 days of downloading the app.
- JamDoughnut: A cashback app that pays you instantly when you buy gift cards with over 125 retailers on the app. Use my ref code: KFU4 to get 400 points (£4) when you sign up.
- Shopmium: Features a list of exciting products with various discounts e.g. 50% off or sometimes, 100% free. Buy the product and upload a pic of your receipt to earn cashback straight back into your piggy bank. Use my referral code: KHKCYCEN when you download the app to get a free pack of Dairy Milk Buttons!
- GreenJinn: A supermarket cashback app that focuses on healthy food like fruit and veg and vegan-friendly snacks. It features cashback offers on products from supermarkets like Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose
- CheckoutSmart: Another great supermarket cashback app, which offers freebies and discounts on food and drink products.
- HyperJar: A savings app that also offers up to 20% instant cashback when you buy gift cards for popular retailers like Starbucks, IKEA, Primark, plus many more.
- Everup: Get instant cashback at over 140 shops including Aldi and B&Q, plus restaurants like Pizza Express when you buy gift cards for these places within the app. Earn even more when you play games and enter prize draws.
- Emma: A money management app that lets you earn up to 30% cashback when you shop at 500+ retailers via the app.
Best banking apps cashback
- Chase: Chase is a banking app that gives you 1% cashback on your everyday debit card spending for your first 12 months. You can pocket up to £15 a month, which could be up to £180 a year.
- Monzo: Monzo bank also offers cashback on your favourite retailers and websites, like Lidl, eBay, Morrisons, River Island, and even train ticket sites. Simply activate the offers in the app, shop as normal, and the cashback will be sent to your Monzo account.
What app pays the most cashback?
Most cashback apps typically pay similar rates and run almost identical promotions if they have the same retailers on each app.
Personally, I think Chase banking app offers the most cashback because you get 1% cashback on your everyday debit card spending and can earn up to £15 a month for a whole year.
Top tips for saving money with cashback sites and apps
- Double up your savings: If you use an app like Airtime Rewards, which tracks your card spending, and click through a cashback website like TopCashback, you’ll receive cashback on both platforms
- Use browser extensions: Install browser extensions from cashback sites to get reminders to activate cashback when shopping online
- Combine with voucher codes: Some cashback sites allow you to use voucher codes in addition to earning cashback (but typically only allow codes featured on their website or app)
- Cash out your earnings as a gift card: Cashback sites like Quidco and TopCashback offer more money if you withdraw your cashback as a gift card, rather than transferring it to a bank or PayPal account
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