How To Use TopCashback: A Complete Step-By-Step Beginner’s Guide (2024)

TopCashback (TCB) is one of the best cashback sites that I use to earn extra money, and I can’t recommend it enough! Since 2005, they’ve been on a mission to help the UK save money when they shop online, and they now have over 20 million members and a whopping 6,000 retailers to shop with on their site.

If you’re just finding out about this site, keep reading to find out everything you need to know about how to use TopCashback, plus catch my top tips for earning even more on the platform.

What is TopCashback and how does it work?

TopCashback is one of the UK’s most popular cashback sites, helping millions of users save money when they shop for pretty much anything online. Whether that’s clothes, a takeaway, insurance, a new phone contract, or your next holiday.

TCB offers you a cash incentive when you shop with one of the retailers listed on their site. This could be anything from 1% to £30+ on bigger purchases such as insurance and phone and broadband contracts.

What can I get cashback on?

You can earn cashback on most things you buy online via TopCashback. Here are a few examples:

• Makeup and beauty products
• Clothes and accessories
• Travel – hotels, flights, transfers, car hire, and more
• Household appliances
• Insurance – including car, home, pet, and life insurance
• Cleaning and household products
• Food and takeaways
• Weekly supermarket shop
• Baby essentials
• Memberships and subscriptions
• Stocks and shares accounts

Plus plenty more!

How much can I earn?

TCB states that their average user can earn up to £345 a year, but how much you make on their site all depends on how often you shop and how much you spend.

How to use TopCashback

Here is how to use TopCashback for complete beginners…

1. Step one: Create a free account

To start using TopCashback, sign up for a free account and you’ll receive a welcome email, which shows you all the basics and helps you navigate the site.

2. Step two: Search for a retailer

Once you’ve signed in and had a look around, search for a brand you’d like to shop with and check out the cashback rates available on their page. Using Argos as an example:

The retailer page will show you all the current cashback rates, plus any information you need to know about claiming cashback with this website.

If you scroll down, sometimes there are exclusive voucher codes available, too. Meaning you can save even more money by using a voucher code and claiming cashback with this retailer.

3. Step three: Click ‘get cashback’ and make a purchase

Once you hit the ‘get cashback’ button, you should see the message appear below before you’re redirected to the Argos website. This means TopCashback is tracking your Argos site visit and will log any purchases you make.

Add products to your basket and check out as normal. Make sure you stay in the same browser window, as this will help your TopCashback track your activity.

4. Step four: Wait for your cashback to be confirmed

Once you’ve made a purchase, TopCashback will send you a confirmation email to let you know your visit to the retailer website has been tracked. There are 4 stages to the cashback tracking process:

1. Pending: Your purchase is waiting to be confirmed by TopCashback and the retailer
2. Confirmed: The cashback site and retailer have confirmed you’ve made a purchase that is eligible for cashback
3. Payable: The money is now available in your TopCashback account and ready to withdraw
4. Claimed: You’ve withdrawn your earnings from TopCashback

You can check the progress of your cashback request by going to your earnings page under your account. You’ll also be able to see how much cash you have ready to withdraw here.

5. Step five: Withdraw your earnings

The final step is to withdraw your earnings. To do this, head to your account, then click on the ‘payout’ tab, where you will be asked to verify your password again. If you want to withdraw to your bank account or PayPal but haven’t set up any payment details yet, you’ll be prompted to do this first.

You can choose to withdraw your earnings to your bank, PayPal account, or transfer them to a gift card. TopCashback will add a bonus if you choose a gift card option. If you choose to go down the gift card route, you need to transfer your earnings to your ‘reward wallet’ and select the gift card you’d like to have. (More on this below).

What is TopCashback reward wallet? 

TopCashback reward wallet is your personal online wallet for the site. You can transfer your cashback here to exchange them for bonus e-gift cards from 75+ retailers like Amazon, Primark, and Costa.

TCB offers a bonus top up when you choose any of these gift cards, so it’s worth considering over a bank or PayPal transfer.

You can transfer as much or as little of your cashback earnings into your reward wallet. Bear in mind, though, that the minimum and maximum amounts you can withdraw as a gift card will vary per retailer.

How does TopCashback pay you? 

TopCashback pays you from the income they earn from brands listed on the website. Every time you shop with brands via TopCashback, TCB earn a commission from the brand, and they share this with you.

There are a number of payout options to choose from. You can ask for your cashback earnings to be transferred to your bank account, a PayPal account, or exchange it into e-gift cards.

Is there a minimum payment threshold?

This is the great thing about TopCashback, the minimum threshold for BACS or PayPal, or Amazon.co.uk Gift Card is just 1p! You can cashout other gift cards and e-codes from £1. It gives you the option to check each retailer gift card threshold when you select them as you cash out.

How long does it take for TopCashback to pay out?

Once your cashback has been confirmed, it can take anywhere from two to three months to show as payable on your account. This gives TCB time to see if you’ve returned any purchased items and for them to collect commission from the retailer to pay you.

As soon as you withdraw your money or convert it into an e-gift card, it should reach your bank, PayPal account, or email within 4 working days.

Does TopCashback charge a fee?

No, TopCashback doesn’t charge a fee and is completely free to use if you remain on a ‘classic’ membership. There is, however, the option to upgrade your account to a TopCashback Plus membership. This costs just £5 per year, which is deducted from your cashback earnings. (More about this below!)

What is TopCashback’s Plus membership? 

TopCashback Plus membership allows you earn even more cashback than a basic account and has many exclusive features and rewards. The £5 free is deducted from your annual cashback earnings, which means the perks basically pay for themselves.

Check out this comparison between a Classic and Plus account:

Account Type	Classic	Plus
Extra top up cashback rates	x	✓
Tell a friend referral	£25	£30
Reward wallet gift card payout bonus	Up to 12.5%	Up to 25%
Exclusive promotions & competitions	x	✓
Enhanced monthly statements	x	✓

Can you use TopCashback in-store?

You used to be able to access in-store cashback rates when you connected your card and activated offers with selected retailers. However, it looks like TopCashback has now removed this page from their website.

Top tips for using TopCashback & boosting your income

Now that you know the basics, here is how to boost your TopCashback earnings!

Clear your cookies

Cashback sites use cookies to track your visit to a retailer’s website. If you’ve visited a retailer’s website within a month of getting cashback with TCB, it might not track because they assume you didn’t go via their site. To avoid your cashback not tracking, clear your cookies in your browser before you get cashback.

Get the TopCashback reminder browser extension 

TopCashback has a super helpful browser extension that you can install on Google Chrome. This sits in your browser and will alert you every time you’re on a website that offers cashback.

All you have to do is click ‘get cashback’ while you’re on the retailer site, and it will track on your TopCashback account. This saves you having to manually log in every time you’re looking for cashback.

Take advantage of free money deals

TCB also has a free cashback page where you can earn cash without spending a penny! Sign up for free trials, take part in surveys and sign up to free daily lottery draws to top up your account balance.

Download the TopCashback app

TopCashback also has an app, which is available to download for free on both iOS and Android devices. This is really handy to get cashback on the go. Search for TopCashback wherever you get your apps to download this app.

TCB often has flash bonus days, where you can earn an extra £5-10 on top of any purchase. These only last 24 hours and they often release a push notification, which pops up on your phone. So it definitely pays to download the app!

Use the TopCashback insurance comparison 

Compare competitive quotes from leading Energy, Broadband, Insurance providers and get cashback on top when you use TopCashback’s comparison tool.

Refer your friends

TopCashback currently has the most generous referral scheme, offering £25 for each person you refer with a Classic account, and £30 from a Plus membership. Cash in on this and refer everyone you know, from from family members, to your besties, even neighbours!

Transfer your earnings as a gift card

Not only can you get cashback for buying gift cards on the TopCashback website, you can receive up to 25% more when you cash out your earnings as a gift card. The cashback site offers e-gift cards for over 75 retailers, including M&S, Just-Eat, and more.

Play seasonal games

TopCashback hosts a fun treasure hunts-style game around Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter on their website. Each day they release a clue to a retailer. Once you figure it out, head to their retailer page and click the hummingbird to reveal your prize.

In their latest Sweet Treats giveaway, you could earn over 72,000 instant-win cash prizes worth up to £100, or a top prize of £1,000!

How does TopCashback make money? 

TopCashback secures affiliate partnerships with brands and retailers so that every time you purchase an item via their site, they earn a commission from the retailer as a thanks for shopping with them.

However, TopCashback claims their users get 100% of their commission. They suggest they use a separate affiliate network to earn money from retailers and will also make money by collaborations with bloggers and influencers.

Is TopCashback legit? 

Yes, TopCashback is 100% genuine. As with all products and services on my blog, I use TopCashback myself and wouldn’t recommend it otherwise. It’s a legit website and I’ve cashed out successfully many times. They have been around since 2005 and have endless testimonials to back up their credibility.

If you have any concerns or questions, you can always contact their super-friendly customer service team to help put your mind at ease.

Do you have to pay tax on TopCashback?

No you don’t have to pay tax on TopCashback earnings. Cashback is classed as tax-free income, so you don’t have to pay tax on cashback sites or apps.

Is TopCashback worth it?

I would say it’s definitely worth creating a TopCashback account. I’ve saved thousands of pounds using this website and app and it’s effectively free money. Especially if you were going to purchase a product or service anyway.

What do I do if my cashback hasn’t tracked? 

It doesn’t happen often, but occasionally, your cashback doesn’t track. If your cashback hasn’t appeared in your account after a few days, it probably hasn’t tracked. If this happens, you’ll have to submit a missing cashback claim.

How do I submit a missing cashback claim?

Submitting a missing cashback claim on TopCashback’s website is pretty quick and easy. All you have to do is follow this link and fill in the missing cashback claim form.

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