Top cashback sites 2024
Wouldn't it be great if you could earn money back every time you bought something online? Oh wait, you can! And we could be talking big bucks...
It might sound surprising, but some brands will actually pay you cash if you buy something from them by going via an external website first.
These are called cashback sites. They're a great place to start if you're on the hunt for ways to save a bit of money while at uni, without having to completely freeze your spending.
If you're a frequent online shopper, you could be earning £100s a year by using a cashback site.
In five years, our very own Jake Butler has earned over £900 in cashback with TopCashback! Read on to find out how you could be doing the same.
What's in this guide?
Ways to get cashback
Here are some of the best ways to earn cashback with minimal effort:
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Get a cashback bank account
Some banks offer cashback current accounts, where you'll receive a bit of cashback every time you shop with certain retailers or pay your bills, for instance.
While this is an easy way to get cashback, watch out for potential drawbacks. Most of these accounts will charge a small monthly fee and expect a certain amount to be deposited in the account each month for you to retain the perks.
Also, check whether the cashback deals on offer match your spending habits. Otherwise, you might be better off opting for other bank account benefits instead.
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Sign up for a credit card
If you're good at managing your money, a cashback credit card might be a better option. These essentially work by giving you cashback on some or all purchases (depending on the card).
Most only offer around 0.5% – 1% back on each purchase, but this soon adds up if you're spending a lot. Again, check if the offers will work for you and watch out for any monthly fees. Use our guide to student credit cards to find the best deals.
Make sure that, if you do have a credit card, you pay it off in full at the end of each month. Only use it to buy things you know you can afford.
Otherwise, you'll be charged interest which could potentially be more than any cashback you've earned. And remember, if you don't pay it off, your credit score will likely suffer.
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Switch energy provider
Many energy providers offer deals to entice new customers which include a certain amount of cashback. Just make sure you do the sums and ensure the new deal is the cheapest overall.
For instance, there's no point in going for a deal that offers £30 cashback if you're going to end up paying £70 more across the year in bills. Use our guide to comparing and switching providers to keep your bills as low as possible.
Because of the current energy crisis, you may find that there is little difference in the prices between energy providers at the moment. However, they are starting to compete for customers again and we've already found some offering cashback if you switch.
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Do online shopping
If you don't fancy making a big commitment in the form of a new bank account or credit card, you can still earn cashback when you make purchases online using cashback sites.
They're super easy to use and you can earn some serious cash over time if you stick at it. Keep reading to find out exactly how they work.
Our COO, Jake Butler, explains:
I don't buy anything online without checking if I can get cashback first.
It might not seem like much sometimes, but it really does add up, and bigger purchases like phone contracts or broadband can lead to much bigger payouts.
I've consistently earned over £100 a year since signing up.
How do cashback sites work?
Credit: Kalamurzing - Shutterstock
Cashback deals vary widely. You could earn as much as £100 or just a few pennies on a single transaction, depending on what you buy and where you shop. It might sound complicated, but it's very easy.
To start earning cashback, follow these simple steps:
- Sign up to a reputable cashback site like Quidco, TopCashback or Swagbucks.
- Whenever you decide to buy something online, open a new tab and sign in to your cashback site account. Alternatively, you could head straight to the cashback site to see which companies are offering the highest rates or best deals.
- Search for the retailer you want to buy from in the cashback site search bar (e.g. 'ASOS', 'Currys' or even 'Sky Broadband' etc.).
- Follow the brand's link on the cashback site and it will take you to their homepage.
- Make your purchase as normal. The cashback site will have tracked your click so it knows you made your purchase through them, and they'll register your cashback.
How much cashback can you get online?
The amount of money you'll receive will vary. For smaller purchases, cashback rates can be around 5% – 10%, but if you're making a bigger investment (a new mobile phone contract or broadband package, for example) you could earn £100 or more.
Here's a list of typical cashback rates for some retailers at the time of writing:
- ASOS – up to 6.6% cashback
- Expedia – up to 10% cashback
- GAME – up to 2.1% cashback
- O2 Mobile – up to £100 cashback
- Travelodge – up to 4% cashback
- Virgin Media – up to £95 cashback.
Remember that rates will vary depending on what purchase you make, which cashback site you use, whether or not you're a new customer and any special offers available.
Does cashback cost anything?
No, using cashback sites won't cost you anything. A lot of people worry that these sites are a scam – free cash does sound a bit suspicious after all.
However, they have quite a nifty business model that makes it all possible.
Cashback sites make their money by earning a commission for sending customers to online shops, and you get a large slice of it (or, in some cases, all of it). Genius!
Companies like Argos, ASOS and even broadband providers pay cashback sites to advertise them and direct customers to their websites. When a customer makes a purchase, the cashback site earns referral money which it then passes on to you.
Some sites give their customers 100% of the commission. They instead make their money through bonuses received for referring large numbers of customers, or from premium memberships which typically cost a few pounds (more on this below).
Therefore, although you're paid by the cashback sites, the money you eventually receive comes from the brands themselves.
Best cashback sites 2024
These are the top cashback sites:
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Quidco
Quidco is one of the best cashback sites out there, if not the best. They generally offer higher rates than their competitors, and most users give them glowing reviews.
They claim their average user makes £280 a year – that could bag you a summer holiday!
You can also choose to pay for a Premium membership that will get you higher cashback rates, better payout bonuses and other benefits. In exchange, you'll need to sacrifice £1 of your earned cashback each month you're active.
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TopCashback
TopCashback is another leading cashback site and is normally seen battling it out with Quidco in the quest to offer users the best exclusive rates.
Their Classic membership is free, but the Plus membership offers bonus cashback on most transactions, as well as extra money for referring friends and other perks. However, they will keep up to £5 of the cashback you earn every year as payment.
There's the option to trade your cashback cash for vouchers through Reward Wallet, and get up to 25% value added!
Also, look out for their Free Cashback feature. This lets you earn cashback just by completing certain tasks online, like filling out paid online surveys or checking your credit score.
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Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a site leaning more towards rewards than just cashback.
As well as getting cashback offers, you can earn rewards by completing surveys, playing games and even downloading apps.
Earn your cashback and rewards by saving up 'Swagbucks' (or SBs as they call them) as a sort of currency that can then be exchanged for rewards. For more information, check out our Swagbucks review.
As all of the sites we've listed are free to join, you could join a few of them and compare the cashback amounts between them. What's there to lose?
Top tips for using cashback sites
Credit: Yevgen Kravchenko, kamui29, Bell Photography 423 – Shutterstock
If you're keen to give cashback a go, there are a few things to consider before getting started.
Things to do on cashback sites
Here are our top tips for using cashback sites:
- Clear your cookies – Cashback sites use your cookies to track if you have arrived at a retail site through them or another site. Therefore, if your browser history gets pages mixed up and doesn't register that you've come via a cashback site, you won't get your reward. Clearing your cookies just before making your purchase will ensure this doesn't happen.
- Transfer any money you make out of your cashback account ASAP – Leave it in your account too long, and it won't be protected if the website goes bust.
- Do the maths before making your purchase – Cashback won't always necessarily get you the best deal. Shop around for student deals, check for promo codes and visit daily deal sites to find the best offer.
- Register your credit card with your cashback account – Do this so you can start earning cashback on purchases you make online and in stores too.
- Refer your friends – You'll earn extra cash for getting your friends to sign up with a referral link. At the time of writing, Quidco offers you £5 in their referral scheme, whereas TopCashback will give up to up £35 per referral.
- Remember to use the price match – Both TopCashback and Quidco guarantee to match (or even beat) each other's offers. If you find you could have got a better deal elsewhere, you can submit a claim and get extra cashback. However, there are strict time limits on this (Quidco only gives you 72 hours), so don't hang about!
Things to avoid on cashback sites
Here are some things to avoid when using cashback sites:
- Don't be led astray by flashy deals – It's easy to get excited by a £100 cashback deal on a new broadband package. But, if you don't actually need a new contract, don't go for it. Broadband providers also don't have the best reputation for being easy to understand. Even if they're offering great cashback, they might be stinging you with other charges.
- Don't assume anything – Just because you've followed the instructions, it doesn't mean that the money is yours. Complications can occur that might lead to you missing out on your cash. To avoid disappointment, try not to rely too heavily on getting your rewards – instead, think of it as a bonus if you make some cash. If you have any issues, contact the cashback site's customer service department.
- Don't think that every deal is set in stone – There can be disputes between brands and cashback sites that might prevent you from getting what you're due. Admittedly, this is a pitfall of going for cashback – nothing is guaranteed until it's safely in your bank account.
On the hunt for a quicker way to earn cash online? We have a whole list of tried and tested methods to make money online.
