Cashback sites explained

What cashback is, and why anyone pays it

When you buy something online, the shop often pays a commission to whoever sent you there. A cashback site is one of those senders. It keeps part of the commission and passes the rest back to you. You do not pay extra for this, but the reward only appears if the shop recognises that your visit came through the cashback site. Everything else on this page is really about that one condition.

Finrato's editor uses TopCashback personally, which is why it gets the most detail below. Nobody paid for that, and the links on this page earn us nothing.

The life of a cashback payment

You log in to the site, click through to the shop, buy as normal, and the purchase is recorded against your account. Then comes the waiting, because the shop pays the cashback site only after checking the order.

TopCashback

TopCashback's help pages say all cashback starts as in progress while the retailer checks that you kept the purchase and met the terms. Once the retailer has verified the order, it normally moves to available, and then you can ask for a payout. Some retailers approve cashback before they have paid TopCashback; the entry then carries a note saying the retailer has authorised it. TopCashback gives no single waiting time. Each transaction on your Earnings page shows an estimated payable speed, so read that rather than guessing. Insurance is slower: TopCashback's help page "Why hasn't my cashback tracked to my account?" says van, motorbike, car and home policies bought through TopCashback Compare take eight weeks to track and pet policies twelve, while travel, energy, broadband and mobile take up to seven days.

Quidco

Quidco's statuses are tracked (usually visible within a few hours, sometimes several days), returns and cancellation (on hold while the returns window closes, which can take a few weeks), retailer decision (which Quidco says can take up to several months), then confirmed or declined, and finally paid once the money reaches your Quidco balance.

A checklist so it tracks

Most "missing" cashback is a tracking failure at the start. TopCashback's own help page lists what to do before you click through:

1. Turn off ad blockers and pop-up blockers. Adblock Plus settings that block extra tracking or cookie consent banners are named specifically.
2. Allow third-party cookies, and choose "Accept All" if the retailer's site asks which cookies you accept.
3. Do not shop in a private or incognito window.
4. Close other tabs, apps and extensions linked to the shop before you start the visit.
5. Use the retailer's app only when the pop-up says you can buy there.
6. Do not add a voucher code from another site. TopCashback's terms say codes not obtained from its own site "will often result in your Cashback not being awarded".
7. Keep the order. TopCashback's terms say cashback "may be declined if all or part of your order is returned, amended or cancelled", and Quidco's terms say cashback is forfeited if the transaction is cancelled.

The same page suggests trying another browser if you have problems, and names Safari and Firefox as ones that can be troublesome.

If it does not track: a missing-cashback claim

On TopCashback, lodge a claim if cashback has not tracked after seven days, using the "Lodge Missing Cashback Claim" form with your order details. Wrong details can get the claim rejected. Retailers set their own deadline, which TopCashback says is usually around 100 days from the purchase date, so do not leave it. If the form will not let you pick your purchase date, raise a support ticket. Quidco uses its own claims form, and says some declined cashback can be challenged, though some retailers do not allow it.

TopCashback in detail

Classic and Plus

Classic membership is free. Plus is the paid tier, but you are never billed: it costs £5 per 12-month membership year, taken out of your earnings when you request a payout. If you earn nothing in the year, nothing is deducted. If you earn less than £5, only that amount is taken and the shortfall rolls forward. TopCashback's own example: earn £2 in year one, and in year two you need £7 of cashback to cover both years. Plus members must have £5 payable before they can pay out, and Plus renews automatically unless you opt out and drop back to Classic at year end.

In return, TopCashback says Plus members get about 16% more cashback than Classic on average. That is the company's claim, so check the rate shown for the shops you actually use. Plus also lifts the gift card payout bonus to up to 25%, against up to 12.5% on Classic.

Getting paid

You can withdraw by bank transfer, PayPal, or gift cards through TopCashback's Reward Wallet. For bank transfer and PayPal there is typically no minimum; gift card minimums vary by brand and are shown when you choose. Only one payout type is allowed in each 24 hours.

Quidco in detail

Basic membership is free. Premium costs £1 a month, kept from your cashback earnings, and no fee is taken for any month in which you have gone 30 days or more without a transaction. Quidco says Premium gives up to 25% higher rates on selected retailers, up to 20% extra when you withdraw as an e-gift card, increased Refer a Friend rewards and no ads. Switch between the two under "Account Type" in Settings. According to Quidco's withdrawal help page, the minimum withdrawal is £1 by bank transfer or PayPal, and gift card minimums vary by retailer. Quidco describes bank transfer as free.

Side by side

Other options

This is what each company's own site says about itself.

• JamDoughnut: you buy a gift card for a brand and the cashback arrives at purchase. The site says it is free to join and shows example rates of 3% to 7.5%.
• Airtime: link your bank cards and spend with partner brands to build credit towards your mobile bill. It is run by Airtime Rewards Limited.
• Checkoutsmart: photograph a supermarket receipt and be paid to your bank or PayPal. Sign-up is free.
• GreenJinn: receipt-scanning cashback on grocery brands, with a £1.50 minimum payout to PayPal or bank.
• Cheddar: gift card cashback, withdrawable to your bank once your balance reaches £5. It describes itself as FCA-authorised; check the FCA register.
• Kidstart: cashback collected in a Kidstart account run by OneFamily; see OneFamily's page for what you can do with the balance.

With gift card apps you pay for the card up front and can only spend it with that retailer, so only buy for shopping you would do anyway.

The risks

• The balance is a promise, not a bank deposit. It is the company's promise to pay you, so withdraw regularly rather than letting it build.
• Dormancy. TopCashback's terms say accounts may be disabled if dormant and advise logging in at least once every six months; payable cashback on a terminated account is deemed forfeited. Quidco's terms let it remove a balance if you do not log in for six months or more.
• Terms change. TopCashback says it may amend its terms from time to time. Quidco says changes that could adversely affect you take effect no less than 30 days after posting.
• Services close. TopCashback's terms allow it to withdraw parts of its site, and Quidco's allow it to withdraw or suspend services. The Step teachers' benefits platform said its Reward Gateway cashback service was due to close on 12 September 2026 and told members to withdraw balances beforehand (Step), and Nationwide scrapped its Simply Rewards cashback in 2019 (Which?).

A fair disclosure

Quidco and MoneySavingExpert are both owned by MONY Group. Whichever guide you read, check its figures against the scheme's own terms.

Scheme terms checked on 29 October 2026.