Earning cashback is so easy to do. If you’re a regular online shopper, you could possibly earn £100’s in extra cash every year. But which cashback sites are worth using and who pays the most?
The best UK cashback sites
Have you ever seen that guy that stands outside of Homebase trying to sell you windows? Well, every time he refers somebody, he receives a fee. Cashback sites work in a similar way. However, instead of the cashback site keeping the money, they send it to you. It’s almost like paying yourself when you shop.
What can you get cashback for?
It’s not only shopping you can get cashback rewards from. Insurance, subscriptions, TV services, tickets and even selling your house!
There are 100’s if not 1,000’s of retailers listed, including most major chains, and you can earn anything between a few pence to well over £100 in a single transaction.
How do you withdraw money?
Once your money has been confirmed (which can take a few weeks to a few months), there are several options to withdraw. This is usually straight into your bank account or by PayPal. Some cashback websites give the option to withdraw through gift vouchers (such as Amazon and M&S) which come with a small % bonus if you choose that method.
Which are the best cashback sites in the UK?
We are lucky enough to have plenty of options available when it comes to cashback. Here is a list of some of the best cashback sites available to UK customers. And a lot of them come with bonuses for new customers.
TopCashback
I use TopCashback the most. It claims to be the highest-paying cashback site and it’s free to join. There is also an option of a paid account, which costs £5 a year but pays bigger bonuses. Personally, I would see how much you use it first before you opt for the paid account.
Since opening my TopCashback account, I have received well over £6,000 into my cashback account!
Your cashback earnings can be withdrawn as cash, or you can opt for a gift card, for a small bonus. It also has a generous refer a friend scheme.
Quidco
Another option is Quidco. Again, it’s free to join and use, with a paid subscription available. You can withdraw by PayPal, Bank Transfer or Amazon gift card, which comes with a 5% top-up.
It’s always worth checking both Quidco and TopCashback before you make a purchase as cashback rates can and do differ. For example, BT may offer £100 cashback at Quidco and £15 at TopCashback one week and then the following week, the amounts will be swapped.
Quidco also offers a ‘Premium Account’ in exchange for a fee. This pays up to 10% extra cashback and 20% in payout bonuses. The cost is £1 per month, but you only pay if you use it.
I have managed to earn over £600 since 2009. Not bad when you consider I mainly use TopCashback.
Also worth reading
Cashback is a great way to get extra back from little effort. Why not take a look at some of the best free money offers?
Jam Doughnut
This cashback app works slightly differently from the sites above. Instead of clicking a link, you buy a gift card for your chosen store instead.
When you buy a gift card, you’ll be rewarded with points. These points can then be exchanged for cash, which is paid straight into your bank account, or you can withdraw them as a gift card.
You’ll find cashback offers from Jam Doughnut that you won’t find from its competitors and you’ll sometimes receive better rates.
If you want to try it out, click on the button below and use the code O8ZG when you join for a bonus 200 points (£2).
Airtime Rewards
Airtime rewards allow you to collect cashback to pay toward your mobile phone bill. Link your debit or credit card to your Airtime account and it earns cashback automatically.
You can then use any money you earn to pay off your mobile phone bill from selected providers (including Vodafone, Three and O2).
Airtime rewards don’t have as many retailers signed up as other cashback sites, but you don’t have to remember to click on any links before you shop. Plus, you can use it with other cashback sites!
Click on the button below and use the promo code 8YXY4BLK for a 50 pence bonus when you join.
Sprive
Sprive is an app aimed at those who want to pay off their mortgage early. There are two ways in which you can do this.
First, Sprive uses AI to analyse your bank account and spending and calculates how much you can afford to save each week.
Second, Sprive allows you to purchase gift cards for major stores in the UK – and some of these stores you won’t find on sites like TopCashback. And you’re not restricted to using these just online, but you can also buy gift cards to use in-store too.
You’ll earn cashback in the region of 2 to 10% for every card you buy. This cashback can then be put towards your mortgage.
Rakuten
Rakuten is fairly new to the UK market and offers cashback from a large number of stores.
Cashback you earn can be withdrawn as cash or can be converted into points. These points can then be exchanged for gift cards.
However, cashback rates from Rakuten tend to be lower compared to the others on this list and there seem to be fewer special offers.
Still, there’s a £15 bonus for anybody who signs up by clicking on the button below and spends £20 in one transaction in the first 30 days.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks isn’t exclusively a cashback site. There are plenty of ways to make money, such as completing surveys, watching videos and searching the web.
However, follow a link to your favourite shops from Swagbucks and you’ll earn Bucks. These can then be exchanged for cash or money-off vouchers at some of the most popular retailers, such as Amazon, M&S and Starbucks.
imutual
imutual is slightly different from the above cashback sites. Not only do you earn cashback from your purchases, but you also earn shares. And being rewarded with shares means that you become a part-owner of imutual.
Although that sounds quite good, I have yet to see any real benefit. Usually, shareholders are paid a dividend (profits shared between the owners) but imutual don’t have any plans to do this.
However, there are plenty of opportunities to earn cash from imutual just by clicking through to comparison sites.
Picodi
Although this cashback site has operated globally for many years, it has only recently entered the UK market. To earn your cashback, you simply have to click on a link from Picodi before you make a purchase.
In general, cashback rates are slightly lower compared to the other sites on this list.
However, it offers lots of boosted rates, so you can earn up to 15% from certain retailers. Plus, it may give you a voucher code for further discounts.
KidStart
Similar to Quidco and TopCashback, KidStart pays you cashback when you click on a link and make a purchase.
But this site has one major difference – you can only withdraw money into a child’s savings account. The child doesn’t have to be yours but could belong to a friend or family member.
It’s a great way to help build your child a nest egg for the future. However, KidStart tends to give lower rates of cashback compared to the other sites.
Nectar
The Nectar website doesn’t give you the chance to earn cash. Instead, you earn Nectar points.
Each Nectar point is worth 0.5 pence and can be exchanged for all sorts of things, such as money off your shopping or cheap days out. But the rates are generally far lower than those of its competitors.
One redeeming feature of Nectar is you can sometimes earn points from retailers not found on other sites – such as iTunes.
Apart from that, I would only recommend Nectar if you’re desperate to build up your points.
Which cashback site pays the most?
I decided to take a look at five completely random stores to see the difference in cashback rates across some of the sites listed above.
Argos | Currys | Debenhams | Clarks | Boots | |
Topcashback | 1.5% | 1% | 7% | 3.15% | 2% |
Quidco | 0.75% | 0.75% | 2.25% | 2.25% | 2% |
JamDoughnut | 4% | 4% | N/A | 7% | N/A |
Airtime Rewards | 2% | 1% | 3% | 5% | 5% |
Sprive | 5% | N/A | N/A | 9% | 3% |
Rakuten | 1% | 1% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1% |
Swagbucks | 1% | 1% | 1% | 2% | 2% |
imutual | N/A | 1% (+shares) | N/A | 3.1% (+shares) | 2.1% (+shares) |
Picodi | N/A | 1.3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
KidStart | 1% | 1.3% | 0.6% | 2% | 1.3% |
Nectar | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1% | 1% | N/A |
As you can see, there can be some really big differences in the cashback rate across sites. But TopCashback and Sprive often come out close to the top.
And don’t forget, because you earn cashback from your debit/credit card through the Airtime Rewards apps, they stack together. So, you could get two lots of cashback if you use them alongside (for example) TopCashback.
Which is the best cashback website for UK customers?
There isn’t one clear winner here. When shopping online, TopCashback does tend to have an edge over its rivals… but only slightly. Sprive and Jam Doughnut are worth using, especially if you want some discounts when you’re shopping in-store.
But it’s worth shopping around and joining as many sites as you can. All of these sites will offer a cashback deal for specific stores on different dates. For example, Quidco may offer 10% cashback for a retailer one day and then reduce it to 1% the next. Then, TopCashback may boost the rate the following day. It’s just a case of checking each site before you buy.
You can be sure that you will save money on your online shopping.
A cashback warning
I must point out though, that unless you’re buying gift cards, these sites do not guarantee that you will receive cashback. They have to wait to receive money from the site you clicked on before they send it to you. However, over the last 5 years, I have only had one £10 payment declined. Just make sure you read the T&C’s to each offer before you click through.
Further reading
If you like the idea of cashback, then why not take a look at how you can earn extra by shopping with your credit card.
And if cashback interests you, take a look at some of the best cashback apps available, so you can save even more money!
Or, take a look at my quick guide to cashback sites for more information.
Gone but not forgotten – cashback websites no longer with us
The following cashback sites are no longer with us.
Scrapped 2021:
Boom25: A cashback site that gave you a 1 in 25 chance to win the full value of your purchase back.
Scrapped 2022:
My money pocket: Similar to TopCashback but rates weren’t so tempting.
Scrapped 2023:
Swapi: A cashback app linked to your bank account.
LoyalBe: Another app that linked to your bank to earn you cashback.
FAQs
Do you need to pay tax on cashback?
No. Cashback is seen as a discount, rather than earnings which means that you don’t have to pay tax.
Are cashback websites worth it?
Definitely. For just a minute of your time before you make a purchase, you can make anywhere between a few pence up to well over £100 back.