Picodi Review: An Average Cashback Site in a Crowded Market
Cashback is one of the easiest ways to save money online. You click through a site, shop as normal, and get a bit of money back later. I’ve been using cashback sites for years and they’ve saved me a decent amount overall. But with so many options available now, not every cashback site is worth your time. In this Picodi review, I’ll explain why Picodi feels average at best and why it struggles to stand out.
Picodi review
Picodi is a global player that often flies under the radar in the UK. While it struggle to compete with the “Big Two” on day-to-day rates, it’s a handy site to have in your pocket for occasional “Flash” boosted offers. With a low £5 minimum withdrawal and the option to cash out via Bank, PayPal, or even Cryptocurrency, it offers flexibility that many other secondary sites lack.
Pros
- Very low £5 minimum withdrawal threshold
- Unique payout options including Cryptocurrency (USDT/BNB)
- Combines voucher codes and cashback in one view
- Decent mobile app for on-the-go tracking
Cons
- Standard cashback rates are rarely the best on the market
- Support can be slow to respond to missing cashback claims
- Fewer UK-specific retailers compared to TopCashback
Reviewed by Household Money SavingPicodi
I have been using cashback sites for as long as I care to remember. The simple fact is, they’re easy to use and you can get some pretty impressive discounts on your shopping.
But there are quite a few cashback sites around, so why would you swap? I have accounts with TopCashback and Quidco, as well as plenty of cashback apps, so is there room for yet another? Well, I’m not sure there is.
What is Picodi?
Picodi is a cashback website and mobile app that also includes discount codes and vouchers. It covers a wide range of retailers across categories such as fashion, electronics, food and travel. The idea is to combine discounts and cashback in one place, although in practice, it doesn’t always work smoothly.
Is it safe?
Yes. Picodi has been operating internationally for several years and has recently expanded into the UK. While it’s still building a presence here, there’s nothing to suggest it’s unsafe to use.
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How does it work?
If you’re an experienced cashback user, nothing from Picodi will surprise you.
All you need to do is search on the Picodi website (or app) for the store you want to make a purchase from. If cashback is available, there will be a green button saying ‘Activate cashback’. Click it and then shop as you normally would.
When you buy the item, Picodi will be notified by the store of how much you paid and then you’ll earn cashback. How much this is depends on the offer, but it’s usually anything between 0.1% and 10%.
Once everything is confirmed, you will be able to withdraw your earnings. It’s like getting a discount… although a little long-winded.
But you don’t have to rely only on cashback. Picodi also lists discount vouchers, which could be combined with cashback.
Browser extension
If you’re not used to using cashback sites, they can be a little frustrating as you’ll forget to check them. However, Picodi comes with a browser extension for both Chrome and Firefox. This will let you know when a store you’re visiting offers cashback or has some discount vouchers available.
What stores are included?
The shops listed are subject to change, but there are 100’s listed for cashback and vouchers. Some of the most popular include the likes of Adidas, B&Q, Currys, Domino’s, Sports Direct and Nike.
How much can you earn?
This really depends on the store you’re shopping at. Most cashback tends to be around 1-3% for popular retailers. However, you may find a special deal and can see rates rise to as much as 20%.
You can boost your earnings by completing tasks and rewards. But this appears to be quite a new feature and I’ve not seen any yet. I’ll keep you posted.
And look out for Picodi bonus codes, which can be entered onto the site, another way to earn extra cashback. Again, I’m still waiting.
Cashback of the day
Picodi offers a boosted cashback deal each day, where you can get more back from a selected retailer. But these tend to be quite underwhelming. One of the deals was a boost from Sports Direct, which went up from 0.3% to a massive… 0.4%. And when TopCashback offered 1.05%, this was very tempting.
How do you get paid?
At the moment, you can only withdraw your cashback directly to a bank account. Although most people will be happy with this, it would be nice for a PayPal option to be added.
And it’s a shame that there are no gift cards available. TopCashback will allow you to withdraw your earnings in vouchers for stores like Amazon and you’ll get a small bonus (usually a couple of extra %) for doing so.
Also worth reading
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How does it compare to other cashback sites?
My usual cashback site is TopCashback, so I decided to compare the two. If you’re an experienced cashback seeker, you’ll know that rates do change regularly. However, a small snapshot gives a good overview.
TopCashback | Picodi | |
Adidas | 9% | 0.5% |
Boots | 10% | 1.3% |
Groupon | 6.6% | 2.5% |
Halfords | 3.3% | 0.8% |
PhotoBox | 1.1% | 0.3% |
Sports Direct | 1.05% | 0.4% |
As you can see, the rates aren’t even close. TopCashback often offers up to four times the amount of cashback compared to Picodi. If you’re making a large purchase or using these sites over a long period, that’s going to be a lot of money.
And it’s worth looking out for increased rates on Picodi. These are offered for a short period of time (usually just a couple of days) and I have seen some stores boosted to 15%.
Any downsides?
The site isn’t the easiest to navigate and find decent deals. For example, if I type in Next, I’ll get a list like this.
None of these special offers are specific to Picodi and I could get them just by visiting Next directly. It’s similar to when you Google discounts for certain stores. It will take you to sites promising discount codes which aren’t any good. The reason I visit cashback sites is to find unique deals.
Apart from that, as I mentioned above, the cashback rates are pretty poor. And considering that’s what we’re here for, it’s a bit of a disappointment.
What other people say
On Trustpilot, Picodi scores a fairly unimpressive 2.6 out of 5, but this is just from a handful of reviews. On Google Play, it scores a slightly higher 3.2 from over 2,000 reviews.
My Picodi review conclusion
If I was feeling generous, I would say this is an average cashback site. There are better rates elsewhere and it lacks in cashing out options. But that’s not to say it should be ignored. Before you shop, this should be one of the many sites you should check to see what rates are on offer. By taking a couple of minutes of your time, you could save up to 15% more.
Picodi referral code
If you fancy giving it a try, click on the button below and you’ll earn a £4 bonus.
