Quidco or TopCashback: Which is best?

We all talk about two main cashback sites in the UK, but which is the best – Quidco or TopCashback? Let’s take a look at what both these sites have to offer.

I mention cashback sites a lot over this blog, mainly because they are so good. From the simple click of a link before you shop, you can earn money back when you make a purchase. And buy the right products or services and you could easily earn £100’s each year.

How do cashback sites work?

The premise is fairly simple. Most major companies will pay referral fees to anyone that refers customers to them, usually a percentage of the spend. The hope is that this will act as a form of promotion and drive customers to their store.

In most cases, the referrer will keep all the fees earned. However, in the case of cashback sites, they pass most of the fee back to you.
Once the funds have cleared into your cashback account, you can withdraw your earnings into your bank account or convert them into vouchers.

Quidco or TopCashback face-off

There are plenty of cashback sites available, each offering slightly different benefits. But today, I’ve decided to focus on two big hitters – TopCashback and Quidco.

Both have been around for many years and offer similar features, but which one should you choose? Below, I have compared the major factors you should consider when choosing a cashback site.

Cashback rates

This is one of the most important parts to consider – the better the rate, the more money you earn. But it’s also the hardest to compare as cashback rates change regularly.

	TopCashback	Quidco
Boots	2%	10%
Currys	1%	1%
eBay	1%	1%
ASOS	2%	2%
Groupon	3.3%	6.4%
Hotel Chocolat	7%	5.5%
GAP	12%	8%
JD Williams	2%	1.25%
Very	8%	8.8%

Special offers

Both sites regularly offer boosts to their cashback rates. Depending on the site they are promoting, it can be up to 35%.

TopCashback also offers a cash boost around once per month. If you make a purchase of £5 or more at any retailer, you are given an extra £2 in cashback. The problem is, you aren’t told of these deals in advance, only on the day. During the major holiday periods, they also offer ‘Treats’. Follow the clues on the site and find the right page and you’ll earn yourself one of these treats. They can be an instant cash prize or entry into a prize draw.

On the other hand, Quidco offers very little in any kind of bonus. When you join using my link, you’ll gain a bonus £1 after you have received £5 in cashback. But after that, looking through my account, I can only see two bonuses for £2.50 over the last few years.

Paid membership options

Both sites have a basic free option, which is suitable for most users. But if you’re a frequent shopper, it may be worth upgrading to a paid membership.

TopCashback Plus – £5 taken from your cashback earnings each year.

• If you withdraw money through your Reward Wallet (as a gift card) you can earn a bonus of up to 20% (rather than 10%)
• If a merchant isn’t offering an exclusive deal, you’ll get a 10% top-up rather than 1%
• Refer a friend earns you £7.50 instead of £2.50
• You’ll also receive exclusive promotions and competitions.

Quidco Premium is more expensive and costs £1 per month, with the fee taken from your earnings. But you won’t pay the fee if you don’t make a transaction for 30 days. Premium gets you:

• Up to 10% cashback top-up
• Double the difference highest cashback guarantee
• Up to 20% payout bonus if you withdraw using a gift card.

Browser extensions

Both TopCashback and Quidco offer a browser extension that can be downloaded for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. Both work in a similar way and will tell you when cashback is available.

If you’re searching in Google, you’ll find a note above the result showing the amount of cashback available and whether there are any discount vouchers available.

If you visit the store directly, a popup will appear in the top right of the screen. Click on it and you will be referred back to TopCashback or Quidco and then redirected back to the store. It’s all automatic and should take just a few seconds.

Referral bonus

Cashback sites are always keen for new customers and can pay a generous referral fee if you can convince your friends to join. Both will only pay the referral fee once the customer has earned a certain amount in cashback.

Quidco will pay £1 for a standard referral, payable when the friend has £5 confirmed cashback. During certain periods, this can increase to a fee of £10 for you and £10 for your friend.

TopCashback’s referral fee is £5 (£7.50 if you have Plus), and the friend must reach £10 of confirmed cashback. There are times when you can earn as much as £30 in referral fees.

Which is best – Quidco or TopCashback?

If you’re looking at purely cashback rates, then there’s not much to choose between these sites. But TopCashback has many extra benefits, making it the better cashback site.

But there’s no reason why you can’t sign up for both sites, and in fact, I recommend it. When you shop, check the rates and choose the cashback site that pays the most.

A little bit extra

There’s another great way to earn cashback that doesn’t require clicking on a link beforehand. Airtime Rewards is an app you link directly to your debit or credit card. When you shop at one of the stores listed on the app, you’ll automatically earn cashback, which can then be put towards your phone bill.

Take a look at my Airtime Rewards review to find out more.

TopCashback Quidco