
Top Cashback Sites
Make £100s when you shop online
Cashback websites pay you when you go through them to spend with retailers or providers. You can make £100s a year using them properly. Here are the top cashback sites, along with some serious rules to make sure you protect yourself. You can also earn an extra 5% on top using a cashback credit card.
How do cashback sites work?

If you want to buy something online or sign up to a finance product, rather than going direct, click to the company via a cashback site and you get paid for it (but don't choose cashback over the best deal). The sums range from pennies for groceries to more than £100 for some mobile or broadband contracts.
You'll have to sign up to the cashback site, which should be free. If it's not, avoid it. Then simply log in and search for the online retailer you want to buy from, such as Argos or Tesco Direct. If it's listed, click the cashback site's link to visit that company.
Your visit is then tracked. If you buy something, an amount is put into your cashback site account once the transaction's processed. You can withdraw this once it arrives, which can take a few weeks, or even months. For some cashback sites, you need to reach a set threshold before you can withdraw.
The following table gives you an idea of the possible savings - though remember rates fluctuate every day and differ between sites:
Typical cashback site payments
Asos | 1.7%-8% of product's cost | Currys PC World | 1%-20% of product's cost |
---|---|---|---|
Aviva home insurance |
£10-£28 per policy | Debenhams | 2.4%-4.25% of product's cost |
BT broadband |
£64-£155 per package | Esure car insurance | £40-£65 per policy |
Clarks | 3.2%-5.1% of product's cost | O2 mobile | £10-£89 per contract |
Last updated May 2020. Based on rates from Topcashback and Quidco, which may differ based on product category/spend and customer type (new vs existing).
Why do they pay out?
Cashback sites take advantage of the way commercial payments from one website to another work. They use affiliate links, which allow the retailer to track where the traffic is coming from and then pay the cashback sites for the lead.
This is a common system, used by sites that send people through from comparison results, unique content (MSE does this – see the foot of the page for more details) or using links on advertising promotions. Cashback sites simply drive traffic by giving their users some of the money they're paid.
The amount of money depends on what's spent on what as well as the commercial deal, so can vary widely. The cashback site may earn its money per click, transaction, application, or accepted applicant.
The technology's simple. Ready-made paying links are available from 'links warehouses'. Big cashback sites also have direct relationships with companies, which means they can offer a wider range of providers, earn more and negotiate their own exclusive deals.
The 5 MAJOR cashback safety rules

While cashback sites can generate some users £100s a year, it's very important you understand there can be substantial pitfalls in using these sites – and you need to understand them BEFORE you begin.
The top-paying cashback sites
Don't think all cashback sites pay the same. When we checked we found big differences, eg, £35 vs £65 on Admiral car insurance, 8.5% vs 16.5% at JD Sports. The best sites are those that pay out up to 100%, so ostensibly give all the money they earn to you. Here, we focus on those.
Topcashback*
OFTEN PAYS THE BEST RATE

If you want the site that pays the most, Topcashback* seems to edge it.
When we spot-checked rates for 20 big brands in May 2019, Topcashback offered the highest rate of cashback for 11, Quidco for 7. Yet given rates vary so much – and depend on what exactly you're buying – it's always best to check Quidco too, especially when making larger purchases.
Topcashback is free to use and pays out up to 105% of the cashback it receives from the merchant. That might sound strange, but it's able to do this as it passes on a little of the bonuses it gets for generating lots of sales.
How do I join & get cashback?
- Choose its free membership. Topcashback has no annual administration fees. New users are signed up to a one-month trial of its 'Plus' membership – remember to downgrade before the trial is up (which you can do at any time), otherwise you'll find you're automatically charged for a year's membership (deducted from your earnings).
- You can choose to pay a £5 membership fee. Topcashback's Plus membership* gives a 5% bonus on non-exclusive cashback rates, eg, a £100 cashback deal would net you £105 as a Plus member.
- Boost returns by up to 25%. You can take your earnings as cash, but if you prefer it's possible to get a payout bonus by exchanging your cashback for gift cards from Amazon, M&S and more.
- Earn cashback in store. Topcashback has followed in Quidco's footsteps and offers cashback on certain purchases made in store – see below for more info.
Quidco*
CAN BEAT TOPCASHBACK, SO WORTH CHECKING TOO

Quidco* is Topcashback's big rival, with the two sites often competing on exclusive deals. And while our spot-check in May 2019 found Topcashback edged it when it came to the highest rate, it's always worth checking both sites before you spend, especially if making a big purchase.
How do I join & get cashback?
- Pick the Basic membership. If you don't pick this, you'll have to pay a fee.
- There's a Premium membership available. For £5, Premium members get bonus cashback promos worth £50/yr, higher payout bonuses, exclusive prize draws, a monthly £250 giveaway and ad-free shopping.
- Boost returns by up to 16%. You can take your earnings as cash or get a top-up bonus by withdrawing your cashback in the form of gift cards from Amazon, John Lewis, M&S and many more.
- You can boost cashback in stores. Quidco members can also get cashback in stores from 25+ retailers as well as online. Read more info on this below.
KidStart
CASHBACK ON APPLE AND JOHN LEWIS

KidStart lets you earn cashback with Apple, John Lewis and over 2,300 retailers in total – but you have to put what you earn towards a child's savings.
You don't need to be a parent. The child can be yours, a grandchild or a friend's. It doesn't even need to have been born yet, though you do need the child's name and actual or expected date of birth to withdraw the cash. You don't need to actually withdraw money to a separate child's account either – you can simply use your own current account.
You MUST be legitimately saving for a child though. KidStart says it has ways of checking and if it suspects you're not, it could wipe the savings in your account.
How much cashback can I get?
KidStart previously paid cashback on Amazon purchases, but as of May 2020, it no longer does. At the time of writing, Topcashback and Quidco say they aren't currently offering cashback on Amazon purchases due to the coronavirus pandemic, so it could be a similar situation with KidStart.
Yet it does pay up to 1.30% on selected Apple products and up to 3% on most John Lewis purchases. When we checked, the other top cashback sites didn't cover Apple or John Lewis (Topcashback covers John Lewis, but only pays cashback in Avios points).
If you're a regular shopper it can quickly rack up, as MSE Steve N's found: "Over the past six years, we've earned a huge £275 cashback for our kids, mainly at John Lewis and Amazon. We started the account before our first child was even born."
That said, KidStart isn't always competitive. For example, it pays up to 2% on Asos, compared with up to 6.8% at Topcashback and 8% at Quidco. So always compare, especially when making a big purchase.
How do I join & get cashback?
- Sign up to KidStart (it's free). You don't need to add a child's details to start earning cashback – you can add them later.
- Log in and click KidStart's link to visit your shop of choice. Your visit is then tracked and an amount is put into your KidStart account once the transaction's processed.
- You can withdraw your cash once you've reached the £10 threshold. Before you take the money out you must add a child, enter their name and date of birth, then link that profile to a Child Trust Fund, junior ISA or bank account (this doesn't have to be the child's – it can be your own current account).
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Cashback successes
Plenty of MoneySavers have had huge success using cashback sites. Here are some stories for inspiration:
So far I have got back around £300 from buying things that I would normally have bought and not received anything back for. Things like my garden shed, washing machine, car insurance, home insurance and every day items.
I've made £2,500 from Topcashback alone over the last three years – booked holidays, offered to book hotels for family members for occasions like weddings, and bought all insurance and Christmas and birthday presents.
Have used Topcashback for years and average £300 per year, so very good IMO.
I've been a member with them for almost four years, and I've never had any problems with them tracking or declining any valid transaction ... So far TopCashback has paid me £1,617.88.
Let us know about any success you have using cashback sites, and any other feedback you have, on the Top Cashback Sites forum thread.
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How to boost your cashback by £100s more
There are a few ways to boost your cashback:

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