How to get cashback on everyday and ethical purchases
I ALWAYS THOUGHT CASHBACK WAS A SCAM. To my surprise, when I finally decided to explore what ‘cashback’ actually is in early 2023 while saving for my wedding, I realised I was missing on an old school tried and tested money saving hack, approved by expert penny pinchers including but not limited to HRH Martin Lewis. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that you can get cashback on lots of independent, ethical and secondhand brands/websites which is just another reason to shop ethically!
Cashback is an incredibly easy, low effort and zero risk way to save money that I WISH I had explored sooner. Lots of ways to save money feel a bit too much like having to make boring sacrifices, require time and effort, or are downright unethical. What I love about cashback is that is doesn’t rely on predatory marketing tactics that make you spend more money in the long run, many cashback methods are passive (meaning you don’t have to lift a finger), and most excitingly, can use it for every day, regular purchases like on the regular food shop, on experiences like holidays and days out AND on ethical retailers. Read on to find out the best cashback apps, and how and where to use them.
This post is not sponsored by the platforms mentioned. If you do use the referral codes I have mentioned though, I will earn a small commission.
WHAT IS CASHBACK AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
Cashback is when you make your purchases (online or physically) and a percentage of the purchase can be claimed back as cash to your bank account, through a cashback site/app. For example, if you buy a train ticket for £20 on Trainline, and Trainline has a cashback amount on a cashback app of 1%, then you can claim back 20p for this purchase. The amount can usually be claimed back when the purchases clears, which can take around 90 days, but this builds up quickly as cashback can be claimed on everyday purchases. Some cashback sites have a minimum amount you must have accrued before you can withdraw to your bank account. The trick to cashback is to always check you can use it whenever you make any purchase - even those you wouldn’t think about, such as experiences, niche retailers, and secondhand sites.
WHAT ARE THE BEST CASHBACK APPS AND WHERE CAN I USE THEM?
The main cashback site/app which has the biggest number of retailers by far is TopCashback - this is the platform I’ve claimed the most cashback from. There are other apps too which work slightly differently and have different retailers onboarded.
TOPCASHBACK
TopCashback is the OG cashback site, and has a huge number of retailers which is one of my favourite things about it. It also has no minimum withdrawal limit, and you can withdraw cash directly to your bank account. TopCashback is for online only purchases, and you have to use it ‘actively’ - meaning you need to first go on the TopCashback website or mobile app before making your purchase, check that the retailer offers cashback through TopCashback, and then ‘click through’ to the retailer’s website to make your purchase as usual. It sounds like effort but it takes three seconds longer than buying straight from the website and then you end up saving more money, which is a win win. I have earned £133 since signing up a year ago, minus referral bonuses - which you can earn too by getting your friends and family involved!
Top tips for using TopCashback: Make sure you use a browser like Google Chrome (not Safari) in case the purchase doesn’t track properly, I tend to make any TopCashback purchases on my laptop just in case. Keep an eye out for extra cashback depending on the type of purchase - e.g. you sometimes get more cashback if you are a new customer of the retailer you are buying from, or there are enhanced or one off time limited cashback deals.
Retailers on TopCashback:
Secondhand sites - eBay, MusicMagpie, Vestiaire Collective, Oxfam Online
Fashion - Boody, WUKA, Seasalt, Beyond Retro, RubyMoon, Elvis & Kressle, Komodo, Rapunai, ModiBodi, Allbirds, Stripe & Stare, BAM Bamboo Clothing
Travel - Expedia, Viator, lastminute.com, hotels.com, Trainline, TUI, Travelodge, British Airways, trip.com, National Express, megabus, GetYourGuide, Emirates, Skyscanner, Railcard, Scotrail, Northern Trains, Hostelworld, VrboUK, Tripadvisor Tours, Chiltern Railways, TransPennine Express, Railcard, Scotrail, Northern Trains, Internal UK by National Rail, Ukbreakaways.com, New Forest Cottages
Experiences - Ticketmaster, Virgin Experience Days, Groupon, See Tickets, London Theatre District, Buyagift, Wowcher, National Trust, Forest Holidays, Wightlink, Experience Days,
Home - Ethical Superstore, Emma Bridgewater, Liberty London, Wickes, B&Q, Pets At Home, Lily’s Kitchen, Halfords, Oral B, Homebase, KwikFit, Currys, Ninja, Photobox, VistaPrint, Eufy, various broadband providers (Sky, Virgin Media, BT), various mobile network providers (Three Mobile, Vodafone, 1p Mobile) various energy providers (Octopus, EDF, British Gas), Smol, Who Gives a Crap, Neal’s Yard Remedies, TilesDirect, Farrow and Ball
Groceries - Sainsbury’s, M&S, Morrisons
I’ve only shared a handful of retailers that I think my blog readers might be interested in, but there are THOUSANDS of retailers on there and new ones join all the time, so my rule of thumb for TopCashback is that whenever I buy anything online, I’ll check if TopCashback have the retailer and make sure to go through them.
Use my referral code to sign up to TopCashback and you will receive a £10 sign up bonus!
CHEDDAR
There aren’t as many retailers on Cheddar but it is a mobile app which works passively, so all you have to do is link your card/s and then if you spend on your card with a retailer on the app (either online or in-store), you will automatically collect cashback which you can see in your app dashboard. Remember to renew access to your cards every 90 days (the app will prompt you) to make sure your transactions are tracked for retailers. The minimum withdrawal limit on Cheddar is £10 and you can withdraw directly to your bank account. Retailers on Cheddar change all the time so you may get a nice surprise every now and then in your cashback balance. My top retailer on Cheddar is Trainline!
Retailers on Cheddar:
Trainline, HelloFresh, Funky Pigeon, Green Chef, Pact Coffee, Pooch and Mutt, Grounded Coffee, Elemis, Daye, AllPlants
Use my referral code JKMVKZF to sign up to Cheddar and we both get £2 if you make a purchase with a participating retailer within 15 days of signing up!
AIRTIME REWARDS
Airtime Rewards is another mobile app which works by passively tracking your purchases online or in-store through linking your card/s, and automatically granting cashback if you spend with a participating retailer. Airtime Rewards works slightly differently in that you can withdraw your earnings against your phone bill, not as cash - this has saved me loads on my phone bill when I've collected enough cashback in a month! Airtime Rewards cashback can be redeemed against the following mobile networks: 3, EE, giffgaff, Lebara Mobile, Lycamobile, Now PAYG, O2, Vodafone, and the minimum redemption limit is £10. On Airtime Rewards you can also sign up for a monthly challenge and earn an extra 50p if you shop at a qualifying retailers twice in that month. Airtime Rewards has a similar number of retailers to Cheddar and it also changes a lot, but there are some great ones which I end up using a lot - like Boots.
Retailers on Airtime Rewards: Boots, Greggs, Tesco, Argos, John Lewis, Grind Coffee, Thornton’s, Bicester Village, Aldi, Morrisons, Selfridges, Waterstones, Oral B, Go Ape!, London Eye, Arena Flowers, Appleyard Flowers, Halfords, Waitrose, Wilko.com, Papier, Biscuiteers, Transport for Wales, megabus, Modibodi, SkinCeuticals, reboxed
Use my referral code UWWH7N8D to sign up to Airtime Rewards and we both get £1.50 if you make a purchase with a participating retailer within 7 days of signing up!
Participating retailers for TopCashback, Cheddar and Airtime Rewards correct as of 2nd March 2024
Enjoy xx