Last Updated on 4 June 2026 by Dan Wilderness
Hello everyone! Here at The Financial Wilderness we’ve been using the Airtime App and as it’s a particularly favourite of ours we wanted to make sure we included a review of the app. We always particularly like apps that can make us a bit of money, so it’s a good one for us to cover!
Airtime has undergone a bit of a rebrand as it was previously known as Airtime Rewards – however, the fundamentals of the scheme still remain the same.
I’ve now been using Airtime for several years and see it go through various iterations and growth – it’s helped me get quite a bit off my phone bill over time which I’ll detail further below.
I’ll note Airtime now has two separate parts – standard Airtime and then an optional add-on piece called Airtime Up. I’ve structured this review by first focusing on Airtime, then afterwards talk about what Airtime Up can add.
(Note: We may receive a small commission for referring you using our links, but it won’t affect the service you receive and per our editorial policy, we always write honestly about what we review, no matter if we get paid or not).
Quick Verdict on Airtime
If you’re with one of the qualifying mobile networks, we think Airtime is one of the few no-brainer apps to have. It’s cashback earned with absolutely minimal effort by linking your card that can accumulate fairly fast and really can save you quite a lot of cash on a mobile bill. Highly recommended.
How we tested Airtime
I’ve been using Airtime (and the optional Airtime Up add on) since near its inception, and had regular cashback from them including some particularly big hauls on fashion items where cashback rates tend to be particularly good. This has given me over £200 off my mobile phone bills over several years, effectively meaning I’ve often been using my mobile for free.
How does Airtime work?
Airtime is a cashback app, but one that doesn’t work in the same way that traditional cashback sites like TopCashback or Quidco.
All to have to do is install the app on your phone, and then link at least one credit or debit card to the app along with registering your mobile phone number.
When you shop at a participating retailer, your purchase can be tracked and you’ll then get cashback via Airtime. When you hit £10 worth of rewards, you can apply this as a credit against your monthly phone tariff.
What’s particularly good about this scheme is just how little you need to do – once the card is linked, the app will just detect and give you cashback credit for any valid spends automatically.
Examples of Cashback Rates with Airtime
In order to show what types of cashback rates you can get with Airtime, I’ve pulled together a table showing example rates with a range of popular retailers to show the benefit you can earn.
Please note all of these are correct at time of writing but are always subject to change.
| Retailer | Airtime Cashback Rate |
| Boots | 6% (A special promotion) + can combine with Boots Advantage Card |
| Argos | 2% |
| ASOS | 5% |
| New Look | 3% |
| Superdrug | 4% + can combine with Superdrug Health and Beauty Card |
| The Range | 3% |
| Morrisons | 4% + can combine with Morrisons More |
| BoohooMan | 13% |
As you can see, these provide fairly generous rates of cashback and as such your purchases can add up to a reasonable value fast.
What are the advantages of using Airtime?
Airtime is really easy to use
It’s a “fire and forget” type approach where once it’s set up, you don’t have to remember to shop via a link or go to the retailers website is a specific way – you’ll just get the cashback directly.
Airtime gives you money for purchases you are making anyhow
You’re simply earning cashback for standard spending you’d be making anyhow, so we think installing it is a bit of a no-brainer as you can simply let the cashback accumulate in the background without any effort.
Retailers included on Airtime are ones you’re likely to make use of
Names included in the scheme are actually places you’re likely to shop at like Argos, Boots and Currys rather than unknown brands.
I’ve included a screenshot below showing how retailers and their cashback rates are shown within the app:
Airtime can be combined with other loyalty schemes
If the brand you’re buying from has a loyalty scheme in place, then using Airtime does not limit you for also taking advantage of that, helping get you an even bigger discount.
For instance, in the screenshot above you’ll notice that Waterstones is one of the listed retailers – if you’re buying a book from there, you can combine their Waterstones Plus program with use of Airtime.
Why not check out our list of the best UK loyalty schemes and apps to see what are the best options for combining the benefits?
What are the disadvantages of using Airtime?
There’s a couple of potential downsides which we think don’t hurt the value of the scheme significantly but you should be aware of.
You cannot use American Express
Only Mastercard or Visa cards will work so if you generally shop with an American Express, you’d need to think about if the amount of cashback may be worth using a different card instead.
(This will depend on your specific card, as a very general rule, but if the cashback is greater than 1% better to take advantage of the Airtime rate).
You can add an American Express, and it has a “coming soon” message – but doesn’t work in practice. The coming soon message has been in place for a good while now, so I’m still not expecting any significant updates.
The range of retailers is still fairly limited.
It’s growing all the time and getting some increasingly big names on there, but the number of retailers is still fairly small in the grand scheme. We think there’s enough for this to be worth using though.
Update: It’s clear Airtime are committed to growth – this is becoming increasingly less true with a number of big name brands increasingly appearing on the app, and now stands in excess of 200. Even Tesco appeared for a limited time!
Occasional restrictions apply to cashback
You’ll get some retailers that offer cashback but is only paid in specific circumstances, which you’ll need to look at the app for.
Examples of this are specifically needing to use a Visa or Mastercard, or cashback only be paid out on either an online or in-store purchase.
If you’re particularly targeting a retailer because they are offering a particularly advantageous cashback rate, our advice is to double check any requirements against that retailer.
Just search for the retailer in the Airtime app and their page will have more detail on what you need to do.
Will I actually make money using Airtime?
Yes, if you set it to go in the background there’s a high chance you’ll end up spending and earning cashback from one of the merchants to redeem, and this adds up over time.
I’ve been using it for a few years, and my cashback from Airtime sits at just over the £200 mark. As I pay about £6.75 month for my mobile plan, this has effectively meant I’ve had just under 2 years of free mobile network usage – nice!
Is Airtime free to sign up for and use?
Yes, Airtime is completely free to sign up for and use with no ongoing charges.
What Networks can you use Airtime with?
Airtime is usable with most networks, including all major UK networks but it’s not quite the full range out there.
At time of writing it works with the following networks:
- Three
- EE
- O2
- Vodafone
- giffgaff
- Lebara Mobile
- Lycamobile
- Now PAYG
For avoidance of doubt, you cannot use Airtime with networks not listed here that piggyback off the main mobile networks.
What is Airtime Up?
Airtime also has an additional optional service called Airtime Up (this was previously also called Airtime Ignite) where if you connect a bank account directly (via Open Banking) as well as a card, you’ll get some additional bonuses.
Access to a bank account is done via open banking methodologies (which we’ve covered the safety of below) and requires refreshed access to your account every 90 days.
Airtime Up adds some extra advantages to Airtime, and I’ve created a comparison table below to draw these out.
| Feature | Standard Airtime | Airtime Up |
| Cost | Free (No hidden fees) | Free (No hidden fees) |
| How it Connects | Links directly to your Visa or Mastercard | Uses secure Open Banking to view your bank statement |
| Minimum Cash Out | Must accumulate £10 to redeem | Reduced threshold of £5 to redeem |
| Payout Speed | Standard merchant tracking times | Speedier rewards (paid within 24 hours at select stores) |
| Retailer Choice | Access to 200+ core high street brands | Exclusive access to extra, limited-time launch partners |
| Security Setup | Card-level read-only tracking via Visa/Mastercard | FCA-regulated read-only data access |
| Maintenance | Set and forget (no ongoing updates needed) | Requires a quick 90-day re-authentication to stay active |
If you’re happy providing access to your account, we think Airtime Up is also worth registering for, although you’ll need to do a little bit of maintenance to refresh the account access every 90 days to keep the benefits.
Is Airtime Up safe?
Airtime Up uses the Open Banking Infrastructure for connecting your bank account with.
Open Banking is now a well established part of new rules brought in by legislation under the Payment Services Directive to allow organisations to access and make better use of financial data. The access you grant is very highly regulated by the FCA to keep it secure, however nothing can ever be said to be 100% risk free.
All you provide is read only data – I.E it’s the equivalent of letting the app take a peek at your statement for a short period of time which you must re-permit each 90 days – you don’t give any access to the actual management or the direct login of your bank account.
On that, just remember you should NEVER give any app or any person any of your account’s direct login details.
Is Airtime Up free to Use?
Yes, just like the rest of Airtime, Airtime Up is entirely free to sign up to and use.
Overall Review of Airtime
Verdict: As you’ll be able to tell from some of the pieces on The Financial Wilderness, we really like cashback apps because we see them as getting some extra for free – Airtime ticks all of the boxes of what we like to see.
We particularly like passive cashback apps which require very little activity from us to get the benefits – and Airtime hits a big tick with that. The fact you earn without having to opt in beyond the initial signup is a rarity and allows you to build up rewards fairly quickly.
Bonus marks are awarded for a very easy user interface and well designed app, and good frequent bonus offers. (More on how to get some extra benefits from Airtime below)
We also like that we’ve seen a strong range of shops and retailers involved which have continuously grown. There’s still some room for improvement here, but there’s enough involved even now that it’s a no-brainer – most people will get something out of using this app.
We also recommend signing up for Airtime Up – it’s quick and easy and adds even more rewards at no cost to you (provided you are comfortable giving read only access to your bank accounts.
We really look forward to seeing where Airtime goes next as I can see the company has greater ambitions to grow.
Advantages
- Literally free money for shopping online
- Can be stacked with other cashback websites
- Can reduce your phone bill to nothing
- Low payout threshold
- Even more benefits with Airtime Up
Disadvantages
- Does not work with American Express
- Does not work with every mobile network
How can I sign up for Airtime?
You can sign up by downloading the app here. (If you enter our referral code B74AXB3N when registering you’ll also earn an extra £2 in cashback if you make a purchase within seven days.)
Extra tips to make even more cashback with Airtime
Here’s some additional tips that have helped me get some additional value out of Airtime.
Opt in Airtime Challenges
Each month Airtime will give you a challenge, where spending £5 with a retailers will earn you a stamp. After a couple of stamps you’ll earn an additional cash reward, usually either 50p or a £1.
The specific number of stamps you’ll require for the challenge can vary, and will depend on your spending history and usuage.
How do I opt in for Airtime Challenges?
Click Wallet within the App and scroll down. You’ll see the ability to opt in for the challenges and the history of previous months.
Airtime Twitter
It’s well worth following the Airtime Twitter account to really maximise your cashback payouts – they quite often put up promotions where people entering their code into the app will receive a bonus payout where spending in a particular period.
How do I enter a bonus code on Airtime?
In the Airtime app go to More, scroll down to Promotions and select enter a code.
O2 Users get a bonus
Users with Airtime parent network O2 will also find they get some additional opportunities for cashback not available to others! (Also, O2 users get access to O2 Priority – check out our review here).
FAQs about Airtime
It’s easy – in the app just click “Rewards” in the bar at the bottom and then “Redeem.”
On the Rewards page, hit the large blue-green Redeem button and you’ll have the option to redeem your credit towards your phone bill, or gift your balance to a friend.
Depending on your timing of redemption, you may find your credit applies against next month’s bill.
If your credit is a greater amount than your monthly bill, your mobile provider will just credit it against the subsequent months so it makes sense to cash it all in unless you’re thinking of changing network.
Obviously given you have to register your card details with Airtime , it’s natural to have concerns about safety.
You are giving only read-access to the spending on the cards – meaning you do not provide any ability to use them to spend, and do not provide your 3 or 4 digit security code.
Airtime works with Visa and Mastercard to ensure they approach your data with an internationally recognised encryption standards – you can read about the protections Airtime put in place to protect your data at their website here.
Absolutely you can, and getting “double dip” cashback on any purchase via TopCashback or QuidCo is always very satisfying!
To clarify what I mean by this one – this is where you buy from a retailer via going through a link on the TopCashback or QuidCo homepage, but also get credited for your spending on the linked card if the retailer is registered with Airtime .
We’re also very keen on TopCashback and QuidCo – if you’re not sure how these schemes work, you can see our guide here on Topcashback and here on QuidCo
Most except the very young will remember mobile network Orange’s extraordinarily successful “Orange Wednesdays” promotion which nabbed you a buy one get one free cinema ticket on a Wednesday night and definitely served me well when I was a student!
This is from the same team as behind that, hence the high the scheme linking in with the major mobile networks.
Retailers will pay Airtime a small fee to be featured on the app on the basis you’re more likely to spend with someone where you can earn some cashback. (Airtime then split the cashback earned from the retailer between you and themselves).
Any Questions?
We’d love to know how you’ve got on using the app and if you’ve made some good savings and found it a good experience!
Equally if you have any questions, please just let us know by entering them in to the comments field below.
And that’s it!
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It’s not worth the trouble. Purchases are still pending non have completed. Some are pending for 75 days. Airtime rewards in a big con!
Hi Alan, thanks for reading. I don’t agree with your assessment it’s a con – when you click into the details for merchants Airtime Rewards is pretty transparent about how long purchase verification takes with each – most are 30 days, but some merchants are 90 days. If you go to “Rewards” then scroll down through your recent transaction in the app, you’ll see exactly when your purchase will move from pending to full credit. The purchase has tracked – as with cashback sites, it’s just a matter of tracking the purchase and ensuring you haven’t done something which would invalidate the reward like returning the item.
In response to Dan’s reply to my earlier post, I have some purchases that have a few days pending and some that are 5 days pending. I will keep an eye on them to see if they convert to completed.