Imagine this – you’ve made the decision to purchase something. Go you! But what if you could get a little bit of a discount or extra cash given to you for that purchase with minimal work from yourself? An absolute no brainer, right? Using TopCashback is key to doing this.
If you’re also looking for an alternative, you can find our review of QuidCo UK here as well – we recommend signing up to both of them and going with the best rate of cashback available!
My results with TopCashback
I’m constantly amazed about how few people take advantage of what is quite literally free money. Use of TopCashback is one of my favourite easy money tips that really can make a considerable difference to your finances over time.
Personally I have an extra £4,000 and counting earned over a couple of years from making use of cashback sites, with some particularly large savings made on booking holidays.
This article falls in the category of looking out for other opportunities to get some extra income and therefore help your money stretch further, and therefore provide a boost to your savings.
The Financial Wilderness may also receive a small refer-a-friend payout if you join TopCashback through our links. It won’t affect the service you receive and we honestly believe they’re worth signing up you. You can read more about our affiliate policy on our disclaimers page and why we only recommend what we believe in.
How does Topcashback work?
So how do we get this magical free money? It comes as an extra bonus on items when buying online.
- Think of when you see an online banner advert. If you clicked on one and then bought something, the retailer will happily pay the owner of that advert a percentage cut for referring a customer their way and chalk it to marketing.
- From the perspective of the retailer they’d rather you just came to their site to begin with as they then pocket that fee themselves.
- There’s another way though where to all intents and purposes you refer yourself, and this is where TopCashback comes in.
Cashbacks sites like TopCashback and QuidCo act as an intermediary on your behalf, providing the equivalent of the banner ad but actually redirecting that referral money to you. It’s simple to use – you sign up, look on their site for the retailer you want and click their link.
You’re taken to the retailer’s website and simply shop as normal. Hey presto, the referral cash is directed to you – magic!
How much can using TopCashback earn me?
Now on smaller purchases it’s a pound here and there, but it all adds up.
I’ve previously been able to get 18% of my purchase as cashback on hotel bookings on Expedia, which if booking a family holiday can become a huge amount of extra cash – that particular case got me several hundred pounds extra.
Fashion, mobiles and electronics can be really fertile ground for good payouts. You just need to remember to always check before you buy.
How to earn even more rewards with TopCashback
Oh and it gets better. You can withdraw the full amount of the cashback into your bank account easily, however this isn’t always the best choice.
You have another option to convert it into gift card balance for a range of sites (including Amazon!) and if you do this there’s usually a percentage bonus on top. The bonus varies depends on the retailer but if you spot one you’ll be purchasing from anyhow, it’s yet another bit of extra cash.
Can I use TopCashback for in-store shopping?
Generally no, but there is a couple of work arounds depending on the store:
Using TopCashback to click and collect
It’s cheeky, but if you see something you like in store you may want to hop on your phone and order that item for click and collect all the benefit of in-store browsing, with some cheeky cashback on top!
Using a gift card through TopCashback’s TopGiftCard’s service
It’s only for a limited number of specific retailers, but TopCashback also provide a range of discounts on a number of gift cards which you can then use in store. This is done through the “TopGiftCards” service – just search for that retailer on TopGiftCards.
Where this works best is with the supermarkets, where you can buy a giftcard and save on your groceries – we’ve written an article on using TopGiftCards for that here.
TopCashback did trial an in-store shopping service which linked to your credit cards, however they’ve since scrapped the scheme.
Will using TopCashback affect the service I receive from the retailer?
Absolutely not – all orders are standardised and from the retailers perspective treated exactly the same as non-cashback orders.
How much does TopCashback cost?
TopCashback will take a small topslice of the commission they earn for you to cover their fees, but you won’t be charged directly for this.
If you sign up to TopCashback’s Plus membership you’ll be charged £5 a year. This is simply deducted from your cashback earned on a yearly basis – you won’t be directly charged.
Is TopCashback‘s Plus membership worth it?
When you join TopCashback you’re asked if you want to join the classic membership or the plus membership for £5 a year. The benefit of you offering the Plus membership means you’re given boosted cashback earnings rates.
I do recommend taking the Plus if you’re buying more than a couple of things a year – the increase in earnings rates are significant and if you’re buying anything remotely sizable costs get covered quickly.
As you only get charged as you go – you’re not really out of pocket if you don’t earn enough.
Are there any potential concerns with TopCashback?
There are a few important points to be aware of that may cause you not to earn cashback.
Firstly, sometimes the tracking of your purchase through a link can fail owing to issues with attributing the purchase to you and you don’t receive the cashback. It happens rarely, but does happen. Therefore you should never just buy something for the cashback, and think of it as a nice extra.
And remember, just because you’re getting a little extra money doesn’t change that you should think about if you need what you’re buying!
Finally remember cashback is not instant. It takes time (sometimes months) for the cashback to be payable in your account as the retailer needs to confirm your purchase, so it’s not something you should ever rely on as a fast payout.
Overall Review of TopCashback
TopCashback is an extremely well run service that quite literally gives you free money to shop online. At personally over £3,000 of extra money from using this service, I can attest to just how good it is.
The service is even better for the fact that in cashout options, you can earn even more back if you take payouts in the form of gift cards. I tend to take mine as supermarket gift cards and treat my groceries as free for the month.
There is the occasional niggle where a purchase doesn’t track, but I’ve found this happens rarely. We’d always say not to rely on cashback to account for this, and treat it as a nice extra.
However, this is a service (along with main rival QuidCo) that should be in any money-savvy persons arsenal.
Advantages
- It’s a free service that gets you extra money
- A huge range of big and small retailers
- Occasional promotions offer bonus cashback
- Extra cashback available in gift card payout options.
Disadvantages
- Occasionally cashback doesn’t track
- Some merchants can have a very long period between your purchase and paying out.
How do I sign up to TopCashback?
Adding an additional easy step into your online shopping purchase can really pay off – quite literally.
You can sign up to TopCashback right here and if you have any additional questions, please let us know in the comments below!
Any questions?
Have you seen results with TopCashback or have questions on how the scheme works? Just drop us a note in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you!
And that’s it!
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