How do they work? 

If you want to buy something online or sign up to a finance product like car insurance, rather than going direct, you can click to the company via a cashback site and get paid for it.

The sums range from pennies for things like groceries up to £100 (or sometimes even more) for things like new phone or broadband contracts.

Firstly, you will need to sign up to a cashback website. Make sure it's free to sign up - if it's not avoid it! Here's a couple for you to start with. 

https://www.quidco.com/

https://www.topcashback.co.uk/

Once you've signed up you can log in and use the search to find the online retailer you'd like to use. If it's listed, click the cashback site's link to visit that company.

Your visit is then tracked by the company you decide to use. If you buy something, an amount is put into your cashback site account once the transaction is processed.


You will be able to withdraw this once it arrives, which can take a few weeks, or even months in some cases, depending on the retailer. Bear in mind that for some cashback sites, you need to reach a set threshold before you can withdraw. 

Why do cashback websites 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.

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.

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.