The following online apps are helping me work through my Amazon addiction and save some money. And they’re actually really easy to use — and free. Trust me, I have no patience for 10-step sign-up processes.
1. Stop Deleting Your Emails
It turns out deleting your emails could be costing you serious money. Intrigued? One of our secret weapons is called Paribus (Check affiliate loink)— a tool that gets you money back for your Amazon purchases. It’s free to sign up, and once you do, it will scan your email archives for any receipts. If it discovers you’ve purchased something from Amazon or one of the other monitored retailers, it will track the item’s price and help you get a refund anytime there’s a price drop. Plus, if your guaranteed shipment shows up late, Paribus will help you get your money back for what you paid for shipping.
Disclosure: Paribus compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide. Plus you’ll get a free £10 Ebates gift card (which you can use for any of its connected retailers) for giving the site a try.
2. Quidco
Quidco is a leading cashback website in the UK and offers a program called ClickSnap that pays you cash back on your grocery shopping. Download the Quidco app to see all of the items they’ll pay you cashback on. You can either link your store rewards card or scan the receipt inside the app to earn cash back. Most of the items inside the app pay £1-£3. You can also earn online by using Quidco at over 2,000 stores. Once you earn £1, you can request a cashout via PayPal, Direct Deposit, or a few gift card options.3 Checkout smart
CheckoutSmart is an app that’s very similar to Ibotta that pays you to purchase specific items listed in the app. Once you join, you can see all of the items they’ll pay you cashback for. You’ll need to purchase the item and take a picture of the receipt inside the app. Most offers pay anywhere from £1-£3. Once you earn £1, you can cash out via PayPal or Direct Deposit. I notice that although you can cash out after £1, you’ll get hit with a 5% processing fee. To avoid the fee you’ll need to cash out after you earn £20. To learn more or to join, visit CheckoutSmart.com or download the app in your app store
4 CashBack
What is Cashback?
Cashback is a way for you to save money every time you shop online. A percentage of the purchase is returned to you as a cash back rebate when you complete your purchase. It’s just like using a coupon, except all the money earned after the purchase has been successfully tracked.
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. The amounts range from pennies for retail items to – at the top end – 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.
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 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 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.
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 5 MAJOR cashback safety rules
1. Think of cashback as a bonus only – it’s not guaranteed
Tracking problems occur for many people using cashback sites. There are times when you’ll expect to be paid but won’t be. If you do have problems getting paid, remember you need to contact the cashback site directly. However, problems don’t only arise with cashback sites. They get the money from the retailers and product providers. Disputes in this area are common, so sometimes the cashback site doesn’t receive the cash either. Plus, unlike when you get cashback from a retailer, which is part of the product T&Cs, here you’ve fewer rights. The best way to approach this is to consider cashback as a bonus if you get it, but not to let it drive your purchasing decisions.
Tracking problems occur for many people using cashback sites. There are times when you’ll expect to be paid but won’t be. If you do have problems getting paid, remember you need to contact the cashback site directly. However, problems don’t only arise with cashback sites. They get the money from the retailers and product providers. Disputes in this area are common, so sometimes the cashback site doesn’t receive the cash either. Plus, unlike when you get cashback from a retailer, which is part of the product T&Cs, here you’ve fewer rights. The best way to approach this is to consider cashback as a bonus if you get it, but not to let it drive your purchasing decisions.
2. The cashback isn’t yours until it’s in your bank account
Never count on the cashback as being yours until it’s in your bank account. This isn’t just because of tracking and processing issues. Cashback sites are easy to set up and many are small companies can go bust (and some have done just that). If it happens, you’ve little protection. You may count as a creditor to the company but in all likelihood, your money will be gone.
Never count on the cashback as being yours until it’s in your bank account. This isn’t just because of tracking and processing issues. Cashback sites are easy to set up and many are small companies can go bust (and some have done just that). If it happens, you’ve little protection. You may count as a creditor to the company but in all likelihood, your money will be gone.
3. Never store cash in a cashback site – withdraw it ASAP
Most cashback sites set a threshold which you must reach before you can withdraw cash. The best practice is to withdraw as soon as you hit that level. Never leave cash building up in a cashback site account when you can take it out. Not only are you missing out on interest, but if the company goes bankrupt or changes its payout policy, your money could be lost.
Most cashback sites set a threshold which you must reach before you can withdraw cash. The best practice is to withdraw as soon as you hit that level. Never leave cash building up in a cashback site account when you can take it out. Not only are you missing out on interest, but if the company goes bankrupt or changes its payout policy, your money could be lost.
4. Focus on the cheapest deal, not the biggest cashback
It’s easy to be seduced by £50 cashback for buying an insurance policy or a 7% discount when shopping for clothes. Yet never let the cashback tail wag the dog. Not because of the warnings above, but simply because it may not actually be the cheapest option. Regardless of the cashback, you want to get the best deal possible. If you’ve chosen something purely because of the cashback on offer, and the cashback doesn’t happen, you could find you’ve dug yourself a hole. Example 1: You want a new telly. A cashback site brings up Korma Electricals, offering 5% cashback, which means a £20 discount on a £399 TV. Yet two minutes using a price comparison would’ve found you the same TV on sale at £299.
It’s easy to be seduced by £50 cashback for buying an insurance policy or a 7% discount when shopping for clothes. Yet never let the cashback tail wag the dog. Not because of the warnings above, but simply because it may not actually be the cheapest option. Regardless of the cashback, you want to get the best deal possible. If you’ve chosen something purely because of the cashback on offer, and the cashback doesn’t happen, you could find you’ve dug yourself a hole. Example 1: You want a new telly. A cashback site brings up Korma Electricals, offering 5% cashback, which means a £20 discount on a £399 TV. Yet two minutes using a price comparison would’ve found you the same TV on sale at £299.
5. Consider clearing your cookies
Cashback sites track your visits by putting cookies (little bits of info that identify you) onto your computer. Many other sites, like comparison sites, also use cookies. So when making your purchase, make sure you click through from the cashback site and not from anywhere else, as the general rule’s ‘the last cookie wins’. To be doubly safe, especially if you’re expecting a lot of cashback, clear your computer’s cookies first to ensure the cashback is tracked. Learn more about controlling and deleting cookies at AboutCookies.org.
Cashback sites track your visits by putting cookies (little bits of info that identify you) onto your computer. Many other sites, like comparison sites, also use cookies. So when making your purchase, make sure you click through from the cashback site and not from anywhere else, as the general rule’s ‘the last cookie wins’. To be doubly safe, especially if you’re expecting a lot of cashback, clear your computer’s cookies first to ensure the cashback is tracked. Learn more about controlling and deleting cookies at AboutCookies.org.
The Top-Paying Cashback Sites
IN FIRST PLACE
Don’t think all cashback sites pay the same. Many pay out 50% or less of what they get paid. Here are some of the best. If you want the site that pays the most, Topcashback is the winner. It’s 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. It’s also the cashback site that gets the best feedback from its users. You can take earnings as cash, or boost returns by swapping cashback for Amazon or M&S vouchers. Click HERE to go to the site
Don’t think all cashback sites pay the same. Many pay out 50% or less of what they get paid. Here are some of the best. If you want the site that pays the most, Topcashback is the winner. It’s 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. It’s also the cashback site that gets the best feedback from its users. You can take earnings as cash, or boost returns by swapping cashback for Amazon or M&S vouchers. Click HERE to go to the site
IN SECOND PLACE
Our second best cashback site is Quidco*, which has similar payout levels as Topcashback above. Indeed, the two sites usually compete on exclusive deals.
THIRD PLACE
It’s rare to see cashback sites feature Amazon. Cashback on Next, John Lewis and, for existing customers, Asos shopping is unusual too. But KidStart lets you earn cashback at all these stores, and more than 1,500 in total – the catch is you have to put it towards a child’s savings.
But you don’t need to be a parent. The child can be yours, a grandchild or a friend’s. It can even be a twinkle in your eye that you plan to have one day (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.
5 Use Amazon Coupons
Yes, They’re a Thing. Coupons rule. If only you could use them on Amazon, right? Spoiler alert: You can, from right within the site. Amazon Coupons lets you clip coupons in a bunch of categories, including groceries, personal care and household products. When you click on the coupon, it’s automatically added to your cart and applied when you check out. Easy peasy. Please stop giving me more incentive to shop on Amazon. Please.
But have you considered making money with the online retailer?
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