Landlord Products / Services
I’ve earned £800’ish in cashback rewards this year (2023) just by buying crap I was going to buy anyways.
Earlier this year I earned £250 cashback alone, from booking a holiday via Expedia. I would have booked the holiday regardless, so the jokes on them.
It still amazes me when I discover people that don’t use cashback websites, because they are freaking awesome and appear to have no downside. If you’re not on board the cashback hype yet – what can I say, other than I genuinely believe you’re missing one hell of a trick, and maybe it’s time for you to make up for lost time.
Now, I’m not going to sit here and act like I wasn’t late to the cashback party, because I totally was, and it frustrates me beyond belief to think about how much I missed out on. But hey, better late than never.
I know I’m stepping out of my lane here – I’m a landlord blogger, not Lartin Mewis the Honey Making Expert – but I can’t help myself. Perhaps the alcohol based mouthwash I accidentally swallowed this morning is finally causing havoc.
Nonetheless, even in my sober state, I’d feel remiss if I didn’t encourage everyone to use Cashback websites like TopCashBack and Quidco to earn some free cheese when making online purchases.
But actually, I’m not totally going off the rails here, because how I came about learning about cashback websites is very relevant to my niche. They first popped onto my radar when many of my fellow landlords responded to my The Shameless Landlord Insurance Renewal Scam To Avoid blog post, suggesting that using Cashback websites to acquire building insurance is a great way to earn cashback (and effectively get a huge discount) because a lot of the providers offer significant cash rewards, up to £90!
I’m not a religious man, but to quote John [9:25], “One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!“
I’ve not looked back since. Using cashback websites is now routine!
I was genuinely stunned by how many retailers are involved. Amazon, ebay, RAC, Next, Superdrug, M&S, Superdrug, Boots etc, and the list is forever expanding. So in other words, it’s so easy to earn cashback rewards on literally every day spending.
Last night I did a bit of online shopping (on Adidas.com and Nike.com) and ended up earning £40’ish in cashback. The gold rush is what prompted me to do this. Boy, let me tell you, the cashback endorphins are real. We’ll be dining on the finest Waitrose vegetables tonight.
Most popular UK Cashback websites!
From what I’m aware, these are the two most popular cashback websites in the UK (or, at least, they’re the two most heavily touted) – and they’re the one’s I use:
| Supplier | Rating | Notes / Includes | |
|---|---|---|---|
Supplier | Rating TrustPilot Reviews | details
| Free Sign Up |
Supplier | Rating TrustPilot Reviews | details
| Free Sign Up |
Please note, I try my best to keep the information of each service up-to-date, but you should read the T&C's from their website for the most up-to-date and accurate information.
(disclaimer: I’m using “refer a friend” links so we benefit from sign up bonuses. You can get your own referral links if you sign up to either and want to share the love with others in your circle).
Which Cashback service is the best?
Hard to say, because they often have different rates for the same retailer, and they don’t have all the same offers, so that’s why I actively use both.
Before making an online purchase, my ritual is to first and foremost see if I can earn cashback from either cashback website, and if so, which offers the better rate.
Some of my recent cashback victories!
Just in the past week I managed to bag myself approx. £300’ish in cashback:
- AMEX credit card – I signed up for the Nectar Amex card which earned me £30 in cashback. The card itself was free. Mind blown!
- Expedia – I’ve always used Booking.com or Expedia when booking package holidays, so I was pleased to see Expedia offering up to 10% cashback (which is ridiculous) on TopCashBack. It’s easy to see how quickly you can earn some sweet and hefty cashback with holidays.
As mentioned, over the past year I’ve earned £800’ish in cashback rewards (for literally doing diddly-squat). But that’s nothing. When I asked my followers on X/Twitter how much they’ve earned from using cashback websites, one dude showed me a screenshot of his ridiculous earning report.
£4,000.
Yes, four-thousand-bones.
Absolutely sickening!
Lord only knows what he’s been purchasing. That definitely isn’t the norm, but it does highlight the possibilities. Retailers like Homebase and B&Q offer cashback rewards, so big home improvement jobs can provide handsome rewards. And there are always all sorts of bonus reward offers running.
How Cashback websites work
- Sign up to a cashback service (e.g. TopCashback, Quidco) [it’s free & easy]
- If you want to buy something from M&S’s website (for example), click-through to M&S’s website from the cashback website, and then, buy/checkout as you normally would on M&S’s website. The key is to click-through to the retailer’s website from the cashback website (while you’re logged into your account) so the cashback can be tracked back to your account.
I believe they also have mobile apps and browser extensions available to make life easier (but I use neither).
- You should receive confirmation within 48 hours that your cashback has been tracked (it can take longer).
- Cashback will show as ‘pending’ until the retailer confirms your purchase.
- Once confirmed, cashback is paid into your account.
I’ve found that the waiting time for the funds to get released can drastically vary depending on the retailer (i.e. I had to wait over a month to get my Expedia pay-out).
- You can choose to either claim your cashback as a gift card or deposit the funds straight into your linked bank account.
- Sweet as a nut.
Extra tips on how to earn more cashback
- Use in conjunction with reward credit/debit cards – I effectively double-up on rewards by making purchases with a credit card that offers rewards. So, for example, I get the normal cashback reward through one of the cashback websites, but also the rewards by one of my reward cards (whether it be my crypto.com, Amex Nectar or Chase Bank Mastercard).
- Upgrade to premium accounts – both TopCashBack & Quidco offer “premium” plans to benefit from higher cashback rates and payout bonuses. TopCashBack’s premium plan costs £5 per month, while Quidco’s costs £1.
This can be worth it for those that do a lot of online shopping as the earned rewards can quickly covers the cost of the monthly subscription (which can be cancelled at any time).
- Order online (don’t buy in-store) – since the cashback rewards is only available for online purchases (not in-store purchases) I tend to order a lot more online, and some times (when it makes sense for me) I order online and choose the collect in-store option during checkout just so I still get the rewards.
Anyways, I just wanted to share the same nugget others’ shared with me, just in case you’ve also been living under a rock, and missing out on 11% cashback on lingerie from the George collection at ASDA (a current offering that you’d be foolish to sleep on!).
We’re done here!
Ultimately, earning cashback on crap you’d buy anyways seems like a no-brainer.
Thanks as always, and a special thanks to those that left a comment on my insurance blog post and tossed the cashback websites onto my radar.
Lartin Mewis out xo
Disclaimer: I'm just a landlord blogger; I'm 100% not qualified to give legal or financial advice. I'm a doofus. Any information I share is my unqualified opinion, and should never be construed as professional legal or financial advice. You should definitely get advice from a qualified professional for any legal or financial matters. For more information, please read my full disclaimer.
