3 simple ways to get CASHBACK

Think cashback is more hassle than it’s worth? It doesn’t have to be! Here are some convenient and innovative ways to make money every time you shop…

DOWNLOAD AN APP

Most cashback apps are pretty easy to use. Shopmium offers cashback on different products each week and includes deals from all major supermarkets. After you’ve shopped, scan your receipt on the app and Shopmium will pay cashback into your bank or Paypal account. Clicksnap, run by Quidco, works in a similar way.

Alternatively, try Airtime Rewards. This popular app lets you collect credit towards your mobile phone bill by rewarding you with cashback when you spend at more than 80 stores. These include supermarkets, such as Waitrose & Partners and Morrisons, and retailers including Argos, Boots and Halfords. It’s available for Visa and Mastercard holders and you just download the app, link your bank card and enter the details of your phone contract; it will track your spending, applying cashback to your mobile phone bill.

CLAIM THROUGH YOUR CREDIT CARD

If you use a credit card (and pay your bill in full each month), consider swapping to one that rewards you with cashback. Compare cashback credit cards at moneysavingexpert.com and moneysupermarket.com. Look out for fees, cashback rates offered and how much you have to spend in order to claim maximum cashback. You may have to spend a certain amount in the first few months. ‘Whether it’s everyday purchases or a big-ticket item, make sure your spending is working hard for you and is giving you something back,’ says Maggie Boyle, vice president of marketing at American Express.

Alternatively, look at store-specific cards, which offer deals similar to cashback. Marks & Spencer offers one-off vouchers for new cardholders, and then allows you to collect points that are turned into vouchers to use in store. John Lewis & Partners and Waitrose & Partners cardholders are offered a similar deal. Sainsbury’s Bank rewards you with Nectar points for your purchases, which you accumulate to use at a number of retailers.

INSTALL A BROWSER PLUG-IN

Always forget to use cashback sites before you make a purchase? Research by price comparison site Kelkoo found that British shoppers are missing out on a huge £3.2bn in cashback each year. The good news is that Quidco and Topcashback both have browser plug-ins that give you a pop-up message when you’re on a site where cashback is available: just click on the button to get it. Log in to your preferred site and download the Quidco extension (quidco.com/cashback-reminder/) or Topcashback’s alternative (topcashback.co.uk/browser-extension).