The best cashback apps in the UK for most people are a cashback site such as TopCashback or Quidco for online shopping and bills, plus one app that pays on everyday spending, such as Airtime (card-linked) or Shopmium and CheckoutSmart (grocery receipts). Together they cover the big one-off purchases where cashback is largest and the small regular shops that add up over a year.
Cashback apps are free to use and genuinely pay out, but they are not free money. Payments can take weeks or months to confirm, tracking sometimes fails, and the biggest mistake is buying something only because it comes with cashback.
This guide compares the five main types of cashback app, explains how we chose the ones we mention, and shows how to set up a simple system that is worth the effort. For cashback on credit cards, see our best cashback credit cards guide, and for an overview of every route, read the ultimate guide to cashback in the UK.
How we chose
We do not use affiliate or referral links, and no app paid to be included. We only mention apps we could confirm are operating in the UK in October 2026, and we judged them on:
- What it pays on: online shopping, switching and insurance, in-store card spending or specific grocery products.
- Fees and membership: whether the free tier is enough, and what any paid tier costs.
- Payout rules: minimum withdrawal amounts, withdrawal fees and how long cashback takes to confirm.
- Reliability: how tracking works and what happens if a purchase does not track.
- Ease of use: how much effort it takes each time you shop, and what data the app needs.
- Protection: cashback sitting in an app account is not a bank deposit, so it is not covered by the FSCS. We favour apps that let you withdraw regularly.
The five types of cashback app compared
Cashback apps work in quite different ways. Knowing which type you are using tells you how much effort it takes and where the money comes from.
| Type | How it works | UK examples |
|---|---|---|
| Cashback site | Click through the app or site before buying online, the retailer pays a commission and you get a share | TopCashback, Quidco |
| Card-linked app | Link a debit or credit card and earn automatically when you pay at partner retailers | Airtime, Quidco in-store |
| Receipt app | Buy a featured product, then upload a photo of your receipt to claim money back | Shopmium, CheckoutSmart, GreenJinn |
| Gift card app | Buy a retailer gift card through the app at a discount, then spend it as normal | JamDoughnut |
| Browser extension | A pop-up reminds you when a site you visit pays cashback | TopCashback browser extension |
Cashback sites: TopCashback and Quidco
Cashback sites pay the largest single amounts, mainly on things like broadband, mobile contracts, insurance, energy, travel and big online purchases. Both have apps as well as websites, and both are free to join.
At the time of writing (October 2026):
- TopCashback has a free Classic tier and a Plus tier that costs £5 a year, taken from your cashback. MoneySavingExpert reports that TopCashback often pays the highest rate in its checks, and it offers to beat a higher rate at another UK cashback site if you claim within 14 days. It also has a free browser extension that flags cashback while you shop.
- Quidco has a free Basic tier and a Premium tier that keeps £1 of your cashback in each month you are active. In 2026 it added card-linked in-store cashback at a range of high street brands: you link a card in the app and pay with the physical card, because Apple Pay and Google Pay may not track.
Everyday spending: Airtime, grocery and gift card apps
These apps pay smaller amounts but work on the shopping you do every week.
- Airtime (formerly Airtime Rewards): link your Visa or Mastercard cards and earn rewards automatically when you pay at partner retailers. You redeem the balance against your mobile bill on the major UK networks, pay monthly or pay as you go, once you reach the minimum.
- Shopmium: offers money back on specific branded grocery products, sometimes the full price, when you buy them and upload your receipt. Best for snacks, drinks and cupboard items when the offers match what you buy.
- CheckoutSmart: similar receipt-based cashback on featured products. Check the current withdrawal rules in the app, as small withdrawals have carried a fee.
- GreenJinn: another receipt app, with offers on groceries including fruit and vegetables.
- JamDoughnut: buy digital gift cards for supermarkets and other retailers in the app and receive a percentage back. Because you pay for the gift card first, only buy what you will spend soon.
How much can you earn?
Earnings vary a lot, so we have avoided quoting typical figures. A realistic way to think about it:
| Where you earn | Typical size | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Switching broadband, mobile, insurance or energy via a cashback site | Largest single payments | Low, a few times a year |
| Online shopping via a cashback site | A small percentage of each order | Low once it is a habit |
| Card-linked and gift card apps | Small amounts, often | Very low |
| Receipt apps | Small amounts per product | Medium, needs checking offers and uploading receipts |
The biggest gains come from routing purchases you were already going to make through a cashback site. Before switching any provider, compare the total cost on a comparison site first, then check whether a cashback site pays for that deal. Cashback should be the tie-breaker, not the reason.
The catches and how to avoid them
Cashback apps are legitimate, but go in with your eyes open.
- It is not guaranteed. Tracking can fail, and retailers can decline cashback if you return items or change an order. Keep order confirmations so you can make a missing cashback claim.
- It takes time. Purchases usually show as pending within days, but approval can take weeks or months, especially for insurance and switching deals.
- Withdraw regularly. If a cashback company went bust you would have little protection, and money in your app balance is not FSCS protected. Cash out once you reach the threshold.
- The last click wins. Clicking through a voucher site or price comparison link after the cashback app can override the tracking. Go to the retailer through the cashback app last.
- Do not overspend. 10% back on something you did not need is still 90% spent. Keep cashback inside your normal budget, using the budget planner if it helps.
- Watch pay-later rewards. Some buy now, pay later apps, such as Zilch, offer rewards for paying in full. If you use the pay-later option, you are borrowing, and missed payments can affect your credit file.
- Think about data. Card-linked apps see your transactions at partner retailers. Read the privacy settings and only link cards you are comfortable with.
A simple cashback setup that is worth the effort
You do not need every app. A setup that takes about half an hour:
- Join one cashback site (TopCashback or Quidco) and install its browser extension or app so you get reminders when you shop online.
- Add one everyday app: Airtime if you shop at its partners, or one receipt app if you buy branded groceries.
- Set a calendar reminder for your insurance, broadband and mobile renewal dates, and check cashback sites when they come up.
- Pay with a card you clear in full every month. A cashback credit card can add a little more, but only if you never pay interest.
- Withdraw cashback as soon as you can and move it straight into savings.
What to do with your cashback
Cashback is easy to spend without noticing. Give it a purpose instead. If you have expensive debt, putting cashback towards it is usually the best return, and the debt payoff calculator shows how much extra payments save. If you carry a credit card balance, the credit card payoff calculator shows the effect of overpaying.
If you are debt-free, put each payout towards a goal and track it with the savings goal calculator, or use it to keep a savings challenge going in SYM, the free savings challenge app for iPhone and Android. SYM tells you how much to put aside each day and you tap to log it, so a £15 cashback payout can cover several days. It does not connect to your bank or hold your money.
Cashback apps are one kind of money-saving app. For budgeting, food waste and saving apps, see our guide to money-saving apps in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
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