Cashback shopping sites are have only appeared in the last couple of years, but have already been responsible for paying millions of pounds out to shoppers. The older established sites are superb and I use them all the time. They are so easy to use and put money back in your pocket for absolutely no effort.

So How Does It All Work?

Very simply. First you join a cashback site (they’re free to join, and you can find reviews of the best cashback sites here). Then when you want to buy anything online, you make sure that you go to the cashback site first. You click the link for the shop you want there. That’s it. You still pay the same retailer as normal.

Where Does The Money Come From?

This is the good bit because everyone wins. The cashback site gets paid a fee by the online shop. They share that amount with you, normally giving you half of it. The shop gets a sale, the cashback shopping site gets commission, and you get cashback. And all for something you were going to buy anyway.

The key though is to always remember to use the cashback site to get to the shop you want .

Getting The Best Cashback

To make the best cashback ensure you put all of your regular buying through the cashback site – so if you buy groceries online check if the cashback site lists your food shop. If you buy CD’s, DVD’s and books, use the tools at your cashback site to find the best prices AND the highest cashback rate. Plan ahead and buy all your birthday gifts online. And in particular get online quotes for all the insurance policies you have as these tend to give you very big cashback amounts on top of what could also be much lower premiums than you pay now.

I would suggest you join 2 or 3 sites, to find out which one you like using the best. After all, it is free.

Top Tip For Extra Cashback

If you haven’t got one yet, get a cashback credit card too. You can find the latest reviews of the best cashback credit cards here. It can pay you back thousands, and all you have to do is fill in the application form.

You will mostly find cashback rates are 0.5% to 1% (although you can get a stunning 5% at the moment with the amex platinum cashback card). So if you spend £100 on anything, and your card pays 1% cashback, you get £1 back. Not a huge amount, but over the year it builds significantly. Especially when you ensure you buy things on your credit card that you might otherwise pay for with cash or debit card.

Will Everyone Benefit?

Only if you pay off your balance every month. If you carry over debt every month the interest charged will more than negate the cashback you earn. But if you do pay off your balance then 0% balance transfer offers and the like are of no interest to you, so grab a cashback card instead.

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