How Scrimpr rates cashback platforms
Every UK cashback platform on Scrimpr is scored using a defined rubric. Editorial judgment still plays a role, but the rating itself isn’t arbitrary — it’s a transparent calculation from scores against published criteria. This page documents the rubric, the scoring bands, and the current scores for every platform we cover.
The rating in one line
Every platform is scored on 5 dimensions, each on a 0–10 scale. The star rating is the average of the 5 scores, divided by 2, rounded to the nearest 0.5:
rating = round_to_nearest_half( average(5 dimension scores) / 2 )
Two scorecard variants
Cashback platforms fall into two subcategories with mechanically different models. We use the same 5-dimension framework for both, with one dimension renamed to fit the model:
| Click-through portal cashback | Gift card cashback |
|---|---|
| Rates | Rates |
| Payout Speed | Payout Speed |
| Retailer Coverage | Brand Range |
| Reliability | Reliability |
| Trust | Trust |
| Examples: TopCashback, Quidco, Rakuten | Examples: EverUp, JamDoughnut, Airtime Rewards |
The only difference is in dimension 3. For click-through portals, retailer coverage means how many UK shops are in the affiliate network. For gift card cashback apps, brand range means how many brands sell gift cards through the app.
The scoring rubric
Each dimension is scored 0–10, calibrated to UK market reality. A score of 10 reflects the best a UK cashback platform can realistically achieve, not theoretical perfection.
Rates
How often this site pays the highest cashback rate compared to other UK platforms, measured against Scrimpr’s cashback comparison tool.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 10 | Wins 70%+ of rate comparisons (achievable market leader) |
| 9 | 60-70% |
| 8 | 50-60% |
| 7 | 40-50% |
| 6 | 30-40% |
| 5 | 20-30% |
| 3 | Wins occasionally on exclusives |
| 1 | Rarely competitive |
| 0 | Never wins comparisons |
Payout Speed
How quickly cashback becomes spendable money in your account. For click-through portals this includes the merchant-imposed pending period; for gift card cashback apps this reflects how freely the cashback balance can be used or withdrawn.
| Score | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 10 | Instant — cashback hits balance the moment a gift card is bought, fully spendable |
| 8-9 | 1-3 working days post-confirmation via BACS or PayPal |
| 5-6 | Standard 30-60 day affiliate confirmation period |
| 3-4 | 60-90 day pending OR significant withdrawal restrictions |
| 1-2 | Account access issues blocking actual payouts |
| 0 | No reliable payout |
Retailer Coverage / Brand Range
For click-through portals: number of UK partner retailers in the affiliate network. For gift card cashback: number of brands selling gift cards through the app.
| Score | Click-through Coverage | Gift card Brand Range |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 6,000+ retailers (UK market leader) | 500+ brands |
| 8-9 | 4,500-6,000 | 300-500 (category leader) |
| 6-7 | 2,500-4,500 | 150-300 |
| 4-5 | 500-2,500 | 50-150 |
| 2-3 | 100-500 | 20-50 |
| 0-1 | Under 100 | Under 20 |
Reliability
Does cashback consistently get credited? For click-through portals this is based on real decline rates from account data; for gift card cashback this is mostly structural (the model is reliable by design).
| Score | Click-through (decline rate) | Gift card cashback |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Under 1% decline rate | Gift card model — no failure mode |
| 9 | 1-2% decline rate | Reliable with rare edge cases |
| 7-8 | 2-5% | Generally reliable |
| 5-6 | 5-10% | Some structural issues |
| 3-4 | 10-20% | Notable issues |
| 0-2 | Over 20% OR systemic failures | Account locks / broken payouts |
Trust
A composite score reflecting how established and credible the platform is:
- Years operating: 1pt (2-5 years), 2pt (5-10), 3pt (10-15), 4pt (15+)
- UK regulation for any product (FCA, Ofgem, etc.): +1pt
- Trustpilot rating × 0.6: 3-star = 1.8pt, 4-star = 2.4pt, 5-star = 3pt
- Independent UK media verification (BBC, FT, Which?, MoneySavingExpert etc.): up to +2pt
Total is capped at 10. In practice the most established UK cashback platforms score 9, reserving 10 for exceptional cases.
Score to star rating mapping
| Average score | Rating | Display |
|---|---|---|
| 9.5-10 | 4.75-5.0 | ★★★★★ 5.0 |
| 8.5-9.4 | 4.25-4.7 | ★★★★⯪ 4.5 |
| 7.5-8.4 | 3.75-4.2 | ★★★★ 4.0 |
| 6.5-7.4 | 3.25-3.7 | ★★★⯪ 3.5 |
| 5.5-6.4 | 2.75-3.2 | ★★★ 3.0 |
| 4.5-5.4 | 2.25-2.7 | ★★⯪ 2.5 |
| 3.5-4.4 | 1.75-2.2 | ★★ 2.0 |
| 2.5-3.4 | 1.25-1.7 | ★⯪ 1.5 |
| 0-2.4 | 0-1.2 | ★ 1.0 |
Current scores for every UK cashback platform we cover
Scores below are calibrated to the UK market and the order matches Scrimpr’s editorial ranking. Where two platforms share the same rating, the editorial rank reflects subjective position within the same tier.
| # | Platform | Rates | Speed | Coverage | Reliability | Trust | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TopCashback | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 5.0 |
| 2 | EverUp | 9 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 4.5 |
| 3 | Rakuten | 8 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 4.5 |
| 4 | Quidco | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 4.0 |
| 5 | JamDoughnut | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 4.0 |
| 6 | NX Rewards | 8 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 3.5 |
| 7 | Complete Savings | 9 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3.5 |
| 8 | Airtime Rewards | 6 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 3.5 |
| 9 | Tuck | 5 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 4 | 3.5 |
| 10 | KidStart | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3.0 |
| 11 | Onsi | 5 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 3.5 |
| 12 | HyperJar | 3 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 3.0 |
| 13 | Swagbucks | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2.5 |
| 14 | Sprive | 3 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 2.5 |
| 15 | Avios | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 2.5 |
| 16 | Virgin Red | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 2.0 |
| 17 | Budgey (Widilo) | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2.0 |
| 18 | Picodi | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1.5 |
| 19 | Gains app | 3 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 2.5 |
| 20 | Raise | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 |
How and when scores change
Scores are recalibrated as the UK cashback market shifts. A platform’s score might change when:
- A platform launches a major feature (e.g. higher gift card rates, a new product tier)
- Customer service or tracking reliability changes meaningfully over time
- A platform’s market position changes (more or fewer retailers, M&A activity, etc.)
- New evidence emerges that affects the trust score (regulatory action, Trustpilot trends, media coverage)
Scores are not changed for individual transactions or one-off events — only when the underlying picture for a typical UK user has actually shifted.
Why this methodology
Most UK cashback reviews assign a single editor-chosen star rating with no published reasoning. We use a 5-dimension rubric for three reasons:
- It’s auditable. Every score can be challenged against the published criteria. If we score a platform 8 on Rates, you can ask “why not 9?” and we can show our working.
- It’s comparable across reviews. The same 5 dimensions apply to every platform, so a 4-star EverUp and a 4-star Quidco are scored on the same scale even though they have very different mechanics.
- The rating isn’t arbitrary. The star rating is mechanically derived from the scores. Editorial judgment goes into the individual dimension scores (where it should), not into a holistic gut number at the end.
If you spot a score that seems off, contact us with what you’d score it as and why — we read every feedback message and update scores when the evidence is there.