Search and compare cashback offers and the supermarket, and any other shop...

Uphold cashback card
Click the banner to get the uphold card and get 1% cashback on all your debit card spending. It stacks with many of the cashback platforms listed below, sign up here: https://scrimpr.co.uk/out/uphold-cashback-debit-card
Supermarket cashback and discounts

Why you should use cashback apps

Always make the most of what money you already have. This kind of thinking is captured in the age-old saying look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves. In other words, paying attention to and managing everyday expenses is important because it can lead to significant savings over time. One of the easiest ways to reduce your everyday or essential spending is to make use of cashback and discount services.

For the best example, take grocery shopping. A recent analysis of Office of National Statistics data by Nimblefins reveals that the average UK household spends £4,124 a year on Groceries. That’s around £343 per month. At first glance, it might appear challenging to to reduce these cost – except for eating less, or moving to more budget-friendly brands. However, several cashback services offer incentives for shopping at all UK supermarkets – you can easily recoup 5% of your supermarket spend back as cashback. That’s a potential £206/year in cashback. You can also increase this rate by strategically combining the different cashback services.

I wrote a lot about “Cashback Stacking” on Reddit (See here for the first big guide I wrote). But this page is not about using multiple cashback sites. It’s about specific apps and platforms that you can use to get discounts on gift cards, and the best of these cashback apps to use. And really, it’s about the cashback comparison tool that I made below. With the Scrimp Cashback / Discount Search Engine (also known as the Scrimpr Cashback Directory), you can easily find out which cashback tool has the best discount for any shop. Always go for the highest cashback rate!

How do cashback apps work?

There are two different types of cashback reward sites:

  1. Cashback platforms that work through affiliate links

    This type of cashback platform partners with online retailers and earns a commission through affiliate links that direct customers to those retailer’s websites. It is just another form of advertising, but the advertiser (the cashback platform) passes some of this commission back to the customer in the form of cashback rewards.

  2. Cashback apps that sell gift cards.

    These cashback apps primarily focus on selling gift cards for different retailers and provide cashback incentives when users purchase these gift cards. The cashback is earned when buying the gift card itself.

This second type of cashback app is a relatively new development. The nice thing about them is that they allow you to earn cashback for in-store shopping, when previously cashback was limited to online spend. This added flexibility to earn rewards both online and in physical stores sets these apps apart from traditional cashback platforms that primarily operate through affiliate links. In fact, it has even led to one of the big cashback platforms (Topcashback) introducing their own gift card reward programme, known as Topgiftcards.

Another advantage of the gift card apps is their compatibility with affiliate link platforms – users can spend their gift cards when shopping through an affiliate link platform (this is cashback stacking!).

Instructions for using giftcard reward platforms

Just use your gift card like you would your Tesco Clubcard – scan it at the till and the value will be deducted from the cost of your basket. When shopping online, you might need to type out the gift card number.

  1. Visit your app or website of choice
    • See below for the platforms I use
  2. Find the gift card you want
    • Shouldn’t be too difficult, just search for it.
  3. Buy the gift card
    • Depending on the platform, you can pay by debit/credit card or by instant bank transfer using open banking.
  4. Receive your cashback
    • After your purchase is processed and you have received your gift card, you will soon receive your cashback. If you are lucky to have access to an employee discount portal, you would instead have received a discount on the cost of the gift card.
  5. Use Your Gift Card
    • Use the gift card you’ve purchased when you shop online or in a physical store. Simply add the gift card during checkout or present the gift card at the till. Most shops will scan the barcode, and the value will be deducted from your purchase.
  6. Check your cashback balance and withdraw your rewards
    • Keep an eye on your cashback app’s account to ensure that the promised cashback or rewards have been credited to your balance.
  7. Redeem Your Cashback
    • Once you’ve accumulated a certain amount of cashback, you can typically redeem it through various options provided by the app, such as transferring it to your bank account, using it for future purchases, or converting it into gift cards for other retailers.

TopGiftcards or JamDoughnut or Airtime Rewards - which cashback platform is better?

There are five main gift card reward platforms that offer cashback in the UK: Airtime Reward, Cheddar, HyperJar, JamDoughnut, and Topcashback. But there are more. For example, there is the £15/month subscription-based Complete Savings (you can get the fee refunded each month), and there are also employee rewards portals like BHN Extras (click to sign up, and search for your employer to see if you are elligible).

I use all of them, and will use whichever offers me the highest reward for a shop. For example, I use Airtime Rewards to buy Morrisons gift cards (4% cashback) that I use to get cheaper petrol. I use Jam Doughnut to get cashback at Aldi – no other site offers Aldi cashback, and I use Topgiftcards for purchasing Miller & Carter vouchers when I need to eat cow. Despite all of the bad reviews online (from people who signed up and did not realise they had to pay a subscription), I also use Complete Savings. Do not take that as a recommendation.

Here’s my rundown of these apps:

Airtime Rewards

4/5
Best supermarket cashback.
  • Flat 4% across all offers
  • App offers additional cashback
  • £10 minimum withdrawal
  • Link below gives £2 bonus
Download Airtime*

* £2 bonus applied to your account when you spend with a linked retailer within 7 days. Bonus code: BPEWXLJ

Jam Doughnut Logo

JamDoughnut

5/5
Very easy to use mobile app.
  • Discounts for 100+ shops
  • Cashout to bank or voucher
  • £10 minimum withdrawal
  • Link below gives £3 bonus
Download JamDoughnut*

* £3 bonus applied to your account when you purchase your first giftcard. Bonus code: GMN2

Cheddar Logo

Cheddar

3/5
Gift card cashback, and automatic cash back.
  • Card-linked offers
  • Nice, simple app
  • Rates not the best
  • Link below gives boosted rates
Download Cheddar*

* Get boosted rates with Cheddar when you sign up with a referral bode. Bonus code: TIGHTAS

Topcashback Logo

TopGiftcards

3.5/5
Giftcards from Topcashback.
  • 163 different offers
  • £1 minimum withdrawal via Topcashback
  • No Google/Apple Pay integration.
  • Must use internet browser
Sign up to Topcashback*

* Get a £10 bonus when you sign up with the link above and earn your first £10 in cashback.

NX Rewards Cashback Logo

NX Rewards / Complete Savings

3/5
Good if you know how.
  • Up to 20% off One4All Giftcards
  • Gives a discount rather than cashback.
  • £15/month fee (but can get it refunded)
  • Can only sign up via an advert.
Visit Complete Savings

I also wrote about ways that you can increase the amount of cashback you can get by combining these cashback / discount platforms with other services (e.g., cashback debit/credit cards), and a few tricks. This is called “cashback stacking”. I will add a section on cashback stacking to this site soon, If you want to boost your effective savings to 20% or more, see my latest post on Cashback Stacking Guide topic over on r/beermoneyuk.

How the Discount / Cashback Voucher Search Engine works

Behind the discount / cashback voucher search engine is a very large spreadsheet and some automated magic that gets all of the details of current offers from the most popular cashback platforms. It gets data from:

  • Airtime Rewards (get a £2 bonus with signing up with the code: BP8EWXLJ)
  • Cheddar (get boosted rates when you applied the code TIGHTAS and then buy a £10 gift card).
  • EverUp (get a £1.50 bonus with signing up with the code: RTIG1701321QRQNA)
  • JamDoughnut (get a £3 bonus from JamDoughnut when you signup and make your first purchase with: GMN2)
  • TopGiftcards on Topcashback
  • Tuck (get a £1 bonus from Tuck when you signup with the code: 53661872.
  • Widilo (get a £5 bonus when you sign up using this link and earn your first cashback).

It also gets data from NX Rewards / Complete Savings (be careful with that one) and the workplace discount scheme, BHN Extras, and the weird Swipii (be very careful with this one)

Search for the shop you are planning on spending at, and see what offers are available on each of the sites.

FIND ME ON REDDIT, INSTAGRAM, AND TWITTER

Reddit Instagram Twitter Discord
Scroll to Top