The best cashback apps in the UK are Gains App, TopCashback, Quidco, Cheddar and Shopmium, each paying you back on spending you already do.
TopCashback and Quidco offer the widest retailer coverage and highest-value rewards. Cheddar pays instant gift-card cashback, Shopmium suits grocery shoppers, and Sprive puts cashback towards your mortgage. Most are free, so stacking two or three covers the most retailers. (Disclosure: Gains App is built by the Up The Gains team.)
Cashback is just one way to boost your balance. For sign-up bonuses and welcome deals too, see our guide to the best free money offers in the UK.
The best cashback apps in the UK right now
These are my top picks of apps to try right now.
I’ve personally used them all and earned hundreds of pounds in cashback just from taking an extra few seconds before doing my usual shopping.
1. Gains App - Best for combined cashback & budgeting
Gains App brings you AI-powered budgeting tools plus cashback rewards all in one place.
No more juggling apps - manage your money and earn more of it with Gains.
Personalised cashback offers help you get more for your money without changing your spending habits.
- Free to use
- Personalised offers
- Instant giftcard cashback
- Overview of all your spending
- AI assistant for money questions
- Secure connection to 60+ UK banks
- Budgeting and rewards in one place
- No affiliate cashback
- No bill switching (yet)
- No direct savings accounts
Full disclosure: I’m a co-founder of Gains, but I’ve tested every app on this list on its own merits and use several of them together. I’ll let you decide which is best for you.
The reason Gains tops this list is simple.
It’s the only UK cashback app that actually learns where you shop and shows you the offers you’re most likely to use.
Every other gift card cashback app shows the same generic list of offers to everyone.
Gains connects to your bank account through Open Banking (read-only access through an FCA regulated partner – same security as your banking app) and uses AI to figure out where you spend your money. Then it puts those offers front and centre.
So if you do a weekly shop at Tesco for example, you’ll see that offer straight away instead of scrolling through dozens of retailers you’ve never been to.
You earn instant cashback through the purchase of gift cards. You buy a gift card for the shop you’re about to visit (takes about 30 seconds – you can even do it in the queue), use it to pay, and get cashback credited to your balance immediately.
No waiting 90 days hoping the retailer confirms your purchase.
On top of that, Gains has built-in budgeting tools and an AI chat assistant you can ask things like “how much did I spend on takeaways last month?”
It tracks your subscriptions, categorises your spending, and helps you spot where money is leaking. No other cashback app does all that.
Typical grocery cashback sits around 3%, with some retailers going higher. If you spend £150 a week on food shopping and earn 3% cashback, that’s £234 a year just from groceries.
Add in clothing, electronics, travel, and eating out, and it builds up fast.
You can withdraw your cashback to your bank account for free once you hit £10. No catches.
Gains is free to use, with a premium tier available if you want extra budgeting tools, more AI usage, and additional bank connections. But the free version covers everything most people need.
2. TopCashback – Best for combined affiliate & gift card cashback
Get money back when you shop online from over 5,000 top retailers including Boots, Amazon, ASOS, Tesco, Sainsburys and more.
In one click you could be saving £100s each year!
Pros:
Huge retailer network of 6,000+ brands for affiliate cashback
Often the highest cashback rates for big online purchases
Has both affiliate and gift card cashback in one place
Cons:
Affiliate cashback takes 30-90 days to pay out
Limited gift card retailers
Low gift card rates
TopCashback is the biggest cashback site in the UK and it’s been around for years.
If you’re making a large online purchase like a new laptop, car insurance renewal or booking a holiday, TopCashback is where you’ll often find the highest rates.
The way it works is straightforward. You search for the retailer on TopCashback, click through their link to the store’s website, and shop as normal.
The retailer pays TopCashback a commission for sending you over, and they pass that commission on to you.
The catch? You have to wait.
Cashback typically takes 30 to 90 days to confirm because TopCashback needs the retailer to verify you didn’t return the item. It can be frustrating, especially if a claim gets declined because a cookie didn’t track properly.
For example this Currys purchase took from June (when the purchase was made) until November when the cashback became available to withdraw:
TopCashback also offers instant gift cards for around 130 brands, though the selection is smaller and rates tend to be lower than dedicated gift card apps like Gains or Cheddar.
There’s no minimum payout on the free account, which is a nice touch. A Plus membership costs £5 per year (taken from your earnings) and bumps up some rates.
It’s worth having TopCashback alongside a gift card app.
Use it for those occasional big online purchases where the higher affiliate rates make a real difference, and use a gift card app for your everyday spending.
I would also recommend using it on a browser on a laptop or desktop pc rather than using the mobile app. I’ve found it’s more consistent with tracking that way.
3. Quidco - Best for high value rewards
Over 10 million UK users saving money on their online shopping.
Join now for free - no catch, no hassle, no fees.
Pros:
5,000+ retailers
High-value finance rewards
Has both affiliate and gift card cashbaxck
Cons:
Gift card cashback at lower rates
Affiliate cashback is slow to pay out
Requires premium membership for best rates
Quidco is TopCashback’s main rival and works in almost exactly the same way.
You click through a link before buying online, and cashback tracks to your account.
Where Quidco stands out is its bonus offers. These are limited-time deals with a set number of spots. Things like “get £15 cashback on a £20 spend at a particular retailer.”
They pop up regularly and can be genuinely valuable if you grab them quickly.
Quidco also has a decent insurance and bill comparison tool.
If your car or home insurance, broadband, or energy deal is up for renewal, it’s worth checking what cashback Quidco offers on switching.
The free version works fine for most people.
The Premium membership (£1/month) bumps up cashback rates across some retailers, but you need to run the numbers on whether the extra cashback covers the fee based on how much you shop through the platform.
Like TopCashback, the main downside is the wait. Cashback takes weeks or months to confirm, and it’s online only.
Quidco has recently added cashback gift cards to their platform so you can now earn in-store cashback with Quidco, but the rates are typically lower than gift card specific platforms.
For online purchases, it can add up to a lot of free money:
If you already use TopCashback, it’s worth having Quidco too. Check both before any big online purchase and use whichever one has the better rate. It only takes a few seconds.
Just like with TopCashback, I would suggest using Quidco on a laptop or desktop pc rather than the mobile app for more consistent cashback tracking.
4. Cheddar - Best for instant gift card cashback
Simply link your bank and earn cashback when you shop in-store and online.
Cashback available on Mcdonalds, Trainline, UBER and more!
Get a £5 bonus when you sign up and use code UPGAINS
Pros:
Low minimum withdrawal
Instant gift card cashback on 200+ UK retailers
Additional spending insights
Cons:
Spending insights are basic
No budgeting tools or AI features
Cheddar takes a hybrid approach.
It’s mainly a gift card cashback app, but it also connects to your bank to show you spending insights and a “missed cashback” feature that tells you how much you could have earned on recent purchases.
The missed cashback feature looks at your transactions and shows you the money you left on the table which tends to motivate you to actually use the app next time.
Gift card rates are typically 2–4% on groceries and major retailers. You buy the gift card, get cashback instantly, and use the card in-store or online. The £5 minimum withdrawal is the lowest of any gift card app, so you can cash out quickly.
Where Cheddar falls short is personalisation. It does filter offers “based on your shopping” but it’s basic compared to what Gains does with AI. You’re still browsing through a list rather than having offers surfaced for you automatically.
There are no budgeting tools either. You get spending visibility, but not the goal tracking, categorisation, or AI assistant that an all-in-one app offers.
Cheddar works with most major UK banks – including Barclays, NatWest, HSBC, Santander, Monzo, Revolut – but not all building societies or smaller providers.
It’s a solid pick if you want instant gift card cashback with a bit of extra spending visibility on the side.
Cashback is not the only free money going. It is also worth claiming the birthday freebies dozens of UK brands hand out every year.
5. Airtime - Best for hands-off rewards
Get money off your mobile phone bill by shopping at brands you love.
Airtime is card-linked cashback meaning you can earn every time you spend automatically, although this typically means lower rates.
Pros:
Completely automatic once set up
Works online and in-store with no extra steps
Cons:
Low cashback rates
Rewards can only be used to reduce mobile bill – no cash withdrawal
No personalisation of offers or spending insights
Airtime is the one to try if you know you’ll forget to use a cashback app before shopping.
You download the app, link your debit or credit card, and that’s it. When you spend at a participating retailer, Airtime automatically spots the transaction and credits cashback to your account. It’s super simple.
The trade-off? Your cashback can only go towards paying your mobile phone bill rather than straight to your bank account. If you’re on a monthly contract, this effectively reduces your phone bill. Not bad, but it means you can’t use that cashback for anything else.
Rates are also on the lower side, typically 1–5% depending on the retailer.
And the list of participating retailers is smaller than what you’ll find on most gift card or affiliate platforms.
Airtime also has an e-gift card purchasing feature where you can buy gift cards and earn extra rewards on top of the automatic card-linked cashback.
The £10 minimum payout is standard.
It’s best used alongside another cashback app.
Let Airtime quietly earn in the background on purchases you’d otherwise miss, and use a gift card specific app like Gains or affiliate site like Quidco or TopCashback for your planned spending where you can grab higher rates.
6. Everup - Best for gamified rewards
Earn instant cashback at 200+ of your favourite retailers
Pros:
Instant gift card cashback
In-app games with real cash prizes
Cons:
No personalisation – generic offer list
EverUp adds a twist to the standard gift card cashback model. Alongside your instant cashback, many purchases earn you “coins” that you can use to play in-app games – slot-style spins, scratch cards, and prize draws – where you can win extra cash.
The cashback rates are similar to other gift card apps. Expect 2-4% on supermarkets and major retailers. Nothing dramatically different from Gains or Cheddar on the cashback side.
The games are where EverUp tries to stand out. They’re fun, and there are genuine cash prizes to be won.
But here’s the thing to watch out for – the gamification can subtly encourage you to buy gift cards you wouldn’t normally buy, just to earn more coins to play more games. That defeats the whole point of cashback, which is earning money back on spending you’re already doing.
Like the other basic gift card apps, EverUp shows the same generic list of offers to everyone. No personalisation based on your shopping habits.
There are no budgeting tools, no bank connection, and no spending insights.
If you enjoy the gamification element and can keep yourself disciplined about only buying gift cards for shops you’d visit anyway, EverUp is a fun option.
Just don’t let the games turn saving money into spending more.
7. Shopmium - Best for grocery discounts
Shopmium is different to most other cashback apps.
Instead of getting cashback on your whole purchase, Shopmium allows you to try new products either for free or at a significant discount in your supermarket of choice.
Pros:
Up to 50% cashback on featured grocery products
Cons:
Narrow product selection which changes frequently
Not a full cashback solution
Shopmium works differently from the other apps on this list. Instead of earning cashback on your total shop, it offers deals on individual products.
You browse the app, find a product you want (or were going to buy anyway), purchase it at any store, and then snap a photo of your receipt. Shopmium verifies the purchase and credits cashback to your account.
The rates can be impressive. Some featured products offer 50% cashback or even a full refund. But the catch is the selection. You’re limited to whatever products are currently featured, and these rotate regularly. Some weeks there might be several items on your regular shopping list. Other weeks, nothing.
The £10 minimum payout means you need to accumulate a decent amount before you can withdraw.
Where Shopmium really works well is as a stacking method. Use a gift card app for your overall shop (earning 3–4% on everything) and then scan your receipt through Shopmium to pick up extra cashback on individual items. You end up earning cashback twice on the same purchase.
It’s not going to replace a proper cashback app, but it’s a nice little earner on the side if you don’t mind the 30 seconds it takes to snap a receipt.
8. Sprive - Best for homeowners
Pay off your mortgage faster every time you shop.
Pros:
Helps pay off mortgage faster
Instant gift card cashback on 200+ UK retailers
Cons:
Cashback earned locked to mortgage overpayments – no cash withdrawal
Smaller section of available offers
Sprive is a bit different from everything else on this list. It’s primarily a mortgage overpayment app that happens to include cashback.
The idea is that any cashback you earn gets automatically put toward paying off your mortgage early. If you spend at a participating retailer through Sprive, the cashback chips away at your mortgage balance. Over time, this could save you thousands in interest.
Some of the cashback rates are genuinely good. Up to 7% at certain retailers like Costa. And the concept is smart. Most people would never manually overpay their mortgage by £3 after a coffee run, but Sprive automates it.
The big limitation is flexibility. You can’t withdraw this cashback as cash. It goes straight to your mortgage lender. If you don’t have a mortgage, this app isn’t for you at all.
The retailer selection is also much smaller – under 100 brands, compared to 200+ on Gains or 6,000+ on TopCashback.
If you’re a homeowner focused on paying off your mortgage faster and you like the idea of your everyday spending contributing to that goal, Sprive is worth a look. But for everyone else, a cashback app where you actually control what happens with your money makes more sense.
How to pick the right cashback app
Picking the right app might feel like a chore, but focus on the reliability of the app, how user-friendly it is, the quality of customer service, and of course, the cashback rates.
Then you want access to the retailers that you shop with so finding the right one can mean doing a bit of your own research.
Personally, I use over 4 different brands and search for the best deals across all of the cashback websites or apps.
The four ways to earn cashback (and which suits you)
There are four main ways to earn cashback on your shopping.
Each one works differently, and which is best depends on how you shop.
Gift card cashback is the one I use most.
You buy a gift card for a shop you’re about to visit through an app like Gains, Cheddar, or Everup.
The cashback is instant, usually credited within 60 seconds.
You can even do this in the queue at the supermarket and use the gift card straight away.
Rates are typically 2–4% on groceries, sometimes higher on other retailers.
Affiliate link cashback is what sites like TopCashback and Quidco offer.
You click through a link on their site before buying something online.
The retailer pays the cashback site a commission, and they pass it on to you.
Rates can be higher than gift card cashback – sometimes up to 15% on big purchases.
But you have to wait 30 to 90 days for the retailer to confirm your purchase before the cashback becomes available.
And it only works online.
Card-linked cashback is the hands-off option.
Apps like Airtime link to your debit or credit card and automatically spot purchases at partner retailers.
You don’t have to do anything.
The trade-off is lower rates (typically under 3%) and fewer retailers.
Slightly different to card-linked cashback is bank card cashback.
Some bank accounts and credit cards offer cashback on every purchase automatically, with no app to open and no gift cards to buy.
Rates are lower than gift card or affiliate apps, but the effort is zero.
You spend on the card, the cashback shows up on your statement.
My tip: use a gift card app (like Gains) for your everyday spending where you want instant cashback, and keep TopCashback or Quidco for those bigger online purchases where the higher affiliate rates make it worth the wait.
You can also stack methods.
Use a gift card app for your in-store shop, then scan your receipt through Shopmium to pick up extra cashback on individual products.
You may also be able to buy the gift card or pay for your affiliate cashback purchase using a cashback credit card.
Double earning on the same purchase.
You can also use browser extensions to search for discount codes online to get extra money off your purchases, although check the T&Cs to make sure this won’t invalidate any cashback.
Calculate your potential cashback earnings
Most people think cashback is small change. A few quid here and there. Not worth the effort.
The numbers say otherwise.
The average UK household spends over £2,500 a month on groceries, clothes, eating out, household stuff and travel.
Even getting 3-4% back on half of that puts you between £450 and £600 a year, for roughly 30 seconds of effort per shop.
Run your own numbers in the calculator below.
It’s a free tool from Gains App that shows you the realistic cashback you’d earn based on your actual spending categories.
How much do you spend on each of these?
Even a conservative £200-£300 a year is worth it when it takes almost no effort.
I’ve covered every Christmas of the last three years from cashback alone.
One reader funded a family holiday from regular shopping.
The trick isn’t picking the perfect app. It’s building the habit of opening one before you tap your card.
Try Gains App free
Getting the most from your cashback
A few things worth knowing once you get started.
Check multiple apps before big purchases. Rates vary between apps and change regularly. A new TV might give you 3% on one app and 7% on another. Takes 30 seconds to compare and could mean an extra £20-30 back on a single purchase.
Don’t spend more just for cashback. This is the biggest trap. If you’re buying things you wouldn’t normally buy because there’s cashback available, you’re spending more than you’re saving. Cashback works best on things you were already going to buy.
Set up referrals. Most apps offer a bonus when you invite friends. If three mates sign up through your link, that could be an easy £15-30 in your pocket before you’ve even started shopping.
Let it build up. I stack my cashback for months and use it to cover big expenses like Christmas or holidays. Watching it grow is oddly satisfying, and it takes the sting out of those expensive times of year.
Check your bank for cashback cards too. Some banks offer cashback credit cards – typically 0.5–1.5% on all purchases. This works on top of gift card or affiliate cashback, so you can double-dip. Just make sure you’re paying off the balance in full each month, or the interest wipes out any cashback you’ve earned.
Money influencer and TV presenter Chloe Carmichael from Chloe’s Deal Club came on The Money Gains Podcast to share how she saves up to 30% on everything she buys!
Check it out?
Frequently asked questions
Summary of the best UK cashback apps
That’s my full roundup of the best UK cashback apps for 2026.
The market changes fast, so I refresh this list every few months as new apps launch and existing ones change their rates or tier structure.
If you’re starting from zero, my honest advice is this: pick one gift card app, install it today, and use it for your next supermarket shop. That’s it.
The £3-4 you’ll earn on a £100 shop won’t change your life, but the habit will.
Six months from now, you’ll have £200-£300 in cashback you didn’t have.
If you want to know what the average UK household actually spends on food shopping (and how much cashback that represents), I’ve broken it down in my guide to the average UK food shop.
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Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
