Our ultimate guide to earning FREE cash while shopping, from linking your bank account to scanning receipts

IF you don’t use cashback then you could be missing out on hundreds of pounds a year.

From well-known sites like to newer options like Cheddar, there are lots of different ways to get back when you shop.

Mel Hunter reveals her complete guide to cashback.

CASHBACK WEBSITES

The most well-known way to get cashback is through established sites like TopCashback and Quidco.

They get you money back on things you buy, when you shop through their site or app.

Quidco says its members make an average of £300 a year.

The deals vary, and there are often one-off, time-limited special deals.

If you’re going to buy something, check both these sites to see how much cashback you might get.

When we checked, Quidco was offering six per cent cashback on hotels.com booking, while Topcashback had an exclusive time-limited 12 per cent offer.

Liz Hunter at moneyexpert.com also suggests installing the browser extensions for these sites.

“These automatically activate cashback when available, so you don’t have to remember to do it yourself.”;

Not all retailers are available through the extensions and you must make checks to ensure the extension you download are genuine, as fakes can put your online security at risk.

CASHBACK APPS LINKED TO YOUR BANK

Less well-known are sites like Cheddar and Airtime which link to your existing bank or card, applying cashback automatically when you shop with certain stores.

The benefit is that once you’ve registered with the , they work without you having to lift a finger.

Liz says: “Instead of having to click through a cashback site first, they automatically track your spending and apply rewards as you go.

“They all work differently so check out a few different schemes and find out which your lifestyle best.”;

For example, Cheddar pays cashback straight into your bank, while Airtime applies it to your phone bill, bringing down the cost.

The downside is that they work with a smaller number of retailers than the big cashback sites, but there’s nothing to stop you using them all.

CASHBACK CREDIT CARDS

If you are good with money, have no debts and pay off your credit card each month, then a cashback credit card may work for you.

They pay you either in credit or points that convert into vouchers for shops, airlines, and more.

Some will earn you points for travel. You can exchange them for flights or travel upgrades or airport lounges.

Liz says: “Some offer higher rates for specific categories, so again, do your research to find the one that suits your shopping habits best.

“Don’t forget to check the terms and conditions before signing up – and make sure to pay off your balance in full each month to prevent unexpected charges.”;

If you don’t pay them off in full, interest fees will make any cashback you make worthless.

The key is to pick a card that fits with your lifestyle and where you spend your money.

Chase, American Express, Barclaycard and Santander all offer cashback .

CASHBACK GIFT CARDS

For a different way to get cashback on your regular spending, you can use e-gift cards with some sites, like Jam Doughnut and Hyperjar, and get paid instant cashback.

The word ‘gift’ is a bit misleading. You can buy these cards for yourself, for something you intend to buy anyway.

It means you can buy a £50 gift card for your usual supermarket, get instant cashback – usually around four to seven per cent – and then use the card to pay for your shopping.

It’s so easy to do – you can quickly buy a gift card while you’re queuing for the checkout.

You can get cards for all kinds of things – supermarkets, tech shops and department stores like M&S or Selfridges.

Elizabeth Rivelli from bestmoney.com says “You buy a gift card for your favourite store, use it to shop as normal, and get instant cashback. It works for groceries, travel, entertainment—basically anything.

“It’s a bit of a mindset shift, but if you plan ahead, the savings can be significant.”;

LOYALTY SCHEMES WITH CASHBACK-STYLE REWARDS

Most of us are familiar with shops’ loyalty schemes.

They work like cashback, offering points or vouchers to spend in-store based on how much you spend.

Liz says: “It’s worth signing up for all the schemes available in shops you regularly use. Remember, most utilise an app nowadays, so it’s not a case of overloading your purse or wallet with endless cards.”;

Some of the most popular ones include Clubcard, Nectar for Sainsbury’s and Argos, membership, More, Plus and & Beauty Card.

Make the most of them by looking for bonus offers, like triple points events, or special member deals.

RECEIPT-SCANNING APPS

Another way to get cashback, which you can stack on top of the other methods, is to scan your receipts to get money back on specific products.

Download apps such as Shopmium, SnapMyEats and GreenJinn, and then scan your receipt after you’ve done your shop to get cashback.

You can take a picture of an online receipt and scan it in.

Cashback will be applied depending what eligible products you have in your backet.

You’ll get a proportion of the item’s cost, or sometimes all your money back.

It pays to look at the apps before you start shopping to see the different promotions.

Liz says: “They sometimes offer freebies or heavily discounted products, too. Just remember to scan your receipts within the required timeframe, as the offers tend to expire quickly.”;

‘CASH BACK IS PAYING FOR OUT TRIP TO NEW YORK'

Being canny with cashback has allowed Ailsa Hichens, to book a dream trip to for daughter Daisy’s 21^st birthday.

TWO years ago, Ailsa, 53, from Chelmsford, decided she wanted to take Daisy to New York for her big birthday this year.

She got a American Express credit card to collect Avios points.

Soon, the two of them will shortly jet off for the Big Apple – all paid for with the points she collected from using the card.

“Over the past two years, I’ve put everything I spend on it,”; says mum of three Ailsa, a nutritional therapist at foodfabulous.co.uk.

“That really special trip would not be happening without me being fanatical about cashback.”;

She pays off the credit card in full each month, so she doesn’t get charged interest or fees, and has now spent enough on the card to get a companion voucher, where one person flies for free.

“Using the card must have saved me at least £1,000.”;

Ailsa has also claimed nearly £2,500 from TopCashback in the past two years.

She often uses the two methods together, buying things through the cashback website using her American Express Avios card.

That means she builds up a pot of money from TopCashback at the same time as increasing her flying points.

She also shops at Sainsbury’s and converts her Nectar rewards into Avios points.

She recommends TopCashback to close friends, earning her £25 each time, and tries to buy everything from gifts to insurance through the site.

“You just have to get into the habit of it,”; she says.

Instead of taking the amounts she earns back as money, she tends to take it as vouchers through the site’s Reward Wallet. These come with a bonus so they work out better value.

“You do have to be a bit more organised, but the rewards are worth it.”;