Newbie guide to cashback apps
An easy way to save money is via cashback apps; this is where upon buying a certain product you will receive money back once you have uploaded a receipt (your proof of purchase). Below I shall mention all the ones available and give you some tips below. Hope it helps get you started on saving money for all those who are new to this!
The main apps are...
... CheckoutSmart
... Shopitize
... TopCashback
Other money saving apps are...
... ClickSnap
...Shopmium
...Quidco
My top tips
1. Don't assume that you only get cashback for "useless products."
Whether paying for services or buying clothes, it's worth a look checking Quidco and TopCashback to see whether there's a percentage of cashback you can claim back. They include cashback offers on nearly all companies thinkable, including Asda, Amazon, H&M, BT and so on.
2. Double check which shops are eligible
Not all cashback apps have offers for the same shops and not all products are available in every shop, therefore, it's important to check offers carefully; otherwise you can't make a claim.
Shopitize offers cashback in: The Body Shop, Asda, Boots, Co-op, Greggs, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Subway, Tesco and Waitrose
CheckoutSmart: Tesco, Tesco online, Sainsbury's, Sainsbury's online, Asda, Asda online, Morrisons, Morrisons online, Waitrose, Waitrose online, Aldi, Lidl, Co-op, Iceland, B&M Bargains, Bargain Booze, Best-One, Booths, Boots, BP, Budgens, Esso, Farmfoods, Heron Foods, Lloyds Pharmacy, Londis, Mace, M&S, McColl's, Netto, Nisa-Todays, One Stop, Pets at Home, Premier, Savers, Shell, Spar, Superdrug, WH Smith, Wilkinsons and Ocado.com,
ClickSnap: Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons, Aldi and Lidl
Shopmium: Dependent but often features offers for Boots, Tesco and Asda
3. Alternating payment methods
On CheckoutSmart, I've heard that you can make a number of accounts if you use one email and connect with your PayPal and another email with your credit card.
This explains how people can claim multiple products despite it having a limit of 1 and one of the key ways to beginning a stockpile.
(This could be attempted with other apps too I imagine)!
Look at this amazing shop by Natasha Jones for example:
Are you impressed?
This isn't everything she managed to buy either. Before consuming some and sharing with friends and family, she had 5 more lots of dog food, 4 more Schwartz Spanish mixes, 4 more beef jerky packs, 1 more bottle of herbs and 13 more tins of peas!
She managed to get all of this for free using coupons and cashback apps when the retail price was over £60! See what a gold mine this is?!
4. Don't use the same receipt on several apps
ClickSnap and Quidco are sister apps of CheckoutSmart. This means that it's not possible to upload the SAME receipt to all three apps for profit, however, it does have its benefits. With all these apps being related, it's common to see the same offers available.
I'll explain this using a current offer.
At the moment, CheckoutSmart and ClickSnap are offering 50p off individual peperamis which are normally priced at 70p each. This can be claimed up to a maximum of 5 times.
We see how these related apps are beneficial as you can buy 10 peperamis for £2 instead of £7, leaving you with a £5 saving!
5. Combine coupons and cashback apps for maximum savings
Combining cashback with coupons and/or offers in store is called "stacking."
As Shopitize and CheckoutSmart etc. aren't related, you can use the same receipt for both should they have matching offers and if you have a coupon for a product (make sure to buy something else just in case it stops you claiming) then you've hit a lucky jackpot!
6. Don't forget to always read the terms and conditions but most of all HAVE FUN!
I hope this has helped and given people new to money saving a better understanding of apps and taught you all something new. There are of course more hacks out there and more details to learn but I hope this is a good beginning-basis.
The Frugal Teen