Quidco stands as one of the UK's leading cashback sites. It offers you a percentage of your money back when you shop online, switch utilities, or sign up for financial products through its platform. Launched in 2005, Quidco boasts over 10 million members and partners with approximately 4,500 retailers, including many major high-street brands.
Here's how it works: you click through to a merchant from Quidco, make a purchase, and the merchant pays Quidco a commission. Quidco then passes a portion of that commission back to you as cashback. Basic membership is free, with an optional Premium tier available for additional benefits.
Essential Points Before You Start
Before signing up, understand these points to ensure cashback genuinely saves you money.
1. Don't Let Cashback Encourage Unnecessary Purchases
View cashback as a discount on shopping you would do anyway, not an incentive to buy more. Earning 10% back on a £200 jacket you don't need isn't saving £20; it's spending £180. Always prioritise your actual needs first, then look for cashback on top.
2. Secure the Best Price First, Then Look for Cashback
Never let the potential cashback rate dictate your choice of provider. A £370 car insurance policy with no cashback is always better than a £470 policy offering £100 cashback. The lower price is a guaranteed saving at checkout, whereas cashback might take months to process, be declined, or never arrive. Use comparison sites to find the best price initially, then check if your chosen provider is available on Quidco. This is especially crucial for significant purchases like insurance, broadband, and energy switches, where selecting the wrong provider can cost you hundreds more than any cashback you might earn.
3. Combine Discounts with Guaranteed Cashback
Some retailers invalidate cashback if you use a voucher code found outside the cashback site, while others allow codes to stack. Always check the retailer's page on Quidco before applying any discount code. If codes stack, use both. If they don't, prioritise the immediate discount. A guaranteed saving at checkout is always preferable to promised cashback.
Even if a click-through cashback from Quidco fails to track, you can still secure an additional layer of savings. Consider using a cashback debit card (like Chase) for payment, which pays regardless of your entry point to the retailer, or purchasing a gift card from services like JamDoughnut or EverUp. These gift card savings are applied before you even complete your purchase. For optimal savings, aim to apply a discount, click through a cashback site, and pay with either a cashback debit card or a gift card. This method combines up to three layers of savings, with the latter two being guaranteed.
4. Cashback Payouts Depend on Tracking
Cashback is only paid if the cashback site can "track" your purchase, confirming that your click led to your buy. Factors that can hinder tracking include ad-blockers, blocked cookies, or using a discount code found elsewhere. If tracking fails, you typically won't receive the cashback. Most tracking failures are preventable.
5. "Pending" Does Not Mean Paid
Cashback appears in your account as "pending," meaning it has tracked but has not yet been paid. It remains in this state for 30 to 90 days (longer for travel, holidays, and insurance) while the retailer verifies you haven't returned or cancelled the purchase. Retailers can also decline the cashback at the end of this period. Do not consider the money yours until it confirms.
6. Withdraw Your Earnings Promptly
Cashback balances are not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). If a cashback site were to cease trading, any money in your account would not be ring-fenced like funds in a bank account. Smaller cashback sites have failed in the past. Even with larger platforms, terms can change. Withdraw your earnings as soon as you meet the minimum payout threshold. Treat your cashback account as a transit point for funds, not a savings account.
Should You Use Quidco?
Yes, Quidco is a valuable platform, although many users find TopCashback to be their primary cashback site. While Quidco often offers lower rates overall, its exclusive deals can sometimes surpass all other cashback sites, making it worthwhile to hold an account with both.
Quidco at a Glance
| Feature | Rating | Details |
|---|
| SmartPiggy Rating | 4.0/5.0 | |
| Trustpilot Score | 4/5 stars | |
| Rates | 3.5/5.0 | Wins 30-40% of comparisons (often through exclusives) |
| Payout Speed | 4.0/5.0 | 1-3 working days for BACS |
| Retailer Coverage | 4.0/5.0 | Approximately 4,500 retailers |
| Reliability | 4.0/5.0 | Similar decline rates to other major cashback sites |
| Trust | 4.5/5.0 | Established for 21 years, part of MONY Group |
| Sign-up Bonus | £10 | |
| Minimum Payout | £1 | |
| Recommended by users | 100% (3/3) | |
Best for:
- As a backup to your primary cashback site.
- Insurance switches via Quidco Compare.
- Retailers where Quidco offers an exclusive rate.
Watch out for:
- Similar pending times to other major cashback sites.
- Slower customer support response times for disputes.
- Slightly smaller retailer coverage compared to its main competitor.
Why You Might Hold a Quidco Account
Many savvy shoppers maintain a Quidco account specifically for its unique offerings. While another major cashback site might frequently offer higher rates, Quidco often provides exclusive deals that cannot be matched elsewhere. These exclusives can lead to significant savings, particularly on financial products or specific retailers. For example, a major bank's current account switch offer might temporarily be exclusive to Quidco, yielding a substantial payout. It's these unpredictable, high-value exclusives that make Quidco a crucial part of a comprehensive cashback strategy.
How Quidco Cashback Works
Here’s a breakdown of the process:
- You Click Through Quidco: Open Quidco, find your desired retailer, and click through its tracked link.
- You Make a Purchase: Complete your purchase as you normally would on the retailer’s website.
- Retailer Pays Quidco: The retailer pays Quidco an affiliate commission for directing you to their site.
- Quidco Shares a Portion: Quidco retains a small margin and passes the remainder of that commission back to you as cashback. The exact percentage Quidco keeps is not publicly stated.
Quidco explicitly states its model: it shares a portion of the commission received with you. This contrasts with some other platforms that claim a "100% passback" model. In practice, the key factor for you is the visible cashback rate offered for any specific retailer. Savvy users compare rates across platforms before each purchase to secure the highest return.
What Quidco Excels At
Quidco Premium
Quidco offers a Premium membership. Unlike some older pricing models, Quidco Premium now costs £1 per month, but only in months when you actively shop through Quidco. If you don't make a purchase, you pay nothing. New members often receive three months free.
Premium benefits include:
- Up to 10% boosted cashback rates on selected retailers.
- A higher bonus when withdrawing funds via gift cards.
- A £25 referral bonus for qualifying referrals (compared to £20 for basic members).
- Ad-free browsing.
For most users, the £1 monthly fee is easily recouped. A single decent purchase with a boosted rate typically covers the cost, making it a straightforward decision to upgrade if you use the platform regularly.
Quidco Exclusives
Quidco frequently secures exclusive cashback rates with certain retailers. These rates are often unique and cannot be matched by other cashback sites, particularly those with "highest cashback guarantees" which typically only apply to publicly available offers. When Quidco shows the highest rate in comparisons, it's often due to one of these exclusive deals. It is always worth checking Quidco's exclusives hub before making a significant purchase.
Quidco Compare
Quidco provides an embedded comparison service, known as Quidco Compare, for products like insurance, broadband, energy, and mobile. This service functions similarly to other comparison tools, aiming to help you find competitive deals while potentially earning cashback simultaneously. Quidco Compare is powered by MoneySuperMarket.
Quidco is a strong contender in the UK cashback market, offering a reliable way to earn money back on your everyday and larger purchases. While it may not always offer the highest rates compared to its closest competitor, its exclusive deals and Quidco Compare service make it an essential platform for maximising your savings. Utilise Quidco strategically, particularly for exclusive offers and major financial product switches, to ensure you don't miss out on potential earnings. Remember to follow best practices for tracking and prompt withdrawals to make the most of your cashback experience.
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