What’s the catch with cashback – is it a scam or the truth?

In the UK, millions of people use cashback, in the last few years this format of reward for purchases has become very popular and now many platforms have their own offerings with cashback. 

Of course, like any popular trend, there are hidden deceptions and pitfalls. How to start shopping with cashback and avoid being deceived? What is the catch of cashback? We will tell you in detail, and dispel myths and misconceptions about cashback services.

What is cashback?

In simple terms, cashback is a special type of discount that is valid not before the purchase, but AFTER. That is, you get a certain percentage of the purchase back in the form of a cash reward or bonus points.

The client orders the goods, pays for them, and then a percentage of the order amount is sent to their account. It would seem simple.

Why are some people still convinced that cashback is a scam?

You can get cashback for purchases through a special service (they are called cashback websites). If everything is more or less clear with a card – it is reliable and the bank provides guarantees for the return of funds, then with cashback services, everything is not so clear.

What is a cashback service?

This is a site that offers affiliate services to attract customer flow to popular retail chains, stores and online platforms.

The scheme of cooperation between the store and the cashback service is as follows:

• Cashback service attracts customers to the store (and not just one, but hundreds);
• The store receives a large flow of customers and pays the cashback service a percentage for purchases made.
• The cashback service shares part of the reward with its clients – this is cashback for the user.
• The scheme is beneficial for large stores and online platforms, All-UK and international retail chains. With such coordinated work, everyone benefits: sellers, cashback service, and buyers.

There can only be one catch here – if the buyer has come across an unreliable cashback service. Fortunately, it is not so difficult to distinguish a good service from a “cheat”, and we will tell you how to do it.

Signs of a Dishonest Cashback Service

A customer trapped by a fake cashback service may not receive cashback after paying for an order, or the cashback will be credited, but you will not be able to withdraw it. In some cases, you can lose money on commissions that services charge for their use.

So, what are the main signs that you are dealing with an unreliable cashback service?

• Too high a percentage of cashback compared to other services. It is important to remember that cashback of 30-40% practically does not exist – it is simply not profitable for the store, and therefore it is better not to believe such “tempting” offers.
• Large commission for withdrawal of money. Cashback, as a rule, does not exceed 5-20%. But if the cashback service takes some more commission for the withdrawal of funds, then this is clearly an example of a service with hidden deception.
• Paid registration or use of the service. Some cashback services charge a certain fee from the user, but it has reasonable limits. If you are offered to start receiving cashback by first paying a large amount, you are looking at a fraudulent site. The top cashback services in the UK like Yalcash are absolutely free.
• Lack of or poor support service. As a rule, fraudulent sites do not contact you or do so only in the first couple of days, and then the “support service” disappears somewhere.
• A small list of payment methods. Cashback withdrawal is only available to some dubious e-wallet? Most likely, this site will not return anything at all.
• The site is a “duplicate” of a popular cashback service. The same design, name, headings, and site structure – but there are still some differences. For example, in one letter of the name, or another domain is indicated, another address is in the address bar. Be extremely careful and pay attention to such trifles.
• The service refuses to work without installing an application or client program. All reliable services operate from a PC or laptop without installing applications and plugins (the latter can be installed ONLY AT THE WISH of the client). A mandatory requirement to download and install a program is a direct indication of fraud.
• High minimum withdrawal limits – as a rule, cashback for purchase is hundreds of dollars, so if the service requires you to first accumulate several thousand, then there is clearly some kind of catch.

Therefore, ALWAYS look at the detailed conditions for receiving cash back for a specific store and for the cashback service in general.

Which services are worth trusting?

There are now quite a large number of reliable cashback platforms that are trusted by thousands and millions of customers in the UK.

By the appearance of the site and its work, you can immediately tell whether it is the “face” of an honest service. Here are some characteristic signs of reliable cashback services:

• Well-designed website, pages load quickly, uniform design;
• Well-established support service;
• A large number of users and real reviews from them;
• Mentions in the media, social networks and simply by word of mouth.

Can even reliable services deceive you?

To deceive is unlikely, rather than to mislead.

For example, you are promised a cashback of up to 10% in a specific store (not bad, right?), but in reality, such a percentage may apply to certain categories or get a “premium account” (it is called differently in different services).

There may be another situation: you are on the service for the first time, you have registered, and for a short period of time you will be given a good percentage of cashback as a welcome bonus. Very soon it will disappear, and you will receive less cashback than was initially stated.

Many cashback services have another problem: outdated cashback information. For example, if a store has reduced the cashback rate or has completely refused to do so; the service administration may not have changed the information on the website or in the application, and as a result, you will not receive cashback.

But these are rather exceptions to the rule. So there is no deception in fact, but there is simply a marketing trick and the human factor – where would we be without them?

Summarizing all the above facts, we can confidently say – CASHBACK IS NOT A SCAM.

The main thing is to choose a reliable service that is well-known and has a large number of users. We recommend choosing Yalcash – A reliable cashback platform with amazing offers and a minimum withdrawal threshold of only £10. With it, you are guaranteed to get back a percentage of purchases and orders.

Have a good and profitable shopping!