Cashback isn't a side income. It's a discount that arrives a few weeks later – if everything works. That "if" is what separates the sites.
The short answer
A cashback site receives a commission from the shop for purchases it refers and passes part of it on to you. That only works if the click through the site is tracked cleanly, the shop confirms the purchase and you reach the payout threshold. The differences between [Shoop](/en/providers/shoop), [iGraal](/en/providers/igraal) and [TopCashback](/en/providers/topcashback) lie less in the percentages than in thresholds, deadlines and how missing purchases are handled.
How it works
- The click counts. You enter the shop via the site; a cookie or a redirect ID remembers that. Ad blockers, other coupon extensions or switching to your phone halfway through can break the link. Then there's nothing, and the site can do little about it.
- Confirmation takes time. The shop reports the purchase as valid only after the return period has passed. For travel or contracts that can stretch to months. Until then the money sits as "pending".
- Claims have deadlines. If a purchase is missing you can file a claim – but only within a deadline. It differs by site and is sometimes shorter than the confirmation time for travel bookings. The exact deadlines are in our provider profiles.
- Threshold and method. Payout only from a minimum balance, by bank transfer or PayPal. If you rarely shop online, you'll reach the threshold late or never.
- Receipt cashback is a different model. At [marktguru](/en/providers/marktguru) you photograph supermarket receipts. Smaller amounts, no click tracking, but photo checks and its own rules.
How to recognise a good site
- The claim deadline is long enough for your typical purchases.
- Support demonstrably answers claims (see independent reviews – patterns, not stars).
- Operator and group are transparent. Shoop and iGraal belong to the same group; that doesn't make them worse, but "comparisons" between them in group-owned media are not an independent source. Our [methodology](/en/methodology) explains how we handle that.
- No obligation to install browser extensions that read every page.
In practice
Use cashback only for purchases you'd make anyway. Before buying: empty the basket, switch off the ad blocker, enter via the site, complete the purchase without detours, keep the order confirmation. After buying: check the entry on the site and put the claim deadline in your calendar. Work out the saving per year, not per purchase; then it's clear whether the effort fits.
Checklist
- Threshold, payout methods and claim deadline read.
- Operator and group ownership known.
- Ad blocker and coupon extensions switched off while buying.
- Order confirmation with date and amount saved.
- Claim filed at least a week before the deadline.
- Cashback never a reason to buy, only a discount on what you'd buy anyway.
All cashback providers with ratings and evidence are in the [comparison](/en/comparison). Why savings count differently from earnings in our [calculator](/en/calculator) is explained on [All options](/en/earn).