How To Get Rewarded For Shopping (ie at Walmart) or Booking Excursions (with GetYourGuide) with TopCashback
I have shown you how it is possible to earn cash back and/or earn points+miles when shopping (at retailers such as Safeway, Target, Sam’s Club and many more) using Rakuten (read my guide on Rakuten here) and AAdvantage eShopping Mall (and here’s my insight on why this is my go-to)
But there is one more shopping portal that I have used that I have neglected to write about so let’s get that sorted now – here’s a quick intro to TopCashback!
How does TopCashback work?
If you’ve never used a cash-back shopping site or are just curious in general, you may be asking yourself how this works so here you go:
- You will then search for the merchant on TopCashback to see if they offer cashback (ie unfortunately Costco and *Amazon are two popular retailers that do not participate -*every once in a while, you can earn some cashback when Amazon pops back onto the portal but it’s not often)
- Either click on the TopCashback extension and activate the cash-back for the store OR Click on the store to activate cash back on the app*
- TopCashback will add a ‘tracking cookie’ as you make your purchase on the merchant’s site
- Make sure to read the terms and exclusions to ensure that your purchase will be eligible for cashback!
- Once the purchase is processed and the order information is sent to TopCashback, you will be notified that cash back has been added to your account.
Beautiful Tip: I strongly suggest using the app for your purchases as the tracking is more seamless but if choose not to or like to shop from a computer, you should definitely add the TopCashback extension to Chrome (unfortunately Safari security makes it harder to track purchases so I begrudgingly use Chrome if shopping via browser).
Another question you may have what is the cost? There isn’t any as it is free to join and there are no fees to use!
TLDR version: You shop with one small difference being that you do it through Rakuten. They get paid by the store for your business and then pay you some of that money in return for shopping through them – this is why the tracking cookie is so important!
How Much Cashback?
Cashback rates are constantly changing but this is what is currently being offered on GetYourGuide (up to 7.07%) on Walmart (up to 8%) respectively! I chose these two merchants for specific reasons I will delve into below. Quick Note: note how this is from the app? For Rakuten and TopCashBack, I personally use the app whenever I can (some merchants require you to use a computer) – I always say to make life as easy as possible and practice what I preach to ensure that tracking of purchases is seamless
Earn Cash Back On Shopping: Walmart Example!
Within the last few months (perhaps earlier?), Walmart is no longer on Rakuten but is on TopCashback!
Terms and Exclusions
I cannot stress this enough to check these out before doing your shopping and not have your transaction invalidated because of these! Some notable ones to me are:
- Coupon Codes: Using one that is not displayed on TopCashback will make your shopping trip ineligible (this is standard for all shopping portals)
- Gift Cards: Purchase or redemption of a Walmart GC will make your shopping trip ineligible (this is standard for all shopping portals)
- Pickup Orders: containing grocery items will be excluded!
- Returns: A return on the order even if it is partial will have the cashback declined for the entire order (for other shopping portals YMMV – you can do an order inquiry/missing cash back and see if they will reinstate the eligible cashback or miles)
- Shopping Cart: You have to begin with an empty cart on TopCashBack (again why it makes sense to use the app so a cookie doesn’t time out on a browser!)
Earn Cash Back On Travel: GetYourGuide Example!
TopCashBack tends to have higher cashback than Rakuten for GetYourGuide!
Beautiful Tip: Get in the habit of checking shopping portals before making a purchase (or having the extension installed) to ensure that no Cashback opportunities are missed!
Is This Legit? My Real Life Example
I am sure that the first question that you are wondering: is this even legit? Maybe it seems a little too good to be true or maybe a little sketchy?
I used TopCashback when booking an excursion that was on available on GetYourGuide during our big family cruise!
Booking + TopCashback Tracking Emails
I used all of the best practices and followed the terms and exclusions to ensure that my bookings were eligible. I received a First Click was successful email the same day as booking (photo on left) and then a Transaction Notification the following day (photo on right). At this point, the cashback was showing as pending in my TopCashback account.
TopCashback Statuses
Once the excursions were completed, it took a day or two for the cashback to change to confirmed in my TopCashback account.
After that, it was ~30 days for the cashback to change to payable in my TopCashback account!
Payouts
After that, I was able to request for the cashback to be sent to me. I will say that this is one thing that I do like more than Rakuten as you are not paid every three months!
Why You Should Do This
Maximizing your spend is making the money that you were going to spend go even farther. And to alleviate your disappointment that you are now just discovering this: June of 2023 was when I started using any shopping portals so don’t feel bad. It’s always better to start late than never at all!
Beautiful Tip: Do not spend more - use this as a way to earn Cashback on what you were only going to spend money on!
About Author
Rosemary is a travel hacker, points nerd and female solo traveler who’s explored 70+ countries without a trust fund, sugar daddy, or sponsored content. Every mile, upgrade, and trip is completely self-funded using a mix of points, miles, and cash or earned with elite status. And she shows you the receipts along with a mildly concerning amount of spreadsheets. Through firsthand experience and plenty of trial and error, she teaches everyday travelers the art of travel hacking and how they too can travel for cheaper, better, and more often. While Rosemary doesn’t take herself too seriously, she does take award travel (and searching for the best ice cream) seriously – because seeing the world shouldn’t be reserved for the rich, the retired, or content creators with brand deals.
It’s good to see TopCashback highlighted alongside Rakuten and AAdvantage. I wonder how the cashback rates compare across these platforms for Sam’s Club purchases?
Hi Dan! There’s actually a really cool site for that! I typically check cashback monitor before shopping or booking excursions – there’s also historical data for those that really like numbers.