Normally, signing up for this TopCashback cashback site doesn’t come with a bonus. Right now, TopCashback has a $20 sign-up bonus (public links don’t get a bonus). You need to spend $20 through the cashback portal within 90 days before you can withdraw the $20. The promotion runs through the end of the year!
- TopCashback sign-up link (or, when signing up on the official site, enter promo code: cnsave20)
If you prefer a Chinese-language interface, you can also sign up for the Chinese site. The US site and Chinese site bonuses can both be earned, and the merchants are basically the same.
I tried signing up myself, and the $20 is already showing as pending.
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About TopCashback
There are now more than a dozen cashback sites on the market, and their methods and money-making principles are all very similar. If you’re interested, you can read “How cashback sites make money.” To stand out among so many sites, a company has to be strong across the board and also highlight its own strengths. Today, we’re introducing a cashback site I use often — TopCashback.
I’ve used this site for more than ten years, and they often offer relatively high merchant cashback rates. Withdrawals are also flexible: as soon as the cashback shows as confirmed, you can cash out, unlike Rakuten, which pays out once per quarter. Their Highest Cashback Guarantee is also very good, and they can match the higher cashback rates offered by other cashback sites.
Basic features
Cashback site
TopCashback’s most basic function is, of course, as a cashback site. Whenever you shop, you search for the merchant you want to buy from on TopCashback, then click through to the merchant’s site inside TopCashback to complete the purchase, and you’ll earn cashback from it. If you’re not familiar with this process, you can follow “Cashback/rebate site basics.”
- For example, if you search for Sephora, you can see that it offers 4% cashback
Tracking time and cashback time
In general, tracking is very fast. After the item ships, TopCashback will usually show the transaction as pending. Of course, this mainly depends on the merchant.
If you see the pending status, that means your purchase has been tracked in TopCashback’s system. Once the merchant confirms the purchase (depending on how quickly the merchant processes cashback, usually anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months), your cashback will move from pending to confirmed. Shortly after that, it will become payable, and you can get your money. TopCashback is not like Rakuten, which pays out once a quarter; instead, as soon as your cashback becomes payable, you can withdraw it. Some merchants process much faster — e.g. eBay can go from pending to payable in about a month — while beauty retailers are usually slower and often take around 2 months.
Ways to get paid
TCB currently offers four payout methods. Using an AMEX gift card as the payout can earn 3%-6% extra, while using an Amazon gift card payout earns 3% extra. If you don’t want to deal with the hassle and you have a checking account, ACH is the most convenient option. After entering your checking number and routing number, the money can be transferred directly to your bank account. Of course, if you don’t want to provide bank information, you can use PayPal to receive the money and then transfer it from PayPal to your bank or spend it directly in PayPal.
Recently, TopCashback added more gift card redemption options. Redeeming for Amazon, AMEX gift cards, or Sephora can get you an additional 3% bonus, while redeeming for nike, hotels.com, Gap, or petco gets you an additional 5% bonus.
Note that AMEX gift cards can be used directly in stores or online as a payment method, for example to pay utility bills or cell phone bills. TopCashback cashback can now also be cashed out through a Virtual Visa gift card, and there is currently a 5% bonus. This Virtual Visa gift card can be used directly online. If you can use Amazon gift cards, you can also use this Visa gift card to buy Visa gift cards directly on Amazon’s website, and the 5% bonus is a little better than the direct 3% Amazon bonus.
Missing Cashback
For purchases that weren’t tracked, TCB also provides an online submission feature. If your purchase still hasn’t been tracked within 7 days, you can use this feature and submit a claim step by step. You can also find this feature under Account—Customer Care.
To be honest, I’ve almost never used this feature, because large cashback amounts are tracked very well. But I’ve heard people who have used it complain that processing is very slow, with no update for several months.
Cashback rates and merchant coverage
Basically, you can find cashback for almost any site you can think of on TCB, and the cashback rates for bags and beauty products — especially the kinds women often buy — are often very high. Sometimes they also offer limited-time super-high cashback, like the 20% cashback from Rebecca Minkoff below, which is basically like getting 20% off right away!
Highest Cashback Guarantee
With so many cashback sites out there, the cashback rate each site offers for the same merchant often differs. Isn’t that annoying? You can’t just pick the site with the highest cashback every time, because then you might not reach the minimum payout threshold, and it becomes a hassle if you can’t cash out anywhere. For that reason, TCB offers a Highest Cashback Guarantee feature. Simply put, if another cashback site offers a higher rate for that merchant, TCB will match the same rate after you submit a claim.
Under Account—Customer care, you can find the Highest Cashback Guarantee feature, and click Claim to get started.
Note that TCB only matches cashback rates from the following major cashback sites:
Only some merchants participate in this matching program (this screenshot only shows part of them):
The basic process for matching cashback is as follows:
- Shop through TCB
- TCB tracks your purchase (it appears as pending)
- Find a higher cashback rate for the same merchant on another cashback site (copy the merchant page from that cashback site)
- Fill out the form above, select the merchant and the corresponding date, choose the cashback site you want to match, and paste the copied link into the URL field
- After submitting the form, it is usually processed successfully within a few days
The screenshot below shows that I made a $500 purchase on eBay through TCB. At the time, TCB only offered 1% cashback. I found that shopathome offered 2% cashback, so I submitted a claim, and TCB quickly added the extra cashback.
If you plan to use this match feature, pay special attention to the following:
- You must wait until the purchase has tracked before submitting a claim, and you must submit the claim within 7 days after it tracks.
- The other cashback portal must have offered the higher cashback rate on the same day you made your purchase.
- For other details, see the official explanation: official link
Very High Cashback on Bank Accounts
Right now, signing up for SoFi through TopCashback offers a $350 bonus. See details below:
Freebie Opportunities
TopCashback often has deals where items become free after cashback (mostly for new users, though sometimes for existing users too). For details, see some of the deals below:
- TopCashback VPN money-maker deal: Pure VPN 130% cashback!
- TopCashBack + Gyft: get $25
- Raise + Topcashback = free $20
- topcashback + walmart = one free slow cooker
- Topcashback + Walmart = free Rice Krispies Cereal
Cashback Portal Series
- Cashback Portal Overview——introduces the basic features and walks you through how to use them
- How Cashback Portals Work and Make Money——the cost is ultimately built into the system
Comparison and Reviews of U.S. Cashback Sites
| Cashback Site | Sign-Up Bonus | Quick Take |
|---|---|---|
| Rakuten | $20-$40 sign-up bonus | Great customer service, reliable tracking, and in-store cashback; payouts take longer |
| Rebatesme | $20-$40 sign-up bonus | Chinese interface available, many payout options, and high cashback rates on beauty purchases |
| Topcashback | Up to $20 bonus | Fast tracking, quick payouts, highest-rate guarantee, and frequent promotions; customer service is average |
| ShopBack | $20 sign-up bonus | Offers cashback at Amazon, easy browser extension cashback, and very high rates at some merchants |
| GoCashBack | $5 sign-up bonus | Chinese interface available, gift card payout option, and exclusive discounts |
| Extrabux | $20 sign-up bonus | Chinese interface available, WeChat withdrawal option, and students get a VIP card |
| Mr. Rebates | $5 sign-up bonus | Accurate tracking and good customer service |
| SimplyBestCoupons | $5 sign-up bonus | Good for niche stores and has strong promo codes |
| Befrugal | $10-$20 sign-up bonus | Good customer service and fast payouts |
Sign-up Link
- TopCashback sign-up link (or enter promo code: cnsave20 when registering on the official website)