TopCashback vs Quidco: which UK cashback site is better?

Rates and fees below were correct at the time of writing — both sites change them often, so check the official TopCashback and Quidco pages for the current figures.

What they have in common

TopCashback and Quidco are both free cashback portals — affiliate middlemen that sit between you and the retailer. You click through from the portal to the retailer, the retailer pays the portal a commission for sending you, and the portal shares that commission back with you as cashback. Neither charges you to join, and both cover a large range of UK retailers.

The single most important habit is the same on either site: start your shopping trip at the portal and don’t open other tabs or click other ads in between, or the sale may track to something else and you’ll get nothing.

How their rates compare

Neither site is reliably higher than the other. The rate for the same retailer often differs between TopCashback and Quidco, and both change their rates week to week — so the “best” site is a per-purchase decision, not a permanent choice.

• TopCashback tends to have the highest headline rates and the widest retailer coverage of the two.
• Quidco usually runs very close behind on rates, with a long, reliable track record on payouts, a clean app, and particular strength on high-street and travel retailers.

The practical takeaway: check both for the specific retailer you’re buying from each time, rather than settling on one as your permanent favourite.

Payout options and speed

On both sites, cashback moves through the same two-stage process. It first shows as pending, often within hours or days of your purchase, then moves to confirmed once the retailer’s own return window closes — commonly a few weeks, sometimes a few months. That gap is normal on both portals and isn’t a sign anything’s wrong.

Because that timing is set by the retailer’s returns policy rather than the portal, neither site is consistently faster to pay out. Quidco’s reputation is for consistency — a long track record of reliably paying what it owes — rather than for being quicker. Exact payout methods and minimum withdrawal amounts change from time to time, so check the current details on each site before you rely on them.

Reliability and tracking

Both TopCashback and Quidco are long-established and do pay out. The bigger risk to your cashback isn’t the portal failing to pay — it’s a click that never tracked in the first place, usually caused by something on your own end: an ad blocker, rejecting cookies, opening another tab or coupon pop-up between the click and checkout, or using a voucher code the portal didn’t list.

We cover the full list of causes and fixes — and how to claim cashback that genuinely didn’t track — in why your cashback didn’t track. The short version: click straight through from whichever portal you’ve chosen, keep it to one tab, and buy in that same session.

Fees and paid tiers

Both can take a small cut, in different ways. TopCashback runs a freemium model where a slice of payouts can route through a paid “Plus” tier unless you opt to stay on the free option — read which applies before you rely on the headline rate. Quidco takes a small annual fee out of your first earnings each year.

Neither fee is likely to change which site wins for a given purchase, but it’s worth factoring in if your total annual cashback is modest.

So which should you use?

Both are free, so there’s no downside to holding accounts with both and checking the rate for your specific retailer each time — loyalty to one site over the other usually just costs you the difference. That’s tedious to do by hand for every purchase, so DealStacker checks both portals for you, picks the best rate for the item you’re buying, and shows the runner-up so you can still choose your preferred site. It also folds cashback into the wider stack alongside voucher codes and gift cards.

Search a product and DealStacker will show the best cashback route between the two as part of the cheapest stacked price.

How we make money: DealStacker is free. When you click through to a retailer or cashback partner and buy, we may earn a commission. It costs you nothing extra and never changes which deal or portal we rank as best for you.

TopCashback vs Quidco — FAQ

Which is better, TopCashback or Quidco?

Neither wins outright — the rate for the same retailer often differs between the two and changes week to week, so the better site depends on what you're buying that day rather than being a fixed winner. TopCashback tends to have the highest headline rates and the widest retailer coverage; Quidco has a long, reliable track record on payouts and a cleaner app. The honest approach is to check both for the specific retailer before you buy, rather than picking a favourite and sticking with it.

Can I use both TopCashback and Quidco?

Yes — both are free to join, so there's no reason not to hold accounts with both and check whichever has the better rate for that purchase. What you can't do is earn from both on the same purchase: tracking credits whichever portal's link was the last one you clicked through before checkout, so pick one per purchase rather than trying to click through both.

Do they charge fees?

Both can, in different ways. TopCashback runs a freemium model where a slice of payouts can route through a paid tier unless you stay on the free option, and Quidco takes a small annual fee out of your first earnings each year. Check which applies before you rely on the headline rate — if your annual cashback is modest, the difference is usually small either way.

Which pays out faster?

Neither is reliably faster. On both sites cashback shows as pending first, often within hours or days, then only confirms once the retailer's own return window closes — commonly a few weeks, sometimes a few months. That timing is set by the retailer's returns policy, not the portal, so it's largely the same wait whichever site you use. Quidco's long track record is about consistently paying out, not about paying out quicker.