How cashback portals work

A cashback portal is a site or app that pays you part of what a store pays it for sending you there. You start at the portal, click through to the store, buy what you were going to buy anyway, and a percentage of the order comes back to you weeks later. The percentage is different at every portal for every store, it changes constantly, and it only pays if the tracking click happens the way the portal says it should. This page covers the whole mechanism, quoting four portals' own help pages (Rakuten, TopCashback, Price.com and Fluz), and links to every store and portal we track.

Where the cashback money comes from

Stores pay portals for customers. Rakuten puts it plainly: "Stores pay Rakuten a commission for referring shoppers to them. Rakuten keeps a portion of this commission and shares the rest with you as Cash Back." source TopCashback describes the same arrangement: "When you buy something, the store pays us a commission for bringing them a customer (that's you!)", and "we pass that commission back to you as Cash Back" source. Its own income, it says, comes from "partnerships with retailers who pay us a bonus for driving a high volume of shoppers to their sites" plus on-site advertising source.

Two things follow from that. The store, not the portal, decides how much commission exists, which is why the same store pays different rates on different portals and why rates move without warning. And the store only pays when it can see the sale came from the portal, which is what the next section is about.

Fluz is built differently. Its pages describe what you get rather than where it comes from: you buy the store's gift card inside the Fluz app, the cashback lands in your Fluz wallet at once, and you pay the store with the card. That gets its own section below.

The tracking click, and why it's the whole game

Every click-through portal works the same way at the start. You find the store on the portal, click its button, and the portal opens the store's site with a tag that says you came from there. Rakuten's terms make the requirement explicit: you must "use the shopping links within the Services, and complete your purchase transaction during the same shopping session you started after clicking on the shopping link" source.

The practical rules, in each portal's own words:

Stay in the tab the portal opened. TopCashback lists "Making a purchase in a different tab, instead of the one TopCashback opened for you after clicking through to the retailer" as a reason cashback goes missing source.
Be the last click. Also from TopCashback: "Using another Cash Back/coupon website, so TopCashback wasn't the last site you clicked on before making your purchase." Rakuten says the same thing from the other side: "If you visit other sites before completing your purchase or use coupons not provided by Rakuten, your purchase might be associated with a service other than Rakuten and you might not earn Cash Back on your purchase" source.
Start with an empty cart, and finish that day. Price.com's tips for its Shop Now button: "Start with an empty shopping cart before clicking 'Shop Now.'" and "Complete your purchase within 24 hours (unless stated otherwise)" source. Its missing-cashback page adds that a purchase may not track if "You navigated away from the merchant's page or added items to your cart before activating cash back" source.

A browser extension does the same job from the store's side. Rakuten's "automatically notifies you when Cash Back is available at sites you visit, making it easy to activate savings without visiting Rakuten.com first" source. Activating it is the click; the rules above still apply after it.

What voids cashback

Every portal publishes a list of ways to lose it. They overlap almost completely.

A coupon code the portal didn't give you. Rakuten: "Cash Back may not track if you used a non-Rakuten coupon code" source. TopCashback: "Using a coupon code that wasn't listed on TopCashback and, therefore, not combinable with Cash Back" source. Price.com goes further and names the discounts people forget count as codes: "Using codes from other sources, including special discounts (e.g., student, military, birthday), can disqualify your purchase from cash back eligibility" source.
An ad blocker. Named by Rakuten, TopCashback and Price.com alike. TopCashback: "Using an ad-blocker, which needs to be disabled in order for us to track your purchase." Price.com adds disabled cookies to the same line.
Another cashback or coupon extension. It takes the last click (TopCashback, above). Turn the others off before you check out.
Returns, cancellations and edits. Price.com: cashback "can be voided if you: Return or exchange part of your order. Modify your order after completing checkout. Cancel or partially cancel your order." Rakuten excludes "RETURNS OR CANCELLATIONS" from the amount it pays on source.
Buying gift cards at the store. Rakuten: "PURCHASES WITH GIFT CARDS MAY NOT QUALIFY FOR CASH BACK IF EXCLUDED IN THE TERMS OF OFFER BY AN AFFILIATE STORE." Price.com: "Buying or redeeming gift cards usually doesn't qualify for cash back, unless explicitly stated on Price.com." Paying with a gift card is covered by the same lines.
Excluded products and the wrong site. Price.com: "Not every product or category qualifies for cash back", and "Purchases made from international versions or unsupported merchant sites are not eligible." The exclusions live on the portal's page for that store, which is where our source link on every rate goes.

What the percentage is actually of

Not the total you paid. Rakuten's terms: "CASH BACK IS EARNED ON YOUR NET PURCHASE AMOUNT, WHICH EXCLUDES TAXES, FEES, SHIPPING, GIFT-WRAPPING, DISCOUNTS OR CREDITS, RETURNS OR CANCELLATIONS, AND EXTENDED WARRANTIES" source. So 10% on a $100 order that came to $113 with tax and shipping is $10, and if a $20 coupon took the order to $80, it's $8.

Fluz is the exception, because the purchase it pays on is the gift card: it pays "cashback instantly on your entire purchase amount when you pay at checkout through the Fluz App" source.

Everyday rate, "up to", flat amounts and new-customer rates

A portal's store page prints one number, and the number can mean four different things. A flat percentage everyone gets is the everyday rate. "Up to 12%" is a ceiling for some department or product, and the rate on most of the order is lower. "$5" is a flat amount per order, worth more on a small basket than a large one. "10% for new customers" is a one-time rate, and the returning-customer rate is the one you'll live with.

Every table on this site ranks by the everyday rate and prints the catch next to any number that isn't one. A ceiling never takes the top spot over a lower rate everyone gets, and a flat amount is shown as a flat amount. Where a store has no flat rate anywhere, the page says so rather than promoting a ceiling to "best". How that reads on a real page: Nike cashback shows every portal's rate for one store side by side.

Gift card cashback: how Fluz is different

Fluz has no tracking click. "With Fluz, you are buying gift cards from the app. Once you've bought a gift card for your desired amount, you immediately get cashback which stays in your Fluz wallet" source. You then pay the store with that card, "in-store or online", using "the full e-gift card number, the PIN for making purchases online, and the barcode for purchasing in-store" source.

That removes the whole confirmation wait, and it adds two things to watch.

The card is final. "All gift cards purchased from Fluz are considered final" and "non-refundable, except where required by law" (same page). Buy it for the amount of the order, not a round number.
A return goes back to the card, not to you. Fluz's own page on returns says a merchant may "Return the balance on the same gift card", issue a new one, or credit your account at the merchant, and that "Returns are subject to each individual merchant's terms" source.

Fluz also sells a general virtual card usable at most merchants. The cashback on it is lower than on a store-specific gift card, and on this site it's marked as a general rate rather than one negotiated for that store, so it never masquerades as a store deal.

What stacks with cashback

Fluz stacks, because there's nothing to break. With no tracking click, the rules about outside coupon codes, other extensions and last clicks don't exist for it: the store only ever sees a gift card payment. So on one order you can have all three of these at once. We've run this stack ourselves.

The store's own sale or coupon, applied at checkout the way you'd apply it with any other payment. Fluz paid its cashback when you bought the card, so the store's code isn't competing with a portal click for credit.
Your card's rewards on the gift card purchase. Fluz charges the payment method linked in the app, and it accepts "credit cards or digital wallets" as well as bank and debit source. Whether that charge earns your card's rewards is your card issuer's rule, not Fluz's, so check how your card treats gift card purchases.
The store's loyalty program. Where the store treats a gift card payment like any other, its own rewards post on the order as usual.

On a click-through portal the picture is narrower. The only code that stacks is the one the portal lists for that store; anything else is in the list above under what voids cashback. Your card's rewards are separate from the portal's, because the portal is paid by the store, not by your card, so pay with whichever card you'd use anyway.

From pending to paid, portal by portal

Money shows up in three stages on a click-through portal. TopCashback names them: after a purchase "your Cash Back is 'pending'"; "Once the retailer reviews your purchase and determines that all the criteria has been met, then your Cash Back will be 'confirmed'"; and it "will not become 'payable' until the retailer has received an invoice from their affiliate network" source. Rakuten says the speed of that "will vary depending on the Affiliate Store, the Affiliate Stores' policies and reporting schedules, the nature of the item(s) purchased, and other fraud risk factors" source. Even the first stage isn't instant: TopCashback's missing-cashback page notes "Sometimes it can take a week or longer!" for a transaction to be reported.

Then the portal's own payout rules apply. Read once from each portal's help page and stored as written there:

Getting paid, portal by portal

Each portal's own help pages, as written there. The source link on each row goes to the page it came from.

Portal	Paid by	Minimum	Confirmation window
Active Junky source	Check, PayPal, Venmo or a credit/debit card. Approved cash back can also be cashed out early as a gift card.	None stated for the monthly payout. Cashing out early as a gift card takes $5.01 in approved cash back.	Orders stay pending until the partner store approves them. For travel and events, partners typically approve within about 3 months after the trip or event.
BeFrugal source	Check, PayPal, direct deposit, Venmo, Zelle or an eGift card. Check and direct deposit are US only.	$0.01 for PayPal or direct deposit; $25 for a check.	Verified cash back sits in the account for 30 to 90 days, set by the retailer's return policy and its payment cycle with BeFrugal. Store pages say cash back is typically available for payment 15 to 60 days after purchase.
Extrabux source	PayPal, eGift cards, ACH bank deposit (US only), check (US only), or a donation to a charity.	$10 available balance, with at least one confirmed purchase carrying more than $1 in available cash back.	Usually tracked within 1 to 7 days of purchase, then held through a 90-day window for returns or cancellations at most stores before it becomes available.
Fluz source	Bank transfer (ACH), PayPal or Venmo, or spent in the app on more gift cards. Without a US bank account, PayPal or Venmo.	$15 in lifetime earnings once, then $1 per withdrawal.	Instant. The cashback lands in the Fluz balance when the gift card is bought.
GoCashBack source	PayPal, check, gift card (US only) or Helipay.	$10 in withdrawable cash back, not counting sign-up, referral or activity bonuses for the first withdrawal.	It can take up to 120 days for cash back to become available.
Hoopla Doopla source	Check, Venmo or PayPal.	$5.00 in approved cash back per period, for PayPal, Venmo and paper checks alike. A balance under that carries over to the next period.	Usually posts within 10 days of purchase, then becomes yours after 90 days.
Lolli source	Transfer to any bitcoin address if you're earning in bitcoin, or withdraw to a US bank account. Lolli holds the bitcoin in a custodial wallet until you withdraw it.	$15 in available balance.	Rewards become available once each retailer's confirmation period has passed, typically 90 days after the purchase or completed travel reservation. It can take up to 90 days.
MaxRebates source	Check or PayPal, in US dollars, and sometimes other options such as a donation to charity.	$10.00 per payment, with a $2,000.00 maximum.	Pending for 90 days to cover store return policies, cancellations and commission collection; it often takes up to 90 days for cash back to become payable, depending on the product and the merchant.
Price.com source	Debit card deposit, PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, gift cards, a donation to charity, or crypto.	$10 per withdrawal, with a $500 cap per withdrawal and per day.	Typically 30 to 90 days: pending until the retailer confirms the purchase and its return period ends.
Raise source	Raise Cash, posted to your Raise account each time you buy a gift card. It's redeemed at checkout on Raise toward any gift card or other product Raise sells, and Raise's catalogue includes a Prepaid Mastercard. Raise doesn't offer cash distribution, bank transfers or PayPal transfers.	None to redeem; Raise applies it at your next checkout. Gift cards must be bought for at least $5, and with more than $1,000 in Raise Cash on hand you have to redeem some before earning more.	Posted to the Raise account when the gift card is bought, and rescinded if that purchase is refunded or cancelled for any reason.
Rakuten source	Big Fat Check by mail, PayPal, American Express Membership Rewards points, or Bilt. A confirmed balance of $5.00 or more can also be redeemed as a gift card within minutes.	$5.01 in confirmed cash back before the payment date; $5.00 or less carries over to the next one.	3 to 14 weeks for online and in-store purchases; 45 to 120 days for travel.
RebatesMe source	PayPal, credit card, Alipay, check or gift cards.	$10 in available cash back, not counting bonuses.	Cash back becomes available after the 90-day return window.
Sunshine Rewards source	PayPal, or gift cards from time to time through the Redemption Center.	20.00 in credits, and the account has to be at least 45 days old. Cashouts are capped at $500 a month.	Earnings should post within 10 days. Sale credits are then held: 28 days per the help page, 21 days from the date of purchase per the terms page.
TopCashback source	Bank transfer, Venmo, PayPal, gift cards, a Virtual Visa Prepaid Card or an American Express Virtual Reward Card.	None for PayPal, Venmo or bank transfer; some gift cards have one.	No fixed window. Cash back goes pending, then confirmed once the retailer reviews the order, then payable once the retailer's network is invoiced. TopCashback prints an estimated payout speed on each merchant's page.

Rakuten pays on a calendar rather than on request: "Every three months: February 15, May 15, August 15 and November 15" source. The others pay when you ask, once the balance is payable.

Which portal should you sign up for?

The one that pays best at the stores you actually use, and that's a different answer for every store. Right now the highest everyday rates we've read are:

CyberGhost VPN cashback 130% at TopCashback
PureVPN cashback 90% at Extrabux
Verizon cashback $68 at Price.com
Keeper Security cashback 60% at TopCashback
Litter-Robot cashback $49 at Price.com
eharmony cashback 45% at BeFrugal
Wondershare cashback 35% at TopCashback
Dashlane cashback 30% at BeFrugal

Each portal's page here lists its rate at every store we track next to the best we found anywhere, plus how it pays:

Signing up for more than one costs nothing; the rules above are the same on all of them.

How the numbers on this site are produced

Every rate here is read from the portal's own page for that store, on the day shown in the table, and stored with the catch printed next to it. A store a portal doesn't carry says "not carried"; a store it lists without a readable rate says so, rather than showing a zero. Each merchant page has the full method and the rate history.

Cashback portal FAQ

Is cashback the same as a discount?

No. A discount comes off the price at checkout. Cashback is paid to you afterwards, by the portal, from the commission the store paid it, and only once the store confirms the sale. The one exception on this site is Fluz, which pays at the moment you buy the gift card.

Can I use a coupon code and still get cashback?

On a click-through portal, only a code the portal itself lists for that store. Every one we track names outside codes as a reason cashback is lost, and Price.com includes student, military and birthday discounts in that. With Fluz, yes: there's no click to void, so the store's codes and sales apply on top.

Does the portal see what I bought?

The store reports the order to the portal's affiliate network so the commission can be worked out; TopCashback's status page describes cashback becoming confirmed "once the retailer reviews your purchase" source. What exactly is shared is in each portal's privacy policy, not on this page.

Why did my cashback show up and then disappear?

The commonest documented reasons are a return, a cancellation, or an edit to the order after checkout source. A pending amount is the portal's estimate; the confirmed amount is what the store actually paid.

How long until I can withdraw it?

Fluz: at once. Price.com: typically 30 to 90 days, then on request. TopCashback: no fixed window, then on request. Rakuten: 3 to 14 weeks to confirm, then the next quarterly payment date. All from the table above.