Complete guide to getting cashback on all your online purchases. Discover TWO methods for getting guaranteed cashback on your bike bits (and other stuff!)
Here at ScarletFire, my aim is to always bring value to you, so you get something useful out of every post. If you buy your bike bits online, you’ll love this post!
You know that old saying? The one that goes “if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is”?
I love that expression, but if I applied it to everything I find out about, I would have dismissed this great money saving trick.
I guess you’d have to add a caveat – “if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is – unless you don’t really understand it yet”. Because once you understand how this works, it’s a no-brainer to save you some money.
How to earn cashback from bike stuff you buy online.
#1 CashBack sites.
Here’s how it works.
A lot of online stores offer affiliate programmes – incentives to website owners to promote their products, in return for a small percentage commission. The website earns some pocket money, and the retailer acquires new customers for a small cost. Everyone’s a winner.
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Discover who gives the best rates
Download your FREE cashback guide
In the early days of these schemes, some affiliate sites came up with a model whereby they collect all the commission due to them and then paid it back out to the people who generated the commissions in the first place. The idea being that they make a smaller cut still, but multiplied many times by the sheer number of users. It’s been a very successful strategy, with sites like Quidco and TopCashback growing very large over the last few years.
Ok, I think I get it. So how do I get my cashback?
Here’s what you need to do to get cashback on stuff you buy online, but before we dive into that, here’s a list of cycling related bike shops where you can get cashback. It’s quite a nice list, and includes most of the major online retailers.
#1 Register at TopCashBack
This is as simple as popping your email in a form and signing up. Just go here and sign up.
#2 Next time you need to buy something online, go to TopCashBack first and search for the retailer.
You must click through to the retailer’s site from TopCashBack, for the transaction to be recorded properly (they call it “tracking”).
#3 Check your stats and watch those pennies pile up.
Once you reach the payment threshold, the money will automatically be paid into your bank account.
And it’s not just for bike bits.
Every time you need to renew your house insurance or car insurance, you can get great cashback deals by going through one of these cashback sites.
Which one is better, Quidco or TopCashback?
Get MORE cashback!
Discover who gives the best rates
Download your FREE cashback guide
When I started out a few years ago, I began with Quidco, but TopCashback now gives you a slightly better percentage commission. TCB also seem to have a wider range of payout options. Whichever one you use, you’re going to save a lot of money! Here’s a screenshot from my own personal Quidco account. The £35 is still pending payment, and was earned when I recently moved house and signed up for a new BroadBand provider via Quidco. Why not, huh? Let’s face it, a lot of stuff is overpriced anyway. This is your chance to claim some back every time you shop online
Towards the end of the month, it’s always nice to realise you’ve got an extra £50 or £100 in your bank account because you hadn’t realised that you received a cashback payment, just for doing your shopping online. Ker-ching! If you buy stuff online anyway, you’d be a fool not to take advantage of cashback sites. It’s not like you’re having to spend more just to get the cashback (though do shop around to make absolutely sure!)
Get started earning cashback now!
(slightly higher commissions)
How to earn cashback from bike stuff you buy online. #2 Set up your own website and host your own affiliate links
If you’ve got your own website, you can apply to join the affiliate programmes of the likes of Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles. The great thing about this of course, is that you’ll earn commission on anything that OTHER PEOPLE BUY. So long as you can get people to visit the page… which is the topic for a whole other website. Maybe you already have your own site? If so, it’s pretty simple to throw a few affiliate links up there and get on with it.
#1 Visit Affiliate Window to get started.
You’ll need to search for the retailers you want to join, and apply. As you can see from the screenshot below, CRC has a very high approval rate, so you’d have to look extremely dodgy to get rejected.
The percentage commissions are often a bit higher for sites like blogs etc, than they are for the cashback sites. But the main benefit is that you get commission on purchases made by other people. Sometimes you can earn bonuses by reaching monthly targets set by the affiliate managers for various retailers.
Thinking of getting a website?
This site is hosted at TSOhost and I highly recommend them for setting up a self-hosted WordPress blog. You can literally get a new blog up and running within 5 minutes with their 1-click installer. It’s incredible. Use code SCARLETFIRE at checkout for 10% discount.
Find out EXACTLY how much commission bike retailers pay, AND which affiliate network / cashback site pays the best rates.
This research took quite a few hours, so I hope it’s useful to you!
Download this free PDF listing all the main online cycling retailers and the cashback rates through each cashback site and affiliate network.
How much money will you save?
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