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How-to Guides » OLD GUIDE Make some extra money

It’s easy to increase your income if you know how! Check out these innovative money-making tips to find out more...

Make money spending money

How-to Guide Tips 9 tips on this task  | 

1) Get a cashback credit card

If you pay for goods with a cashback credit card, you get a certain percentage back for each £1 you spend. So that literally means you'll get paid for spending!

You can find out which is the best cashback card on the market by comparing the cards in our credit card tables and then searching all crediit cards to see which one is the best.

When deciding which one to go for, bear in mind that some cards have tiered rates of cashback. So if you spend more than say £10,000 a year on the card, you may qualify for a higher rate than if you only spent £1,000.

There's an easy way to get around this if you trust your partner. Take out an associate card which he or she can use. This means every £1 your partner spends will build up cashback on your card as well, increasing your total spend. Just be aware that you - and you alone - are still responsible for paying the entire bill, including anything your partner spends.

It can be hard to get your head around paying for even the smallest items with your cashback card, but it really is worth it when those pennies start to add up. And it's a great feeling handing over your card and knowing you're getting something back, too.

Finally, don't forget that purchases you make over £100 are covered under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, something you just don't get by paying by debit card.

So, in a myriad of ways, you really can be significantly better off. But make sure that you always pay off your balance in full each month - or the money earned in cashback will be negated by the interest you will have to pay on your debt.

Compare cashback credit cards with lovemoney.com

2) Use a cashback website

If you shop online, it's worth checking other cashback options. Several sites - such as Quidco, Top CashBack, RPoints and GreasyPalm - will give you back a percentage of what you spend (in cash or vouchers) if you use them.

Cashback is generated from the commission retailers pay these websites for the purchases you make. Amounts of cashback vary, and can be a percentage of your total purchase, or a flat fee, depending on the retailer and the product you purchase.

The great thing is, won't pay more for your goods if you shop through their sites. You click a special link which takes you to the merchant site, where you can continue to shop as normal. You won't pay more and warranties and guarantees apply as they would normally.

Each one operates a slightly different membership system and payment scheme.

Quidco levies an annual admin fee of £5, which it claims by keeping the first £5 cashback earned as an annual subscription fee. Top CashBack, Rpoints and Greasypalm are free. The downside is, sometimes these site do not have as good cashback rates as Quidco.

To find out which site offers the most cashback at the retailer you are buying from, use smartcashback.co.uk to compare cashback rates.

Bear in mind that some sites also reward you for referring a friend. GreasyPalm pays £7 per referred friend and Rpoints rewards you with 500 bonus points.

Read Earn cashback on everything to work out which is best for you.

Compare cashback cards at lovemoney.com

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Tips on this task (9)

  • Justamin
    Love rating 1
    Justamin said

    Amex is not accepted in many places.

    Try a Shell card. It is a mastercard so it is accepted by everyone who takes mastercard. And you gain even more points when you buy Shell petrol.

    Wot? Good news at the pump? Yes, it is true.

    Report on 19 August 2009  |  Love thisLove  0 love
  • Eliza1121
    Love rating 2
    Eliza1121 said

    When you buy petrol with Shell card any station you get 1p back, buying at Shell petrol station you'll get 3p back. True.

    Report on 02 September 2009  |  Love thisLove  0 love
  • Grobbendonk
    Love rating 8
    Grobbendonk said

    If you are a regular user of play.com, check out their credit card. The rates and so-on are not very good, but you can get 1% back in play vouchers (and as far as I can tell, there's no limit). There's a big bonus up front if you apply and spend a couple of hundred quid in the first month. Very easy for someone like me who uses a card for everything (even £3 lunches) and *pays the bill in full*

    Report on 13 October 2009  |  Love thisLove  0 love
  • moneyaddict
    Love rating 0
    moneyaddict said

    Better Still Use a Barclays Cash Back Card

    Earn 1% cashback on the first £2,000 of eligible spend each year (from account opening); 0.5% on the rest (maximum £20,000 spend per year)

    http://www.barclaycard.co.uk/personal-home/cards/cashback/index.html

    Amex I think after the initial 3 months, move into a slabbed system where in

    From their web site:

    >>

    After the first three months you'll earn up to 1.25% cashback, depending on how much you spend on the card.

    Spend under £3,500 in the year and earn 0.5% cashback. Spend between £3,501 to £7,500 and earn 1% cashback. Spend over £7,501 in the year and earn 1.25% cashback

    # To earn your annual cashback you must spend a minimum of £3000 in the 12 months preceding your Card Anniversary date.

    >>

    Report on 21 October 2009  |  Love thisLove  0 love
  • kittykat2007
    Love rating 0
    kittykat2007 said

    Little word on Greasy Palm - they do a feedback feature on their retailers, but unfortunately, you are only allowed to leave positive feedback! So be warned, the feedback on there may be very biased and will not give you a realistic view of the retailer themselves!

    Report on 10 February 2010  |  Love thisLove  0 love
  • iansilverb
    Love rating 5
    iansilverb said

    The Tesco double points is going to end in the summer 2010

    Report on 15 March 2010  |  Love thisLove  0 love
  • azam
    Love rating 0
    azam said

    Excellent tips there. Thanks very much :)

    I like the advice about using a cashback site for shopping. The one thing I'd say is sites like Quidco charge a £5 annual fee for using their service, whereas I recommend http://www.freecashback.co.uk/ which charges nothing - AND gives you a fiver for actually joining!

    Are there any other cashback credit cards people would recommend because in the table linked to there is only Amex and Barclaycard. Cheers.

    Report on 11 April 2010  |  Love thisLove  0 love
  • lorraine48
    Love rating 0
    lorraine48 said

    go on daily deals on eabay buy the bargins sell them back at a diffrent price eg paco rabbane perfume should be £60 pounds and if you buy it in deal its £1999 sell it back on ebay at a later date 

    Report on 28 September 2010  |  Love thisLove  0 love
  • Cats Cottage
    Love rating 0
    Cats Cottage said

    Good article, however, the Cashback Card that gives the most value, both in cash back terms and flexibility isn't there!! I'm in the business of saving people money and one of the best ways is to use the UWDC cashback card.

    It can be used anywhere there is a Master Card Symbol, but it is NOT a credit card, you use it as a Debit Card and top it up either monthly or periodically from your bank account so you have complete control of your spending whilst getting the best deal, 5% off everything you spend using the card in the following: Sainsbury's (including Petrol Stations!) Miss Selfridge, BOOTS ! Mothercare, Your M&S, Comet, Halfords, ARGOS, Homebase, B&Q, Evans, Dominos Pizza, H Samuel, TGI Fridays, TOYS R US, River Island, Burton JJB Sports,  Marriott Hotels, Ernest Jones, NEW LOOK, Top Shop, Pizza Express, DEBENHAMS, to name but a few, and then there is a deadicated Web Site, which compares the cheapest of branded and other goods, which also have an additional 800 Stores !

    So if you shop and any of the above and want further information go to my website: www.telecomplus.org.uk/lindapayne 

    It a life changing experience.  You could end up with a free mobile bill each month or Lower Cost Household bills, just by spending money in your favorite stores. There is no limit to the amount of cash back you can receive! No danger of over spending, and just think Christmas is just around the corner!

    Report on 14 October 2010  |  Love thisLove  0 love

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