How you can earn £10,000 from cashback: The deals that give you free cash on

Shoppers are regularly bombarded with cashback offers that promise you can earn money while carrying out your everyday spending.

These can range from a pop up that appears on your screen after you book train tickets online to your bank promising you can earn money just by paying your monthly direct debits.

But while some of these are lucrative – paying out thousands of pounds in some cases – others are poor deals and could even leave you out of pocket.

We sort through the best cashback offers out there and explain how you can earn the most cash – and the offers you should avoid.

Cashback could be a decent earner in 2026 – but you need to know the rules and stick to them

What is cashback?

Cashback is where you receive a financial incentive for spending money using a particular payment method, or for buying a specific product or service.

It is paid by some banks and credit card providers to incentivise you to spend using their cards or current accounts, for example.

Some financial firms pay huge sums in cashback if you open an account such as an Isa or self-invested personal pension with them.

And some companies such as TopCashback and Quidco are standalone cashback companies that offer free money to customers for carrying out their online shopping.

Cashback just for buying essentials

Banks including Santander, Nationwide and digital bank Chase pay cashback when you spend using the debit card they have issued you.

They do this to encourage customers to sign up for their accounts. If you hold an eligible account, you may receive cashback automatically when you spend, or you may need to tell your bank that you would like to opt in.

Chase is one of the most generous. It pays 1 per cent cashback when you use your debit card to buy essentials such as groceries, fuel and train tickets and other everyday transport costs.

You can earn up to £15 a month in cashback, although that would require you to spend £1,500 a month on essentials. There is no fee to pay for holding a Chase current account.

Nationwide offers new FlexDirect customers 1 per cent cashback on most debit card purchases for 12 months, but this is capped at £5 a month.

Santander offers 1 per cent cashback on supermarket and travel costs, up to £10 a month – but only through its Edge Explorer account, which has a £17 monthly fee. You will need to weigh up whether the perks offered with this account – including the cashback – outweighs the monthly fee.

Some banks offer cashback at particular retailers. You will typically need to opt in to these deals using the bank’s internet banking or mobile app. If your bank offers these, there is little downside to signing up – except that you will be sharing some of your spending data with them and the retailers.

For example, the digital bank Monzo has limited-time cashback offers that you opt-in to through its app. It is currently offering 3 per cent cashback on spends of £100 or more at Currys – although offers are personalised and vary from account to account.

 Once you have opted in, you will receive the cashback automatically when you use your Monzo account to make a purchase at Currys. The cashback builds in a separate pot, which you can then move into your main account.

Santander Boosts, NatWest MyRewards and Barclays Blue Rewards are all cashback schemes for current account holders.

You typically need to opt in. For example, if you shop regularly at Asos, Caffe Nero or Greggs you could sign up to receive cashback when you spend at these retailers.

Our verdict: If you already have an eligible current account, you may as well earn cashback where you can. You may be handing over some of your spending data, but it does not cost you anything to take part. Check what is available through your bank.

However, some banks only offer cashback to holders of paid-for current accounts. It is unlikely to be worth paying for a bank account simply to benefit from the cashback deals available.

The cashback deal from Chase is among the best because the account is free and the offer is not time limited.

You can operate its current account alongside your main one, transferring money between them and shifting essential spending onto your Chase card to maximise cashback. Keep in mind that it’s app-only.

Cashback on bills

Some banks pay cashback on your regular direct debits.

For example, Santander’s Edge accounts pay cashback on selected household bills, including payments to British Gas, BT and local councils.

However, these accounts charge a monthly fee and have a minimum that you must pay in each month to be eligible:

• Edge costs £3 a month and pays 1 per cent on select household bills that you pay by direct debit, capped at £10 a month.
• Edge Up costs £5 a month and pays the same rate of cashback, only capped at a higher…