Wowcher has launched a new cashback service. We find out how it compares to Quidco and TopCashback.
Daily deals website Wowcher has launched a new cashback service called Wowcherching set to rival the likes of Quidco and TopCashback.
The fee-free platform works like any other cashback website. Once you’ve signed up you can use the site to earn money when you're shopping online.
To do this you use tracked links to complete your purchases at participating retailers which are listed on the website.
Once the sale is verified, the retailer will pay a commission on the sale to Wowcher and a proportion of this is paid to back to you.
With Wowcherching each time you earn you’ll get a 10% bonus which you can use along with your cashback on Wowcher’s daily deals. Alternatively you can withdraw the cashback you accumulate to a PayPal account minus the 10% bonus.
The new cashback website has hundreds of retailers to pick from like Boots, House of Fraser, Marks & Spencer and Ticketmaster. And as well as cashback, Wowcher will show any discounts or vouchers that could help you save more when shopping online.
CEO Roland Bryan says Wowcher is set to ‘shake up’ the cashback market. So how does Wowcherching compare to the rates on offer at leading cashback websites Quidco and TopCashback?
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How cashback rates compare
I have compared the deals on offer across the three cashback websites using 20 online retailers.
Below are the results.
|
Retailer |
Wowcherching cashback rate (up to) |
Quidco cashback rate (up to) |
TopCashback cashback rate (up to) |
|
8% |
8% |
8.08% |
|
|
10% |
10% |
15.15% |
|
|
3% |
5% |
5.05% |
|
|
6% |
4% |
4.04% |
|
|
5% |
5% |
5.05% |
|
|
5% |
5% |
5.05% |
|
|
7% |
9% |
7.07% |
|
|
£25 |
5% |
5.05% |
|
|
3% |
3% |
5.05% |
|
|
6% |
20% |
20.2% |
|
|
8% |
6% |
6.06% |
|
|
1.50% |
7% |
1.51% |
|
|
8% |
8% |
8.08% |
|
|
10% |
5% |
10.1% |
|
|
5% |
7% |
7.07% |
|
|
5% |
5% |
5.05% |
|
|
9% |
9% |
6.06% |
|
|
1% |
4% |
4.04% |
|
|
2% |
2% |
5.05% |
|
|
6% |
9% |
6.06% |
Table correct 11/12/2013
As you can see in many cases Wowcherching is able to closely match either Quidco or TopCashback, and in some instances both, when it comes to the rates on offer for cashback.
However, there are times where the new site offers a far worse deal.
With Travelodge for example Wowcherching will only pay up to 1% on bookings but Quidco pays up to 4% and TopCashback up to 4.04%.
It’s even worse when it comes to Millets. With Wowcherching you can get up to 6% cashback but at Quidco you can get up to 20% and with TopCashback you can get up to 20.2%.
That said in some cases Wowcherching actually offers more. At Office for example Wowcherching can actually bag shoppers an 8% cashback rate while Quidco can only manage 6% and TopCashback 6.06%.
And at Dorothy Perkins you can 6% cashback with Wowcherching, but just 4% with Quidco and 4.04% at TopCashback.
So in terms of the best rates it’s not very clear cut about which is the better site to use as they can vary wildly. Rates can be very similar across the three or one or two may have the upper hand.
TopCashback claims it's the 'UK's most generous cashback site' as the company hands over the commission it earns on top of the usual cashback rate. But that doesn't always mean it has the best rates as Quidco often has exclusive rates with retailers that trumps its rival and it seems Wowcherching might also be able to operate like this too.
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Which cashback site to use?
So which cashback site should you use if there is no one clear winner when it comes to cashback rates?
Well you could sign-up to all three and check to see which is offering the best deal each time you want to shop online. It can be a lot of effort and hard to keep track of, but you might feel it's worth it in the end when you've managed to get the best saving on your purchases.
But when it comes to cashback there are other issues to consider like how well purchases are tracked and recorded and how quickly retailers pay-out as well as the level of care you get when a cashback claim is disputed.
Both Quidco and TopCashback now have premium memberships where these issues are addressed.
At Quidco basic membership gets you access to 3,500 retailers, but for a £5 fee (taken from your cashback pot) Quidco’s Premium membership means 1,000 will be faster paying merchants, meaning you can get your cashback up to six week quicker than normal. Premium membership also means you get more customer service options including a live chat function and call back service.
At TopCashback you get access to 3,700 merchants - so just as many as Quidco. With its Premium membership you also surrender £5 of your cashback in the form of a fee, which gives you the chance to earn even more cashback (105% rather than the usual 101%), faster paying cashback at over 1,000 retailers, fast-track customer care and web pages without adverts.
Wowcherching doesn’t have as many retailers compared to its two main rivals. And as yet there isn’t any defining feature of how it could pay cashback quicker or resolve disputes better than the two other established websites. Wowcherching will help you raise a claim for missing cashback or cashback that has tracked at the wrong rate, but it could be slow compared to its rivals.
That said there's no harm trying Wowcherching for yourself to see if it's a cashback site that works better for you.
Would you try Wowcherching over Quidco or TopCashback? Let us know in the comment box below.
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