The overall concept of a cashback site feels like a bit of a scam. You can get some of your money back when buying stuff just for clicking through from a different website?

But cashbacks are genuine and can be a genuinely great way to save. That’s especially true when booking travel, where costs often run into the thousands. No matter how much you’re spending though, you can get a good chunk of your money back with a bit of time, effort and patience.

You might’ve already heard of ShopBack and Cashrewards, two of the biggest cashback sites here in Australia. Basically, these sites receive a commission each time you buy a product or service via their site. Then they pass part of that commission on to you.

Right now, you could click through one of these cashback sites to a travel company like Booking.com or Viator, make a purchase, then get a percentage of your spend as a cashback.

The slightly tricky part is that cashback rates change pretty often. As an example, you might use Cashrewards today to make a booking on Expedia and get 6% cashback. This adds up to around $27 back on a $500 hotel booking (GST is typically excluded when calculating cashbacks).

But next week, the cashback for Expedia might jump to 27% on ShopBack, netting you nearly $123. If you need to make a booking right away, then 6% is certainly better than nothing. However, if you’re planning far in advance and can be patient, you can often get a much higher cashback.

Let’s go over some more of the basics of cashbacks as well as some things you should consider. I’ll also share my own personal experiences including how much I saved on a previous trip.

Cashback 101

First, if you aren’t already a member of either site, you should sign up to both ShopBack and Cashrewards. You can do so directly via their sites: ShopBack and Cashrewards. (If you’re feeling generous, you could use my referral links here: ShopBack and Cashrewards).

Quick disclaimer: I’ve had good experiences with both ShopBack and Cashrewards and my withdrawals have always been successful. Your experience may be different though and these companies, like any, can fail, which would likely mean no cashback.

Once you’ve joined, head to the travel sections of both ShopBack and Cashrewards to find out what cashbacks are currently available. Here’s a sample of what is available at the time of writing:

As you can see, both ShopBack and Cashrewards list mostly different cashback rates. As previously mentioned, these also change regularly.

The highest cashbacks often coincide with sales like Black Friday and Click Frenzy or other promotions run by ShopBack and Cashrewards throughout the year. These will usually be promoted in each site’s newsletters, websites and apps. It can also be worth monitoring deals site OzBargain for good cashbacks posted by users.

Extra level

Adding an extra level of potential savings but also complexity, certain customers are able to receive bonus cashbacks. ShopBack has partnered with Westpac and its subsidiaries St.George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA for these offers. They provide an additional percentage cashback on top of the amount available to all users.

Note: ShopBack may cap the amount you can receive when a cashback is upsized and/or when a bonus cashback is available. This limit may apply per transaction (which would allow you to make multiple bookings) or per customer. Check with ShopBack for details.

The 27% cashback for Expedia included earlier in this post is an actual example of a bonus offer like this. All ShopBack users could receive 17% cashback. Only St.George, Bank of Melbourne and BankSA customers could receive an additional 10% cashback on top.

Signing up to a new bank just to get an extra cashback may seem unnecessary, but I will anecdotally point out that some of ShopBack’s best cashbacks have recently been through these types of offers.

Before you book

Start searching for hotel options and narrow them down into a shortlist. I think Google’s hotel search is the best for locating prices alongside handy information and reviews. I then cross check prices with Skyscanner and Momondo. Feel free to use any sites you prefer!

Make a note of the best price you find for each hotel. Check every now and again to see whether this has changed. Having a few options on your list can be helpful if one suddenly sells out or gets significantly more expensive. A hotel might also become more appealing if it gets cheaper.

Tracking prices is also important because, in some cases, hotels can be more expensive when using cashback sites. In my experience, you’ll still save money when factoring in the cashback. However, make sure you confirm this and don’t book if it no longer seems like a good deal.

While doing your research, you may also want to take into account the perks of each individual booking site. Many sites offer discounts to members or rewards programs that add extra value.

In comparison to accommodation, I’ve found it a little easier to do research on activities. Prices for things like tours and tickets tend to vary quite a bit less overall. They are often close to or exactly the same as buying direct unless a travel company has its own promotion.

Viator is my go to for activities. If you’re patient, you can pretty reliably get a cashback of 20% and as much as 30%. Before you book, search online to confirm that Viator’s prices are fair and in line with competitors.

Time to save

Now the big question is, what size cashback should you wait for? If I’m booking something far in advance, I wait for at least 20% and ideally closer to 25%. I’ve mainly seen these kinds of numbers a few times a year for Expedia and Viator. Most other travel companies will also have cashback percentages in the mid-to-high teens every now and then.

When a trip is coming up sooner, it could be worth settling for a lower cashback. This is especially a good idea if accommodation is at risk of selling out. Even if you only get 6% or 10%, it’s better to lock something in rather than waiting for a high cashback that never comes and you have nowhere to stay.

Found a cashback you’re happy with? Search for the travel company you want to book through on ShopBack or Cashrewards and go to their store page. Be sure to double check the cashback rate and terms. Also make sure that your cookies are enabled and ad blocking software is turned off. Then click the ‘shop now’ button and complete your booking without leaving the window.

If you do get sidetracked on a different site, go back and click the ‘shop now’ button again. When in doubt, always go back and reclick. Visiting other sites or taking too long can mean that your cashback doesn’t track.

You should receive an email from ShopBack or Cashrewards when your cashback has been tracked. This will include an estimate of how much you’ll receive. Contact the cashback site if you don’t receive this email within a week.

Cashbacks can usually be transferred into your bank account 2-3 months after your trip is completed. The exact timeframes can be found on each store page.

Cashback examples

To give you an idea of how much the savings can add up, I figured I’d share examples from a trip I took in 2023:

As you can see, the cashbacks really add up over just a few bookings. In this case, I got around $700 or 20% of my money back on a spend of about $3,500.

• Four of the bookings (all made months in advance) are in the 20-25% range that I typically aim for.
• The 33.6% cashback for Viator through ShopBack is a bit of an outlier. I didn’t actually realise I got that much back until putting together this pos
• The 12.6% cashback for Booking.com is also an outlier. The lower rate is due to a reason I touched on above. Hotels were selling out in Fort William, so I chose to lock one in rather than wait.

Hopefully this information and examples will help you save on your next trip!