ShopBack: Does it work or is it scam?
You might have seen advertisement of services offering to pay you back a percentage of your online purchases. Let's take a look at ShopBack and if it actually works
There's many cashback services out there. Some are definitely scam, some are questionable and some actually works
Let's take a look at ShopBack, which operates in Asia-Pasific
ShopBack
ShopBack is a company from Singapore and operates in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam
It specializes in cashback reward programs and was founded in August 2014
How does it work?
You can either download the app to your phone [↗] (tested) or use their website [↗]. Then from the app/site, you navigate to the store you want and that will open the app / website, so you can make your purchase. If you exit the app or site, it's important you relaunch it through the Shopback app/site or your purchase might not be tracked
How much do I get?
Cashback amount received from a store, varies greatly. You can see in the app how much cashback the different shops offers. Many stores will also say super high rates such as Up to 60% off, but this can be limited to new users and certain products within the shop. While you as an existing user might be capped at 0.10% and also have a max amount per transaction
When stores says 3% Cashback, then all users will receive 3% Cashback on all their orders and not limited to new users (could still be an max limit per transaction). You often get the best cashbacks during promo periods and when stores are fresh on Shop Back
Vouchers
The main thing I personally use Cashback for, is to find valid vouchers. After you've selected your store, you'll also get a list of active vouchers and who can use them. Some vouchers will be limited to certain payment methods, new users or certain products / sellers within a store (such as a restaurant in a food app). While a good portion is store wide
When can I withdraw?
For the Philippines, you need to have reached an available balance of at least PHP 200 (~4 US$)
Before your balance becomes available, it will be in Pending Earnings state and it can be here for a few months depending on the store. A few hours after you've made a purchase, it will enter this state and stay there, until the store have confirmed your purchase and that there was no returns. This amount is also estimated, as the amount can change if they see you've gotten it calculated above a cap. If you purchased something not part of the cashback offer, you didn't pay or did a return, then it will be voided
When the transaction is approved, that amount will be listed as part of available balance and can be withdrawn as soon as you're above the withdrawal limit
Lifetime Earnings
You've probably noticed Lifetime Earnings in a few of the photos and this is not purely how much money you've earned, but how much money you might possible have earninged . As this number combine Pending Earnings (can be voided/adjusted), Available Balance (earned) and Withdrawn (earned)
How can I withdraw?
You've two options of withdrawal (in the Philippines at least); Bank Transfer and e-Wallet Transfer (PayPal)
With e-Wallet Transfer you can transfer your money to PayPal (only option). While Bank Transfer gives you the major banks in the Philippines + one e-Wallet (not sure why it's not listed under e-Wallet Transfer)
After you've added your account details and entered amount you want to withdraw (you can withdraw all or part of, as long as it's over minimum limit). You can click Withdraw-button and you'll get the money in 3-5 working days in the account you choose
Conclusion
I've now used ShopBack since early 2019 and you do get cashback. Most stores, at least that I use, give a very small percentage for existing users. So don't expect a lot of cashback, but it's a good way to find vouchers for the store and I've saved more money by the vouchers found, than cashback itself
Referral offer for Philippines: We've this referral offer, where you'll get P100 cashback, after spending P300 [↗]. We can't guarantee it works outside Philippines
Tags: #ShopBack
