A SAVVY saver has earned thousands of pounds in free cash which helps her to cover the cost of Christmas.
Sarah Ryman, 48, first started using a cashback website in 2010 and has never looked back.
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She uses TopCashback at least a couple of times a month and has earned a whopping £2,200, which she puts towards Christmas.
Sarah, who lives in Brighton, told The Sun she usually spends around £500 on Christmas gifts for her daughters Hunny, 13, and Daisy, 18, and her husband Rob.
She said that the money she earns through cashback covers at least half of this cost.
She told The Sun: “My usual advice for shopping is never buy anything new if you can get it second-hand.
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“So that’s why cashback comes in really handy at Christmas when I have to buy things brand new.
“This year, for example, I’ve bought sportswear for my daughter from Sports Direct using cashback so it always pays to have your pot building up through the year.”
TopCashback is one of the main cashback sites where you can earn money by shopping with retailers via their website.
You just find a deal on something you’d like to buy and then check with cashback sites to see if they have an offer.
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Then, you click through the link, and the kickback is paid to you within 30 days of your transaction.
Marketing manager Sarah said she uses TopCashback for everything from electricals to parcel delivery.
While there is a TopCashback app, Sarah said she prefers to use their desktop website as she can do it while she’s working.
She said that while she’s always been a saver, it’s made her “more savvy” and she’s always on the hunt to see if there’s a deal.
How Sarah made £2,200 in cashback
Sarah said she uses TopCashback at least twice a month.
That means for the past 13 years, she’s been earning cash just through a a few taps on her keyboard.
“I mostly use cashback for big purchases as I’m not really a huge shopper and I try not to buy on impulse,” Sarah said.
“We’ve recently done some work on our kitchen, so I shopped around for cashback deals on decorating supplies and building materials.
“I’ll check where I can save the most and also see what offers the retailers have on too.”
For example, you can currently get up to 3% cashback at B&Q, 1.1% at Wickes and 5.4% at Homebase.
Sarah has also used TopCashback to find new broadband deals, phone contracts and even when opening a new bank account.
This way, you can boost your balance without having to spend a penny.
She said: “My husband switched phone provider for one of our kids when he opened his cashback account and got £30 straight away.”
“It might not be something that you think when you think of cashback, but it’s always worth checking.”
They used Mobile Phones Direct to compare plans and switched their daughter to Three from Smarty, earning them free cash.
When The Sun checked, we also found that you could earn £40 in cashback when opening a First Direct current account through TopCashback and £25 for opening a Santander Everyday Current Account.
One of Sarah’s biggest returns has been through opening a Stocks and Shares Isa with Shepherds Friendly, which bagged her £220 in cashback.
Sarah and her daughters have even found a way of pairing their love of second-hand shopping with cashback.
“My daughter Daisy is always sending parcels with things that she has sold on Vinted and you can earn 12.5% cashback with Evri,” said Sarah.
“It’s just a few pennies, but it is true that if you look after the pennies, the pounds will love after themselves.”
Sarah’s top tips for using TopCashback
Sarah said her biggest piece of advice for TopCashBack is to buy gift cards for your chosen retailer.
She said: “The cashback can either be turned into a gift card or transferred into your bank account.
“While transferring to your bank account might be easier, you can get your points transferred onto a gift card instead and this will increase the value.”
The TopCashback website states that you can get bonuses of up to 25% on top of your payable cashback.
That means if you have £100 payable you can turn that into a maximum of £125 to spend.
Another method Sarah uses to earn extra cash is to refer her family and friends.
“You can also get a referral bonus for that which varies from £30 to £50,” Sarah said.
“I got a bonus when my husband opened his account and now he’s started using it too.
“He’s built up almost £100 of cashback in just four months.”
But Sarah’s biggest tip is to only ever buy things that you need and she doesn’t just shop for the sake of earning cashback.
She said: “Try and use it for things that you know you are going to use, don’t just buy on impulse.
“Check before you buy too. Search for discount codes and always consider, do I need to buy this new?
“Never buy things new if you can get them second-hand.”
How to earn cashback
Another popular site for earning cashback is Quidco.
When using these sites all you need to do is check if your chosen retailer offers cashback through either one of the sites, then shop using their link.
Bear in mind it might not be instant and it does take a few weeks for the money to land in your account.
One savvy shopper has been using cashback websites for more than a decade and uses his profits to have Christmas for “free”.
Most cashback sites are free and you just need to sign up with your name and email address.
You can get cashback on everything from everyday shopping to car insurance and broadband bills.
You can even earn cashback by switching your bank account.
They usually come with terms and conditions that you have to fulfil so make sure you read the small print before signing up for the cash.
One financial whizz managed to bag himself £1,000 in free cash from banks this year.
Meanwhile, one grandma reveals how she makes an extra £850 a month using savings backs and side hustles.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
