Cashback usually appears in the user's Cashback account as Pending within a couple of hours after making the transaction, and in most cases will be confirmed within 3 days. However, there are some instances where Cashback can take longer to confirm.

For some Cashback offers, we state that it takes up to 120 days for Cashback to be approved and appear in a user's SmartSpending™ account. 

This can seem unnecessarily long, especially if the retailer's returns policy is only 30 days, for example, or if you have already taken the holiday you booked. 

Why does it take so long?

The length of time it takes for a retailer to confirm a transaction depends on the retailer, and the type of purchase being made. The retailer will only confirm the transaction with us once it's been proven to be genuine. This is to prevent payment of Cashback on goods that have been returned, or services that have been cancelled, for example.

Cashback on insurance policy purchases may take slightly longer to confirm, because most insurance retailers require a few direct debit payments to be made before they can confirm the Cashback award. 

For travel bookings such as holidays, car rentals and flights, Cashback is awarded after the stay, in case of cancellations.

For any purchases of contracts or subscriptions, the retailer will confirm the Cashback with us once they are confident that the agreement will not be broken or defaulted.

What if it's been longer than 120 days?

We can investigate Cashback queries after the user's stay/travel dates have passed, or after 120 days from the date of purchase. 

If there are any issues with a user's Cashback, we are always happy to escalate the case and investigate them with the retailers. The time it takes for a decision to be reached on the case may vary depending on the retailers and the date when we contacted them.