This year marks a special milestone for us as TopCashback turns 20!
What started back in 2005 as a simple idea between friends has grown into one of the UK’s leading cashback communities, helping millions of members save money on the things they buy every day.
Over the past two decades, we’ve shared an incredible journey with our members, partners and colleagues. From our very first cashback offer to becoming a global brand with millions of users worldwide, we’ve always kept one mission at heart: to help people save as much money as possible on their everyday spending.
As we celebrate this anniversary, we want to look back at how far we’ve come, share some of the standout moments from our journey, and, most importantly, say thank you to the people who made it possible, our amazing members.
A message from Mike Tomkins, co-founder of TopCashback:
‘Over 20 years ago, we were two software engineers who wanted to create our own website. Instead of building a site to sell things, and coming from families where money-saving was a focus, we wanted to build one to help other people save money. So, we planned a suite of comparison websites.
On a shoestring budget, with a couple of PCs running as servers on home broadband, we launched, and the concept initially worked. We were earning commission as people purchased, but the big players soon crowded in and it became a struggle to compete.
We had to adapt, so we decided to give the commissions we earned from purchases back to our users. We wanted to be sure that we would always be the highest-paying and most generous cashback site, saving our members the most money. What better way than to pass 100% of the commission we received back to our members as cashback — a radical idea at the time. For this reason, we called it TopCashback.
It wasn’t easy, but word spread. Members who trusted us became our biggest advocates, and slowly but surely we grew. What began as two engineers working late into the night became a proper business with a brilliant team, built on our “Fair Play” philosophy.
Today, with over 25 million members, we’re still focused on helping people save. And now, we’re going a step further — using our success as a force for good, including building solar and wind farms that power more than 45,000 homes with clean energy.’
How TopCashback Has Changed Over the Years
TopCashback’s first office was above a kebab shop in Uttoxeter. Back then, founders Olly and Mike were running the entire operation pretty much by themselves. From this first small office, Olly and Mike were able to start growing the TopCashback team.
Since then, we’ve relocated offices multiple times, ending up in Stafford, which has now been our home for 10 years. In the 20 years since Mike and Olly set up shop, the TopCashback family has grown a great deal. There are now over 250 members of staff at TopCashback working hard to help our members save money.
We’ve grown a lot since 2005, but our mission of being the most generous cashback company in the world hasn’t changed. We are, and have always been, a company based on fairness. Treating people fairly is at the heart of what we do, and this goes for both our staff and our members.
When TopCashback first launched in 2005, the website looked very different to what you see today. Back then, the design was simple and the features limited, and the community was just beginning to grow. Fast forward 20 years, and TopCashback has transformed into a user-friendly platform packed with tools, offers, and features, all built to save you money.
We’ve poured money – and our hearts – into technology, design and innovation to make TopCashback cutting-edge for our members. Whether you’re shopping on desktop or on the go using one of our apps, you deserve the best cashback experience possible.
It’s not just about looks or speed. It’s also about the care we show in every feature, click, and customer interaction.
Celebrating Saving You Money
As we’ve grown, developed, and listened to our members’ feedback, TopCashback has been recognised time and time again for the value we bring. We’re proud to have received numerous industry awards, celebrating everything from our customer service to our commitment to giving the highest cashback rates possible.
We’re nine-time winners of Moneyfacts’ Cashback Site of the Year, winning in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. We were also honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2022, in recognition of our global expansion and success.
These accolades aren’t just trophies on the shelf; they’re proof that our dedication to putting members first really makes a difference. Going forward, we hope new awards continue to show that we’re on the right path.
Our TopCashback Timeline
Helping Our Community and Our Planet
TopCashback are a big believer in fair play, and this includes how we treat the world around us. As part of our charitable initiatives, we’ve made great strides in green and eco-friendly projects, whether reducing our own carbon footprint or striving to help the wider community.
Our TopCashback Sustainability Fund has sponsored projects in Staffordshire and the Moorlands area, ranging from solar panels to litter picking to school forest sessions. We’ve donated over £38,000 to date, just on initiatives in the local area.
These efforts begin at home, and we hold true to that at TopCashback. With solar panels generating our electricity, electric vehicle chargers cutting down on commuting carbon emissions, and more than half of our rubbish recycled, we try and have the same impact in the office as we do outside it.
Not every initiative we’ve run or backed has been about the environment. Some are just about helping Staffordshire thrive. TopCashback are proud to be the headline sponsor of Staffordshire Pride for two years running. We’re also the inaugural disability football partner for the Staffordshire Football Association, a cause we’re proud to support.
Further afield, we made a significant investment in Highlands Rewilding in 2024 and are proud supporters of the Race to Zero campaign.
Since TopCashback was founded in 2005, we’ve raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for worthy causes, including NHS charities during Covid, Cancer Research and Shelter.
One way we’ve been able to do this is through donated cashback. Our members can donate all or part of their cashback to their choice from a wide selection of charities. In 2022, we matched member donations to help the people of Ukraine, donating over £28,000 to Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).
We’re proud to partner with The Money Charity, who proactively provide information, education and advice about finances for people of all ages in the UK.
One Member’s Experience
For Lyndon, (45, from South Wales, TopCashback has been part of his everyday life since 2006. He’s been an active member ever since joining the site in 2006, when TopCashback was just in its infancy. He joined because he had just bought his first home and when it came to setting up his energy supplier for his new home and finding a good deal, his brother found an offer through TopCashback, helping him earn some extra cash when settling into his new home.
Shopping through TopCashback has become second-nature for him - whether it’s for his day to day shopping or comparing insurance rates for his tech, home or pets, he always checks the site first to make his money go even further. While he’s tried other cashback sites over the years, TopCashback remains his number one choice. But it’s not just the guaranteed highest cashback rates that make him so fond of the site, whenever he needed to contact the customer service team he was always met with kindness and quick support to all his queries.
Lyndon has earned over £2000 through TopCashback, with his best deal being a Sky TV subscription that didn’t only come with over £130 in cashback but also a free speaker through the provider. He used that money to put towards a new TV to make the most of his new Sky subscription.
His advice to other members is to always go through the site no matter the rate as even the smallest purchases help grow your earnings.
Looking Ahead
As we celebrate 20 incredible years, our journey is far from over. There are plenty of exciting innovations on the horizon. The world of shopping and saving continues to evolve, and so will TopCashback.
Our promise remains simple: to put our members first, champion fair play, and find new ways to help more people save more money, every single day.
If we’ve helped you out over the past twenty years, it’d be great to hear how in the comments below.
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