TopCashBack: what works, what doesn’t?

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A while ago I suggested to TopCashBack that they double their Radisson cash back rate in conjunction with the big Club Carlson summer promotions (see “Breaking News: TopCashBack to double Radisson rebate”).  Since then, many people have received their 10% back, but many others have not.  For recent news about this, see this Deals We Like post: Club Carlson and TopCashBack.  Personally, I’ve had mixed results with TopCashBack, so I thought it would be worth sharing my experiences and asking readers to contribute theirs.

Club Carlson

My first reservation and stay at a Club Carlson hotel booked via TopCashBack went without a hitch.  The full 10% cash back appeared in my account as pending about 4 or 5 days after my completed stay.  This was a stay at a Radisson hotel in which I used my Club Carlson business ID to get a 5% discount.

My second reservation was at a Country Inn & Suites booked with points & cash.  It’s been about 10 days since my stay, but so far nothing has posted from TopCashBack.

Here is an excerpt from an email I received from Natasha at TopCashBack regarding Club Carlson cash back issues:

There was a tracking blip between May 31 and June 22 but we have been promised by Club Carlson that all the cashback will most definitely be paid out.

Well, my second stay was booked in that time frame, so the “tracking blip” seems like as good of an explanation as any.  I see this response as a positive step and I’m hopeful that we’ll all get the cash back we’re due.

Plastic Jungle

I clicked through TopCashBack to PlasticJungle on Monday evening and by Tuesday morning TopCashBack already reported my 4% cash back as pending.  Nice!

Cardpool

Cardpool is a weird merchant.  They stop giving cash back through any portal once a customer has reached $1000 worth of transactions (regardless of whether the transactions were through portals).  TopCashBack worked without a hitch for me until I exceeded $1000 in transactions with Cardpool.  As expected, I stopped receiving cash back after that.

Coupon Trade

I’ve conducted a series of experiments in buying and selling gift cards through Coupon Trade.  Generally my experience with Coupon Trade itself has been good, but TopCashBack has not been working.  Early on, I received the expected cash back for two sales I made, but didn’t receive anything for a third.  After I submitted a ticket, TopCashBack credited me manually for the 3rd sale.  Since then, though, I’ve made quite a few purchases and sales (including 5 last week), but none have received cash back.  Once I get around to it, I’ll file tickets for all of these missed purchases and sales.

Staples

TopCashBack continues to list Staples at a flat 5.5% cash back for all purchases including gift cards.  They have a strange notice about purchases made with a gift card not being eligible.  I find that strange because Staples gift cards can’t be used online anyway.  So, I think it would be impossible to run afoul of that condition.  Since they moved to this flat 5.5% rate, I bought one gift card and received the full cash back amount.  At least one reader, though, has reported trouble with this.  Any one else?

Referrals

TopCashBack has been running a promotion in which you can earn $10 by referring a friend to TopCashBack (normally, the rate is $5).  TopCashBack gives you a referral link like this one: www.topcashback.com/ref/frequentmiler and when a friend uses the link to sign up, you get $10 once they themselves earn $10 of cash back.  While I have no way of knowing if all of my referrals are working, I have received quite a few.  Thank you, by the way!!!

Reader Experiences

Have you used TopCashBack?  If so, what has worked, and what hasn’t?  Comment below.

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