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Guide

How cashback works, and why purchases go missing

Cashback is a share of the commission a store pays for sending it a customer. Here is how a purchase is tracked, the usual reasons one isn't, and what to do about it.

The money

Where cashback comes from

Stores run affiliate programmes: they pay a commission, usually a percentage of the order, to the website that sent them a customer. Affiliate networks such as Awin, CJ or Impact sit in the middle: they record the click, match it to the order and pay the commission once the store approves it.

A cashback site is an affiliate that gives part of that commission back to you. How much it keeps varies by service and is not always stated. Meus passes a fixed 80% of every commission to the member and publishes a public receipt showing the commission and the split.

Tracking

The journey of a tracked purchase

  1. Step 1

    You click through

    The cashback site sends you to the store through an affiliate link. The affiliate network records the click and gives it an ID.

  2. Step 2

    The store remembers the click

    The click ID travels to the store, usually in a cookie or in the page address, and stays there for a limited time.

  3. Step 3

    You order

    When you check out, the store reports the sale and the click ID to the affiliate network.

  4. Step 4

    Pending commission

    The network reports the commission to the cashback site, which shows it to you as pending.

  5. Step 5

    Confirmed after the return window

    Once the store's return window has passed, the store approves the sale and the commission is confirmed.

  6. Step 6

    Paid

    The store pays the network, the network pays the cashback site, and the site pays you your share.

When it fails

Why some purchases are not tracked

  • Cookies blocked, cleared or refused

    If the store can't keep the click ID — private browsing, cookies cleared before checkout, or tracking refused on the store's cookie banner — the sale can arrive without it.

  • Ad blockers and tracking protection

    Ad blockers, VPNs and privacy extensions can stop the store from recognising that you came from the cashback site.

  • Another link or coupon came later

    Networks usually credit the last affiliate click before the order. A coupon site, price-comparison site or another cashback link clicked afterwards takes the commission.

  • A code the store didn't publish for you

    Discount codes the cashback site didn't provide can interfere with tracking, and some stores don't pay cashback on orders that use them.

  • A different app or device

    The click is recorded in the browser you used. Finishing the order in the store's app or on another device may leave it behind, and not every app purchase is eligible.

  • Excluded or changed orders

    Stores exclude some products from cashback, and returned or cancelled orders lose it.

Checklist

How to avoid missing cashback

  1. Start from the cashback site right before you buy, and finish the order in the same browser and the same visit.
  2. Pause your ad blocker for the store, and accept the store's cookies, while you shop.
  3. Don't click other deal, coupon or comparison links between the click and the checkout.
  4. Only use discount codes the store or the cashback site offers.
  5. Keep the order confirmation email: a missing-cashback claim needs the order number, date and amount.

Still missing?

Claim it

Networks can take a few days to report a sale. If it still isn't there, a Meus member opens a missing-cashback claim from 3 days after activating the store and for up to 90 days. Meus sends it to the affiliate network, quoting the activation, and shows every step with its date. The store decides whether to pay.

Ready to shop? See the stores where Meus pays cashback, or compare Meus with other cashback sites.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026.