Meaning & use
cashback
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Meanings
noununcountable
money that a store or bank gives back to you, often as a reward for using a card or as extra cash taken out during a purchase
Grammar: Uncountable, so say 'some cashback' or 'a cashback offer', not 'a cashback' when talking about the money itself.
Patterns
- get cashback
- offer cashback
- cashback on something
This credit card gives you 2% cashback on groceries.
The store offers cashback when you spend over fifty dollars.
She asked for cashback at the supermarket so she wouldn't need an ATM.
noununcountablebusiness
a system in which a website or store returns part of the money you paid
Grammar: Still uncountable; often used before another noun, as in 'a cashback site'.
Patterns
- cashback website
- cashback deal
- earn cashback
I bought the shoes through a cashback website and saved ten dollars.
Many airlines offer cashback deals to attract new customers.
Common combinations
- cashback offer
- The bank launched a cashback offer for new accounts.
- earn cashback
- You can earn cashback every time you shop online.
- cashback card
- A cashback card is useful if you pay off the balance each month.
- ask for cashback
- At the checkout, you can ask for cashback with your debit card.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rebate
- A rebate is usually a partial refund after you buy something, often by mail or application, while cashback is often immediate or automatic.
- refund
- A refund returns the full amount you paid, usually because you returned an item; cashback is a reward or extra cash, not a return of the purchase price.
Commonly confused: cashback or cash flow?
cashback vs cash flow
Cash flow means the movement of money in and out of a business, not a reward or withdrawal.
Practice
I paid with my card and asked the cashier for ______ so I could avoid the ATM fee.
Choose one answer.
Cashback is uncountable here, so it takes no article. 'A cashback' and 'cashbacks' are wrong because the word is not countable in this sense, and 'the cashback' would suggest a specific amount already mentioned.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cashback”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.