TopCashBack Amex: How to Stack Both

TopCashBack Amex stacking is one of the simplest ways to get paid twice for the same shop: you click through TopCashBack, then pay with your American Express card. The two rewards come from different places: the retailer pays TopCashBack a commission for sending you, and Amex rewards you for using its card. Neither cancels the other. Below is how the stack works, a worked example in pounds, and the small mistakes that lose you the cashback.

Key takeaways

• Two separate rewards. TopCashBack pays a share of the retailer's commission; Amex pays its own points or cashback on the card spend.
• TopCashBack Classic is free and pays 101% of the commission it receives. Plus keeps the first £5 of your earnings each year and pays 105%, according to TopCashBack.
• Example: a £500 shop at a retailer paying 4% through TopCashBack earns £20. Paying with the Amex Cashback card adds £25 in its first three months (5%) or £3.75 after that (0.75%).
• Amex Gold earns 1 point per £1 on top of the TopCashBack cashback. Representative 85.8% APR variable.
• Use only vouchers listed on TopCashBack. Codes from elsewhere can stop your cashback tracking.

Can you use TopCashBack with Amex?

Yes. TopCashBack pays you a percentage of your spend once the retailer confirms the purchase, and Amex pays its rewards on the card transaction. The two don't interact, so you keep both.

TopCashBack explains that when you shop with a listed merchant, "we simply give you back a percentage of your spend once your purchase is confirmed" (TopCashBack). The card you pay with only matters in one way: the retailer has to accept American Express. Most big online retailers do, but some smaller shops and a few supermarkets' partner sites don't, so check the checkout page before you start.

Amex, meanwhile, treats the purchase like any other card payment. A shop through TopCashBack earns exactly the same points or cashback as walking in and paying directly.

Take Action: Before a big online shop, search the retailer on TopCashBack first, then check the retailer's payment page shows the Amex logo.

How do you stack TopCashBack and Amex, step by step?

Start every shop on TopCashBack, finish it in the same browser session, and pay with your Amex at the end. The order matters because TopCashBack tracks your visit through the link you click.

1. Log in to TopCashBack (or sign up to TopCashBack if you're new; Classic membership is free).
2. Search for the retailer and read its cashback rate, terms and exclusions. TopCashBack's help pages tell you to check the retailer's page "for terms and exclusions before you make a purchase" (TopCashBack help).
3. Click through to the retailer from TopCashBack. Don't open the retailer in another tab or come back later from a different link.
4. Only use a discount code shown on TopCashBack. Its own guide says to "ONLY use vouchers from TopCashback, otherwise, you may not be able to earn cashback".
5. Pay with your Amex card. Amex rewards are added to your account in the usual way.
6. Check your TopCashBack earnings. The purchase should show within seven days. If nothing appears after a week or two, TopCashBack says to lodge a missing cashback claim.
7. Withdraw once it's payable. Choose bank transfer, PayPal or a gift card through Reward Wallet.

If you also use Amex Offers (the retailer and travel offers in the Amex app), add the offer to your card before you pay. Each offer has its own terms, so read them in the app first.

For a deeper look at TopCashBack's rival, see our TopCashBack vs Quidco comparison.

How much can stacking TopCashBack with Amex earn?

On a typical online shop, stacking adds the card's rate on top of the site's rate. With the Amex Cashback card in its introductory period, that can more than double what you'd get from TopCashBack alone.

Here's a worked example for a £500 Christmas shop at a retailer paying 4% through TopCashBack. The 4% is illustrative; real rates vary by retailer and change often.

The Amex Cashback card is the £25-a-year card American Express calls the Amex Cashback Credit Card (Platinum Cashback). American Express lists 5% cashback for the first three months, up to £125, then 0.75% on spending up to £10,000 in a card year and 1.25% above. Its Representative APR is 34.6% variable, and credit is subject to status.

Points are harder to value. Turning Left For Less describes 30,000 Membership Rewards points as "worth up to £150 or 30,000 Avios", so 500 points is roughly £2.50 at that rate, or 500 Avios if you convert to British Airways. If you'd use points for flights, our cashback vs Avios guide compares the two.

Try it with your own numbers:

Which Amex card is best to pair with TopCashBack?

It depends on whether you want cash or travel rewards and whether you'll pay an annual fee. These are the main personal Amex cards and what each adds on top of TopCashBack.

Sources: Amex Gold page, Amex compare page and Amex Cashback page, all checked 13 November 2026.

Amex Gold may suit you if you collect Avios or other airline miles. Through a referral, Turning Left For Less reports that new Gold cardmembers get 35,000 points plus a £100 Selfridges eGift card for spending £3,000 in three months, for approvals between 4 November 2026 and 12 January 2027. The public offer is 30,000 points plus the £100 Selfridges card, and Amex's standard offer is 20,000 points. You won't get a bonus if you've held a personal Amex that earns Membership Rewards in the last 24 months. See our Amex Gold review for the full picture.

The Amex Cashback card may suit you if you want plain cash and spend enough to cover the £25 fee. Our Platinum Cashback review works out the break-even point. American Express also has a no-fee Cashback Everyday card; our Cashback Everyday review covers it.

Take Action: Pick one card for online shopping and use it every time you click through TopCashBack, so both rewards land in predictable places.

Should you apply for Amex through TopCashBack or a referral link?

Only one link can get credit for a card application, so you choose either a cashback site or a referral, not both. Compare what each route pays on the day you apply.

Cashback sites sometimes list a reward for card applications. A referral link instead unlocks Amex's own boosted welcome bonus, which for Gold is currently 35,000 points plus the £100 Selfridges card rather than the 30,000-point public offer. Whichever you choose, the welcome bonus still depends on meeting the spend target in time.

If you use our American Express referral link (Representative 85.8% APR variable, credit subject to status), go back to TopCashBack for your everyday online shops afterwards. Putting those purchases on the new card helps you reach the £3,000 spend target while earning cashback on top.

Our Amex welcome bonus guide explains how the bonus rules work.

What stops TopCashBack cashback tracking when you pay by Amex?

Paying by Amex doesn't stop tracking. What usually goes wrong is the journey to the checkout: an outside voucher code, a different browser, or an unconfirmed order.

The common causes are:

• Using a code that isn't on TopCashBack. TopCashBack warns that with codes it hasn't authorised, "the commission may go to another affiliate".
• Not clicking through from TopCashBack, or switching to the retailer's app halfway through.
• Returning or changing the order. Cashback is based on the confirmed purchase, so refunds reduce it.
• Excluded products. Some retailers exclude gift cards, delivery charges or certain brands. Check the retailer's page.

Gift cards can be used alongside your normal payment method, according to TopCashBack's help pages, but again check the retailer's exclusions first.

If cashback doesn't show within a week or two, submit a missing cashback claim from your TopCashBack account, with your order confirmation to hand.

How do you get the most from TopCashBack payouts?

Pay out to a gift card when you'd spend the money at that shop anyway. TopCashBack says some gift card payouts carry a bonus of up to 5% for Classic members and up to 10% for Plus members (TopCashBack).

Payouts are available once a transaction becomes payable, through bank transfer, PayPal or Reward Wallet gift cards, and only one payout type is allowed in each 24-hour period (TopCashBack help). TopCashBack says most payouts arrive within seven days, usually in a couple of working days. Cashback from one retailer can't be split between payout types.

If you shop online a lot, Plus can pay for itself: it keeps the first £5 you earn each year but pays 105% of the retailer's commission instead of 101%. For more ways to layer rewards, see our guide to stacking cashback apps and our Christmas cashback guide.

What are the downsides?

Stacking only pays if you'd buy the item anyway and clear your card in full each month. Interest wipes out the rewards fast.

• Credit card interest. Amex Gold's purchase rate is 29.1% variable. A month's interest on a £500 balance at that rate is roughly £12, more than most card rewards on that shop.
• Cashback isn't guaranteed until the retailer confirms and TopCashBack pays it, and how long that takes depends on the retailer.
• Amex isn't accepted everywhere. If a retailer doesn't take it, you lose the card layer, not the TopCashBack layer.
• Annual fees. Gold costs £195 from year two and the Cashback card £25 a year, so check the rewards cover the fee.
• Alternatives: Quidco works the same way, and a no-fee Visa or Mastercard rewards card works where Amex isn't accepted.

FAQ

Does TopCashBack work with American Express?

Yes. TopCashBack pays cashback based on your confirmed purchase, not on how you pay, so paying with an Amex card still earns it. The only requirement is that the retailer accepts American Express. You then earn your Amex points or cashback on the same transaction as well.

Can you get cashback and credit card rewards at the same time?

Yes. Cashback from a site like TopCashBack comes from the retailer's commission, and card rewards come from your card provider, so the two stack. For example, a £500 shop paying 4% through TopCashBack earns £20, and the Amex Cashback card's ongoing 0.75% rate adds another £3.75.

Does using a voucher code cancel TopCashBack cashback?

It can. TopCashBack says to use only vouchers listed on its site, because codes from elsewhere may send the commission to another affiliate and you may not earn cashback. Codes shown on the retailer's own TopCashBack page are fine to use, subject to the retailer's terms.

How long does TopCashBack take to pay?

TopCashBack says purchases should appear in your earnings within seven days. The cashback then becomes payable once the retailer pays TopCashBack, which varies by retailer. After you request a payout, most methods pay within seven days, usually within a couple of working days.

Is TopCashBack Plus worth it?

TopCashBack Plus keeps the first £5 you earn each year and pays 105% of the retailer's commission instead of 101%, plus payout bonuses of up to 10% instead of 5%. It may suit you if you earn well over £5 a year in cashback. If you earn less than £5, it's free.

The bottom line

Stacking TopCashBack with an Amex card is low effort: start on TopCashBack, use only its voucher codes, and pay with your Amex. You get the site's cashback and your card's rewards on the same shop. The Amex Cashback card's 5% intro rate makes the first three months especially rewarding, while Amex Gold suits points collectors. If you'd like Avios, our American Express referral link gives the boosted Gold bonus until 12 January 2027 (Representative 85.8% APR variable, credit subject to status). Just clear the card in full each month, or the interest will cost more than you earn.