Travel Cashback 2026: Earn Back on Holidays, Hotels and Flights

Travel is one of the best categories for cashback, because the bills are big and the percentages are generous. A few minutes clicking through a cashback site before you book can return tens of pounds on a package holiday, and more on hotels. The other half of the saving comes once you land: the card you use abroad can quietly cost you 2.99% on everything. This guide covers both, with rates checked on 3 November 2026 and a calculator for your own trip.

Key takeaways

• Hotels pay most: TopCashback listed up to 12% at Hotels.com, up to 10% at Expedia and up to 20% at Trip.com on 3 November 2026.
• Package holidays pay less: up to 3% at TUI and 3.5% at loveholidays, or a fixed amount, such as up to £40 at Jet2holidays.
• Cashback pays after you travel. Hotels.com cashback on TopCashback only becomes available once your stay is complete.
• Card fees abroad are often bigger than the cashback. Many standard debit cards, such as Lloyds', charge 2.99% on foreign spending, and so does Amex.
• January is booking season. UK travel firms expected a 5% rise in January bookings this year, so set up cashback before you book next summer's trip.

How does travel cashback work?

You click through a cashback site to the travel company, book as normal, and the site passes you part of the commission it earns. It's the same process as any online shopping, with one big difference: you get paid after you travel, not after you buy.

That delay exists because travel bookings can be cancelled or changed. TopCashback's Hotels.com page says cashback is "available only after the stay is completed". For a summer holiday booked in January, that means waiting until autumn for the money.

The other thing to know is that cashback is usually worked out on the price before taxes and fees. TopCashback's Hotels.com terms say cashback is "calculated for the item(s) price only, not including VAT, delivery or other fees". So 10% on a £200 hotel is closer to £16.67 than £20.

Take Action: Join TopCashback and Quidco before you start researching. Both are free, and comparing them takes seconds.

Which travel sites pay the most cashback in 2026?

Hotel and online booking sites pay the highest travel cashback, while tour operators pay the least. On 3 November 2026, TopCashback's top "up to" rates ran from 20% at Trip.com down to 3% at TUI.

Sources: TopCashback travel category; Quidco rates from Scrimpr's TUI and Jet2 trackers, all checked 3 November 2026.

Hotels.com's 12% was an exclusive, time-limited rate when we checked, so the everyday figure may be lower when you book. Fixed amounts, like Jet2's, are often for new customers only or need a minimum spend.

Flights booked directly with airlines rarely pay much cashback. If you're booking a flight on its own, the card you pay with often earns more than any cashback site.

How much travel cashback can you expect on a holiday?

On a £2,400 package holiday at 3%, expect about £60, because cashback is usually calculated on the price before VAT. Add the fees you avoid by using a fee-free card abroad, and the saving on one trip can pass £80.

The biggest wins come from hotels and extras. A week's hotel booked through a site paying 10% can return more than an entire package holiday at 3%. Airport parking is worth checking too: Holiday Extras listed up to 50% on TopCashback, although top rates like that usually apply to specific products.

Take Action: Before you book, check the same hotel on two or three booking sites. A slightly higher price at 12% cashback can still work out cheaper than the lowest price at 3%.

How do you avoid card fees when you spend abroad?

Use a card with no foreign transaction fee. Many standard UK debit cards and all Amex cards charge 2.99% every time you pay in a foreign currency, which costs more than most cashback earns.

• Lloyds charges a 2.99% non-sterling fee on standard debit cards and £1.50 per foreign cash withdrawal, according to its travel page. Its Club, Silver, Platinum and student cards don't.
• American Express charges a 2.99% non-sterling transaction fee on its UK cards.
• Revolut's free Standard plan lets you exchange up to £1,000 a month on weekdays at its rate, with a 1% fee at weekends (checked 21 October 2026). See our Revolut plans comparison for the paid plans' higher limits.
• Wise charges £7 one-off for its card and a small conversion fee at the mid-market rate (checked 29 October 2026). Wise holds e-money, so your balance isn't covered by the FSCS.

Our Revolut vs Wise comparison goes through fees for different kinds of trip. Whichever you use, always choose to pay in the local currency when a card machine or cash machine offers to convert to pounds. The conversion it offers is usually worse.

There's one place an Amex still earns its keep on travel: booking. Amex Gold earns 2 points per £1 spent directly with airlines and 3 per £1 at American Express Travel, and it's free in the first year, then £195. Representative APR 85.8% variable, and credit is subject to status. Use it to book in pounds, then switch to a fee-free card once you're away.

How do you make sure travel cashback pays out?

Book in one go after clicking through, don't change the booking through a different route, and keep your confirmation. Travel cashback goes missing more often than most because the gap between booking and payout is so long.

1. Empty your basket and clear old tabs before clicking through from the cashback site.
2. Book on desktop in Chrome. TopCashback warns that cashback may not track in Safari, and some booking apps don't pass tracking at all.
3. Use only codes the cashback site lists. TopCashback's Hotels.com terms exclude promo codes it hasn't approved, and package or airfare bookings.
4. Check it tracked within a week. TopCashback says cashback should appear in your account within seven days.
5. Claim quickly if it's missing. TopCashback asks for missing claims within 100 days of the order, long before you travel.

Paying for the holiday with a credit card adds protection if a company fails. Our Section 75 vs chargeback guide explains how it works.

Travel cashback FAQ

Can you get cashback on holidays?

Yes. Book through a cashback site such as TopCashback or Quidco and most big holiday companies pay cashback. On 3 November 2026, TopCashback listed up to 3% at TUI, up to 3.5% at loveholidays and up to £40 at Jet2holidays. The money usually arrives after you've returned.

Which cashback site is best for travel?

TopCashback had the higher rate in most of the travel examples we checked on 3 November 2026, including TUI (3% against Quidco's 1.6%) and Jet2.com (£8 against £5 per order). Rates change, so compare both before each booking, as our TopCashback vs Quidco guide explains.

When do you get cashback on a holiday booking?

Usually some time after you travel. Cashback tracks within days of booking but stays pending until the trip is complete, because bookings can be cancelled. TopCashback says Hotels.com cashback is available only after the stay. For a summer holiday booked in January, expect the money in the autumn.

Do you get cashback if you cancel a holiday?

Generally, no. Cashback is paid on completed bookings, so if you cancel, the travel company won't pay commission and your pending cashback is usually declined. If you change dates, the original booking's cashback can also be affected, so check with the cashback site.

Is travel cashback taxable?

No, not on personal bookings. HMRC's Statement of Practice 4/97 says ordinary retail customers aren't liable to Income Tax on cashback. Cashback on business travel reduces what you can claim as a business expense.

The bottom line

Travel cashback is easy money if you set it up before you book. Join TopCashback and Quidco, compare rates for your hotel or holiday, and pay abroad with a fee-free card rather than one charging 2.99%. With January booking season close, now's the time to get set up. If a holiday is your big goal for 2027, the UK Budget Planner can help you work out what to put aside each month.