Cheddar Referral Code: REFERAS

Sign up to Cheddar.me and enter the Cheddar.me referral code: REFERAS in the relevant field during registration, and you will get £5 FREE cash added to your balance if you buy a gift card within 15 days of signup. You can also click the link above to download the app and apply the Chedder promo code automatically.

Cheddar is one of the newest cashback services to hit the UK market having only been founded in 2020. It has an impressive app and some great reviews so us girls at Referandsave thought we would check it out!

Fundamentally Cheddar offers three main services:

1. A service that allows users to earn rewards when making purchases with participating retailers. This works by returning a percentage of the purchase amount effectively reducing the overall cost of the transaction similar to airtime rewards
2. A giftcard buying service where the user receives cash back on giftcards purchased through the cheddar app similar to Jam Doughnut
3. A payment service (similar to Cashapp) which allows users to send and receive payments instantaneously without requiring bank details.

The cheddar app has recently been updated for 2024 and requires very little effort on your part to work effectively and has a user-friendly design that is super easy to navigate your way through. Once signed up just keep shopping as you have always done in the past and you will earn cashback at any partner sites you shop at. About to make a purchase at a certain retailer? Then buy a giftcard and receive money back so you save even more. Need to pay someone? – just send them a request or ask them to scan the QR to pay you quickly and easily. Our Cheddar.me app review below will give you all the details….!

What Is Chedder.me And How Does It Work?

Cheddar is primarily a card-linked cashback app relatively new to the scene. It offers 2 very distinct services:

• Cashback – Link your card and every purchase at a partner site using that card earns cashback
• Giftcards – Buy giftcard and get money back – Store your giftcards in the app
• Payments – Ask for and send payments directly from the app without needing bank account details

The Cheddar.me app service is completely FREE to use with Cheddar earning commission directly from partner sites. The payment service is also free to use and payments and requests are near instantaneous.

How Does Cheddar Work?

Once you’ve set yourself up with a Cheddar account and have entered a Chedder referral code: REFERAS – all you need to do is link your bank account. This allows you to earn cashback and purchase gift cards, and also allows payments to be sent to and from your account.

Asking and paying someone: You can request payments from your contacts who are on Cheddar using Cheddar ‘tags’ (a person’s unique account tag) or if they are not – you can use their phone number, scan a QR code (if it’s in person) or a multitude of other methods. You don’t need to know the person’s bank details and can just send your payment link by whatever means you have available (such as WhatsApp, email etc)

Cashback: In addition to payments, Cheddar can also help you earn cashback at partnering retailers. It uses the link to your bank account to track your purchases with these retailers (much like Airtime Rewards and Daali also reviewed on this site) in order to be able to allocate your rewards which are usually allocated in 14 days.

Giftcards: Check out the range of giftcards available at Cheddar and purchase directly through the app to get a percentage of the price refunded to your Cheddar account. Discounts range from 1% all the way up to 10% (at time of article write up)

How Much Does Is Cost?

It is completely FREE to use Cheddar. Free to download and then no associated costs to use on a day-to-day basis.

Is Cheddar safe to use?

Cheddar is considered safe to use for two reasons:

1. Cheddar is both authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK.
2. Cheddar uses Open Banking when dealing to connect to your account. This means that you’re able to safely link up your bank account and share certain information knowing that your personal information is safe and secure. Cheddar will have no visibility of any of your security details and only has the ability to ‘read’ transaction data.
   

Who can use Cheddar?

Cheddar is an app that can be used by ‘pretty much’ anyone:

• You need to be at least 13 years old & old enough to hold and operate your personal bank account without parental consent (this will depend on a particular bank’s T&Cs)
• Have an eligible UK bank account that falls into the scope of bank accounts accepted both by Open Banking, and by Cheddar
• Have a UK phone number
  

How Do I Sign Up For Chedder?

You will first need to download the app for free either via the QR code supplied on the Cheddar website, or directly via the Apple app store or Google play.

Once you’ve installed the app on your phone, you need to set up your account following the onscreen instructions. You’ll need to add some basic personal information and make sure to enter our Cheddar referral code:REFERAS during registration.

You will then need to connect your bank account to the service (the app cannot function without this connection to your bank). This connection will be a direct link to your account using open banking and no security details will be provided to Cheddar. It’s worth noting that your bank connection will need to be re-authorised every few months for security reasons. Simply tap ‘activity’ in your account, then click the wallet icon and click each linked card and ‘renew access’.

Can I Use Chedder Without Connecting My Bank Acocunt? 

If you want to download the Cheddar app just to have a nose around you don’t need to link up your bank account. However, if you choose to have the app without linking up a bank account then you won’t be able to actually use the app. All the Cheddar services need to link to your bank account to function

How To Connect Your Account To Cheddar

If you want to make the most of Cheddar, you will need to link up a bank account. It’s easy to do and here’s the step-by-step:

1. Get yourself on the ‘activity’ screen
2. Click on the wallet icon (top right of the screen)
3. Click on ‘add account’ and select your bank – follow subsequent prompts which will direct you to your bank to approve the signup before you will return to the Cheddar app with a new connection.
4. Repeat process until all desired accounts are linked
5. Within a few minutes you should see transaction data from your connected account appearing in on cheddar.me

Simple!

Which banks and cards will work with Cheddar?

Not all bank accounts can be linked with Cheddar but most are now available and others are being added all the time. Download the app to see all the latest accounts.

• AIB
• American Express
• Barclays
• Bank Of Scotland
• Danske Bank
• First Direct
• Halifax
• Lloyds
• Monzo
• Nationwide
• Natwest
• Revolut
• Royal Bank Of Scotland
• Starling
• Wise

The first bank account you link up with Cheddar must be with a debit card/current account. Due to the fact Cheddar is a person-to-person payments app used to transfer payments directly between current accounts, the first account linked cannot be a credit card.

How Can You Make Sure Your Qualifying Transactions Are Tracked & Paid

There are a few simple steps to follow to make sure your transactions are effectively syncing to the app:

1. Go to the activity page
2. Click on the wallet icon
3. Select which account you wish to sync transactions from
4. You’ll find a ‘reauthorise’ option at the bottom of the page; click it
5. Select ‘change access’
6. Lastly, make sure the ‘transaction history’ button is turned on and select ‘open’ to authorise accordingly with your bank – you’ll find transactions sync soon after following these steps
   

How Do You Earn Cashback?

The cashback service provided by Cheddar is pretty impressive when it comes to a seamless process of earning cashback. All you have to do is link up your bank account(s), spend as normal, and then get cashback accordingly. This differs from the ‘usual’ cashback services in the UK such as Topcashback and Quidco which use cookies from your clicking through from their websites to track your purchase.

Once setup on the app there is nothing further required (the magic will just happen) and you can just watch as your cashback earnings grow. It’s easy to keep a check on your cashback earnings by clicking on your balance at the very top-right corner of the cashback screen.

Where can you earn cashback?

The list of partnering sites (and the cashback values) change regularly. With all bank link cashback sites, the number of partnering retailers is significantly less than click-through cashback sites. There are currently only a handful of sites on cheddar.me but this list is growing often. Currently some of the retailers and the cashback values are as follows:

• Just Eat 4%
• Trainline 3%
• Grounded 20%
• OPI 15%
• Monki 10%
• Boohoo 8%
• Sports Direct 6%
• House of Fraser 6%
• Game 5%
• McDonalds 1%
• Uber 1%
• Sainsburys 1%
• Greggs 1%
• Wilko 1%
• Coop 1%
• HelloFresh 35%

Of course, there are others – but that should give you an idea of the type of retailer and the cashback rates at the time of writing.

How Can I Redeem My Cashback?

Unlike other cashback sites which may require you to buy gift cards or jump through certain hoops to get your cashback – Cheddar.me is very different! If you want to redeem your cashback you simply need to reach a very low minimum amount of £1. Once redeemed, the money will immediately be transferred to your bank account.

The process to redeem your earnings is as follows:

1. Go to the cashback tab in the app
2. Click on your balance
3. Click ‘redeem’

That’s pretty much it. The cashback will then be instantly paid to your bank account.

How does the Giftcard Purchasing Service Work?

Cheddar has launched a discounted gift card purchasing service in addition to its cashback and payment services. This allows users to search for a partner brand and if available – purchase a giftcard below face value (note you will actually pay face value but you will receive money back for the amount the giftcard is discounted by)

Where Can You Purchase Giftcards?

Currently the number of brands for which giftcards can be purchased is impressive and the list grows bigger by they day! Right now you can purchase discounted giftcard at some of the following:

• Uber 4%
• M&S 5%
• Tesco 3%
• Amazon 1%
• Costa Coffee 7%
• Primark 7%
• Morrisons 3%
  

How Do I Get The Discount?

When purchasing giftcards you will pay the full face value of the giftcard and then you will receive money back to the value of the discount. You can then withdraw this cash back to your linked bank account immediately.

How Does The Payments Service Work on Cheddar?

Cashback & giftcards are not the only features available on Cheddar. The payment feature is also incredibly simple to make use of.

1. Click ‘activity’ from the main menu in the app
2. Enter the amount requested and then click on the QR code to request in-person payments. Alternatively, ask for the other person’s Cheddar tag (if they’re also on Cheddar) or send them the request by other channel (WhatsApp, phone, email etc)
3. Write a mini description for what the payment is for (as you would do on any other bank transfer)
4. Click ‘share’ to send this to the other user.

You can even process split payments using Cheddar:

1. Select the transaction in question from the activity list
2. Click ‘split this purchase’ and select how many people it will be split between
3. Click ‘ask’ and follow same share procedure as previously set-out

Being able to request payments and split-payments with Cheddar removes any awkward chasing for money and gets the job done almost instantly. Furthermore, it’s a lot less hassle and more secure than having to share bank details between one-another. 

If you’re not asking for payments, but instead need to make one, simply click ‘pay’ instead of ‘ask’! There’s not much more to it really.

Cheddar.me Referral: REFERAS

If you love using Cheddar then you can refer your friends and get a bonus in return. For every friend that signs up using your unique referral code, you will get £4 cash added to your wallet if your friend signs up and purchases a giftcard within 15 days.

To get your referral code you will need to first go to the profile tab at the bottom right-hand corner of the main navigation menu in the app. Click ‘refer friends’ and you’ll be given your code.

The bonus payment for any referrals you make will generally be made within 24 hours of the criteria being met. Our Cheddar referral code is REFERAS

Customer Support – What If Something Goes Wrong Or You Need More Info?

The Cheddar website has an in-depth frequently asked questions section that you can read if there is a particular question you have

If the frequently asked questions sections leaves your questions unanswered however, you have some other options:

• Submit a help request via the online form on the website
• Contact Cheddar via their Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter page
  

So Is Cheddar.me Worth It?

Cheddar is undeniably a handy little app for you to consider downloading and giving a go. It’s free and easy to use, and can add a little more oomph to your cashback savings while also providing an easy option for transferring money between friends. However, it’s got its good points and its not so good points:

Pros

• Unlike many other cashback apps of the same nature, you get the option to simply redeem your cashback when you hit £1 directly to your acount
• Easy payment request/send system removes potential awkwardness for many when asking for and sending money
• No need to share bank information when transferring money – gives an added level of security
• Cashback is much easier to activate without having to click through a website
• Can sometimes be combined with other offers. You could sign up to cheddar.me and airtime rewards and earn cashback twice from Greggs for example.
• You can earn cashback in person as well as online
• You can use discount/voucher codes in conjunction with cashback which is not usually possible at the larger cashback sites.
• You can get discounts at major supermarkets and brands that rarely if ever provide discounts using the discounted giftcard service

Cons

• While the app does use Open Banking, keeping your information safe, it can still see specific transaction information with partnering retailers to track and allocate rewards – for some this may still be too much of an invasion of privacy
• The number of retailers available for cashback is limited.
• You cannot use the service without linking your bank account
• You need to purchase a giftcard at some retailers to save money which is a little more complicated then simple cashback
• Giftcards must be purchased at full price and then later money is returned to you
• Cashback levels are not as high as some of its competitors
• Relatively new site and therefore reviews and trust is limited.
• Payment service feels like a novelty rather than something you might actually use.

All in all, it’s a pretty decent app with lots of potential. It doesn’t cost a penny to try and you can earn savings on your day-to-day purchases. The fact that it works in the background with nothing more than a bank link to track your purchases means it is one of the easier ways to earn cashback. Being able to combine this app with other cashback services and discount codes means this is definitely one app we will be using and keeping an eye on. Hopefully, the number of partner retailers increases to make this a more worthwhile app in the future as currently, that is the greatest shortcoming. Let’s see what the future holds as it still is a new cashback service. Don’t forget to use our cheddar referral code: REFERAS to get you started on your cashback journey and top help keep the lights on at Referandsave. Thanks!