Does cashback still apply on sale or clearance items?

Category: Portal Cashback (650+ Stores)

In most cases, yes — cashback does apply to sale and clearance items, and it's calculated on the discounted price you actually pay. However, a small number of retailers exclude sale items, certain clearance categories, or specific brands from earning cashback. The rules vary by store and by affiliate network, so the only reliable way to be sure is to check the store's page in the Kick Cashback portal before you click through.

How cashback is calculated on a sale item

Cashback is paid as a percentage of the eligible spend. "Eligible spend" almost always means the final price you pay, after any sale price has been applied, and after any voucher or promo code, but excluding GST, shipping, and gift-card top-ups. So if a jacket is normally $200 and you buy it on sale for $120, and the cashback rate is 5%, you earn $6 — not $10.

What's typically included

  • Standard "X% off" sales across the whole site
  • End-of-season clearance with the retailer's regular SKUs
  • Black Friday, Boxing Day, and EOFY promotions in most cases
  • Items with a sale price tag in the regular catalogue

What's sometimes excluded

  • Outlet stores or separate clearance sub-domains (the affiliate network may not track the outlet)
  • Marketplace items sold by third-party sellers on the retailer's platform
  • Specific premium brands the retailer can't earn enough margin on (luxury fashion, certain Apple products)
  • Gift card purchases — almost universally excluded
  • Items already discounted with a partner-network promo code

How to check before you buy

Open the store's page in your Kick Cashback portal. The terms and exclusions, where the retailer has provided them, are listed under the cashback rate. If a category isn't mentioned, it's normally included. For very large purchases (laptops, white goods, jewellery), it's worth a 30-second sanity check — read the page rather than assuming.

What if I'm not sure?

If the store doesn't make its sale-item rules clear, the safe approach is to keep your order under whichever amount you'd be comfortable losing the cashback on. For most everyday spend that's a non-issue. For purchases over $500 where the cashback would be material, it's worth emailing info@kickcashback.com first — we can usually get an answer from the network within a day.

How to maximise sale-time cashback

The best-rate days of the year — Click Frenzy, Black Friday, Boxing Day — almost always see Kick run elevated cashback rates on top of the retailer's sale. The combination of sale price + elevated cashback is normally a better total saving than chasing third-party coupon codes. Browse the fashion, electronics and home & garden categories during sale events to see the live boost.

About Kick Cashback

Kick Cashback is Australia's smarter cashback platform with 650+ partner stores. Free for shoppers — no membership fees, no subscription costs. Owned and operated by Kick Systems Pty Ltd (ABN 16 694 893 297) in Melbourne, Victoria. For support, contact info@kickcashback.com.

Our Experience

We are a first-party cashback platform — we work directly with retailers rather than reselling another company's network. Our team negotiates cashback rates, manages partner relationships, and processes payments in-house. According to industry data published by IAB Australia, affiliate and cashback marketing represented over $1 billion in tracked Australian retail sales in 2024 (source: IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report). Kick Cashback is part of this growing sector and is committed to passing the majority of retailer commissions back to shoppers as cashback.

Our editorial team draws on direct experience working with major Australian retailers and global affiliate networks. We publish detailed cashback information, retailer terms, and shopping guides based on first-hand knowledge of how cashback tracking, attribution, and payments work. Where industry standards or regulatory guidance applies — such as the Australian Consumer Law administered by the ACCC, or the Privacy Act 1988 administered by the OAIC — we cite the relevant source so readers can verify our claims.

Trust & Transparency

  • Australian-owned: Kick Systems Pty Ltd, ABN 16 694 893 297, headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria.
  • Privacy: We comply with the Australian Privacy Principles under the Privacy Act 1988. Read our Privacy Policy.
  • Terms: Full Terms & Conditions published and updated regularly.
  • Cookies: See our Cookie Policy for details on tracking and consent.
  • Secure: All connections are encrypted with HTTPS (TLS 1.2+).
  • Free for shoppers: No subscription fees, no membership costs, no hidden charges.
  • Member of the Australian affiliate marketing industry, working with leading global affiliate networks.

Contact Kick Cashback

Company: Kick Systems Pty Ltd (trading as Kick Cashback)

ABN: 16 694 893 297

Email: info@kickcashback.com

Address: Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website:

Customer portal: kickpay.co

Learn more about Kick Cashback and our team. For questions, see our FAQs or contact us.