Why do stores pay you?

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Stores pay Kick Cashback because we bring them ready-to-buy customers, and acquiring customers is one of the biggest costs in retail. Cashback isn't a charity, a loyalty scheme funded by the retailer's goodwill, or a "trick" that means you pay more elsewhere. It's a simple slice of the marketing budget the retailer was always going to spend — re-routed from Google, Meta and influencer ads into rewards for shoppers who actually buy. The economics in plain English Every online retailer competes on customer acquisition. They might pay Google $30 for a click that converts 2% of the time, or pay an Instagram influencer $5,000 for a post that drives a few hundred sales. Partner marketing — the model behind every cashback platform — works on a different basis: the retailer pays a commission only when an actual sale happens. That commission is a percentage of the order value that varies by retailer and category. When Kick refers you and you complete a purchase, the retailer pays Kick the agreed commission. Kick then passes the majority of that commission back to you as cashback. The retailer treats it as a marketing cost (cheaper, in many cases, than Google Ads on a per-conversion basis), Kick keeps a small share to fund the platform, and you get the lion's share for doing what you were going to do anyway. Why do retailers prefer this over other ads? Pay-for-performance. The retailer only pays when there's a confirmed sale. No money is wasted on people who didn't buy. Higher intent. Shoppers who arrive via cashback have already decided to buy — they're hunting for the cheapest net price, not browsing casually. Trackable ROI. Partner platforms measure every dollar in and every dollar out. Compare that to a TV commercial. No upfront cost. A small business can list on a major partner tracking network and pay nothing until customers actually buy. Why do retailers pay rather than just lower the price? Discounting the headline price has lasting effects on a brand — once shoppers expect "30% off everything", they stop buying at full price. Referral commission is invisible to regular shoppers, which means the retailer can reward referrers without devaluing the brand. The full price stays on the shelf; only the customers who came via Kick get the cashback rebate. Does that mean I'm paying more than non-Kick shoppers? No. The price you see at checkout is the same as if you'd visited the retailer directly. The cashback comes from the retailer's marketing budget, not from a price uplift. See our deeper explainer on why cashback isn't a catch . Why does Kick share so much with shoppers? Cashback only works as a model if shoppers come back. Sharing the majority of the commission is what keeps Kick valuable to use. A platform that kept 50% of the commission and gave you 50% would lose to one that gives you 80% — and that competitive pressure is why every reputable cashback platform passes most of the commission through. Where does the rest go? The small share Kick retains funds the platform: software development, payment processing, customer support, the partner network fees, and the ongoing work of vetting verified retailers . Kick is profitable on this model, which is why we don't need a paid subscription tier — see why Kick is free for shoppers .

Why do stores pay you?

The economics in plain English

Why do retailers prefer this over other ads?

Why do retailers pay rather than just lower the price?

Does that mean I'm paying more than non-Kick shoppers?

Why does Kick share so much with shoppers?

Where does the rest go?

About Kick Cashback