This JamDoughnut cashback app review was written in collaboration with JamDoughnut. The codes and links contained in this review are affiliate codes/links. Find out what this means here. However all words, opinions and pictures are mine. Use the code 19PE when signing up to receive £2 when you make a purchase.
I’d not heard of the JamDoughnut cashback app when they approached me to work with them, but I’ve used online cashback sites in the past and successfully saved myself several thousand pounds over the years, so I asked them to give me a few weeks to scope it out while I decided if it was right for me.
In the first two days, I made enough money to cash out (£10 including a £2 sign up bonus). Within the first week I was up to £18.04. Not megabucks – I’m not making big promises here – but definitely enough to make it work signing up for free.
Hopefully what follows is a thorough review of the Jam Doughnut cashback app, but if you have any questions do feel free to leave them in the comments.
How does the JamDoughnut app work?
Essentially the JamDoughnut app is an affiliate scheme which makes money by selling you prepay voucher codes for supermarkets, restaurants, pubs and shops – both online and in store. It then gives you some of the money back as points in your ‘jar’, which can be converted into cashback when you hit the £10 threshold.
They will also get a portion of the affiliate money given to them by the merchant when you make a purchase – just like I do when you buy something from my site via Amazon, for instance – which means the app is free for its users, with a transaction fee (30p) when you go to cash out.
The app is very easy to use. You buy a code for the amount you want to spend, and then use it in place of cash or card at the till, like you would with gift vouchers. The vouchers are all stored in the app so you can find them when you need them, or download to your google wallet.
If you pay by bank transfer using your banking app, your cashback is higher as there are no card fees.
How much can I expect to save using the JamDoughnut cashback app?
How much money you can expect to save using the JamDoughnut cashback app depends how much you spend, and where. According to JamDoughnut, their average user saves over £500 per year.
If you do tend to go to chain restaurants – and I’ll admit, when the kids are with me I do – then the money will add up quickly as many of these offer around around 7-10% in cashback; a couple of coffees in Costa (8%) or Cafe Nero (6%), or lunch at Zizzis (7%) or Toby Carvery (9%) and you can earn a few pounds very easily.
If you’re buying large items – for example furniture – or clothes, then once again, it can add up very quickly too.
Your weekly shop is likely to offer the least percentage wise, but it will add up. For instance, if you spend £100 a week on groceries, you can make £1.50 – £3 back a week (between £78 and £156 per year) depending on where you shop.
The key is to check on the app if a shop is included before you pay, so you never miss cashback.
Making money on JamDoughnut app via friend referrals
If you join JamDoughnut via a friend’s referral code, you’ll automatically get £2 when you make your first valid purchase. You will also receive £4 for every friend you refer who then goes on to cash out £10 or more. If you want to sign up, my referral code is 19PE and you can use it here.
You also have until midnight on Monday 26th June 2023 to sign up using my code (19PE) to be in with a chance of winning £100.
My example shows how your cashback can quickly add up:
I had a very expensive week ahead so decided to see how much use I could get out of the app.
On Thursday, I went to B&M: I was due a large shop in B&M, with furnishings for the new room, plants and plant pots, washing powder and other boring things. The shop came to £140, so I used vouchers to pay and got 3% of my shop back. = £4.20. I also got a £2.0 sign up bonus which meant a total of £6.20 on day one.
The following day, I met a friend for dinner and we ended up at Zizzis quite by accident. We spent £80.58 including the tip and drinks, which meant £5.64 cashback.
The next day we went to Ikea. Yes, on a Saturday. Another £79.50 spend at 2% gave me a small saving of £1.59.
On Sunday, we popped to Waitrose for some picnic food and spent £27.78, which was another 69p.
On Monday I met a friend for a cup of tea in the local Toby Carvery. The bill came to £10.18, but with a 9% cashback rate that added another 91p. I went to Tesco to do the weekly shop. I pre-loaded £200 of vouchers which will cover us for a few weeks and this gave me £3.
Not every week will be such a high spend week (I definitely won’t be buying that many plants or furnishings again soon, and the Tesco voucher will cover me for a few shops) but if you are planning on making a large purchase, it can really add up – and even if you’re not, using it for your weekly shop will get a few pennies in your pocket thanks to the Jam Doughnut app.
Don’t forget! You have until midnight on Monday 26th June 2023 to sign up using my code (19PE) to be in with a chance of winning £100.
Tips for using the JamDoughnut app
Here are some tips for using the JamDoughnut app:
In supermarkets: Supermarkets offer slightly lower cashback rates however they’re the shops you’re likely to spend most regularly in, so it’s worth using!
If you use scan as you shop, then wait until you are done, and buy the voucher just before you queue. If you use the self service tills, you scan the code as a gift voucher on your phone.
NB Tesco say they can take up to two hours to deliver vouchers. This isn’t my experience (it was much quicker) but if you’d prefer to pay in advance for several weeks of shopping it can help you to budget too. I bought £200 in vouchers (with a 1.5% cashback rate) which will last me for a few weeks.
In pubs and restaurants: Lots of chain pubs and restaurants are on the app and it’s very easy to use. Ask for the bill, then buy your voucher code for the exact amount you need. When it arrives a minute later in your JamDoughnut app wallet tell the serving staff you have a gift voucher. It’s not like a money off code that can only be used at certain times or only on food – it’s just like using cash, and you can use it together with deals, two-for-ones, blue light discount etc..
In regular shops: If you’re shopping in a regular shop I wouldn’t advise waiting until you are at the till to buy your voucher. I have done this a few times when it hasn’t occurred to me to check sooner, and it only takes a minute, but if there’s a queue behind you then it could be a bit rude. Instead, use your phone calculator to keep track of how much you’re spending and then pre-buy the voucher, or use the self-service tills.
Online: Some shops and even some supermarkets also offer online shopping. Obviously you can wait until the last moment before purchase, buy the voucher from the Jam Doughnut cashback app and apply it as needed. Be sure to check the shop first as some shops (eg Tesco) only accept vouchers in store.
JamDoughnut cashback app review
I worried that it might be tricky to use, but it really wasn’t and I was surprised how many shops which I use are on the scheme.
Is the JamDoughnut cashback app free?
The JamDoughbut cashback app entirely free to download and use the app. To cash out, you will need to pay a transaction fee of 30p which will come out of your accumulated cashback.
Which stores are on the JamDoughnut cashback app?
Currently, the stores below are signed up to the JamDoughnut cashback scheme:
- adidas UK
- Airbnb UK
- Aldi
- All Bar One
- AMARA
- Argos
- Arsenal F.C. UK
- ASDA UK
- ASK Italian UK
- asos
- ASOS GB
- Asterley Bros
- B&M
- B&Q
- Beer52
- Bella Italia UK
- Bloom & Wild
- Bonmarche
- BoohooMan
- Boots
- Browns
- Burton UK
- BUSUU GBP
- Butlins by Inspire
- Buyagift
- Cafe Rouge UK
- Caffe Nero
- Carpetright
- Caseable
- Champneys
- Charity Shop
- Chef & Brewer
- Cineworld
- Cineworld UK
- Clarks
- Cornerstone
- Costa
- Cote Brasserie
- Currys
- Decathlon
- Decathlon GB
- Deliveroo
- Donald Russell (can’t find backend)
- Eating Inn
- Ember Inns
- Ernest Jones
- Eurostar UK
- Farmfoods
- Farmhouse Inns
- FatFace
- FatFace UK
- FAYRE & Square
- Flaming Grill
- Foot Locker
- Go Ape
- Good Night Inns
- Google Play
- Gousto 2 Person 2 Recipe Box UK
- Gousto 4 Person 2 Recipe Box UK
- Gousto UK
- GREAT BRITISH Pub Card
- Greene King
- Gruum
- H Samuel
- Habitat
- Halfords
- Harvester
- Harvey Nichols UK
- Healthy Minds Club
- Hello Fresh
- Hobbycraft
- Hotel Giftcard
- Hotelsgift
- Hungry Horse
- Hussle
- Iceland
- Iceland UK
- IKEA UK
- InnKeppers Lodge
- Inspire Travel Gift Card
- Inspire UK Staycation
- JD Sports
- John Lewis & Partners
- JoJo Maman Bebe
- Just Eat UK
- Just Eat
- Laithwaite’s
- Las Iguanas UK
- Lastminute.com Flight Gift Card
- lastminute.com Travel
- Lavish Spa & Beauty
- Lavish Spa Vouchers
- Little Starts
- Loch Fyne
- London Theatre Direct
- Mango
- Marks and Spencer
- Matalan
- Miller and Carter
- Morrisons
- Morrisons Fuel Card UK
- Nails Inc
- Naked Wines
- Nando’s
- NastyGal
- NastyGal UK
- National Book Tokens
- National Express
- National Trust UK
- New Look
- New Look GB
- Nicholsons
- Nintendo eShop
- Nintendo Switch Online
- ODEON UK
- Old English
- O’Neils
- Paperchase
- Photobox UK
- Pizza Express
- Pizza Hut
- Pizza Hut Restaurants UK
- Prezzo
- Primark UK
- Rakuten
- Red Letter Days
- Restaurant Card
- Rituals UK
- River Island
- Royal Caribbean by Inspire
- Sainsbury’s
- Screwfix
- Selfridges
- Singa
- Sizzling Pubs
- Spoke
- Sports Direct
- Sports Direct UK
- Spotify UK
- Stipendium
- Stonehouse UK
- Superdry
- Superdry UK
- Swarovski UK
- tastecard
- Ted Baker
- TESCO
- The Body Shop UK
- The Dining Out Card
- The Hotel Card
- The National Garden Centre
- The Restaurant Card
- Theatre Tokens
- Ticketmaster
- TK Maxx
- Toby Carvery
- TripGift
- Turtle Bay Restaurants
- Uber
- Uber Eats
- Vintage Inns
- Virgin Experience
- Virgin Giftcards
- Virgin Wines
- Wacky Warehouse
- Wallis
- Wallis UK
- Waterstones
- Wayfair UK
- Wellness Card UK
- WHSmith
- Xbox
- Xbox Currency
- Xbox Live Gold 3 Months
- Zalando
- Zalando GB
- Zalando GB Men
- Zalando GB Women
- Zizzi UK
Downloaded it (and used your referral), we spend loads in those shops so thanks!!