Cashrewards ceases operations after 11 years

Australia – Popular local cashback platform Cashrewards has announced an immediate cessation of its services, marking the end of an 11-year run in the affiliate and rewards industry.

In a statement posted on the company’s landing page, it stated that as of 12:00 pm AEST on Monday, 8 September 2025, Cashrewards stopped offering cashback deals across its website, mobile app, and browser extension.

Moreover, transactions completed before Thursday, 11 September 2025, will still be processed—either approved or declined—within three days following the shutdown. Users with untracked or disputed transactions must submit any queries by 11:59 am AEDT on Friday, 10 October 2025; requests received afterward will not be assessed.

Members are also advised to withdraw their cashback balances by 11:59 am AEDT on Friday, 24 October 2025. Withdrawals can be made to a linked bank account or PayPal. If users do not initiate withdrawal by the deadline, remaining funds will be automatically transferred—preferably to the linked bank account (if both options are linked) after this deadline.

Founded in 2014 by Andrew and Lorica Clarke, Cashrewards began as a cashback platform inspired by the Clarke family’s experience with the Starlight Foundation during their son’s illness. It quickly gained traction, offering cashback ranging from 3% to 6% on purchases made through its affiliate links.

Cashrewards grew to more than 2 million, and in some reports, 2.5 million members, partnering with over 2,000 major retailers including Apple, Myer, THE ICONIC, Adidas, Bonds, Booking.com, Amazon, Chemist Warehouse, ShowPo, Cotton On, Uniqlo, and Target.

Financial impact over its lifetime was significant: the platform returned approximately A$165 million in cashback to users, generated over A$4 billion in sales for partner retailers, and contributed more than A$1.9 million to the Starlight Foundation—benefiting around 45,000 children and families.

Despite its popularity to consumers, Cashrewards had a turbulent corporate history. It launched with bootstrapped funding, received $5.25 million in debt capital in 2018, pursued an IPO in 2020, but within a year was taken private again by ANZ’s venture capital arm, 1835i Ventures, at a significant discount to IPO pricing. The company had then expanded its offerings with in-store cashback via Visa and Mastercard, a retail media arm called Circuit, and the acquisition of the price-tracking platform Little Birdie in 2024 .

Although no formal reason was provided for the closure, some analysts point to ANZ’s broader cost-cutting measures under a new CEO, suggesting that Cashrewards falling short of financial expectations may have contributed to its demise.