ShopBack Hong Kong Review: How Cashback Is Tracked and Confirmed, Withdrawal Rules, the Three Conditions for the HK$30 Referral Bonus and Code A5NtMe

ShopBack was founded in Singapore in 2014 and states that it serves more than 20 million annual active users; the Hong Kong service is provided by ShopBack Hong Kong Limited. Users shop on partner merchants' websites or apps by entering through ShopBack; the merchant pays ShopBack a commission, and ShopBack shares part of it with the user as cashback. Payment for the order goes to the merchant, and problems with an order are handled by the merchant's customer service.

ShopBack is not a bank or a stored value facility. Its terms of use state that the cashback in an account is not the user's property, does not represent any sum of money, is not funds held by ShopBack on the user's behalf, and cannot be transferred or pledged. In other words, cashback carries no deposit protection until it is withdrawn to a bank account, and should be regarded as a reward awaiting redemption rather than a deposit.

ShopBack can be used in the app (iOS 15 or Android 5.0 and above), on the website, and through the ShopBack browser extension for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. In store, ShopBack Pay pays by scanning the merchant's ShopBack QR code, and some shops also accept a linked Visa or Mastercard, Octopus or Alipay. In-store cashback shows as pending after the first purchase and becomes confirmed only when you return to the same shop and pay again within the stated period.

Cashback is calculated at the rate shown on the merchant page; for example, if a merchant offers 5%, a HK$100 order earns HK$5. Most merchants exclude shipping, service fees and surcharges, and the same merchant's rate changes over time. Shopping with a Hong Kong account in another country's or region's online store (for example, switching to a Korean site) results in the cashback being rejected.

ShopBack tracks orders with browser cookies and states that it cannot be certain every cashback will succeed. Its official advice: empty the shopping cart before going from ShopBack to the merchant; complete the purchase in one go on the same device, rather than starting in the app and checking out on the website; enter the merchant through ShopBack afresh for each new transaction; and do not tap other notifications or third-party adverts, or alter the web address, while shopping.

The following prevent tracking or lead to rejection: an ad blocker or VPN; a coupon code not provided by ShopBack; ineligible products, or a payment method the merchant does not accept; a subscription merchant where it is not your first subscription; and an order later cancelled, returned, exchanged or amended. Read the terms and the Dos and Don'ts on the merchant page before buying.

Merchants usually need about 48 hours to track an order, after which the cashback appears as pending in the cashback overview and the user receives an email. Once the merchant confirms the order is eligible, the status changes to confirmed and the amount becomes withdrawable; confirmation times differ by merchant and are shown in the withdrawable column on each merchant page. Travel bookings such as hotels are confirmed only after check-out or completion of the trip, which takes 90 to 120 days after the trip ends.

Confirmation takes time because merchants must verify the order, allow a cooling-off period for amendments, returns and cancellations, and check that the order came through ShopBack. If an order still has not appeared after 48 hours, a missing cashback report can be filed within 30 days of the purchase; if the system finds no browsing history for it, the order did not come through ShopBack and the report cannot be submitted.

The invite link on this page shows a "$30 referral extra bonus". ShopBack's help centre states that a new user who registers with a referral code or link must meet three conditions before the referral sign-up bonus is confirmed and shown in the withdrawable amount: a single order over HK$120 confirmed by the merchant; HK$50 of confirmed cashback earned from transactions, with challenges and other extra bonuses excluded; and updated withdrawal details.

The three conditions are met separately: a HK$120 order does not necessarily bring HK$50 of cashback, and campaign or challenge rewards do not count towards the HK$50 even when they appear in the account. Each condition shows a green tick in the app once met, and the bonus is confirmed only when all three are complete.

Open the link on this page on your phone. If ShopBack is already installed, the app fills in the referral details and you register as normal; if not, the link goes to the App Store or Google Play, and after installing you should tap the link on this page again, or tap "Enter referral code / reward code" on the sign-up page and enter A5NtMe. Registration requires a phone number never used for a ShopBack account, with a one-time passcode sent by SMS, WhatsApp or phone call.

Each new user may register on only one individual device, and self-referral does not qualify; ShopBack may cancel the referral bonus of users who break the rules, and repeat offenders have their accounts frozen. The amount and conditions of each promotion are as shown in the app at registration.

A5NtMe is our referral code.

HK$50 of confirmed transaction cashback is both the threshold for the referral bonus and the minimum for a first withdrawal. At merchant cashback rates, a 2% merchant needs HK$2,500 of eligible spending, a 5% merchant HK$1,000 and a 10% merchant HK$500; shipping and service fees are generally excluded.

Take HK$1,000 spent at a 5% merchant: HK$50 of transaction cashback plus the HK$30 referral bonus gives a withdrawable amount of HK$80, an overall return of 8%. The referral bonus is paid only once, when the threshold is first reached; the long-term value depends on the cashback rates of the merchants you use regularly, and on whether each purchase is tracked successfully.

A withdrawal can be requested once the withdrawable amount reaches HK$50 (extra bonuses excluded), to a bank account or by FPS; the FPS account name must match the registered name, and the verification email sent after adding the details is valid for only 30 minutes. Withdrawals are limited to HK$1,500 a day, and each takes 10 working days; proof of transfer can be requested from the withdrawal history if needed and arrives by email in about two working days.

If an account has no successful transaction through ShopBack for more than a year, its accumulated cashback and withdrawable rewards are reset to zero and cannot be withdrawn; ShopBack sends a reminder email about two months before. Only a valid order completed through ShopBack extends the validity; newly earned rewards do not count. Merging accounts is also possible only after all pending cashback has been confirmed.

ShopBack Plus is a paid membership offering higher everyday cashback at more than 35 merchants, an extra boost on Plus Day on the 15th of each month, and priority customer service. After the trial it renews automatically each month, with the fee deducted from the cashback balance, and it can be cancelled at any time under Account > ShopBack Plus; the help centre does not list the monthly fee, which is shown on the join page.

Earn More challenges include referring friends, buying at specified stores or reaching a set spending amount. Some have limited places or rewards: you must tap Join first and, once finished, return to the challenge page and tap Claim for the reward to be released. Progress on shopping challenges can take up to three days to update, rewards can be claimed only after both the purchase and the cashback are confirmed, and challenge rewards do not count towards the HK$50 needed for the referral bonus.

As of 24 October 2026, ShopBack is rated 3.9 on the Hong Kong App Store (5,264 ratings); its Google Play listing is shared worldwide and is rated 4.1 (about 500,000 ratings, more than 50 million downloads). Positive reviews mainly cite savings on travel and everyday online shopping and an easy-to-use interface.

Negative reviews concentrate on cashback that was not tracked or was rejected, especially on large orders such as flights and hotels; long confirmation times before cashback can be withdrawn; withdrawals marked complete but never received; accounts suspended after being flagged as suspicious; and customer service that mostly replies by bot. The practical response is to keep order confirmation emails and screenshots and to file a missing cashback report within 30 days.

It suits: users who shop, order food or book hotels online regularly and are willing to open ShopBack before buying; and those who can wait for merchant confirmation and complete at least one transaction through ShopBack each year. A new user who already has an online purchase over HK$120 planned, and whose everyday spending over a few months can build HK$50 of cashback, will find the HK$30 referral bonus within easy reach.

It does not suit: people who habitually use other coupon codes or ad blockers; those who need instant cashback, or whose large travel bookings must be tracked without fail; and people who shop online rarely and may not use it again within a year. Spending more than you need to secure HK$30 is not worthwhile.