One BonusCashback
Updated 31 August 2026
Cashback returns a share of what someone spent, framed as money rather than as points. The mechanics are almost identical to a points program; what differs is how the customer thinks about it, and that difference is the whole reason to choose one over the other.
How cashback works
A percentage of the bill is credited back to the customer’s balance, and that balance is spent on a later purchase. Between two and ten percent is the usual range, and the number is chosen against margin rather than against the price on the shelf.
Where a bank pays cashback into an account the customer can spend anywhere, a shop paying its own cashback credits a balance only spendable with that shop. That is the version worth running: the money comes back to you.
Cashback or a discount
A five percent discount and five percent cashback cost a business the same amount on paper. They do not cost the same in practice, because a discount is paid out on every sale and cashback is only paid out when the customer returns to spend it.
Some earned cashback is never redeemed. That is not a trick — it is the normal outcome of any balance-based program, and it is why cashback usually costs less than the equivalent discount while feeling more generous.
Setting the rate
Start from margin. On a twenty-five percent margin, five percent cashback is a fifth of the profit on that sale, and it only pays for itself if it raises visit frequency or basket size enough to cover it.
A single flat rate is easier to explain than a tiered one, and a program nobody can explain at the counter is a program nobody uses. Raise the rate by level rather than by product if you want the number to do more work.
Cashback on One Bonus
On One Bonus, cashback is a points program with the numbers set so a point is worth one dram. The customer sees a balance in money, the business sets the percentage, and every credit and redemption is recorded, so what the program cost and what it returned are both visible rather than estimated.
Common questions
What is the difference between cashback and points?
Accounting-wise, almost nothing — both credit a balance the customer spends later. The difference is framing: cashback is denominated in money, so its value is obvious, while a points balance needs the customer to know the conversion rate before it means anything.
What is a good cashback percentage?
Three to five percent is typical in retail and food, higher in categories with fat margins and lower in fuel or groceries. Set it against margin: cashback worth more than a quarter of the profit on a sale needs a real lift in frequency to justify it.
Does cashback cost more than a discount?
Usually less. A discount is paid on every sale; cashback is only paid when the customer comes back to redeem it, and a share of every balance is never redeemed at all.
Run cashback on One Bonus
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