Why we don't publish a ranked cashback table
Cashback and switching offer amounts change frequently, campaigns end and restart with different terms, and a table with numbers copied from provider pages six months ago is actively misleading by the time you read it. We would rather send you to check current terms directly than print figures we cannot stand behind.
If you want a like-for-like comparison of current UK business accounts, use our comparison tool and then verify the specific offer on each provider's own current page before applying.
What actually makes an offer good
- The reward is achievable for how your business actually operates, not just for a hypothetical heavy spender.
- The qualifying conditions are things you would do anyway — normal card spend, not an artificial spending spree.
- The account underneath the offer suits your business independently of the cashback.
- The provider is transparent about timing: when you'll be paid, and what happens if a condition is missed.
The account matters more than the offer
A £200 incentive that gets you into an account with the wrong feature set, poor multi-user access, or fees that don't suit your transaction pattern is a bad trade over twelve months. Work out whether the account is right for your business first, using our how-to-choose guide, and treat the offer as a tie-breaker between accounts you'd already be happy with.
How to actually evaluate an offer you're looking at
- Read the full terms, not the advert. Note the qualifying spend, the holding period, and the payment date.
- Work out whether you would naturally meet the qualifying conditions without changing your normal spending.
- Check whether you are eligible at all — most offers exclude existing or recent customers of that provider.
- Confirm which application route you must use for the offer to be tracked correctly.
- Decide separately whether you'd want the account even without the offer.
Red flags in how an offer is marketed
Be sceptical of any site guaranteeing a payout, quoting a fixed amount without conditions, or omitting the qualifying window entirely. Genuine offers always have conditions; a page that hides them is not doing you a favour.
Where Tide's REFER200 campaign fits
REFER200 is the specific partner campaign this site was built to document, offering up to £200 split across a card spend stage and an Instant Saver deposit stage. It is a reasonable example of how a well-structured offer looks: staged, conditional, and clearly tied to genuine account usage rather than sign-up alone. Read our dedicated offer page for the current terms before applying.
A decision framework instead of a ranking
- Step 1: shortlist two or three accounts that fit your business structure and transaction pattern, using our how-to-choose guide.
- Step 2: check whether each has a current offer, and read the actual terms rather than a summary.
- Step 3: honestly assess whether you'd meet the conditions without changing your normal spending or setting aside money you actually need.
- Step 4: use the offer as a tie-breaker only between accounts you'd already be happy to hold.
Comparison criteria worth applying to any offer
Achievability — can you meet the conditions through normal business activity? Transparency — does the provider publish a clear payment timeline? Stacking — can the offer combine with, or does it conflict with, that provider's own referral scheme? Account quality independent of the offer — would you choose this account with no incentive attached at all? An offer that scores well on the first three but fails the fourth is still a weak choice.
Honest caveat about “up to £200” style offers generally
Any offer advertised as “up to” a ceiling is describing the maximum achievable if every stage is met, not a typical or guaranteed outcome. Some applicants will only complete one stage, some none, depending on their genuine spending and saving pattern — and that is a normal, expected outcome, not a failure of the offer.