Pluxee Card: Why cashback shouldn’t just be for Black Friday

Three things to know:

1. Cashback isn't just for Black Friday: Employees can earn cashback year-round with participating retailers.

2. Everyday spending can create everyday value: The opportunity isn't necessarily about buying more. It's about getting something back when employees spend with participating retailers they already want to shop with.

3. Small cashback amounts can become a habit: The more naturally the card fits into someone's normal spending, the more likely cashback is to become part of their everyday routine.

Black Friday cashback or everyday cashback?

Black Friday puts saving money firmly in the spotlight. But what about the rest of the year? From the weekly food shop to clothes, eating out, and everyday essentials, your employees spend money almost daily. 

Black Friday can be brilliant when you already have something on your shopping list: a TV, new trainers, Christmas presents, or something you've deliberately waited to buy.

The danger is when the deal becomes the reason to spend.

Countdown clocks, limited stock, and huge percentage reductions are designed to make an offer hard to ignore.

Everyday cashback starts somewhere different.

Instead of asking: What can I buy while it's cheaper?

The question becomes: I'm going to spend this money anyway. Could I get something back?

The Pluxee Card lets employees earn up to 15% cashback at more than 80 participating retailers. You can use it as a cashback-earning employee benefit and as part of your reward strategy. 

The point isn't that employees should ignore Black Friday. Saving money shouldn't have to wait for Black Friday.

What is the Pluxee Card?

The Pluxee Card is a prepaid cashback card that employees can load with funds and use to make purchases. Employers can also add funds for rewards, incentives or financial support. Learn more about is in our blog, 'The Pluxee Card: Your Ultimate Guide'.

With over 80 participating retailers, including supermarkets, employees can earn up to 15% cashback on their regular spending. 

The headline percentage isn't really the whole story. The more interesting question is: How much value can employees create from the spending they're already doing?

Why everyday cashback can support financial wellbeing

Financial wellbeing isn't only about dealing with financial difficulty. It's also about helping people make better use of the money they have and make smarter spending choices, especially when cutting back isn’t an option.

That's where cashback has a useful role.

The Pluxee Card supports spending on everyday essentials and other purchases through a cashback network of more than 80 participating retailers. 

It doesn't increase someone's salary. It doesn't make something affordable if it isn't already within their budget. It certainly isn't a solution to every financial challenge.

The Pluxee Card gives employees a chance to get some money back when they spend on things they were planning to buy anyway.

Nothing extra. No flashy deals. Just a cashback pot that keeps growing. 

Quick takeaway:

Cashback is at its most useful when it complements an existing purchase, rather than becoming the reason to make one.

From the big shop to the weekly shop

A lot of the conversation around cashback focuses on big purchases, especially during seasonal sales. Getting money back on something expensive feels valuable, and it is, but there's another way to look at it.

Consider all the smaller transactions that happen between one Black Friday and the next:

• The weekly food shop
• Clothes
• Household purchases
• Eating out
• Gifts
• Days out
• Christmas shopping
• Other planned purchases

The individual cashback amount may not always be the most interesting part. It's the chance to keep getting value back over time and make a much bigger impact.

Before I worked for Pluxee, I thought cashback was a con! I didn’t understand why you’d get something for free. Two years later, I’ve earned about £800 in cashback. On how easily it fits into her routine, she says: “It’s that simple and consistent. I don’t even need to think about it.

Kirsty Goes, Head of Financial Accounting at Pluxee UK

How could everyday cashback work in practice?

Imagine an employee spends £100 with a participating retailer offering 5% cashback: That's £5 cashback. It doesn't sound transformational in isolation, but that's exactly the point. Everyday cashback isn't supposed to be a once-a-year windfall. Its potential value comes from repetition.

If employees develop the habit of checking whether cashback is available before making purchases they already intended to make, individual savings can build over time.

• The important principle remains: Buy what you need. Check what's available. Get something back where you can.
• Not: Spend more because there's cashback available.

That distinction matters if cashback is going to sit credibly within a financial wellbeing strategy.

Make cashback a habit, not another forgotten benefit

Of course, giving somebody access to cashback doesn't mean they'll automatically remember to use it. That's the challenge with nearly every employee benefit. Employees need to understand:

• What the Pluxee Card is
• Where cashback is available
• That cashback rates vary by retailer
• How the Card fits into their usual spending
• Why it's worth checking before they shop

Simply announcing a new benefit isn't enough. 

Black Friday actually gives employers a useful communications moment. People are already thinking about getting better value from their money. Rather than allowing that conversation to end when November does, employers can use it to introduce a much simpler behaviour:

Before you spend, check whether you could get cashback.

Repeat that message throughout the year, and cashback is more likely to become an employee habit rather than something they remember twice a year.