How Cashback Works in India: From Click to Payout

By Mintback · Updated 3 Nov 2026

What happens between clicking a cashback link and getting paid: affiliate tracking, pending and confirmed cashback, and the common reasons an order does not track.

Cashback sites are paid by stores, not by shoppers. When you reach a store through a tracked link and buy something that qualifies, the store (usually through an affiliate network) pays the cashback site a referral commission. The site passes part of that commission back to you as cashback. That is why cashback depends on the store confirming the order, and why it is never instant.

The journey of one order

1. You open a store on Mintback, read the offer terms and exclusions, and activate its tracking link.
2. The store's site opens with a tracking reference attached. You shop and pay on the store's own site.
3. If the order tracks, the affiliate network reports it, and it appears in your account as pending.
4. The store checks the order against its programme rules and its return window, then confirms or rejects it.
5. Confirmed cashback becomes available, and you can request a withdrawal once your balance meets the minimum.

Why an order may not track

Tracking relies on the store recognising that your visit started from the tracked link. It commonly fails when:

• you started on the store's site or app directly, or switched device or browser before paying;
• an ad blocker or strict cookie setting removed the tracking reference;
• another link (for example a different coupon or price-comparison site) was clicked after the tracked link;
• you used a coupon code the store has not approved for that offer;
• the product, category, payment method or gift card is excluded by the store's programme.

Pending is not paid

Pending cashback is an estimate, not money owed. A return, cancellation, chargeback or an order the store judges ineligible reduces or reverses it. Rates are set by each store's programme and can change, which is why every Mintback store page shows the current rate and terms rather than a fixed number.

Next steps

• Mintback payout rules: what happens after an order is confirmed.
• Stacking coupons with cashback: the order of steps that keeps tracking intact.
• Browse stores by category or see today's coupons.

Cashback is never guaranteed: it depends on the store tracking and confirming your order under its programme terms. Mintback earns a commission from partner stores when you shop through its links.