15% back in points
My Best Buy Plus / Total membership
Best Buy's paid rewards tier earns points on nearly every purchase, redeemable on future orders. Pays for itself above $1,000/year in spend.
Best for: Frequent Best Buy shoppers
Updated July 2026 · 9 min read
How to Get Cashback at Best Buy
Best Buy doesn't advertise cashback loudly — but with the right stack of memberships, portals, and cards, savvy shoppers routinely earn 5% to 15% back on TVs, laptops, appliances, and gaming gear.
If you shop at Best Buy more than twice a year, you're almost certainly leaving money on the table. Unlike Amazon, Best Buy doesn't have a single unified rewards program that maxes out savings automatically. Instead, cashback comes from combining multiple programs — and knowing which one to click first is the difference between a 2% refund and a 12% one.
This guide breaks down every legitimate cashback channel at Best Buy in 2026, shows you how to stack them, and highlights the pitfalls that quietly kill your rewards (looking at you, gift cards and Apple exclusions).
The 6 ways to earn cashback at Best Buy
Ranked by effective return rate for an average shopper. Each channel is independent — you can layer several on the same order.
25–6% back
My Best Buy Visa credit card
Co-branded Citi card earns points at Best Buy plus 3% on gas and 2% on groceries. Includes 0% promotional financing on qualifying purchases.
Best for: Large planned purchases
31–8% cash
Cashback shopping portals
Rakuten, TopCashback, Capital One Shopping, and Ibotta pay real cash for click-throughs. Rates spike during holiday events.
Best for: One-off electronics buys
42–6% off
Discounted gift cards
Buy Best Buy gift cards below face value on Raise or CardCash, then pay with them at checkout. Stack with a rewards card.
Best for: Predictable spend
51–5% back
Browser cashback extensions
Honey, Capital One Shopping, and Microsoft Rewards surface hidden offers at checkout and often stack with portal or card rewards.
Best for: Set-and-forget savings
6Variable
Price match refunds
Best Buy honors price drops for 15 days after purchase. Track prices and claim the difference via chat — effectively a retroactive discount.
Best for: TVs, laptops, appliances
1. My Best Buy Plus & Total (the base layer)
Best Buy's paid membership tiers replaced the old Elite/Elite Plus program. My Best Buy Plus ($49.99/yr) earns 5% back in points on most purchases plus free 2-day shipping. My Best Buy Total ($179.99/yr) adds Geek Squad protection and 24/7 tech support.
Points post as certificates you redeem on future orders. If you spend more than $1,000/year at Best Buy, the Plus membership pays for itself before the second purchase.
2. The My Best Buy Visa credit card
Issued by Citi, this co-branded card earns 5–6% back at Best Buy in the form of My Best Buy points, plus 3% on gas and 2% on groceries. Cardholders also get exclusive 0% financing offers on purchases over $299 — a hidden form of savings if you'd otherwise finance elsewhere.
Watch the trade-off: the card's standard APR is high (30%+ in 2026), so only use promotional financing if you can pay it off before the promo period ends. Otherwise deferred interest wipes out your rewards.
3. Cashback shopping portals
Portals like Rakuten, TopCashback, Capital One Shopping, and Ibotta pay you to click through their link before landing on BestBuy.com. Rates fluctuate — from a weak 0.5% during quiet weeks to 8–10% during Black Friday or Prime Day counter-promotions.
| Portal | Typical rate | Payout speed |
|---|---|---|
| Rakuten | 1–6% | Quarterly check or PayPal |
| TopCashback | 1.5–8% | Anytime, no minimum |
| Capital One Shopping | Rewards credits (~2%) | Gift-card redemption |
| Ibotta | 1–4% | PayPal or gift cards at $20 |
| BeFrugal | 1–7% | Check, PayPal, or gift card at $10 |
4. Browser extensions & automatic offers
Capital One Shopping, Honey, and Microsoft Rewards all inject cashback offers straight into the Best Buy checkout page. They're not always the highest rate, but they catch promotions you'd otherwise miss and stack with credit-card rewards.
5. Best Buy gift cards bought at a discount
Sites like Raise and CardCash sell discounted Best Buy gift cards at 2–6% below face value. Combine with a portal offer and a rewards credit card, and your effective discount stacks even higher. Note: Best Buy portal offers usually exclude orders paid entirely with gift cards, so split payment.
6. Price match + retroactive claims
Not cashback in the strict sense, but Best Buy's 15-day price match policy effectively refunds the difference if the item drops in price after you buy it — or if you find it cheaper at Amazon, Target, or a local competitor. Set a price tracker like camelcamelcamel or Keepa's Best Buy equivalent, and file the claim through chat.
The stacking playbook
A real-world example: buying a $1,499 OLED TV on a Saturday in November.
- Step 1−$60 (4%)
Buy a discounted Best Buy gift card on Raise
Pick up $1,500 in Best Buy gift cards at ~4% off face value.
- Step 2−$74.95 (5%)
Activate the top cashback portal offer
TopCashback runs a 5% promo on TVs during November. Click through fresh.
- Step 3−$44.97 (3%)
Pay with the My Best Buy Visa
You already spent the gift cards, so the card earns 3% on the residual $1,499 in points — plus you get 0% financing on the balance.
- Step 4−$16.45
Set a price tracker and claim if it drops
Panel prices drop ~1% on average within 15 days post-Black-Friday. Claim the difference via chat.
Total effective cashback
$196.37 (13.1%)
On a $1,499 TV, with no coupon codes and no haggling.
Common pitfalls that kill cashback
- Apple products are excluded from nearly every portal offer and most credit-card category bonuses. Buy Apple via Apple's education store or a stacked Amazon deal instead.
- Ad blockers can break portal tracking cookies. Whitelist your portal of choice or open a fresh incognito window before clicking through.
- Returns reverse portal cashback and My Best Buy points. If you're likely to return, don't count the rewards until they clear (usually 45–60 days).
- Gift cards and third-party marketplace items on BestBuy.com are excluded from most cashback programs — check the portal's terms before adding them to cart.
Frequently asked questions
Does Best Buy offer direct cashback like Rakuten?+
No. Best Buy's own rewards program pays in points redeemable at Best Buy, not cash. For true cashback, you need a portal like Rakuten or TopCashback, or a rewards credit card.
Can I stack a portal offer with the My Best Buy credit card?+
Yes. The credit card issues points on the transaction, while the portal pays cash for the click-through. They're independent systems and both should trigger on the same order.
Are Apple products excluded?+
Almost always. Apple typically doesn't allow reseller cashback promotions. If you're buying Apple, check Apple's education pricing or wait for a stackable Amazon deal.
How long does portal cashback take to arrive?+
Pending status usually shows within 7 days; the cashback becomes withdrawable in 45–90 days after Best Buy's return window closes.
Is the My Best Buy Plus membership worth $49.99?+
If you spend more than ~$1,000/year at Best Buy, yes — the 5% points return pays for itself. Below that, portals alone are usually enough.
Start earning on your next order
Bookmark this guide — we update rates monthly as portal promotions and Best Buy membership benefits change.