Why Your Cashback Was Not Tracked: 8 Reasons and What to Do (Cashback Not Tracked)

Cashback at Soleback usually appears in your account as “Pending” within 48 hours of a purchase. If you still see nothing after that, the most common causes in October 2026 are an ad blocker or privacy extension, buying without clicking “Activate cashback”, and a discount code from outside Soleback. Below are eight reasons for missing cashback, how to recognise each one, and the exact order of steps to follow when you see a “cashback not tracked” problem.

We are writing this as the Soleback team, based on our help centre, FAQ and terms and conditions as we read them on 22 October 2026. Where we rely on experience rather than a term from the rules, we say so plainly.

The short version

• Normal tracking time: usually up to 48 hours, and the cashback then shows as “Pending”
• Approval: once the shop confirms the purchase, usually after 30-90 days, depending on the shop's returns policy
• Most common reason for cashback not showing: an ad blocker or a privacy-focused extension
• Second most common: not clicking “Activate cashback”, or closing the shop tab before paying
• Discount codes: a code from an outside site can stop the cashback from being tracked, so it is safer to use codes from Soleback
• Reporting: the “Balance” page, the “Report missing cashback” button, a deadline of 28 days, and a check that usually takes 48 hours
• What cannot be fixed: a returned or cancelled order, and a commission rejected by the shop

Before you decide your cashback is lost: statuses and tracking time

First check whether this really is missing cashback and not just normal waiting. Cashback passes through several stages, and only the first one happens within a day or two.

• No entry: 48 hours after the purchase there is nothing on your “Balance” page. This is the genuine “cashback not tracked” case
• Pending: there is an entry, but the shop has not yet confirmed the purchase. This usually takes 30 to 90 days, because the shop waits for the returns period to pass
• Approved: the shop has confirmed the purchase and the money is ready to withdraw
• Rejected: the shop cancelled the order, accepted a return or did not confirm the transaction

Two numbers are worth remembering. The first is 48 hours, after which a missing entry justifies a report. The second is 30-90 days, during which a “Pending” entry is normal and you do not need to do anything. The terms give an average of 90 days for the whole process and say this is only a guide, so with shops that have a long returns window, a result closer to 90 days is not a fault.

Reason 1: an ad blocker or privacy extension

This is the most common reason in our FAQ. The shop recognises that a purchase came from Soleback by the cookies stored in your browser. An ad blocker or privacy extension can block those cookies, and then the order looks to the shop like an ordinary purchase with no intermediary.

How to recognise it: you use AdBlock, uBlock, Ghostery, built-in tracking protection or similar tools, and the purchase did not appear after 48 hours.

What to do:

1. Turn off the blocker on the website of the shop where you are buying. The Soleback site works properly even with a blocker switched on, because the problem lies with the shop's site
2. Refresh the shop page and activate cashback again
3. Only then add products to your basket and pay

The terms add that browser extensions and malware can stop a shop from recognising an order correctly. In that case Soleback is not liable for unregistered cashback, so this is a cause best removed before you buy, not after.

Reason 2: buying without clicking “Activate cashback”

Cashback is only created when you reach the shop through a Soleback link. That is what the terms say, and the FAQ describes it in practical terms: you go to the shop's page on Soleback and click “Activate cashback”, after which the shop opens in a new tab with a cashback session running.

How to recognise it: the shop came up in a search engine, you typed its address from memory or opened it from a bookmark, and you bought straight away. The Soleback extension and the shop's page on our site were not opened along the way.

What to do: for your next purchase, start from the shop's page or from the extension. A purchase made without activation usually cannot be fixed, but it is worth reporting if you are certain you did activate (more in the section on reporting).

This is our inference, not a term from the rules: clicking a link in a shop's marketing email after you have activated cashback on Soleback may take over the session. During shop campaigns, it is better to buy in a single, freshly activated session.

Reason 3: a closed shop tab or a purchase in a different session

The FAQ is precise here: you need to complete the purchase in the same browser session, without closing the shop tab. It lists closing the tab and reopening it as one of the reasons cashback is not tracked.

How to recognise it: you closed the tab after activating, you returned to the shop only the next day with a full basket, and you finished paying on another device or in another window.

What to do:

1. Activate cashback just before you buy, not the day before
2. Do not close the shop tab between activation and payment
3. If your basket has been waiting since yesterday, activate cashback again and finish the purchase in the same tab

Two notes that are our inference, not a term from the rules. First, a purchase in a shop's mobile app does not go through the browser, so a Soleback session will usually not cover it. Second, an interrupted payment that you finish later from the shop's email carries the same risks as a closed tab.

Reason 4: a discount code from outside Soleback

The FAQ warns that some exclusive codes from outside sites can interfere with cashback tracking. So when it comes to codes, there is a simple rule: use codes listed directly on Soleback, because those are the only ones we know work with tracking.

How to recognise it: the cashback went missing on exactly the order where you used a code from a newsletter, an influencer, a messaging group or another site's coupon page.

What to do:

1. Before you pay, check on Soleback whether there is a current code for the shop
2. If the code comes from outside and the cashback rate matters more to you than the discount, skip the code
3. Turn off the extensions of other discount services that insert codes at the checkout themselves. This is our inference: such tools may change the source of the order

To be fair, exceptions depend on the shop. On the page for each shop on Soleback you will find the conditions and a list of exceptions, including codes and sales that may rule out cashback.

Reason 5: your browser clears or blocks cookies

Purchase tracking relies on cookies, so a browser setting that deletes them also deletes the proof that the purchase began on Soleback. The FAQ lists automatic cookie clearing as one of the reasons cashback is not tracked.

How to recognise it: your browser is set to delete site data when it closes, you use an aggressive private mode, or you have a tool that cleans up cookies in the background.

What to do:

1. Turn on cookie support in your browser
2. Turn off automatic cookie clearing while you shop
3. Use a current version of Chrome, Firefox or Edge, which the FAQ lists as supported

Reason 6: the purchase does not meet the shop's conditions

The terms link tracking to a purchase made in line with the conditions given both on Soleback and by the shop. Cashback is only created once the order has been successfully completed and paid in full.

How to recognise it: the payment was not completed, the order is awaiting payment, or the item you bought is covered by an exception on the shop's page.

Variants of this reason:

• Unfinished payment: an unpaid order does not generate cashback
• Excluded products or offers: the shop's page on Soleback lists exceptions, for example sales or limited releases
• A run of quick purchases at a shop with a fixed payout: the terms prohibit many quick purchases in a row at flat-rate shops, because such orders may not be registered and, in extreme cases, may be treated as abuse

What to do: before you buy, open the shop's page and read the conditions, noting the date they were read. After you buy, keep the order confirmation email and a screenshot of the payment page, which is what the terms ask for.

Reason 7: the order was cancelled, returned or rejected by the shop

Here the cashback has not failed to track. You have simply stopped being entitled to it. The terms make cashback conditional on the product not being returned and the service not being cancelled. Soleback can also reject cashback if the shop does not confirm the transaction or if the commission does not arrive within 18 months of the purchase.

How to recognise it: the entry on your “Balance” page changed to “Rejected”, and in the meantime the goods went back to the shop or the order was cancelled, either by you or by the shop because an item was out of stock.

What to do: you cannot change this after the fact, but you can check that the order really was cancelled in full. If the shop confirmed the purchase and the cashback was rejected anyway, write to support with the order number.

Remember the timing too. A purchase with a long returns window will stay “Pending” for longer, and that is not a fault but the expected process described above.

Reason 8: a technical fault at the shop, the affiliate network or the service

Sometimes you do everything right and the purchase still does not reach settlement. The terms describe this directly: if the shop does not pass on information about the purchase, or Soleback does not receive the commission, cashback is not credited until such data is obtained.

How to recognise it: none of reasons 1-7 fits, you did activate, the blocker was off, the code came from Soleback, and there is still no entry after 48 hours.

What to do: report the missing cashback. In this case a report is the right tool, because our team can check the order with the shop.

One important caveat that follows from the terms: if the fault is in the Soleback service itself, Soleback does not consider requests for a manual cashback refund. Such faults are rare, but it is better to know this rule before you report than after a refusal.

How to check which reason applies to you

Go through the questions in order. The first “yes” usually points to the cause.

1. Has it been less than 48 hours since the purchase? If so, wait, because this is not yet missing cashback
2. Did you click “Activate cashback”, or was the extension running, before you paid? If not, it is reason 2
3. Did the shop tab stay open from activation to payment? If not, it is reason 3
4. Was an ad blocker or privacy extension running? If so, it is reason 1
5. Did you use a discount code from outside Soleback? If so, it is reason 4
6. Does your browser clear cookies? If so, it is reason 5
7. Does the shop's page list exceptions that cover your order, or was the payment not completed? If so, it is reason 6
8. Was the order returned or cancelled? If so, it is reason 7
9. If the answer to everything is “no”, it is probably reason 8 and time to report it

How to report missing cashback step by step

1. Log in to your Soleback account
2. Go to the “Balance” page
3. Click “Report missing cashback”
4. Enter the order details: shop, date, order number and amount
5. Submit the report and wait for the check, which usually takes up to 48 hours

Two timing rules. There is no point filing a report earlier than 48 hours after the purchase, because during that time the entry may still appear by itself. On the other hand, do not put it off indefinitely: missing cashback can be reported within 28 days, so do it as soon as the first 48 hours have passed.

If the report does not work for some reason, or you need to speak to a person, write to us through the contact form. The support team usually replies within 24 hours. You will also find quick answers to common questions in the FAQ.

What details and documents to prepare

A good report is settled faster, because the team does not have to ask follow-up questions. Prepare:

• The order number from the shop
• The date and time of purchase and the name of the shop
• The order amount in pounds, exactly as on the confirmation
• The order confirmation email from the shop
• A screenshot of the payment page, if you took one
• The discount code, if you used one, and where it came from
• Details of your browser and extensions, especially ad blockers

Be honest about what happened at the time of purchase. The terms treat falsifying or altering screenshots, invoices and receipts as a breach that ends in loss of the cashback and a blocked account. Honest information about an ad blocker is not a reason for refusal, and it helps establish the cause.

What happens after you report, and what we do not promise

A report starts a check, but it does not guarantee a payout. The outcome depends on what the shop confirms.

• The shop confirms the purchase: the cashback is added to your account as “Pending” and follows the usual approval path
• The shop does not see a visit from Soleback: we have no basis for crediting it and, in extreme cases, the report is rejected
• The order was cancelled or returned: you are not entitled to cashback
• The cause was a service fault: the terms do not provide for a manual refund

The terms also state that Soleback is not liable for cashback that is not registered for technical reasons on the shop's side, because of browser extensions or because of malware. That is why prevention is worth more than reports after the fact.

How to avoid losing cashback next time: a 30-second checklist

1. Go to the shop through its page on Soleback or through the extension, and click “Activate cashback”
2. Turn off your ad blocker for the shop's site
3. Do not close the shop tab until the payment is complete
4. Use codes from Soleback, and with outside codes accept the risk of losing the cashback
5. Read the exceptions on the shop's page before you buy
6. Take a screenshot of the payment page and keep the confirmation email
7. Check your “Balance” page after 48 hours to see whether the entry has appeared

The most convenient step to automate is the first. The Soleback extension shows the cashback rate in the shop, displays discount codes and activates cashback with one click, so you do not have to remember it at the checkout.

What to do depending on your situation

• Less than 48 hours since the purchase: wait and check your “Balance” page. A missing entry at this stage does not mean anything yet
• More than 48 hours and no entry: go through the list in the diagnostic section, then use “Report missing cashback” within 28 days
• Cashback “Pending” for several weeks: this is normal, as approval usually takes 30-90 days
• An ad blocker was running or an outside code was used: report it anyway and say so plainly, but be prepared for a possible refusal
• Order returned or cancelled: you are not entitled to cashback, so there is nothing to report
• Cashback rejected even though the shop confirmed the purchase: write to support with the order number and the confirmation

Start your next purchase from the Soleback extension, check the current promotions and discount codes, and if something goes wrong, visit the help centre.