{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.cashback-website","code":"thing-q1047380","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1047380/","name":"cashback website","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.OBJ"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A cashback website is an online referral service that returns part of the commission it receives from participating merchants to users whose purchases are tracked and approved under the service's terms.","purpose":"Enable an AI agent to recognise a cashback website, assess whether a purchase can earn a reward, and determine which tracking, claim or withdrawal actions are available.","scope":{"in":["Merchant offers, cashback calculations and purchase eligibility","Referral activation, purchase attribution and tracking evidence","Reward confirmation, rejection, reversal and missing-cashback claims","Cashback balances, withdrawal conditions and payout status","Service operator identity, applicable terms and tracking permissions"],"out":["Merchant product catalogues, checkout systems and order fulfilment","General coupon discovery without purchase-linked cashback","Card issuer reward programmes independent of the website","Affiliate networks as independent organisations and technical platforms","Bank accounts and payment providers used to receive withdrawals"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Presents an explicit entitlement to a purchase-linked reward rather than merely displaying a discount code or sale price.","Connects reward eligibility to an attributable purchase, such as a referral click or an explicitly supported linked-payment mechanism.","Provides a way to inspect or claim rewards separately from the merchant's order history.","Defines a route from a qualifying purchase to cash or cash-equivalent redemption; points-only loyalty services require an explicit boundary decision.","Acts as an intermediary for merchant purchases rather than solely refunding part of its own retail sales."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"cashback-service-boundary","name":"Cashback service boundary","description":"Establishes which service promises the reward and how it relates to merchants and users.","layers":[{"id":"operator-and-market","name":"Operator and market","description":"Identifies the operator and the market-specific version of the cashback service.","findings":[{"id":"reward-responsibility","name":"Reward responsibility","description":"Record the entity named in the applicable cashback terms and the territory those terms cover.","questions":[{"text":"Which entity operates this website and is named as responsible for cashback rewards?","id":"reward-responsibility-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which country, currency and account-residency conditions determine the applicable service terms?","id":"reward-responsibility-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"cashback-membership-boundary","name":"Cashback membership boundary","description":"Separates the purchase-linked cashback service from neighbouring rewards and shopping functions.","findings":[{"id":"qualifying-service-mechanism","name":"Qualifying service mechanism","description":"Identify the mechanism that makes this a cashback website and distinguish additional features from that defining mechanism.","questions":[{"text":"What purchase-linked benefit can the user receive, and how can it be redeemed?","id":"qualifying-service-mechanism-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which features are separate coupon, loyalty, referral-bonus or retail services rather than purchase cashback?","id":"qualifying-service-mechanism-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"merchant-offers-and-eligibility","name":"Merchant offers and eligibility","description":"Captures the offer that applies to a particular purchase and the conditions for earning it.","layers":[{"id":"offer-value-and-version","name":"Offer value and version","description":"Preserves the applicable reward formula and its time-sensitive terms.","findings":[{"id":"applicable-reward-formula","name":"Applicable reward formula","description":"Record the offer version, eligible spend basis, rate or fixed value, and any caps or tiers.","questions":[{"text":"What cashback formula applies to this merchant, customer category and product category at activation time?","id":"applicable-reward-formula-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What dated offer evidence supports the rate, spending basis, cap and validity period?","id":"applicable-reward-formula-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"purchase-qualification","name":"Purchase qualification","description":"Identifies conditions that can exclude or alter an otherwise relevant merchant purchase.","findings":[{"id":"exclusions-and-stacking","name":"Exclusions and stacking","description":"Record restrictions on products, customer status, payment methods and combinations with other promotions.","questions":[{"text":"Which products, subscription events, payment methods or customer categories are excluded?","id":"exclusions-and-stacking-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"How do coupon codes, gift cards, loyalty benefits or competing referral offers affect eligibility?","id":"exclusions-and-stacking-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"activation-and-attribution","name":"Activation and attribution","description":"Describes how a purchase becomes associated with a cashback account and how that association can be checked.","layers":[{"id":"earning-path","name":"Earning path","description":"Defines the supported sequence from offer activation to merchant purchase.","findings":[{"id":"tracking-prerequisites","name":"Tracking prerequisites","description":"Record the documented activation steps and technical conditions for each supported earning route.","questions":[{"text":"What must the user activate, link or submit before or after purchasing to establish attribution?","id":"tracking-prerequisites-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"What documented rules govern consent settings, browser sessions, app handoffs, device changes and subsequent referral clicks?","id":"tracking-prerequisites-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"attribution-evidence","name":"Attribution evidence","description":"Connects activation records, merchant orders and tracked cashback entries.","findings":[{"id":"purchase-tracking-reconciliation","name":"Purchase tracking reconciliation","description":"Record enough evidence to distinguish absent tracking from delayed reporting or an incorrectly matched purchase.","questions":[{"text":"Which click, activation, order and cashback identifiers can establish that the records refer to the same purchase?","id":"purchase-tracking-reconciliation-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How long does the service say tracking should take, and from which event is that interval measured?","id":"purchase-tracking-reconciliation-q02","kind":"measurement"}]}]}]},{"id":"reward-validation-and-disputes","name":"Reward validation and disputes","description":"Tracks how estimated cashback becomes accepted, rejected or reversed and how discrepancies can be challenged.","layers":[{"id":"reward-state-transitions","name":"Reward state transitions","description":"Interprets provider status labels and the events that change reward entitlement.","findings":[{"id":"confirmation-and-reversal-conditions","name":"Confirmation and reversal conditions","description":"Map observed reward states to their documented meaning, including dependencies on validation, returns and funding.","questions":[{"text":"What does each provider status establish about merchant validation, reward entitlement and payout availability?","id":"confirmation-and-reversal-conditions-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which events can reduce, reject or reverse cashback, including partial returns and cancellations?","id":"confirmation-and-reversal-conditions-q02","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"What confirmation interval is stated, and does it depend on fulfilment, a return period or merchant payment?","id":"confirmation-and-reversal-conditions-q03","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"claims-and-appeals","name":"Claims and appeals","description":"Defines recovery routes for missing, incorrect or rejected cashback.","findings":[{"id":"admissible-cashback-claim","name":"Admissible cashback claim","description":"Record claim eligibility, submission evidence, deadlines and available escalation routes.","questions":[{"text":"When may a missing or incorrect cashback claim first be filed, and what is the final submission deadline?","id":"admissible-cashback-claim-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"Which purchase and activation evidence is required, and which sensitive fields can be omitted or redacted?","id":"admissible-cashback-claim-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"What reason was given for rejection, and what review or appeal action remains available?","id":"admissible-cashback-claim-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"redemption-and-account-conditions","name":"Redemption and account conditions","description":"Determines whether recorded rewards can be withdrawn and which account or tracking conditions affect that outcome.","layers":[{"id":"balance-and-payout","name":"Balance and payout","description":"Separates displayed earnings from withdrawable funds and completed payments.","findings":[{"id":"withdrawable-value","name":"Withdrawable value","description":"Record payable balances, redemption methods, thresholds, fees and payout progress without combining incompatible currencies or reward types.","questions":[{"text":"How much is withdrawable through each method after thresholds, fees and any documented conversion?","id":"withdrawable-value-q01","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What steps and user authorisation are required to request a payout, and what evidence confirms receipt?","id":"withdrawable-value-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which redemption options deliver money and which deliver vouchers or other restricted value?","id":"withdrawable-value-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"account-access-and-permissions","name":"Account access and permissions","description":"Captures account restrictions and data permissions that affect earning, claims and redemption.","findings":[{"id":"continued-earning-and-redemption","name":"Continued earning and redemption","description":"Record documented verification, inactivity, suspension and permission conditions relevant to the user's rewards.","questions":[{"text":"Which verification, inactivity, expiry or suspension rules can block withdrawal or remove a balance?","id":"continued-earning-and-redemption-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which tracking or linked-payment permissions are required for the chosen earning mechanism, and where are they documented?","id":"continued-earning-and-redemption-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What happens to pending rewards, claims and payable balances if the user revokes permissions or closes the account?","id":"continued-earning-and-redemption-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-confidence-notes","name":"Check these first","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these check these first hold for the sense of cashback website this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-confidence-notes-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of cashback website this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of cashback website this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of cashback website this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of cashback website this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of cashback website this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of cashback website this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of cashback website this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain how a cashback website works and what its terms say about tracking and payouts.","Help a user track pending and approved cashback on their own account."],"mustNot":["Share a user's purchase history or tracking data beyond what they agreed to.","Promise cashback amounts the terms do not guarantee.","Create fake purchases, accounts or referrals to claim cashback.","Push users to buy things they did not intend to buy to earn a reward."],"requiresHuman":["Closing an account or withdrawing a user's balance."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Cashback sites track shopping behaviour, which is personal data.","Rewards can encourage overspending among people in financial difficulty."],"affectedParties":["Users","Merchants","People in financial difficulty"]},"owners":{"steward":"The operator of the website; users own their account balances under its terms.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q7319034","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.cashback-website","Wikidata: Q1047380 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1047380)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["Service operator: Website-to-operating-entity relationship, with applicable territory","Purchase attribution mechanism: Referral link; linked payment instrument; receipt submission; other documented mechanism; unknown","Offer calculation basis: Percentage of eligible spend; fixed amount per qualifying event; tiered; other documented formula","Advertised reward value: Percentage or monetary amount with currency, offer conditions and observation time","Eligible purchase base: Documented treatment of tax, delivery, fees, discounts, gift cards and excluded products","Reward lifecycle status: Untracked; tracked; pending; confirmed; payable; rejected; reversed; paid; unknown, mapped to provider terminology","Tracking and claim windows: Hours or days from a named event, with earliest and latest applicable times","Minimum withdrawal amount: Monetary amount and currency per payout method; none; unknown","Withdrawal eligibility: Eligible; below threshold; verification required; restricted; suspended; unknown","Reward funding dependency: Conditional on merchant or network payment; operator-funded; mixed; unspecified"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["A website listing shops with percentages or amounts of cash back.","Users click through to a shop and later see pending and confirmed rewards."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Compare cashback offers using eligible spend, exclusions and redemption costs.","Guide a user through the documented activation and purchase-tracking requirements.","Estimate conditional cashback while distinguishing it from confirmed earnings.","Reconcile tracked rewards with purchase evidence and identify discrepancies.","Prepare a missing-cashback claim or rejection appeal within the applicable window.","Determine available withdrawal methods and initiate a user-authorised payout when eligible."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Tracking failures leave users without promised rewards.","Account takeover can steal balances and personal data."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Regulation (EU) 2016/679, General Data Protection Regulation, European Union."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Cashback websites are used during online shopping to obtain rebates on eligible purchases from participating merchants.","Users consult them to compare offers, activate referrals and monitor pending or approved rewards.","Purchase tracking, merchant approval and withdrawal conditions determine whether a displayed reward becomes payable."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1047380: cashback website","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1047380","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Cashback website","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashback_website","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Does the registry's PHY / PHY.OBJ placement intentionally model the website as a technical artefact, or should the service and information-system aspects be linked to another classification?","Does an existing Vercy world model already cover cashback websites or an equivalent concept that this entry should reference?","Should voucher-only or convertible-points services qualify as cashback websites, and what redemption test should establish that boundary?","Which attribution mechanisms belong in the core kind model, and which should be optional extensions supported by researched examples?","How do representative providers and applicable jurisdictions differ on when cashback becomes an enforceable entitlement, how it is funded and when it may expire or be reversed?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1047380/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1047380/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T08:24:32Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:25+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}