# Cashback Boost Monitor — Rate Change Alerts (`smart-shopping-data/cashback-boost-monitor`) Actor

Get alerted when cashback rates change for your stores on Rakuten, TopCashback, BeFrugal, Capital One Shopping, Mr. Rebates and ShopBack (US, UK, AU): boosts, cuts and new listings. Schedule it; pay only per change.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/smart-shopping-data/cashback-boost-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [smartshopping-data](https://apify.com/smart-shopping-data) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, AI, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$10.00 / 1,000 rate changes

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Cashback Boost Monitor — Rate Change Alerts

**Get told the moment a cashback rate changes for the stores you care about: "Nike on Rakuten: 2% → 10%", "Walmart now on TopCashback", "ASOS cut from 5% to 3%".**

Cashback portals boost rates for a day or two at a time, often without much notice. This Actor watches your list of stores on Rakuten, TopCashback, BeFrugal, Capital One Shopping, Mr. Rebates and ShopBack across the US, UK and Australia. Each run returns **only what changed since the last run**. Put it on a schedule and connect it to email, Slack, Telegram, Discord or a webhook, and you have a cashback alert feed.

| Country | Portals |
|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 US | Rakuten, TopCashback, BeFrugal, Capital One Shopping, Mr. Rebates |
| 🇬🇧 UK | TopCashback |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | TopCashback, ShopBack |

### What you can do with it

- 🔔 **Personal alerts:** know when your favourite stores are boosted before you buy.
- 📣 **Deal channels and newsletters:** a steady feed of "cashback boost" posts for Telegram, Discord, X or email.
- 📊 **Market tracking:** see how often each portal boosts and cuts rates for a set of stores.
- 🤖 **Automations:** trigger a Zapier or Make scenario whenever a store crosses a rate you care about.

### How it works

1. **First run:** saves the current rate for every store and portal as a baseline. Boosts the portal flags itself (Rakuten's "10% Cash Back, was 2%") are reported straight away.
2. **Every later run:** compares with the previous run and returns one row per change.
3. **Schedule it:** hourly or daily in Apify Console (Schedules). Keep the same store list and watchlist name.

Rates are remembered in a key-value store named `cashback-boost-monitor-state` in your own Apify account, one record per watchlist.

### Change types

| `changeType` | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `increase` | Rate went up since the last run |
| `portal-boost` | The portal itself shows a boost ("was 2%"), reported once per boost |
| `new` | The store started offering cashback on this portal |
| `decrease` | Rate went down |
| `removed` | The store stopped offering cashback on this portal |
| `changed` | Switched between a percentage and a fixed amount |

Rate increases and decreases are reported on the first run that sees them. A store **appearing** (`new`) or **disappearing** (`removed`) is reported once it has been seen on **two runs in a row**, because portals occasionally serve a page without the cashback block and a single odd reading would otherwise be a false alarm. Temporary errors (timeouts, blocks, outages) are never reported as changes; the last known rate is kept until the portal can be read again.

### Input

```json
{
  "merchants": ["Nike", "ASOS", "Walmart", "Best Buy", "Sephora"],
  "countries": ["US", "UK", "AU"],
  "watchlistName": "default",
  "changeTypes": ["increase", "portal-boost", "new"],
  "minChangePoints": 2
}
```

| Field | What it does | Default |
|---|---|---|
| `merchants` | Stores to watch (names or domains) | required |
| `countries` | `US`, `UK`, `AU` | all three |
| `portals` | Limit to specific portals | all |
| `watchlistName` | Separate memory per watchlist, so several schedules don't interfere | `default` |
| `changeTypes` | Which kinds of change to report | all |
| `minChangePoints` | Ignore changes smaller than this many percentage points | `0` |

### Output

One row per change:

```json
{
  "merchant": "Nike",
  "portal": "rakuten-us",
  "portalName": "Rakuten",
  "country": "US",
  "changeType": "increase",
  "oldRateText": "2%",
  "newRateText": "10%",
  "oldRateValue": 2,
  "newRateValue": 10,
  "changePoints": 8,
  "rateType": "percent",
  "isUpTo": false,
  "previousCheckAt": "2026-09-26T09:00:00.000Z",
  "checkedAt": "2026-09-27T09:00:00.000Z",
  "url": "https://www.rakuten.com/shop/nike"
}
```

The `SUMMARY` record counts the changes by type.

### Pricing

Pay per change: you are only charged for changes reported. Runs where nothing changed cost nothing beyond Apify's small platform usage. If a run hits your maximum cost, the changes it could not report are reported on the next run.

### Related Actors

- [Cashback Rate Comparison](https://apify.com/Smart-Shopping-Data/cashback-rate-comparison): the best cashback for any store across Rakuten, TopCashback, BeFrugal, Capital One Shopping, Mr. Rebates and ShopBack (US, UK, AU).
- [Rakuten Cashback Scraper](https://apify.com/Smart-Shopping-Data/rakuten-cashback-scraper): every Rakuten (US) store with its current rate.
- [TopCashback Scraper](https://apify.com/Smart-Shopping-Data/topcashback-scraper): every TopCashback store in the US, UK and Australia with its current rate.
- [Deal Scraper](https://apify.com/Smart-Shopping-Data/deal-community-scraper): the latest Slickdeals, hotukdeals and OzBargain deals, with keyword alerts.

### Support

Found a bug or need a portal added? Open an issue on the **Issues** tab.

*Rates are read from each portal's public pages and change often. Check the portal before buying.*

# Actor input Schema

## `merchants` (type: `array`):

Store names or domains, e.g. Nike, ASOS, walmart.com. Keep the list the same between runs so changes can be compared.

## `countries` (type: `array`):

Which countries' cashback portals to check.

## `portals` (type: `array`):

Limit to specific portals. Leave empty for all portals in the chosen countries.

## `watchlistName` (type: `string`):

Rates are remembered per watchlist between runs. Use a different name for each separate list or schedule.

## `changeTypes` (type: `array`):

increase and decrease compare with the previous run; portal-boost is a boost the portal itself flags ("was 2%"); new is a store newly offering cashback; removed is a store that stopped; changed is a switch between % and fixed amounts.

## `minChangePoints` (type: `number`):

Ignore increases and decreases smaller than this many percentage points (or currency units for fixed amounts).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "merchants": [
    "Nike",
    "ASOS",
    "Walmart",
    "Best Buy",
    "Sephora"
  ],
  "countries": [
    "US",
    "UK",
    "AU"
  ],
  "portals": [],
  "watchlistName": "default",
  "changeTypes": [
    "increase",
    "portal-boost",
    "new",
    "decrease",
    "removed",
    "changed"
  ],
  "minChangePoints": 0
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

## `summary` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "merchants": [
        "Nike",
        "ASOS",
        "Walmart",
        "Best Buy",
        "Sephora"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("smart-shopping-data/cashback-boost-monitor").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "merchants": [
        "Nike",
        "ASOS",
        "Walmart",
        "Best Buy",
        "Sephora",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("smart-shopping-data/cashback-boost-monitor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "merchants": [
    "Nike",
    "ASOS",
    "Walmart",
    "Best Buy",
    "Sephora"
  ]
}' |
apify call smart-shopping-data/cashback-boost-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,smart-shopping-data/cashback-boost-monitor"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/G8TC7sUTmxwNak3Nz/builds/8J9RjyPQWg7JwN9dJ/openapi.json