"Cash back"

Question

Can 'cash back' refer to the balance change a cashier has to give the customer?

AABB1 · Accepted Answer

Just an addition to my post: Can I say "Please don't give me less cash back" instead of "Please give me the exact balance change"?

Thanks!

Blue Jay · Answer

Cash back usually refers to extra money with your regular change: when you pay with a debit card and get the store to charge extra on the card and give you the difference in cash. It doesn't refer to normal change, such as you would get if you paid with a $20 bill for $15 worth of goods.
Usually it appears as an option on the card-reader screen when you swipe your card. If you don't say you want cash back you will get no change at all on a debit transaction.

AABB1Can I say "Please don't give me less cash back" instead of "Please give me the exact balance change"?

Neither of these is natural. The first doesn't make much sense.
Please give the exact change is sometimes seen in places such as buses and toll booths, where they either cannot give change or where they prefer to get the exact amount because it is quicker.

Philip · Answer

AABB1Just an addition to my post: Can I say "Please don't give me less cash back" instead of "Please give me the exact balance change"?Thanks!

You don't need to say either.
If you are depositing a check into a bank account, there is often a space for "less cash back" referring to a portion of the money you take in cash rather than have deposited.

Fivejedjon · Answer

PhilipIf you are depositing a check into a bank account, there is often a space for "less cash back" referring to a portion of the money you take in cash rather than have deposited.

That system does not exist in the UK.

"Cash back"

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