As the Holiday shopping season is now in full swing, here are some tips to consider before and after checking out:
Online Only
Make Sure To Get Cashback (and Other Rewards)
- Shopping through eBates is a great option (gives you a percentage of money back for doing so). New members get a free $10 gift card after their first purchase through Ebates.
- Or search Cashbackholic (www.cashbackholic.com), a service that helps maximize your cash back rebate
- Other considerations for cashback — Swagbucks, Plenti, and eBay Bucks
See if there are any promo codes available to stack on
- RetailMeNot is a great resource for coupon and promo codes
- Install the Honey browser extension that will automatically search for and apply available promo codes
See if there are any free shipping offers available
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With ShopRunner, you can get free Express Shipping at stores like Newegg, Staples, Saks Fifth Avenue, Vera Bradley, 1800Flowers and more. Sign up for a free trial now or Paypal members can score a FREE 2 Year Membership.
- Pick up in-store
- Free Shipping Day | FreeShipping.org
Bonus tips
- You may receive discounts or coupons from retailers just by abandoning your shopping cart
- Use price alerts – set up notifications about Amazon price changes using tools such as camelcamelcamel
- Outsmart dynamic pricing by clearing your browsing history and cookies, signing out of your social media sites, and switching to private browsing in your browser
- Chat online – ask for a lower price or inquire about promotions/discounts using a retailer’s online instant chat service (never hurts to ask!)
In Store Only
Get rewarded for simply walking into stores
- Install the Shopkick app on your phone to view all rewards and offers
See if there are any coupons available to stack on
- Check out Coupons.com for printable coupons, coupon codes, loyalty coupons, and more
Both In Store and Online
Make Sure You Are Getting The Best Price (Find The Best Deals)
- Use Price Grabber to search for the item you are looking to purchase (i.e. Samsung 40″ TV) or use a phone app like Red Laser
- InvisibleHand shows a discreet notification when there are lower prices available on a product (online browser extension)
- There are also sites like Blue Kangaroo and Cost Shredder that are great resources in helping you get the best price
- Price Match – Walmart’s Savings Catcher gives you a refund if an item is advertised cheaper at a competitor’s store
Be a Follower
- Follow your favorite retailers on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks
- Sign up for email alerts
- Download their mobile apps as well and sign up for text alerts
Look for discounted gift cards
- Sites like Raise.com (<- Get a $5 credit for using this link to sign up!) and Gyft.com offer many discounted gift cards below face value
- eBay often has discounted gift cards available as well. Here is one example: eBay Gift Card
- Swagbucks has introduced a new site called MyGiftCardsPlus that will give you SBs for buying gift cards
Choose the best method of payment
- Many credit cards companies offer cash back on purchases, so it may be wise to use them depending on the situation / circumstances
- One example is the Barclaycard Rewards MasterCard (1% cashback)
- Consider store credit cards as well — Store Credit Cards That Are Worth It
- If shopping at Target, use your REDCard to save an extra 5% + Free Shipping (on order $25+)
- Speaking of shipping, choose “Ship to Store” to save money if that option is available
Once your shopping is done…
- Open your Ibotta phone app to find additional rebates for anything you bought
- Keep your receipts! There are a number of apps that will pay you for a photo of your receipts, such as Yaarlo and Receipt Hog.
- If you buy something and it goes on sale later, Paribus automatically works to get you money back
- Link your credit card to Acorns to invest spare change automatically into a diversified portfolio
Are there any steps in the process I am missing that should be noted? Comment below!