How To Save Money Shopping Online!

 

So, with the holidays fast approaching, I thought I would do a post about saving money by shopping online. Did you know you can save LOTS of money by shopping online? I don't mean just with coupons, but by using online coupon codes and certain credit cards? Well, you are about to learn! :)

 

So, here are a few things to know before we start:

 

• PRICE - Sometimes the actual price will vary between in-store and online AND between online retailers. Plain and simple.
• COUPON CODES - There are many coupon codes that you can use online when you are "checking out" on a store website.  And there are also many codes out there for free shipping!
  
• SHOPPING PORTALS - There are actually websites that will offer you cash back for shopping online at stores just by clicking through their cash back website first!
• CREDIT CARDS - There are MANY rewards credit cards out there that give you anywhere from 1-5% cash back OR a bunch of "points" that you can redeem for things like travel, gift cards, etc.

So, there are quite a few ways to save money online.  The good news is that most of these are STACKABLE meaning that you can do more than one at a time!   Our goal is, to maximize our cash back option by going through a portal, getting the lowest price by using coupon codes, and then paying for that item with a credit card that will earn us cash back or points! It may be a bit overwhelming, but let's walk through it:

 

Here we go!

 

1.  Find the product you want to purchase.  If you are in-store, pull up the store's website on your phone and see if there is a price difference online. If you are online looking for the item, you can "google" the product and see which stores sell it for the lowest price. Don't forget to factor in shipping if you can't find a coupon code. (We'll talk about codes next)

2.  Search for online coupon codes. This is a very simple search that you can do by typing "kohls coupon code" or whatever the name of the store happens to be. I find that retailmenot usually has a pretty comprehensive list of codes.  Also, don't forget to look for codes that give you free shipping as well. The offers will vary, just find the one that best fits your needs.

3. Search the shopping portals.  Shopping "portals" give you cash back when you register on their website and click on the retailer you want to shop at. For instance, I most frequently use TopCashBack and Ebates as they generally have the best cash back offers. You can also find coupon codes here when you click on the retailer you wish to shop at.  Here is a snapshot of the money I have earned through these websites so far:

One important thing to note is that when using a cash-back website is that you need to read the fine print.  There are sometimes exclusions when buying certain items or things like gift cards, etc.  Also you usually do not earn cash if you are paying with a gift card from the store.

 

Also, check for portals through your credit card companies. For instance, if you have certain Discover cards, you can use ShopDiscover.com, or Chase has its own portal. There are LOTS out there! Another great way to search for the best cash back is to click on Evreward.com. However, this is not a comprehensive list, but a good guide to the portals!

 

**DISCLAIMER**  I am NOT in favor of using credit cards if you are not able to pay them off without paying interest. It does NOT work in your favor to use them to "save" money if you are not responsible in managing them. PLEASE do not use credit cards if you cannot or will not pay them off immediately with the funds you have. :)

 

4. Using Credit Cards. If you are not sure, go through the different cards that you have and see if there are any that give you rewards when using them to make a purchase.  The value will be different for everyone. If you have read my post on Cheap Travel, you will see that I value certain cards more than others. Just choose what rewards you value most. 

 

Some cards will give you special offers at different periods of time. For instance, right now,

my American Express card will give me $10 off my bill with a $50 purchase from Lowes.com, plus my points on the purchase. Also, I can get 10% off a $50 order on DisneyStore.com when using my Disney Visa Card plus the 1% back in points on that purchase. Both of these bonuses are in addition to the coupon codes I use and any cash back received from a portal. 

 

It takes a bit of getting used to when shopping online. The biggest thing to remember is to read the fine print. If you are making a big purchase, shop around for the best price online, look for free shipping and look for great coupon codes! They are out there!

 

**I would love it if you chose to use my links for TopCashBack and Ebates when registering. It would help me keep this blog going!**

Don't forget to pin this so you can come back to it every gift-giving season! :) God bless!