Online shopping from the comfort of your own home can be truly therapeutic. Not only will you avoid the long lines, but you’ll also avoid other customers who may fight you for the latest gadgets! The only thing better than shopping online is the process of scoping out the best deals with a click of your mouse. Here are a few ways you can save money online with little effort.
Use Coupons Codes and Deal Apps
Most websites will delegate coupon codes to their followers via their email subscription service, but if you haven’t signed up yet, you’re bound to miss out. However, many good samaritans upload coupon codes to coupon apps and websites that are accessible through a Google Search. Apps like Honey, install directly to your browser and do all the work for you!
Browse on Websites That Locate Discounts
Aren’t sure what you’re looking for? Worried that you’ll miss out on a deal you didn’t even know was offered? Websites like Buyer’s Guide can solve your problems. Say you’re looking for the best braces on the Internet, and you stumble upon a kit service that seems to offer a fair price. Top buyer guide sites can guarantee that’s the case through research and product trials.
Find Websites that Offer Free Shipping
It’s not worth paying a low price on an item only for the cost of shipping to negate what you saved in the first place. Many websites offer free shipping as a guarantee, either through a subscription or a special deal, but most businesses will remove the cost of delivery from your order if you buy up to a certain amount. Either way, free shipping will save you a lot of money.
Leave Items in Your Cart
As long as you subscribe to a website’s mailing list, they’ll be able to send you an email after you leave items in your cart. Only a select few retailers will do this, but if you choose to be patient, you may receive a 10-20% off coupon without doing a thing! At the same time, this method avoids impulse purchases and gives you the chance to shop for more deals.
Buy Discount Gift Cards
If you know you’re going to spend money at a specific store, search on websites like CardCash for discounted gift cards. Although these sites offer protections for people who may sell used gift cards, that concept may still weird you out. Costco, Old Navy, and Wal-Mart often sell unused gift cards after the holidays for 10% less, so keep an eye out during their boxing dale sales.
Avoid Dynamic Pricing
Dynamic pricing is when retailers hike up the prices of online items based on your location, search history, and the device you’re using. To make sure you’re not paying more when you don’t have to, clear your browsing history and cookies, switch to private browsing, and log off of social media. You could also use a VPN to encrypt your IP address and browsing data entirely.
Talk to Chat Boxes
Did you know that those live chat box pop-ups can provide you with multiple ways to save money? Ask one of the service agents on any website if they have any special discounts or current promotions they’re willing to share. Some companies will even activate an expired discount code or give you a special promo price because they want to keep your business.
Browse Social Media
It pays to follow your favorite stores on social media because it’s the first place they’ll announce flash sales or coupon codes. Some of the best deals you can find will be found or activated at random, not during special events or holidays. Tread carefully here. If you’re not careful, social media could tempt you with major impulse buys or bulk shopping, so take a day to decide!