Getting good deals on services and products online is easier than offline, but you’ve to plan and compare prices from several stores. Knowing the name of the product or service you want to buy could help the search. Buyers can find better deals on platforms that offer state sales, garage sales, moving sales, and specialty stores. Spend less on your next online purchase with these money-saving tips.
Compare Prices Before You Buy
You know it’s almost impossible to check numerous online stores one by one to compare prices. List the products you want to buy and enter the names on different price comparison websites. Many price browser plugins and websites have user-friendly search functions that allow you to find products with ease. For example:
- PayPal Honey is a top-tier price comparison browser extension. It automatically searches for coupons on over 30,000 sites and sieves the results to give you the best deals.
- PriceBlink is a free browser add-on that searches over 4,000 merchant stores to help you find lower prices.
- ShopMania compares products and services from hundreds of renowned international and local online stores and offers reviews, specifications, and deals to help you buy cheaper.
- RetailMeNot scans and shows the best deals in different product categories and shares top deals and coupons. Its Deal Finder browser extension makes getting amazing deals, cash backs, and voucher codes a breeze.
- CamelCamelCamel scans the prices of products on Amazon, helping you find the right product for your money.
Dozens of other price comparison websites and browser extensions target specific regions, too. Price comparison websites like Twenga, PriceRunner, Kelkoo, and Shopalike are the real deal for European clients. For clients in the USA, Russia, Brazil, and India, Shopping.com is your go-to price comparison website.
Check Price History and Set Sale Alerts
It’s so easy to assume that a product you’re eyeing is cheap because other stores offer it at a higher price. However, you will be surprised to realize it was cheaper some hours or months ago. Visit price comparison websites like PayPal Honey and CamelCamelCamel to learn more about the historical pricing data of different products.
A quick preview of a product’s pricing history gives you the power to decide whether to buy now or wait. It wouldn’t make any economic sense to buy a product at $50 if the past pricing never surpassed $40. Websites like PayPal Honey have a Droplist function that sends alerts to buyers when the price of a product drops significantly.
Search for Coupons
When shopping online, coupons also come in great to help you save some money. Vouchers are available everywhere online, but getting them is where the problem is. The following are easy ways to get coupons and save on your online purchases:
- Coupon Browser Extensions: Coupon browser add-ons make it easier to search for coupons. After you add items to the shopping cart, the plugins automatically scan for related coupon codes. They also search for and recommend better price offers from other online stores.
- Online Newsletters: Signing up for newsletters run by different retailers is another way to learn about the latest coupons and deals. Retailers share seasonal discounts and coupon codes with their email subscribers. However, they can send lots of annoying emails per day. Set up a separate email for your newsletter subscriptions and online shopping to avoid your email getting flooded.
- Search for Relevant Coupons: Many reliable websites that compare coupons and showcase them regularly exist. CouponFollow, HotUKDeals, CouponCabin, MyDealz, Cuponomia, and The Krazy Coupon Lady are top of the list.
Strategically plan your timing to get more value from coupons. Special deals and coupons are available on social days such as Cyber Monday and Black Friday. Take note of fake coupons that direct you to malware-infected websites. The Coupon Information Center records all blacklisted coupon codes and coupon sites.
Try to Get a Retroactive Discount
Often, buying and paying for a product doesn’t automatically seal the deal. Yes, you paid for your product, and it was delivered, but that does not mean you cannot raise a claim if you feel the product was overpriced. Every online store has a unique price adjustment policy, which allows several days or weeks for a client to claim their retroactive credit.
If you notice that a product’s price goes down shortly after you pay for it, you might be eligible for price adjustment benefits. Call customer service or use the online chat function to inquire about your purchased product. Make sure to give them detailed information about your purchase, and you will be surprised at how easy the process of reclaiming a retroactive discount could be. Do note, though, that not all online retailers offer a retroactive discount.
Maximize Cash Back on Every Purchase
Cash-back credit cards are a great way to get rewarded for spending on online purchases. Rewards include rotating, cash-back bonuses, or flat-rate cash backs. They have varied reward categories, fees, and welcome bonuses. Select a cash-back card that suits your financial goals, budget, and spending habits.
Flat-rate cards offer an equal percentage discount on each dollar spent regardless of the spending category. Cash-back credit bonus categories offer special cash-back rates based on the purchase type. You might earn more rewards on some products than others in this reward category. A rotating credit card category gives you a flat percentage on every purchase.
Know the category you spend more money on and settle for a credit card that falls under that category. Consider getting credit cash-back cards with a sign-up bonus, and don’t forget to sign up for quarterly bonus categories. You might get higher bonuses when using rewards to shop on e-commerce or travel websites. Never carry balances, as they might deny you fantastic cash-back rewards.
Plan Your Shopping List in Advance
Having a list of items you want to buy is the best way to avoid overspending on things you don’t need. Don’t just start shopping until you know what you need and budget accordingly. Don’t always buy every product you think of. Instead, create a list and wait until you get deals for the same. You could get some products at highly discounted rates on special shopping days like Cyber Monday, Memorial Day, Black Friday, and Presidents’ Day. When you have a list of items you need and monitor their prices, you can easily buy them whenever they get a discount.
If you have some pending purchases that can’t wait until prices drop, you might need to diversify your income. You don’t necessarily need to start hustling again, as you can earn passive income with platforms such as Pawns.app. This website is one of the best passive-income-generating platforms on the internet, enabling you to diversify and increase your revenue in three ways. You could decide to be a survey panelist or affiliate program marketer or share your internet traffic for money.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Compared to offline purchases, there are plenty more ways online to save some extra pennies and maximize your budget. Of course, there’s still plenty of research and monitoring work to do, but you can also alleviate that by using several of the strategies outlined here.
Whether scanning the internet for coupons or getting cash-back bonuses, there’s always a way to take advantage of one or more money-saving opportunities. Using the tips mentioned here will make your wallet forever thankful.
FAQ
How Can I Save Money on Online Orders?
Shoppers can take advantage of the many saving opportunities at their disposal. Some great ways to save on your next purchase include comparing prices, searching for discounts and coupons, taking advantage of retroactive discounts, and planning your purchases early.
How Can I Reduce my Online Purchases?
You can cut your online purchases by being more mindful of what you buy. Avoid emotional purchases and be wary of what and when to buy some items. Track your spending and come up with a budget.
