How to Save Money When Shopping Online

If you’re like me then you love the ease and speed of online shopping. I’m honestly still somehow always amazed that I can order something and it can show up at my door within 48-hours. What a time to be alive!

While online shopping has endless benefits like saving time and saving money, other times it has obnoxious shipping fees and lower-quality sales. So, today I’m breaking down my fav-or-ite online shopping hacks to save you the most money!

Shop on the Right Days

You have probably heard about this trick when it comes to buying airplane tickets but it also applies to pretty much everything else on the internet. Listen, brands are smart and want the most money they can get. They know we typically shop on weekends and early in the week when we’re thinking about the things we need. Because of that, the rollbacks typically happen on Wednesdays, Thursday and sometimes Fridays.

Use a Cash-Back Service

There are tons of sites out there now that offer cash back for shopping. I like using FreeShipping.com, which is a membership-based site. It does cost $12.97/month but if you do a lot of online shipping it easily pays for itself! It offers a flat rate of 10% cash back, with occasional 20% cash back for promotions, on over 1,000 stores. They have all your favorites like Target, Khols, Ulta, Etsy, Macy’s, etc. They also offer a ton of other benefits for being a paying member like rebates on shipping charges you pay at one of the retailers on the site, unlimited free return shipping, and price protection (in case your item goes on sale later!)

So, if you’re a big-time, active online shopper, FreeShipping.com is sort of a no-brainer. They work on answering every online shopping problem you might have, taking out almost all the hassle of buying online.

Buy Discounted Gift Cards

If your going to be shopping at any major stores from Target to Ulta to Southwest Airlines, consider buying a discounted gift card at places like raise.com. These websites sell off gift cards people have and don’t want and typically save you somewhere between 2%-7%, but can have savings of higher like 25%! Since you get the gift card promotional code to your email box almost instantaneously, you can just do a quick check before you purchase and save a little extra cash!

Always Check Coupons

I’m actually mad at myself for the fact that I used to shop without checking for coupons ahead of time. Sure, I get it, we don’t all have time clip coupons for the Sunday paper. (And honestly, when I do do that, I lose them half the time.) But there are SO many ways to quickly check for coupons before checking out online that take less than a minute or two, you’d be silly not to! If you’re a FreeShipping.com member, they will display all the currently available coupons for each store right on their site (mega simple!) Just another perk for being a member!

Clear your Browser Data

Friends, stores can be sneaky! Did you know they will use cookies on your computer to track your shopping history and then use that against you if they can? Yep, it’s true. Because of this, you should always clear your cookies and browser data on your computer before shopping – especially if you’re getting a big ticket item like airplane tickets, designer items, or home and tech appliances. Learn how to delete your browser history on most devices here. You can also shop incognito mode on Google Chrome to fix this problem.
Did you know website use your browser history to show you higher priced items? Use these money-saving hacks instead Click To Tweet

Sign-up for Mailing Lists and Social Media Accounts

I suggest this tip only for the stores you shop at A LOT, or if you’re waiting to grab something from that store when it goes on sale. In general, signing up for too many mailing lists/social media accounts can sometimes end in buying things when you don’t need them. But, if you are an active shopper of a store or looking to grab something from them when there’s a deal, being a part of their social network is on the best ways to know when they are having deals. Typically they’ll notify you of sales and clearance through their mailing lists right away, if not early. For example, Kate Spade has an annual sale and often will let mailing list member access it a day early! Additionally, stores will run deals on their social media accounts. A little while back I was in the market for a new NuMe curling wand so I followed them Instagram. About a month later they ran a promo where they sold it for $39 (usually $139!). I scooped it right up!

Don’t get Tricked by “Free Shipping” over $50

Stores love to offer Free Shipping over $50 or over $100. They don’t do this to be nice, they do it to get you to spend more. If you don’t need more things to add up to the amount to get you the free shipping, then don’t do it. Plus, don’t forget if you’re a FreeShipping.com member they’ll cover up to $10 in shipping fees for each purchase! Also, keep tabs on the stores with free shipping with no minimum orders like Nordstroms, Wayfair, and Target if you use their Red card. Check out more money-saving shopping hacks from Target here.

Price Compare

One of the biggest benefits of buying online is all the option! Always compare prices around before you buy (just make sure to do so in incognito mode as explained above.) As a FreeShipping.com member I use their price comparison tool which allows me to type in a specific item or something more generic like “one-piece bathing suit,” and it’ll show me prices from all around the web allowing me to choose the best option.

Combine Deals

Now that you know about mailing list sales, coupons, gift cards at a discount….combine as many deals as you can into one purchase.

*This post was sponsored in part by FreeShipping.com. All thoughts and opinions expressed are 100% my own*

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