Smart Shopping Tips: How to Get the Best Deals Online

Why pay full price when you don't have to? With the right strategies and tools, you can consistently save 20-50% on everything you buy online.

Browser Extensions That Find Deals for You

Install browser extensions like Honey, Rakuten, or Capital One Shopping. These automatically find and apply coupon codes at checkout and can alert you to better prices elsewhere. Honey is completely free and has saved users billions of dollars collectively.

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) offers cash back at thousands of retailers. The percentages vary, but you can often get 2-10% back on purchases you were going to make anyway. Over a year, this adds up significantly.

Price Tracking Is Your Secret Weapon

Amazon prices fluctuate constantly - sometimes multiple times per day. Use CamelCamelCamel or Keepa to track price history and set alerts for when items drop to your target price. You'll be surprised how often that "sale" price is actually higher than it was last month.

For non-Amazon purchases, Google Shopping can show price comparisons across retailers, and apps like ShopSavvy let you scan barcodes in stores to find better prices online.

Strategic Timing for Maximum Savings

Retailers have predictable sale patterns. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are obvious, but January clearances often beat them for clothing. Amazon's Prime Day in July is great for electronics. Target runs major sales in October and during their "Circle Week" promotions.

For big purchases, the end of the month or quarter often brings better deals as salespeople try to hit quotas. Tuesday and Wednesday tend to have more flash sales than weekends.

The Abandoned Cart Strategy

Add items to your cart, then leave the website without buying. Many retailers will email you a discount code within 24-48 hours to encourage you to complete your purchase. This works especially well with fashion retailers and direct-to-consumer brands.

Some sites even detect when you're about to close the tab and offer a popup discount. Playing a little hard to get can literally pay off.

Sign Up for Newsletters (Strategically)

Most brands offer 10-20% off your first order for email signup. Create a dedicated shopping email address so your main inbox doesn't get cluttered. Many brands also send exclusive flash sales and early access to subscribers.

Student, teacher, and military discounts are widely available but often not advertised. Always ask or check sites like ID.me, UNiDAYS, or SheerID for verification programs.

Social Media and Influencer Codes

Follow brands you love on social media - they often share flash sales and exclusive discount codes. Influencers frequently have affiliate codes that give their followers 10-20% off. Before buying from a brand, do a quick YouTube or Instagram search to find current codes.

Stacking Discounts Like a Pro

The best shoppers combine multiple discounts. Start with a sale item, add a sitewide coupon code, apply your cash back extension, and pay with a credit card that offers additional cash back. A $100 item could easily become $60-70 with proper stacking.