9 Surprising Ways to Save Money Shopping Online

I love shopping online.

I’m an introvert, so I don’t enjoy having a salesperson follow me around the store trying to make conversation just so they can get me to sign up for a store credit card. Shopping online is so much more pleasant and convenient.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I’m extremely frugal and I hardly ever pay full price for anything.

Here are 10 surprising ways to save money when shopping online.

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Check Coupon Sites

Whenever you’re about to purchase something online, check websites like Retail Me Not, Coupons.com, and Groupon for promo codes. The internet has made “clipping” coupons a super quick and convenient process!

Compare Prices 

Type the item’s name into Google (on the shopping tab) to see the price at other retailers’ sites.  This allows you to compare multiple stores at once so you can quickly find the cheapest option.

Get Ready for Amazon Prime Day

Amazon Prime Day is Amazon’s yearly anniversary sale. On this day in July, Amazon offers incredible discounts on numerous items. Past deals have included sales on Kindle, Echo, TV’s, and smart home appliances.

Digital Trends has an awesome list of the best tech deals for Amazon Prime Day.

Pick Up Items in Store

If you aren’t able to qualify for free shipping, you could pick up your item at your local store if it’s in stock. It’s not worth paying $10-$20+ for shipping if you don’t need to!

I’ve done this many times with scrapbooking supplies. I’ll order them online with coupons and I’ll get cash back through Ebates, but then I’ll pick the item up in person.

Combine Coupons with Sales

Sometimes retailers will allow you to “stack” coupons (use multiple coupons at once) and use coupons in conjunction with sales. With multiple coupons AND a sale, you might be able to make some dirt cheap purchases!

Note: some coupons can’t be used on sale items.

Use Ebates to Earn Cash Back

Sign up for Ebates (for free) and use it every time you check out. Ebates offers up to 40% cash back at hundreds of online retailers. I use Ebates every time I do any online shopping.

Subscribe to Email Lists

Many retailers offer discounts, sales, or even freebies to subscribers on their email list. It’s tempting to delete these types of  emails, but you might want to stay subscribed if you can get awesome deals!

Get a Cash Back Credit Card

I recently got my first credit card and I earn 1.5% cash back on all of my purchases. It’s not much, but the little things add up!  I you aren’t a spender, this can be a great way for you to boost your credit and earn a little cash.

Some cards also offer starting bonuses. My card offers an $150 cash bonus if I spend $500 within three months of opening the card.

Use Apps to Earn Gift Cards

Want to earn a free gift card that you can use to make purchases online?

There are tons of ways to earn gift cards. Apps like Ibotta, Swagbucks, and Shopkick allow users to earn gift cards by completing simple tasks like walking into a store, scanning a bar code, or submitting a receipt.

Save Money Shopping Online

These are just a few of the many ways to save money when you shop online.  What are some of your favorite ways to save money? Share in the comments!