3 Shopping Apps You Need On Your Computer Right Now If You Love Saving Money
So, anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE making money, getting a great discount, and shopping. But getting paid to shop and get killer discounts? Holy sweet JESUS! That is a whole other level of euphoria that I have come to know very well during quarantine. So, this week I’d love to share some of my favorite shopping apps that can help you get great discounts as well as stack that coin.
For those of you who have never experienced the magic of using a cash back shopping app, they are designed to offer you a certain percentage of money back when you make a purchase with a select retailer. All you have to do is download the extension to your internet browser. Then any time you are on a site that the cash back shopping app is partnered with, you will get a pop up notification alerting you of how much money you could get back if you make a purchase from the retailer. Some apps even have in-store opportunities for you to score cash back or analytics for you to see if you are getting the best price on the items you’re shopping for.
Just in quarantine alone I’ve made well over $100 from just shopping. Dats it friends… So, I say if you’re gonna shop, why not make some money while you’re at it?!
Overall Favorite: Rakuten
So, I’ve actually been rocking with Rakuten for over 10 years now. I joined the site when it was formally known as Ebates, and for the last 10 years I’ve made a lifetime amount of $443, and counting. In fact, this month I am getting a check for over $60. How Rakuten works is that once you sign up and download the extension on your browser, they will send you a notification every time you are shopping on a site within their partner network.
As long as you activate the tracking link, your cash back will be deposited into your account in 24 hours. I cannot stress enough how important it is to make sure that you activate the link. Otherwise, you won’t be eligible to get cash back if you made a purchase. You get four payouts every year, which means you get a check or a PayPal payment every 3 months.
Rakuten also offers double and triple cash back days, where you can make even more cash back than you normally would from a certain retailer. You’re definitely likely to see double and triple cash back days around holidays or big consumer events like Black Friday, Valentine’s Day and more.
They also aggregate any promotional events, coupons or special discounts that a retailer might be offering. So, you can not only make some cash back, but you can also get an amazing discount off your purchase (if available).
Rakuten essentially makes sure that you save money and make money at the same time, which I am 1000% onboard for.
If you’re interested in trying Rakuten and you’d like to get a $20 sign up bonus, click the button below!
Best For Amazon Shoppers : Honey
If Amazon is primarily where you do most of your shopping these days, then Honey is the top shopping app to help you get the best deals.
Honey is a coupon and rewards app that searches the internet for any potential coupon code that you could use while making a purchase. But the two best features that I love to take advantage of on Honey are:
1. Price Tracking — This is particularly handy on sites like Amazon where there can be multiple listings for the same item and you want to ensure you are getting the best deal. The other reason why this feature is handy is due to the various price fluctuations of certain items depending on the time of year. For instance, trying to get a countertop ice maker is going to be much more expensive during the summer months than the winter months. But this leads me to the other great feature about Honey…
2. The Droplist — If there is a particular item that you have a hunch you are not getting the best deal on, you can add it to what is called your droplist. Honey will monitor the price of this specific item for as long as you want. Then whenever there is a drop in the price, you will get an email alerting you to the discount.
But now I realize I lied.
There is one more feature about Honey that I love…
3. Price History — Honey will also show you the price history of the item you are looking at over the last 30 days. This will allow you to know if there have been any price fluctuations recently, and if now is the best time to buy the item you’re interested in.
You can also earn rewards “coins” on Honey when you shop at certain retailers through their program called Honey Gold. If you download the browser extension, a notification will pop up alerting you if the store you are shopping at is eligible for Honey Gold. Then once you accumulate enough coins, Honey will allow you to trade in those coins for a gift card from stores like Target, Walmart, Sephora, Lululemon and more!
If you are interested in trying out Honey, click the button below!
Best For Price Comparisons: Invisible Hand
So, I actually can’t remember when I started using Invisible Hand because I’ve had it for that long. But it was one of the first browser extensions I downloaded way back when and has been my OG shopping app.
Invisible Hand is a shopping app that is designed to offer you an “invisible hand” while shopping and notify you about potential promo codes and coupons for the site you are on.
Now I will admit, it’s definitely not as sophisticated of an app like Rakuten, and the website has graphics from like the stone age of the internet. But what I appreciate the most about Invisible Hand is its ability to track prices for the item you are looking at across various stores that offer the same item. This will allow you to know which store might be offering the better deal at the moment for whatever you are browsing.
And while most of us aren’t traveling at the moment, it can also assist in helping you get the best price on flights, hotels and rental cars.
If you would like to try Invisible Hand, click the button below!
Bonus Apps
Who doesn’t love a good bonus section? These are other shopping apps that I either have limited experience with, or don’t particularly care for. But I wanted to list them and offer brief pros and cons.
Smarty
Smarty is similar to Rakuten in that it offers cash back and promo codes. So, I’ve had Smarty for about 6 months now, and I can’t say I’m all that impressed with it. In comparison to Rakuten, this is what I like least about it:
You only qualify for a payout when you’ve hit the minimum threshold of $10. On Rakuten, you get a payout every 3 months, no matter what the balance is. Again, I’ve been on Smarty for 6 months and have only accumulated $5.51. This leads to my next point…
The cash back percentages are ridiculously low. I actually wouldn’t be so bothered by the payout threshold if the cash back percentages weren’t so crazy low. The average percentage that I’ve seen Smarty offer back on a purchase isn’t higher than 3% if you are using their free version. On Rakuten, however, with double and triple cash back days, you could get as high as 20% cash back (or even higher depending on the retailer).
There is a paid version called Smarty+. This factor bothers me the most about Smarty. In order to qualify for higher cash back savings on Smarty+, they ask you to pay a monthly membership fee of $13! Like how Sway?! Who in their right mind is gonna pay you to get small amounts of money back on their purchases? Even though Smarty+ unlocks double cash back, you’re still not making much since their basic percentages are crazy low to begin with.
But the perk that might be most eye catching for those that want to shell out the $13/month for this service is that you can get free shipping on all of your orders. But bear in mind that this is only really worth it if most of the stores you shop at are partnered with Smarty, and you shop at these stores every month.
But all that being said, I don’t mind having Smarty (the free version) on my computer because it offers discount codes, and it allows me to earn cash back from retailers that are not within Rakuten’s partner network (like Walmart or Tea Drops).
If you are interested in trying out Smarty, click the button below!
Slick Deals
Slick Deals is another online shopping companion that is similar to Invisible Hand. It offers you coupons, promo codes and price comparisons across multiple retailers and offers a much more expansive range of categories (like groceries, credit cards and auto). I’ve only recently joined Slick Deals so I don’t have much to say about it. But so far it’s been a positive experience.
If you are interested in trying out Slick Deals, click the button below!
What are your favorite shopping apps to use? Let me know in the comments!
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