Who doesn’t like saving a little money, right? A lot of shoppers have their go-to mobile app or extension that helps them get a little cash back or find the best deals when shopping online. There’s no shortage of these apps and many of them have a lot of great features but I wanted to take a moment to share my favorite ones that each have great features that help them stand out from the crowd.
Before we get into the specifics of these products, let’s look at two things they all have in common that make them very appealing out of the gate. First, all three of these platforms work with little to no effort on the user’s part as they come packaged as Chrome Extensions that activate when you shop qualifying sites. Second, they are ALL FREE! You can sign up for all three of these and enjoy savings, price comparisons and even cashback and it won’t cost you a dime. There are no monthly fees or membership costs. Simply sign up, download the extension and start shopping.
3. Honey
I’m relatively new to using Honey but the platform boasts 17 million monthly users and for good reason. It combines some of the best shopping tools around with a cashback program that rewards shoppers with “Honey Gold” that can be redeemed for gift cards from popular stores such as Sephora, Amazon, Walmart and many, many more. “Gold” rewards can range from 1%-20% if available and users can snag extra Honey Gold when they refer their friends.
The “Gold” is really just icing on the cake, however. Where Honey delivers the real savings is my automatically searching for and applying any coupon codes that may be floating around on the internet. When checking out on a qualifying site, Honey will prompt you to look for applicable codes you’re on your way to saving.
Another great feature that initially attracted me to Honey is their “droplist.” Unlike other extensions that will alert you if they find a cheaper price on another site, Honey allows you to customize your droplist and get alerts when prices change. This is increasingly handy as the holiday shopping season approaches and you’re waiting for that perfect deal on a product. You can keep your droplist organized with tags and even see historical pricing data for the items on your list.
This is a powerful tool for any shopper and a great way to keep track of your shopping at any time of the year. You can sign up for free at the link below. Coincidentally, PayPal just made a bid to purchase Honey for 4 Billion dollars. They must be doing something right.
2. Delight
Delight doesn’t offer cash back or price comparisons but what it does give you is exclusive deals on thousands of Amazon listings. Just install the extension and shop Amazon like you normally would. When there’s an exclusive deal available, it will show up right there in the actual listing. Amazing!
Delight doesn’t cover the shopping spectrum but seeing that Amazon is one of the largest online stores in the world, this is a good one to have in your bag to snag some extra savings. Another perk of Delight is “tiers”. When you shop or refer other shoppers to their app, you will move up levels, or tiers, which opens up more exclusive offers. One deal equals one point and referrals will get you five points toward “leveling up.”
1. Rakuten
Last but certainly not least is my absolute favorite Chrome extension for shopping online. Rakuten, formerly Ebates, is probably one of the most popular and recognizable cashback brands in the world. Over 100 million users can’t be wrong and the fact of the matter is, Rakuten is the 800-pound gorilla of this space. What many users may not know is that Rakuten is much more than just cashback when you shop online. For starters, the Rakuten app has recently added in-store options that allow you to rack up some cash in your account by linking your debit/credit cards and claiming the in-store deals right on your phone.
However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. One of the reasons that Rakuten(Ebates) has soared to such heights is because it is part of a much larger entity. Rakuten as a company has been around for more than two decades and is the host of a massive online “mall” that is home to hundreds, if not thousands of retailers. Kind of like eBay, only way more organized and no auctions. You can find major retailers such as Lenovo, Adorama, Beach Camera and many more. These sellers offer, for the most part, offer the same deals you can find on their home websites but Rakuten members can grab special perks like exclusive savings, bonus cashback and Super Points that can be redeemed for purchases on Rakuten.com.
Then there’s the referral program. When you refer someone and they make a purchase of $25 or more, Rakuten will add $25 to your “Big Fat Check” balance. This is real cash. You can get a check or have it sent to your PayPal every three months. I’ve seen countless forum posts on shopping sites where Rakuten power shoppers are raking in more than a thousand dollars a year between cashback and referrals. Oh yeah, did I mention that the Rakuten extension will also alert you when it finds a lower price on a product that you’re looking at online? Yeah, it does that too. It is the best all-around savings app/extension available and you’re mission out if you’re not using it.
At the end of the day, the options for scoring some cashback are all but endless. So, how does it work? To put it simply, sites like Rakuten or Honey or “fill in the blank” have affiliate relationships with hundreds of online stores. When you make a purchase and have the extension installed, the cashback companies get a cut from the seller. They then pass some of that cash on to you, the buyer. It’s a win-win as long as you’re shopping smart. That’s why price comparison tools are equally as important as cashback. If it’s a good deal and you can get a kickback, everyone wins. Keep an eye or for our upcoming Black Friday roundup and make sure you have all of your tools in place so you can make the most of the holiday shopping season.
