Frank likes to tease me about all the gymnastics I go through to get a good deal on anything from trips back home to a new pair of shoes.  To him it looks like a lot of work and he frequently offers to take on the job (booking travel not buying my shoes of course), but truth be told I enjoy the challenge.  I am by no means a bargain hunting pro, but I thought I’d share my latest go-to.

 

I’ve been an Ebates (now Rakuten) fan for years… loved getting my “big fat check” with cash back on online purchases.  But sorry Rakuten, I’m a loyal CapitalOne Shopping shopper now.  CapitalOne Shopping works the same way; you shop online through their app, website, or the browser extension and get a percentage of your eligible purchase back in rewards.  Although with Rakuten you could redeem for cash, CapitalOne rewards can only be redeemed for gift cards.  The app will also scan for coupon codes for your purchase too, and send you price drop alerts.

 

What I really love about CapitalOne Shopping is the big cash back percentage you can get on certain things, especially if you’re a patient shopper.  Took me a bit, but I noticed that a day or two after I browsed for something online, I’d often get an email offer of sometimes up to 30% cash back from that merchant…which did aggravate me at first because it was usually right after I made the purchase! Now that I know better, I try to bait the app by doing my shopping, and then waiting two days to see if I get an offer before making my purchase.  Which to be fair, lines up with the 48 hour cooling off period I used to make my kids adhere to before they were allowed to buy something, and not a bad idea for myself too, especially when it comes to shoes. 

 

My best victories… I mean purchases…  are when I can line up a good sale or coupon code with the cash back offer before it expires. 

 

As I mentioned, your rewards can be redeemed for gift cards not cash. There are about 100 different merchants to choose from, and while the easy spends like Amazon, Target, and Walmart aren’t in the mix, Home Depot, CVS, Staples, and many others are.  I’ve accumulated a nice chunk of change that I’m holding on to use for a Lowes card toward a home project. 

 

You don’t have to have a CapitalOne credit card to use CapitalOne shopping (although I admit I do have one that I got for the Era’s tour ticket war- that’s a story for another day).  You can sign up here and download the CapitalOne Shopping app on your phone.  And if you have a friend who has the app, ask them for a referral link for a $40 bonus for each of you.