Tried and trusted ways to save on your online shopping

Internet shopping tips you need to know

The internet is full of exciting deals and offers, from coupon codes to massive discounts – if you know where to look. And as companies fight for customers’ attention online, there are definitely deals to be had. Click or scroll through to find out some of the tips and tricks that can save you a lot of cash. 


Clear your browsing history and cookies or go private


When searching for coupon codes, or just online shopping generally, always remember to clear your browsing history and cookies, or use an in-private browser window. If a website can see you have already been looking at certain products (flights in particular), prices are likely to be increased.


Search the product name to get a better deal


It may sound simple, but merely putting a product’s name into an internet search engine can save you hundreds. Why just settle for one product price when there is likely to be a huge amount of competition online?


Find the cheapest prices on price comparison sites


Price comparison sites, such as PriceGrabber or Froogle, are a great way of saving money, as they will analyze your searches across a number of difference retailers to find the best prices available.


Shop online from Wednesday through Friday


Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are the most popular days for retailers to offer sales and discount codes, so try to do your browsing then. Avoid weekends though as you’ll find that’s when most people tend to do their shopping and so prices are most likely to be hiked.


Sign up to newsletters for exclusive deals

Online retailers are keen to get you on their email mailing list, so many offer an incentive for signing up to their e-newsletters such as a discount on your first order. Even if a retailer doesn’t offer an incentive, newsletters are a good way to stay in the loop about sales, store events and other offers that could benefit you. 


Add items to your shopping cart… and then leave


One savvy trick you could try when shopping online is to ditch your basket. This involves signing in to a website, adding items to your basket, but then leaving the site without making a purchase. Often retailers, keen for a sale, will send you an email offering you money off to come back and complete the transaction.


Haggle with retailers on live chat for discounts

More and more retailers now offer a live chat service with someone on hand to help you out when shopping online. So rather than dismissing the pop-up you could use it to haggle for a better deal on something you want to buy. The online helpers for retailers such as Nike, Dell and Dyson have been known to offer discounts of 10% or more, just because people asked.


Hunt for voucher codes

As well as checking out whether you can earn cashback you should also check if you can score some money off with a voucher code. You can see the latest codes on websites such as coupon.com.


Beat delivery charges

Delivery charges can be a real shock when you come to the online checkout for your shop. But there are ways to avoid this cost. Some retailers including Amazon offer the choice of picking up your order from a store or locker rather than getting it delivered to your home. Most offer this service for free or for a much smaller fee and it’s often more convenient as you don’t have to get someone to wait in for a delivery or run the chance of missing it. During the coronavirus pandemic many stores have had to shut their doors and store collection is largely impossible, however many of the lockers used for delivery are in supermarkets, which have remained open.


See if your favorite retailers offer schemes to save you cash


If you shop regularly with a retailer, there may be a scheme that can offer you a way to save. For example, Amazon Prime offers unlimited fast delivery, exclusive deals, plus access to streaming movies and other benefits.


Use social networking to be the first to know about sales


One of the best ways of saving money online is to get savvy with social media. “Like” your favorite retailers on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter. You’ll soon find that many merchants, such as Gap, post special coupons or announce sales first on their Facebook pages.


If you have to buy tickets, online will often have better offers


As lockdowns are starting to ease across the world and we gradually return to a version of life as we used to know it, remember to look online before booking anything directly through a ticket office on the phone. Bus, train, theater, movie and flight tickets are likely to be noticeably cheaper online than they would be if you were to contact the merchant directly.


Join membership clubs for designer brand flash sales


A range of branded and designer goods run ‘membership clubs’, whereby you can register for free and get sent alerts for online flash sales. Doing this can get you discounts on some of the major designer brands such as Louis Vuitton and Chanel.


Subscribe to Amazon for discounts on your regular purchases


If you shop on Amazon regularly, it’s worthwhile subscribing, if not to Amazon Prime then to the Subscribe & Save feature, which automates the repurchasing process for you. Not only does it save time, but it also saves up to 15% off, through free delivery and some money being shaved off the original price for you. What’s even better is there is no sign-up fee.


Use the Amazon filler item finder to avoid shipping costs


Don’t want to pay the fees for Amazon Prime? All you need to do is try and spend $25 to get free shipping. You don’t want to spend for the sake of it though, so you can use an Amazon filler item finder to reach the fee without over-spending.


Use gift cards on your purchases for big savings

Using gift cards to buy things online can give you some pretty great savings. To make the most of it, fill up your cart online, then once you have a total, see if you can buy a discounted gift card for the store from the likes of Raise and Cardpool that amounts to your purchase. 


Stack coupon codes


Don’t be afraid to stack coupon codes. Many online retailers will allow you to stack up a bunch of different coupon codes at checkout so you can apply a number of different discounts to the same purchase.


Include your birthday when you sign up to retailers and get a birthday discount


Signing up to newsletters has lots of perks, but don’t forget to fill in your birthday when registering. Some companies, coffee shops and restaurants will offer you a discount on your birthday, or in some cases a free gift such as a free coffee when you go in store.


Buy out of season

It’s a classic trick, but buying out of season can save you a lot of money. When the demand for a certain product dips, so do the prices. For example, the price of swimwear during the peak of summer will always be at its most expensive; buy during the peak of winter instead for the best bargains. 


Before you buy, check to see if you can get it for free

The joy of the internet is that anything is possible. And that means getting things for free too. Before you buy something, check you can’t get the same or similar item for free. Sites such as Freecycle will bring up second-hand goods that are available in your area and there are some serious bargains to be had. 

Now see the financial lessons we’ve learned from the pandemic