5 Best Ways To Save Money Shopping Online in December 2024

The internet has completely revolutionized the way people shop. While people may spend the same amount of time shopping today as they did 10 years ago, Americans are doing more of their shopping online, according to Federal Reserve Bank data for ecommerce sales. In fact, online sales accounted for around 16% of total sales in 2024, compared to around 6% in 2014.

What hasn’t changed is our desire to save money while we shop. Luckily, there are more ways to save money while shopping than ever.

From comparison shopping engines, promo codes, and coupons to cash back apps and credit cards, here are our top tricks for saving money when shopping online.

Check for discounts every time you shop

How:

1. Search discount-finding websites for coupon codes.
2. Check a retailer’s site for specific discount codes.
3. Sign up for email lists or text message offers to score personalized discounts.

Many online stores offer discount codes that give you a percentage off your purchase or free shipping, especially if it’s your first time shopping. The trouble is finding these codes. They’re often not well-advertised and might only be sent to specific users.

Luckily, there are many coupon websites that curate discount codes for popular retailers. I always browse these before buying anything because I can usually find at least some discount.

Many of the best sites will take it one step further and also offer a browser extension that automatically enters coupon codes for you at checkout. Some of my favorites include:

• Rakuten
• RetailMeNot
• Honey
• Slickdeals

If you can’t find a code with these, check the retailer’s site. Many stores offer a personalized discount code if you sign up for their newsletter or text message marketing.

Use cash back apps

1. Sign up for Ibotta, Rakuten, MyPoints, Swagbucks, or another cash back app.
2. Activate the deal before making your purchase.
3. Complete your purchase like normal and get cash back after a few days or weeks.

Cash back apps are a great way to earn free money just for making a purchase, helping you save by paying yourself back. These sites offer a predetermined cashback rate when you shop at specific stores. Usually, you’ll need to activate these deals or follow a link in the app before making a purchase to qualify for cash back.

Once a retailer confirms your purchase, the app offers you cash back or points that you can usually redeem for gift cards. It takes little to no effort, and your earnings can add up more than you might expect. For example, in the three years I’ve used RetailMeNot, I’ve earned over $75 in cash back without changing how I shop.

Here are a few of the best cash back apps and how they work.

Ibotta

Ibotta rewards you when you buy groceries, home goods, clothing, travel, and more.

After you sign up for Ibotta, open the app and browse offers in the online shopping category. After you select the pink “Shop” button on your desired offer, you’ll be taken to the retailer’s website, where you can shop like usual. Once you make your purchase, you’ll automatically earn cash back for each qualifying item.

You can withdraw your money through PayPal, Venmo, or by purchasing a gift card, but you’ll need to reach $20 in rewards to be eligible to cash out.

Sign up for Ibotta.

Rakuten

Rakuten works with over 3,500 stores to provide cash back to customers.

To start, you’ll need to sign up and install the browser extension (which will track your activity to apply your rewards). Then, navigate directly to your preferred store and activate the offer. You’ll see a confirmation pop-up alerting you that cash back at that store is active.

After you complete your purchase, your cash back will be automatically added to your account. Rakuten pays out earnings quarterly once you reach $5, and you can choose between receiving your earnings by check or through PayPal.

Sign up for Rakuten.

MyPoints

MyPoints is a website that works with over 1,900 brands. It allows you to earn points by shopping online, connecting you to retailers through its platform. It’s a similar idea to Ibotta in that you start your shopping from MyPoints, then navigate to the retailer where you shop like normal. It differs, however, in that there are other ways to earn, such as watching videos, taking surveys, and even playing video games.

You’ll earn up to 20 points per dollar spent with MyPoints. You can redeem points for cash through PayPal or for physical or online gift cards from a store, restaurant, or hotel. You can also cash them out as miles through United MileagePlus.

Swagbucks

You can earn points with Swagbucks by shopping online, watching videos, answering surveys, and even just searching the web. When you’re ready to cash out, you can redeem your points for gift cards or get cash back through PayPal.

When you use Swagbucks, you’ll get access to hundreds of retailers, including popular brands such as Amazon, Walmart, and Target. There’s a mobile app for easier browsing.

Sign up for Swagbucks.

Outsmart dynamic pricing

1. Use a comparison shopping engine to know you’re always getting the best price.
2. Clear your cookies and browsing history before you shop, as the store will see you as a “new customer.”
3. Sign out of your accounts and use “incognito mode” while browsing.
4. Use a VPN to mask your IP address and location, allowing you to see products at their normal rates.

Dynamic pricing is a tactic used by companies to adjust product prices continuously based on real-time supply and demand.

If you’ve ever looked up prices for a flight but didn’t buy any airfare, only to return later to find that prices increased, this is dynamic pricing at work. Similarly, online retailers may engage in dynamic pricing by quietly changing the price of an item if you return a second time to look at it. The site assumes you have a greater desire for the product and increases the price.

To avoid being targeted, you can clear your cookies, use incognito mode, or log into a VPN to trick the retailer into thinking you’re a new customer.

It also helps to use a comparison shopping engine to double-check a product's average prices to avoid being ripped off. Here are my favorites:

• Google Shopping lets you check the price of specific products across many retailers.
• CamelCamelCamel checks price fluctuations on Amazon.com.
• Honey lets you know if you can find a product cheaper at another store.

Use a cash back credit card

1. Choose a cash back card with high rates on the categories you spend in.
2. Use it for your online purchases.
3. Monitor rotating categories as necessary to know what you’ll earn the highest cash back on.

If you’re using a debit card for your purchases, you’re leaving money on the table. That’s because you can use cash back credit cards to earn a percentage back every time you swipe.

Just how much you earn depends on the card, but it can range from 1% all the way up to 6% cash back. Here are two of my favorite cards for shopping online.

Chase Freedom Flex^®

The Chase Freedom Flex^® earns 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service); and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

This is a cash back card with rotating categories. To get the most out of it, keep track of each quarter's bonus category.

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

The Chase Freedom Unlimited^® is another solid option. Cardmembers earn 5% cash back on rotating quarterly categories you activate (on up to $1,500 spent) and travel purchased through Chase Travel℠; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants (including takeout and eligible delivery service); and 1% cash back on all other purchases.

If you’re new to cash back credit cards, the Chase Freedom Unlimited would be a good one to start with, as you can use it to earn rewards for every purchase, no matter where you shop.

Combine cash back apps and credit cards

1. Browse cash back app offers to find a good deal.
2. Use a credit card with high cash back in the retailer’s category to boost your rewards.
3. Earn double the cash back.

The best way to save money when you shop online is to use a cash back app and a cash back credit card. This method can help you earn double digits back on a purchase.

For example, say Rakuten offers 15% cash back on purchases at Petsmart. Additionally, the Chase Freedom Flex card might offer up to 5% cash back on purchases at pet shops.

If you activate cash back with Rakuten and use your Chase Freedom Flex card, you’ll effectively get 20% off of your purchase.

This is just one example, but if you do your research before making a purchase, you can likely find deals like this on a lot of your spending.

FAQs

Bottom line

Considering how easy it is to save money shopping online, the hardest part might be remembering all the different ways you can do so. It can take a few tries to remember to check with some of these cash back sites before you shop, but once you do it a few times, it will become second nature.

Hands down, the easiest way to save money shopping online every single time is by always using a cash back credit card. That way, you’ll quickly and easily earn rewards no matter where you shop or what you shop for.

Unlimited Cash Back

Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

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Chase Freedom Unlimited^®

Apply Now

Current Offer

Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.

Annual Fee

$0

Rewards Rate

6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and 3% cash back on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases

Benefits and Drawbacks

Benefits

• High base rewards rate of 1.5%
• $0 annual fee
• Valuable welcome bonus for new cardholders
• Intro APR offers for purchases and balance transfers

Drawbacks

• Has a foreign transaction fee of 3% of each transaction in U.S. dollars
• No bonus categories for gas or groceries

Card Details

• INTRO OFFER: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!
• Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year).
• After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
• No minimum to redeem for cash back. You can choose to receive a statement credit or direct deposit into most U.S. checking and savings accounts. Cash Back rewards do not expire as long as your account is open!
• Enjoy 0% Intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 19.74% - 28.49%.
• No annual fee – You won't have to pay an annual fee for all the great features that come with your Freedom Unlimited® card
• Keep tabs on your credit health, Chase Credit Journey helps you monitor your credit with free access to your latest score, alerts, and more.
• Member FDIC