18 Tips to Save Money on Holiday Shopping
Holiday shopping rarely comes without stress. From navigating crowded stores and scavenging for high-demand products to scrambling for last-minute gifts and dealing with shipping delays, the entire process can feel like an episode of retail-themed Survivor. Additionally, the financial burden from holiday shopping can add to the stress while also feeling impossible to avoid.
Help is on the way! Let us show you how to save money on holiday shopping and feel more in control of your expenses. We tapped experts in finance and shopping for their best tips to save money during the holidays so you can gift yourself a little less stress.
Tatiana Atamaniuk
Prep Before Shopping
Sort promo emails like a pro. Email subscribers often score exclusive deals, but no one wants to crawl through a flooded inbox. Create an email account solely for these promos, then add filters for specific gifts. For example: If you want a deal on a new PlayStation, create a filter for the words "PlayStation 5" and "PS5" so emails with those terms get automatically forwarded to your regular inbox. —Anna Barker, personal finance expert and founder of LogicalDollar
Track your spending easily. If you have an iPhone and iPad, use the Santa's Bag app (free; iOS) to store all your shopping lists in one place. Add everyone to your holiday list (via contacts or manually), then save links to the gifts they want. The app keeps a running tab of what you've spent as well as your budget, showing you how much you have left. —Kimberly Palmer, personal finance expert at NerdWallet
Budget with gift cards. Set a budget and purchase gift cards for that amount. When the balance hits zero, it's time to stop spending. —Colleen McCreary, chief people, places, and publicity officer at Credit Karma
Shop on Green Monday. That's when many retailers slash prices to sell off holiday inventory. It falls on the second Monday of December each year. (It's also called Cyber Monday 2.0.) You'll often see discounts of 25 to 50 percent, and it's one of the last days you can choose free standard shipping and get the items before Christmas. —Shannon Vissers, shopping analyst at Merchant Maverick
Time your purchases. Electronics are typically cheaper on Black Friday, while clothing tends to be more inexpensive on Cyber Monday. Fitness gear, activewear, and bedding are less expensive in January—so if someone on your list wants any of those, get them a gift card for the current retail price. That way, if they buy the item when it's discounted, they'll have some money left over. —Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst at DealNews
Use store apps. Download the store's app before you shop. I've seen app-exclusive deals of 50 percent off or more. You can expect deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but also check the apps on weekdays, when many stores offer app-exclusive flash sales. —Kristen Gall, president and shopping expert at Rakuten
Save on Electronics
Consider refurbished. Nervous about preowned? Don't be. Refurbished products are inspected to help ensure they're in good shape. Check out the Amazon Warehouse, which sells like-new open-box products; I've seen discounts of up to 70 percent, often just because the packaging is damaged. It's a good place to look for cell phones, tablets, and TVs. In Apple's Certified Refurbished store, products are up to 15 percent cheaper and come with a one-year warranty. —Brittney Castro, certified financial planner with Mint
Opt for last-gen tech. You don't have to splurge for the newest model. Phones, tablets, and laptops one or two generations old can be at least $100 cheaper. Many have most of the same features as new models, and if the item works on the same operating system, you'll usually be able to get some of the new upgrades. —Julie Ramhold
Photo: Mary Britton Senseney
Think Outside the (Gift) Box
Hack your subscription box. I take unused items from my subscription boxes and create gift bundles. My niece and cousin love getting beauty bags from me, and I feel better that I didn't waste nail polish or lipstick. —Lauren Anastasio, director of financial advice at Stash
Check credit card perks. American Express Platinum cardholders can donate points to a charitable organization on behalf of a loved one. (You can choose from more than 950,000 U.S. nonprofits.) If you have a hotel-branded credit card, it may come with a certificate for a free night. Or you might be sitting on a stash of points you can give someone for a hotel stay or a flight. —Benét Wilson, former senior editor at the Points Guy
Uppercut Images/Getty Images
Cut Costs Without Coupons
Use a private browser. It keeps your data hidden so that retailers don't change prices. A standard browser records searches and online activity through cookies, which are then shared with website hosts. Based on previous purchases and what you've been willing to pay for specific items, retailers may manipulate prices to maximize profits. —Andrea Woroch, family budgeting expert at andreaworoch.com
Scroll social media. Influencers and brand ambassadors often share discount codes around the holidays, and you don't even have to follow each one. If you visit their pages, they'll likely be sharing these posts. —Fo Alexander, certified financial educator and founder of mamaandmoney.com
Find look-alikes. Type "dupe" behind the product name you're searching for online, and you may score a bargain knockoff. I've found designer bag dupes for $50 (versus the retail price of nearly $4,000!) and look-alike boots for around $60. —Trina Small, founder of the lifestyle blog Hey Trina
Just ask. I've gotten 20 percent off designer boots simply by asking the sales associate. I also got free shipping from a home goods store by calling customer service and 20 percent off office supplies by using the live chat. —Andrea Woroch
Price-match the smart way. I use browser extensions like Popcart. As you browse, it alerts you if there's a better price elsewhere. Google Shopping also offers extensive price comparisons and can send you a price drop alert. For brick-and-mortar stores, I like the Capital One Shopping app (free; iOS and Android). It searches retailers like Walmart, Target, and Costco for the best deals. Pull up those apps in the store, and they may be willing to price-match. —Trae Bodge, shopping expert at truetrae.com
Oleksiy Maksymenko/Getty Images
Ship Without Stress
Tap cards for free shipping. Some American Express, Mastercard, and Chase cards come with a complimentary ShopRunner membership, which offers free two-day shipping and free return shipping at more than 100 online retailers. —Brittney Castro
Know when to mail it. Generally, USPS' Priority Mail packages arrive fastest (in one to three days) and are a better value for gifts up to 70 pounds. For larger, UPS is usually preferable. I'd also use them for more valuable items because I've had a better experience with their tracking system. To get the lowest ground price, you generally want to send packages by December 15. —Shannon Vissers
Choose curbside. Save on shipping fees at checkout by using the "pick up in store" option. You might even land extra discounts by going this route. Some shoppers who picked up items have received an additional 10 to 15 percent off at certain department stores, and some stores have even offered gift cards. —Trae Bodge
Imagine saving hundreds of dollars on your holiday shopping without spending hours clipping coupons or hunting for deals. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not. With the right tools and strategies, you can slash your shopping expenses and still get everything on your wish list.
I’ll show you six amazing tools that will help you save money and time when you shop online or in-store.
Plus, I’ll share a bonus tip on how to get the best prices and discounts on everything from electronics to clothing. Ready to start saving? Let’s dive in.
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1. Retailer apps, and manufacturer sites
Downloading big retailer apps can lead to more savings not found in the store or online. From From Target and Walmart to your local drugstore, many offer secret app-only savings and offers.
Retailers are trying to get us to shop more with their own app by combining an app purchase with an in-store pickup that, with any luck, can, at times, offer additional savings. Look for each app in the official Apple app store and Google Play Store, never from a link or other site.
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2. Cash-back shopping apps
Rakuten
Cashback shopping apps like Rakuten let you earn cash back when shopping online. There are 3,500 retailers participating in the savings, according to Rakuten.
How it works is simple. Register for free online, then use their app or website while shopping at retailers that offer a commission for sending you to their shopping site.
Rakuten shares a portion of the commission it earns with you, and once you earn enough cash-back savings, you can pick to receive a check, get it paid to your PayPal account, or through the American Express rewards program.
Click this link and get a $30 bonus when you spend $30.
Ibotta
I've mentioned this app before. Ibotta is an app that you use for couponing and gives you cash back on items you’re already purchasing at your favorite stores, including grocery stores, food delivery, movie and concert tickets, and more.
Some of the most popular retailers you can find deals with through Ibotta are CVS, Walgreens, Target, Lowe’s, Petco, Domino’s Pizza, REI and over 1,500 brands and retailers.
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If you scroll to the bottom of the app, you’ll see a Special Deals section with Freebies, which has all the free and buy one, get one free offers in one place.
Click this link and use referral code mpiaurm to earn $10 when you submit your first receipt
Copy the code to insert into the Referral code box on Ibotta "Create account" page: mpiaurm
3. Discount and price comparison apps
Discount apps like Flipp aggregate sales flyers and store circulars. All you do is put in your zip code and start browsing for savings from over 2,000 popular retailers. The Watch List lets you track items from your holiday shopping list. Make sure to create a tight shopping list of each item to track in case prices go down before or after your purchase.
TARGET EXEC WARNS RETAIL SHRINK REMAINS 'SIGNIFICANT HEADWIND'
4. Automatic coupon code apps
PayPal Honey leads the pack by automatically entering coupon codes into the promo code field when checking out at 5,500+ retail sites.
How it works: You can use the PayPal Honey app directly, but you are better off using it the way it was designed as a browser extension. Once added to your browser, it tracks where you are shopping and applies the best coupon codes without you needing to do anything. Just watch the total price drop as you are checking out when there is a match for a good discount.
The PayPal Honey browser add-on is available on Safari, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Edge browsers. Again, for security, only download directly through your browser, not from a link or email offer.
PayPal paid $4 billion dollars for the automated coupon code technology browser add-on. That's when Honey became PayPal Honey.
While it has come under fire by Amazon for privacy concerns, upon close examination, it does not collect anything more than most other shopping technologies and says it does not resell customer shopping data. Maybe Amazon does not like that it works with Amazon too, which can drive down prices.
5. Shop refurbished and like new
Amazon Warehouse has millions of open boxes, refurbished, renewed and used goods. Few know that retail giant Amazon has a renewed outlet shopping area that can save you when buying items in good to like-new condition.
Make sure you get a very good understanding of an item's condition before buying. You are protected by Amazon's policies making it easier to return the rare dud.
BookFinder.com buys and sells used textbooks. Search with your teacher or professor’s textbook ISBN number to make sure you are getting the exact match. Watch that you have thoroughly checked the condition of any used textbook before pulling the trigger at checkout. Avoid textbooks that say there are notations on the various pages, as these may not be the notes that earn you a good grade!
MORE: 5 SECRETS TO SHOPPING SMARTER ON AMAZON
6. Buy discounted gift cards
You can buy discounted gift cards from sites/apps like these or sell unwanted gift cards for cash. I also recommend that you check the balance and expiration date of your gift cards before using them and use them as soon as possible to avoid losing them or forgetting about them.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
You’ve just learned about six amazing tools that can help you save money and time on your holiday shopping. Whether you’re looking for cash back, coupons, discounts, or price comparisons, these tools have you covered. And don’t forget the bonus tip: always check the price history of the items you want to buy, and use price alerts to get notified when they go on sale. With these tools and strategies, you can enjoy your holiday shopping without breaking the bank.
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