Are you a deal hunter constantly looking for the best ways to save? Online shopping is not only convenient, but it’s also filled with different opportunities that you can take advantage of to save money! However, it’s not all fun and savings. There are a few scams and shady online business practices out there that you need to keep an eye out for so that you don’t get scammed. Take a look at our list of 4 easy ways that you can save while online shopping, and how to avoid being taken advantage of.
- Coupon codes
One of the best ways that you can save while shopping online is by using a coupon code. Don’t worry, you won’t be cutting out any coupons from your Sunday newspaper! These days you can find websites specifically designed to provide customers with a variety of coupons codes and deals from different brands.
The problem is, there are many ‘fake’ coupon sites out there that push inactive or broken coupons. Once you’ve decided to start using coupons to save on all your online shopping, it’s important to choose a trusted online retailer that verifies all of their coupons by hand. If you’re looking for a place to find real coupons that will allow you to save, choose a brand like BravoDeal. With BravoDeal, you know the savings are real since over 98% of their coupons have been verified by their team!
- Outsmart dynamic pricing
Dynamic Pricing is a sneaky strategy that online merchants use to make you pay more for your online purchases. By tracking things like your online spending habits, your purchases, and your location, brands can show different prices to different people. Have you ever searched for airfare one day and then found the price increased drastically the next day? That’s Dynamic Pricing in action.
There are a few ways that you can outsmart this sneaky tactic:
- Make you clear your browser and cookies
- Shop while using your browser’s incognito mode
- Log out of accounts like Gmail and Facebook before shopping
- Set your browser’s location to a different country
Follow along with a few or all of these tips and prevent dynamic pricing by misleading you with higher prices!
- Take advantage of rewards programs
Loyalty programs or rewards programs offered by brands can be a great way to save some extra cash while online shopping. These programs usually work by rewarding you for doing a specific action or by offering you perks in order to entice you to shop. While some loyalty programs require a one-time membership fee, many are completely free and only require you to register with the brand website or sign up for an email newsletter.
When looking for loyalty programs you want to make sure you’re not being deceived by a predatory credit card disguised as a reward program.Over 50 complaints a day are filed with the Consumer Protection Bureau over predatory credit cards, so it’s important that you know the risks so that you can protect yourself. Read the terms carefully before you sign up for any type of program offered by an online merchant, especially if it comes in the form of a credit card.
- Compare prices
Many brands will try and trick you into paying higher prices for merchandise by offering fake discounts. They will pretend that an item has been marked down in price when in reality, that’s the normal retail price of the object. They use their customer’s desire for a good deal in order to entice them to make unwanted purchases. You can protect yourself by always price checking everything you buy online. There are online websites that allow you to track the price of an object over time, even if they’re being sold on major retailers like Amazon. By using a similar website you can price check your purchases and determine if you’re actually getting the great deal you think you are.
