The 7 Best Black Friday Hacks to Save Money
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Black Friday shopping hacks are valuable when you’re shopping on one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Shoppers will be racing through stores and online shopping portals to find the best deals on Christmas gifts and other items.
Some of the biggest sales of the year happen on Black Friday, and we can show you how to save even more money on those great deals.
Here are some of the best shopping hacks for helping you to make the most of Black Friday shopping.
Best Black Friday Shopping Hacks
Black Friday is full of great deals for smart holiday shoppers.
By using the Black Friday shopping hacks listed here, you can get even better deals on your Black Friday shopping spree.
1. Utilize Cash Back Shopping Sites
If you’re doing your Black Friday shopping online, you may be able to save a lot of money by shopping through a cash back shopping site.
Cash back shopping sites such as TopCashback earn you a percentage of your shopping total back in cash.
As long as you access the online stores you want to shop at through the cash back portal you’re logged in to, your purchases are registered.
Then, depending on the site, you’ll get your cash back in the form of a check, PayPal transfer or other method.
Cash back shopping sites pay anywhere from 1% up to 40% or more in cash back, based on the agreement with the individual store.
Other cash back shopping sites include:
- Rakuten
- Swagbucks
- Ibotta
Check out each one to find out which gives the highest cash back at stores you shop the most often.
Here’s a bit of a summary about Rakuten and Ibotta to get you started.
Rakuten
Rakuten is another great way to save money while shopping online Black Friday deals.
When you shop via Rakuten you can get up to 40% back on your purchases at over 2,000 stores.
They even have occasional sign up bonuses such as a $10 welcome bonus.
All you have to do is join Rakuten (it’s free), and then sign in to the Rakuten portal before you start shopping.
The Rakuten portal will direct you to any of its over 2,000 partner stores websites. When you complete your shopping,
Rakuten will credit your account for the discounted amount.
As you see your Rakuten cash balance rising, you can request that money to be transferred to your PayPal account or you can request to be sent a check via U.S. mail.
Ibotta
Ibotta does money savings a bit differently than Rakuten. With Ibotta you use the free Ibotta app before you shop to check offers on the things you want to buy.
Ibotta might ask you to do short, fun tasks such as taking a short survey or playing a game to qualify for the offer.
After you complete the fun task the offer is added to your account.
After the offer is added to your account you can shop and get your money-saving discount deposited into your Ibotta account.
Then you can withdraw that cash at any time after you’ve earned discounts totaling at least $20.
2. Use Browser Extensions When Shopping
Did you know that there are browser extensions that you install on your PC or other device that will automatically search the web for discount coupons for your favorite stores?
Here are two of our favorite browser extensions that find the best coupon codes when you shop.
Use Capital One Shopping for Finding Refunds
Capital One Shopping is a free service that helps you save money when you shop online by finding the best online prices.
Just install the Capital One Shopping browser and it will automatically search for and apply coupon codes as you shop.
There’s also a rewards feature that can help you earn rewards on purchases. In addition, there’s a price protection feature.
To take advantage of price protection, you give Capital One Shopping access to the email account that you use for online shopping.
The Capital One Shopping bot checks your email inbox for shopping receipts.
When it finds an item that has dropped its price, Capital One contacts the store and gets you a refund of the difference.
The best part about the this service is that it’s totally free! In addition, you don’t need to be a Captial One customer to use it.
Get the Honey App
Honey is a browser extension app that scours the internet for discount and coupon codes.
It’ll help you find the lowest prices on items you’re shopping for in the moment.
So, let’s say for instance you’re shopping for running shoes. As you search, the Honey app will cruise the web looking for better prices on those shoes.
It’ll even search Amazon when you’re shopping Amazon to find lower prices within Amazon.
You can also earn cash back points that can be redeemed for gift cards and cash when you shop online with your Honey app.
3. Buy Discounted Gift Cards
Buying discounted gift cards is another way to save money on Black Friday purchases.
You’ll simply buy the discounted gift cards ahead of time. Then use the gift cards to make your Black Friday purchases.
Here is some information about two companies that sell discounted gift cards.
Discounted Gift Cards Through Raise
Using a gift card exchange site like Raise is another way to save serious money on Black Friday purchases.
With Raise you can either sell gift cards you won’t use to get cash, or buy gift cards to your favorite Black Friday shopping stores for a discount.
Raise offers free shipping on all gift card purchases, and they’ve got a free app for you to download as well to make buying and selling gift cards easier.
Discounted Gift Cards Through Gift Card Granny
Gift Card Granny works similar to Raise in that it is a portal that will show you how you can sell unwanted gifts cards for cash.
Or you can buy discounted gift cards to save money when you shop.
When you buy discounted gift cards, you’ll earn the cash back amount specified.
Then use your discounted gift card to buy gifts or simply give the cards as gifts for those on your shopping list.
Related: 45 Stores That Are Closed On Thanksgiving Day
4. Join Store Specific Loyalty Programs
Most stores these days have some type of loyalty program that you can sign up for to qualify for members-only discounts.
Two store loyalty programs that we use often in our family are Kohl’s and Justice for Girls.
By being members of the stores’ loyalty programs we routinely receive discount coupon offers for between 15% and 30% savings.
If you know which stores you’re going to be shopping at on Black Friday, check their websites today to get information on their loyalty programs.
Become members of their specific loyalty programs to start receiving discounts and advanced notice on upcoming sales.
5. Shop on Thanksgiving Day
More and more stores are opening on Thanksgiving Day offering online shopping deals on Thanksgiving Day to help shoppers get ahead of the Black Friday rush.
Do you know where you want to buy and you can sneak away from Thanksgiving Day festivities for a bit?
If so, shopping on Thanksgiving Day may entitle you to extra discounts from certain stores.
See specific store websites for Thanksgiving Day shopping deals.
6. Shop Well Before Black Friday
Black Friday shopping hint: Many stores share their best money-saving deals well before Black Friday.
For that reason, you’ll want to start doing your Black Friday shopping as early as the end of October.
In anticipation of the Black Friday rush, many stores will try and get a jump start on their sales numbers by offering great deals super early.
Make a list of what you want to buy or need to buy for the holiday season, and start doing your shopping four or five weeks early to get a jump on the savings.
Related Post: 32 Frugal Gift Ideas for Christmas
7. Get On Social Media
So many stores are taking advantage of social media in order to make great Black Friday deals well known.
Because of that, you’ll want to be sure you’re following all of your favorite stores on all of your social media accounts.
Get on to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. and search for and follow Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and more.
After that, check your social media accounts often to look for posts advertising Black Friday and early bird deals.
When you find something you want, be sure to buy quickly. Many Black Friday deals are limited quantity. When it’s gone, it’s gone.
Summary
We all know that there are great bargains to be had by shopping on Black Friday.
But by taking advantage of the shopping hacks above, you can turn a good deal into an even greater deal. For instance, getting a great deal on a TV on Black Friday is sure to be a win.
What is your favorite Black Friday shopping hack?