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You may have seen the commercials with popular celebrities talking about Capital One Shopping and thought of trying it, but is it really worth it? I tested it out for you and I’m sharing my experience below!
SPOILER ALERT! If you shop at all on a computer then in my opinion, it’s worth it. Keep reading to find out how to use it and see how much I got back or just go and grab it here if you’re short on time.
What is Capital One Shopping?
Capital One Shopping is a free browser add-on that instantly searches for available coupons and automatically applies them to your cart across thousands of sites without slowing down your shopping experience.
When Capital One Shopping finds codes, it then tests them to make sure they work and automatically applies available coupon codes to your purchase. This saves you money and a lot of time typing in codes that may not work and it’s all done for you.
The best part?
Even if discounts or better prices aren’t available, you can still enjoy rewards. You’ll earn Capital One Shopping Rewards while you shop, then you redeem those rewards for gift cards at dozens of top retailers. Even without the discounts, you’re getting more from every dollar you spend by using this.
Just add Capital One Shopping and let the savings begin. Capital One Shopping is available for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, & Safari. It only takes seconds to install so I’d do it now before you forget.
Keep reading to see how it works and how I was able to save right away using it.
How Capital One Shopping Works
After you download the Capital One Chrome Extension here, you just shop as you normally would. If there are coupons or rewards back on any of the websites you’re shopping then you’ll get notified in the top right hand of your screen.
If there are rewards you will get a screen similar to the one below. Just click on the blue “Activate” button to activate them. Capital One Shopping will also automatically try any coupon codes it finds and apply them for you! No more searching for coupon codes and trying to enter them to see if they still work.
Once it’s activated just shop as you normally would. They will track your purchase and you’ll get notified when the rewards hit your account.
For me, I got an email saying I received $9.60 in shopping rewards for my purchase at Groupon. I was already getting a great deal on Groupon so to earn additional rewards on top of that was amazing.
Once you earn enough rewards to cash out, you can turn your rewards into gift cards. Keep in mind that some partners take longer than others to confirm your purchase so you might have a wait a couple weeks but you should see your rewards “pending” in your Capital One Shopping account.
You can cash out your rewards for popular gift cards like Walmart, Lowe’s, Macy’s, and many more. I didn’t see an option for Amazon gift cards so not sure if they will have that option in the future or if the options change the more rewards you get. I usually opt for a Walmart gift card since I do my grocery shopping there.
Capital One Shopping’s Amazon Button
Speaking of Amazon………
Capital One Shopping is especially helpful when shopping on Amazon. The app features an Amazon-specific button that shows up under the Amazon price to help you find a lower price for the product on Amazon or somewhere else.
It also allows you to add the product to a “watchlist”. If you want to buy something, but the current price is too steep, you can add it to your Capital One Shopping watchlist. You’ll receive an instant notification any time the item’s price drops.
Above is an example of how the button will look once you download the browser extension onto your computer.
How to Get Started With Capital One Shopping
- Go here and Download the Browser Extension on your computer. It only takes seconds.
- Enter basic information and create your account where you will collect and keep track of your rewards. Be sure to confirm your email after as well.
- That’s it!
Does Capital One Shopping work on mobile? Yes, it does now!
Capital One Shopping App
Once you follow the instructions above to create your account you can then use that same login information for the new mobile app.
I’m loving the Capital One Shopping Mobile App, I recently tried it out when I wanted to purchase from my favorite skincare stores. Capital One Shopping was giving 15% back in rewards at Paula’s Choice (love her BHA gel!) and 10% rewards back at Biossance, which is a new favorite of mine.
Alternatives to Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping has been my go-to when it comes to shopping online lately but I do have other favorites that I’ve used for years that you might also want to check out.
One that I talk about ALL THE TIME on the blog is Rakuten. Rakuten also has a browser extension and a mobile app and gives you rewards for shopping through them. What I love about Rakuten is they give you a bonus for signing up and making your first purchase. Right now it is $30! Yup!
You can check out Rakuten here. One tip I like to share is to sign up for both! I use the Capital One Shopping Extension on my computer and I have the Rakuten app on my phone. This way I can compare the savings and see which one is better.
You only want to use ONE browser extension at a time to avoid any issues getting your rewards, that is why I only have Capital One Shopping on my computer and I use Rakuten on my phone.
I also have a blog post on other browser extensions you can check out here if you’re interested.
Love all these money-saving tips? Need more help saving money or want video walk-through instructions on EXACTLY how to use these tools to save money? Then check out my course How to Become a Money Saving Pro.
