Write a commentShopping online can and will save you money, sometimes as much as 33% off the high street store prices as they don't have the same overheads involved when selling online and you can save even more when you combine a sale with a voucher code or are lucky enough to catch a glitch.
The best way to shop online is to use price comparison search engines that find the best price or if you have more time to invest, regularly search to find multiple online stores that sell the product your looking for and do your own detective work.
Finding Deals Online
The thing with shopping Online is that even though many places charge a delivery fee this easily outweighs the stress of traipsing around the shops for hours, plus with the added cost of fuel and car parking prices it is still cheaper.
Plus if you're really lucky you will find a good voucher code so you can get a further discount, a free gift to sweeten the deal or even a free delivery code which can be great for smaller orders.
Earn while you shop...
When you shop online you can get money back from your purchases by going through cashback websites. These companies give customers back a percentage of what they spend online, simply for shopping via their links first, the bigger cashback companies such as topcashback and quidco have nearly all the UKs major retailers for you to choose from, as well as utilities, Insurances and more.
It's really simple to sign up and use their links to click through to your desired shop and if they're 'affiliated' with them you will earn money back. There are different amounts available for different companies and all the information will be available before you make a purchase, so you can ensure you get the best cashback. You can track all your earnings through the cashback website and cash out when you like.
Know Where to Shop...
Amazon and eBay are both well known for being the main shopping website for deals, it always price matches and usually undercuts all the competition for key items such as Kindles, X-box and Playstation. There's nothing you can't find at Amazon and eBay and it usually can't be found cheaper, most items are delivered free too.
Groupon and Wowcher are also fantastic for finding bargain buy on things like experience days and UK breaks away, as well as goods and eating out. If you after something a bit more exotic, LoveHolidays is your one-stop destination for bargain holidays abroad.
There are many websites out there like ours that will find deals for you, my personal favourite is HotUKdeals because unlike us they have a community of bargain hunters that post all the latest deals and voucher codes available.
There are also other voucher code websites such as Voucher Cloud that you can search by store to find discount codes, free delivery codes and more.
Websites such as MSE forums have fantastic money saving guides and tips, they too have a forum where the community post deals and vouchers.
Sales, Sales SALES!
To get the very best bang for your buck you should wait until there's a sale on at your chosen retailer. You can shop the sale whilst using a cashback website to get a double whammy of savings.
Use our UK Sale Dates Calendar to be the first to know when your favorite brands have a dale due to go live!
Our Top Tips
Follow Retailers on Social Media
You can also find deal pages on Facebook pages such as ours Money Saving Central and there are loads of others to choose from, I like about 20 on Facebook and I make sure I change the setting to "see first" in my news feed so that I don't miss out on a good deal or Glitch. They post some amazing stuff straight to your feed, I have often found many a Christmas bargain in my Facebook feed when I wasn't expecting it.
Sign up for Retailers Newsletters
9 out of 10 online stores try to reel customers into their email marketing campaigns by offering a welcome discount code when you sign up to their marketing emails. These are easily unsubscribed from so you don't need to worry about being spammed.
Get Nifty Price-drop Alert Emails
Price-drop alert site 'Love Sales' allows you to add items from online retailers to your 'wish list' and name the price you're willing to pay, or ask for an alert when the price drops.
Loyalty Cards & Reward Schemes
Always check whether there's a loyalty or rewards scheme available before you purchase if two shops sell the same item for the same price - but one has a loyalty scheme, then that's the one to choose. This way you'll get points or some other sort of benefit every time you buy and they can soon add up.
Shopping FAQs...
As simple as a mouse click! The goods and services are usually presented in a catalog style. And all the buyer needs to do is add the goods they want to buy to their basket after which proceeding to the checkout process and paying by credit card.
Shopping Deals UK
Is online shopping safe?
Did you know shopping online with a credit card is safer than paying cash in a store? You are 100% protected against fraudulent charges on your card, including misrepresented items online! If your card is ever billed for a charge you did not authorise, simply call your bank and have them issue a chargeback.
What is a chargeback?
A chargeback is when you are refunded your money for a transaction you did not authorise, did not receive goods for, or were defrauded in some way.
How do I ensure I am shopping safely?
When buying goods online in a secure environment you will see 2 things happen:
1. The web address (URL) on their site should change from something like http://www.website to https://www.website Notice the "s" in "https". This means the page is a secure web page.
2. A small lock icon should appear in the browser window indicating the web page is now secure.
When the web page is secure, all data transmitted is fully encrypted, which means that if anyone is able to intercept the signal between your computer and their website, they will not be able to decipher the data. Data sent through a secure page is almost impossible to crack. So just be sure that the website you are on has encrypted and secured your data and you will always be fine.
If you have any great hints or tips on getting those deals online we would love to hear from you, so drop us a comment below...
