Holiday shopping can easily result in overspending, but deal sites and price trackers can help. These platforms and tools track prices, send alerts, and collect discounts, promo codes and cash-back offers, which make it easier to save on everything from trendy apparel to tech gadgets.
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Here’s how to use them to maximize your savings and avoid overspending this holiday season.
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Set a Deal Alert
“When preparing to buy something pricey, like Airpods or a new home appliance, I always set a deal alert for it on Slickdeals,” said Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert at Freelancer. “I receive a notification when the item goes on sale, so I don’t waste time looking around for deals.”
SlickDeals isn’t the only top deal site that allows users to set alerts. DealNews, Brad’s Deals and RetailMeNot all offer the same thing.
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Use a Browser Plugin
“Because of dynamic pricing and the roller coaster ride of retailer sales, it’s essential to know whether a price is historically high or low,” said Bodge. “I suggest installing the PayPal Honey browser plugin. Once installed, it will tell you whether a price is historically high or low so you can decide if now is a good time to make your move. Camelcamelcamel does this specifically for Amazon.”
Choose Deal Sites That Offer Cash Back
Destiny Chatman, consumer expert at TopCashback, the USA’s most generous cash-back site, said that if you want to save big on your holiday shopping at major retailers, look to cash-back deal sites, like TopCashback, to help.
And she had another tip: “Consider using a cash-back credit card on these purchases to truly maximize your savings,” she said.
Find Deals on Targeted Community Discussion Boards
“Reddit’s r/Deals and r/Frugal features are community discussion boards where users share the best deals they’ve found,” said Chatman. “These boards will help you find hacks and strategies along with amazing deals.”
Sign Up for the Deal Site’s Newsletter
Mafe Aclado, general manager of Coupon Snake, recommended describing deal-focused newsletters that are available on top deal sites.
For example, Clarkdeals allows users to subscribe to its newsletter on the homepage of its site. And when users subscribe to DealNews’ newsletter, they’ll receive a daily email with a recap of the hottest deals chosen by its editors.