Hi and welcome to the channel.
My name is Megan and in today's video
I'll be sharing the top websites to save you money
while shopping online this year.
I am not trying to scam you, this video is not sponsored,
all of these sites are free to use and... Wow! My mother is blind.
Now that that's cleared up, let's jump into the first way
that you can start saving money with no risk
and very little effort required.
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Rakuten, this is my favorite.
Rakuten gives you up to 10% cashback
on all the things that you're already buying online.
Rakuten was previously called Ebates,
which I've talked about multiple times on this channel.
Same company, same concept, new name.
You can sign up in 15 seconds using your Facebook account
with no credit card information required.
You add the browser extension and then you're all set
to start earning cashback while you do your usual shopping
through stores like Walmart, Amazon, Kohl's, Sephora, Indigo...
It's a long list.
Once you have the browser extension, if you're shopping at an applicable store,
it will pop up in the top corner,
click "activate cashback" and then check out as usual.
You'll find your cashback added to your Rakuten account,
and then they'll either direct deposit it to you
or send you a check with the money.
I prefer to get it as a check because it makes me feel
like I'm successfully adulting,
then I realize I don't know how to open envelopes.
I especially love Rakuten as a traveler
because they're partnered with sites like a Agoda, Booking.com, Expedia,
Airbnb...
sites that I'm using to book my flights and accommodations already.
When you're getting up to 4%, 10% cashback on these high-ticket items,
it adds up fast.
Rakuten is an affiliate partner with these stores,
so they're getting a commission and then sharing that commission with you.
You get cash back on your purchase
and Rakuten also makes a percent on your purchase.
(Music)
It's free to use, has millions of users, they're affiliated with top stores
and they have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
If you're interested in giving Rakuten a try for yourself,
I have a link in the description that will give you a $10 credit
to start off your cashback account.
By using my link, I also get $10,
so it's an easy way to support me and to earn a free $10
if you're planning on trying it anyway.
I appreciate it.
The next one on the list you've probably heard of,
Groupon.
Groupon collects deals on services, restaurants, products,
pretty much everything, and then sells them to you at a discount.
It's like a virtual coupon book.
The downside to Groupon is that I usually can't find a discount
on the particular brands, company, restaurant, that I would normally go to,
that's why I use Groupon whenever I want to have a service done
but I don't really care who is the one doing it.
For example, a massage in Ottawa is normally $100,
I'll go on Groupon, search for massage, see what discounts are available,
and check the rating of the company received on Groupon, TripAdvisor,
and Google reviews.
Usually the ratings are good and they're just on Groupon
to increase exposure, or maybe they're a new company.
Same concept for haircut or a new gym to join
if I wasn't too particular about which gym or which salon I wanted to go to.
It's also fun to browse their "things to do" section
for activities that you maybe never would have even thought of.
This is great when traveling or even in your home city.
You may find yourself always going to a dinner
and the movies with your friends,
going on Groupon and searching in your local area
to see what else you can do
can actually open your eyes up to all these cool experiences
that you didn't even know existed.
You can do safari in Ottawa?
That's happening.
Honey.
It's a free browser extension that automatically finds
and applies coupon codes anytime you go to checkout online.
Honey pops up and you just click "apply coupons"
and it will search the web for the best coupon code.
This saves you from having to google "Six Flags coupon code"
anytime that you're looking for a discount.
It's going to automatically search hundreds of discounts all over the web
and start applying them to see which ones stick.
Side note: Do not pay full price if you're going to an amusement park,
there is almost always a discount code and Honey will find it for you.
And I have another pro tip for you:
shop on Groupon, activate cashback with Rakuten,
and then apply the Honey discount codes at checkout.
One is cashback, one offers discount services,
and one applies discount and coupon codes.
All of them do different things, so you can use all three of them together
to absolutely maximize your online savings.
The next one is a recent discovery that I am absolutely in love with,
Gift Card Granny.
This one is simple.
Their tagline is "never pay full price for a gift card again."
You can buy electronic gift cards at a discount
which are then emailed to you for immediate use.
The savings are huge
but, if you're planning on making a purchase anyway,
why not get a few of those dollars back?
You can also sell your own vouchers or gift cards that you may not be using.
If you won a Chuck E. Cheese voucher at a party at work last week
that you will never ever use,
why not sell it at a 10% discount on Gift Card Granny?
This means someone that will actually use it is buying it
and you will get the cash instead,
it's a win-win.
Rebate apps.
Yeah, what does that even mean?
These are apps that give you virtual coupons to your phone.
You purchase the products, prove you've purchased the products,
and then you end up getting cashback
onto the account that the app is associated with.
I'm using ibotta in this example
because many of you are from the US but, for you fellow Canadians out there,
it's very similar to Checkout 51.
ibotta is a free rebate app with offers
to help save you money on certain groceries,
retail items, booze, and pretty much everything else.
You download the app to view offers on specific products,
when you're at the grocery store you'll find these discounted products,
scan their barcodes with your phone camera
and then, after you buy the items, you scan the barcode on your receipt
to prove you actually bought them,
and then the cashback is added to your account.
You can redeem this money in gift cards or on PayPal.
I like these apps because they can be used at big stores like Walmart,
Publix and Amazon,
but what I dislike is that they're not as seamless as Rakuten or Honey.
They take multiple steps
and you actually have to put a little bit of work in;
it's not an automatically applied discount.
Again, Canadians, Checkout 51, same concept as ibotta,
I'll link all of these below.
I'm also going to link a PDF with all of the tools that I use to work online
and travel and save money.
Most of them are free, it's just this massive list of sites
and websites and apps that I am completely obsessed with.
Next up is not a specific website but a category of websites and apps
that I use to compare prices before actually making a purchase.
These are my favorite comparison tools:
GasBuddy, it pulls up a map of your local area
and shows you the gas prices for the stations near you.
It's crazy to see how much the prices can vary
based on the time of day
and even just going 15 minutes in one direction versus the other.
Flyer comparison apps,
you can check out Flipp and Reebee,
both of these give you flyers for your local stores on your phone
so you know where to go for the best deal.
There's also a search function
so you can find where a particular product is going to be on sale.
I'll always have a look at these flyer apps
if I'm buying something expensive like Greek yogurt or salmon,
or if I'm buying something in bulk say, for a party.
For accommodation, I compare prices on HotelsTonight, Booking.com
and Agoda.
If you aren't picky about staying with a particular hotel brand,
you can find some epic deals.
So, what I'll do is I'll put in the location, like Bangkok,
filter for five-star resorts and then sort by the lowest price first.
I stayed at a resort just out of Bangkok to get over some of the jetlag
with a girlfriend last fall before moving up to Chiang Mai.
We were at a four-star luxury resort for $30 CAD a night;
it was absolutely insane.
That's what happens if you're not picky on the location
or on the specific hotel that you stay at.
When you're trying to save up money, every little bit counts.
I encourage you to take a look at these apps
and then combine them to maximize your savings.
Also, if you are purchasing travel or accommodations,
honestly, 4%, 10%, these small cashback amounts
make a big difference.
Don't forget that all of them are linked in the description below
and I also have that PDF with all of the tools and apps that I use
to organize and manage my life while working online
and traveling so frequently.
In the last few videos, I share ways that you can save money for travel
or whatever else you'd like to do
but, what about earning extra money?
Make sure you subscribe and hit that bell,
because next week I'll be sharing a massive list of side hustles
with very low barriers to entry that you can get started with immediately
to earn an extra side income.
Don't forget to give this video a like,
let me know if you use any of these tools to save money, or if you have any others.
Spread the savings. I would love to know.
And I will see you next week.
Thanks for watching. Bye!