THREE ONLINE TIPS & TRICKS TO HELP YOU SAVE AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE

Photo: Mikhail Nilov, Pexels

Shopping online doesn’t have to break the bank. Yes, it can be pretty easy to overspend or buy something tempting us that we don’t need, but it has also become one of the best money-saving tools around.

While big companies use tactics to get us to part with our cash, savvy shoppers can be equally as cunning and will utilise countless tools and hacks to beat the system and save a fortune.

These tips and tricks are super simple to use and can help stretch a tight budget even further.

Look For Free Gift Cards

Gift cards usually cost money, rendering them pointless as a money-saving mechanism.

However, it is possible to find free gift cards that give you money to spend on some of your favourite shops. WOW Freebies has a collection of free gift card offers to consider, and it’s always worth looking at what’s available.

Will you always find gift cards for exactly what you want to buy? No, but the trick is to check all the time before buying something online, as you never know when you might be able to save money.

Perhaps there’s a $10 Amazon gift card up for grabs - that can pay for an entire order or help you save $10 on your next purchase.

Sign Up For Loyalty Schemes

It can be a pain being asked every time at checkout to sign up to all the different loyalty schemes and memberships shops have to offer.

As annoying as it can be, it might actually work out in your favour and can help you get money off. Companies want to reward loyalty to keep you coming back.

These schemes will often give you rewards as you shop. Things like discounts on certain items, money off your total shop or even freebies.

If you shop somewhere fairly regularly, like a supermarket or online retailer you particularly enjoy shopping from, then it's going to be worth signing up to whatever schemes (as long as they’re free) that they have to offer.

It can feel a little tedious signing up to all these schemes, but it's worth every penny that you’ll end up saving.

Ask For Free Samples & Testers

We can end up wasting so much money buying things just so we can try them and end up disliking them.

Makeup and skincare are great examples of that. It's something that we end up cutting back on and try buying the cheapest thing available, otherwise you risk spending a fortune on something that seems nice in principle, but once you try it, it ends up being a complete waste of time and, more importantly, money.

The disadvantage with shopping online is that you can’t try stuff out in person - or so you thought.

Most companies actually offer a surprising amount of samples and testers you can order to try out, completely for free.

They might not advertise it well, but it's always worth sending a message to any company's customer service team to see if they can get you some testers.

You can then try it out without committing and find out whether you like it before buying.

Time Big Purchases Round Seasonal Sales

There are certain big purchases that are just unavoidable, that are going to be expensive no matter what.

You know you’re going to have a big spend on your hands, but perhaps you don’t have to make it immediately.

If you're patient, most online retailers run seasonal sales year-round, where you can grab things you need (and want) at heavily discounted prices. Think Boxing Day, summer sales or promotional weeks. 

These kinds of seasonal sales are great opportunities to get some of the biggest discounts you’ll see for certain stores throughout the whole year. It's the prime opportunity to save a chunk of cash by getting bits and pieces you need.

Most of these sales, especially from big companies like Amazon, are well documented, so you can plan ahead of time, save up and earn yourself a bargain.

Saving money doesn’t need to be overly complicated or feel like you’re missing out on things.

You just have to shop a little smarter. Seeking out a discount here, signing up to a loyalty scheme or two there, you’ll be saving hundreds if not thousands before you know it!

Whether you give one or all these online shopping hacks a try, in the long run, your bank account will thank you.