Two Legit, but Relatively Unknown Tools to Save Money
By Paul Seo on The Capital
“The art is not in making money, but in keeping it.”
Ever since I was young, I have always been a proponent of trying to acquire more money and spend less. If there was a penny on the ground, I would stop and pick it up. Purchases should never be full-price but must either be on sale or have a coupon/promo code. It is with this mindset I share these two tools I have discovered over these past few months. I find nearly everyone who shops online could utilize them to save a few bucks here and there.
Full disclosure, I am not sponsored or paid by either of these platforms for the mentions, but rather I simply use them. The links I provide are to their homepages and not affiliate links.
#1: Rakuten
Their words: Since our founding in 1997, Rakuten has helped shape the way people shop online, offering Cash Back, deals, and shopping rewards on the world’s largest selection of products and services. To date, our 12 million members in the U.S. have earned over $1 billion in Cash Back at their favorite stores.
My words: It all starts with making a Rakuten account. You can link it to your Google, Facebook, or Apple account for ease, but can use any e-mail you choose. Then, when you want to do some online shopping, you search for the store you would like to go through their portal. You should see a corresponding cash back percentage (can be as low as 1% and go as high as 40% but varies based on brand/company), but shop like you normally would. After you make an eligible purchase, within a day or two, Rakuten calculates your cash back and pays it back to you every couple of months. Payment is done either through “Big Fat Check” (a check mailed to you), PayPal and even in American Express Membership Rewards (“MR”) Points. I have been able to capture some sort of reward from stores like Nike, Adidas, Saks Fifth Ave, Banana Republic, American Eagle, etc. Just a heads up before starting, you can often get a great initial bonus if you use a referral link from an existing customer!
#2: Paribus from Capital One
Their words: It’s pretty simple. Paribus uses your inbox to watch your purchases and deliveries from the merchants it monitors. It then looks for opportunities to save you money. Paribus has already found people more than $29 million in potential savings — not too shabby.
My words: Acquired by Capital One in 2016, Paribus is a financial tech company that monitors your purchases through your e-mail. So, yes, you have to grant them access to the e-mail where your digital receipts go. Right on their homepage, they state that they do not sell data to third parties, but if you are not comfortable with giving them that, this service may not be for you. How it works is they track your confirmation e-mails from stores and watch for any price changes. If they detect any potential savings, they alert you and help you get that money difference back. Not only are they constantly searching for price drops, but they also can get you compensated for late deliveries from companies like Amazon and tracks upcoming return policies as they near conclusion. Please note, Paribus does not track all retailers but does have a list on their website of the ones they do.
As with any personal finance or money advice, I am not responsible for any of the decisions you make. Please look into the details yourself. These are just devices that I use and have been satisfied with.
Thank you for following along and now go save yourself some cha-ching!
