I’ve long enjoyed any opportunity to save money and earn rewards. If I can get a discount on something I’m already planning to buy and earn cash back rewards, it’s a huge win for my wallet. I estimate that my money-conscious habits have saved me over $1,600 in 2024 — and the year isn’t finished yet.
Are you looking for more ways to save money? Here are some ways I’ve boosted my savings and rewards when shopping in-store and online.
If you don’t use promo codes when shopping online, you’re missing out on additional savings. You can use one of the best coupon code apps to find active codes from your favorite brands — many retailers have virtual coupons you can apply to your orders at checkout.
Getting a larger discount on your order takes seconds. I’ve saved around $300 this year by applying coupon codes to my orders. Don’t forget to check for coupons before you check out.
Activating credit card offers: $50 earned
Some credit card issuers promote credit card offers in their mobile apps. By logging into your account and activating these offers, you can earn cash back as a statement credit to your account after making eligible purchases. I sometimes forget to review current offers, but I’m improving. I’ve earned about $50 in statement credits from these offers.
Activating cash back app offers: $50 earned
Another way I save money when shopping is using cash back apps. When I shop online, I use the Rakuten browser extension to activate offers and earn rewards. I recently started experimenting with mobile apps like Upside to earn cash back when shopping at retailers. So far, I’ve earned around $50, but I’m hoping to increase my earnings soon by using multiple apps.
I’m a big fan of paying attention to sales. I do this before heading to the grocery store and making other purchases. Recently, I upgraded my laptop. I had been using the same one for over eight years, and it was starting to show more signs of wear.
I took advantage of an Apple sale at Best Buy and saved $500 on a brand-new laptop. That’s one of many sales I’ve shopped this year. By paying attention to sales and timing my purchases accordingly, I’ve saved well over $600. You can benefit from doing the same.
Earning credit card rewards: $600 earned
Credit card rewards have also helped me save money. You can earn cash back rewards and pay yourself back later by check or statement credit. I recently earned $300 with a new cash back credit card. This was a combination of me earning $100 from an expensive planned purchase and $200 from a welcome bonus.
I also looked at the earnings for some of my other credit cards. I’ve earned at least $300 in rewards from my other cards, for a total of $600 earned this year. Since I use credit cards to pay for most of my expenses and then pay my entire statement balance off to avoid debt, my rewards add up fast.
One of my travel rewards credit cards lets me transfer my rewards to travel partners. So, I can get more value from my rewards by booking travel instead of getting a statement credit. Here’s an example: I recently redeemed $1,000 cash back rewards for flights that cost over $3,000.
The savings add up fast
As you can see, taking advantage of multiple ways to get discounts and earn rewards can be beneficial. Putting in effort to try new strategies like this could help you save more money and earn more rewards. Between all of these methods, I’ve saved about $1,600 this year. I hope to save over $2,000 by the end of the year. Don’t be afraid to explore more ways to save money.
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