Do you shop online? These days I make more purchases online than I do at actual stores. I love the convenience of online shopping. I love the selection. I love not having to “go shopping”! And I also love saving money. But while saving money is great, I am not willing to work particularly hard to do it.  I’m not going to clip coupons, sign up for emails, do online surveys or follow a company on Facebook just to save a few pennies. But if I can shop online, save some money and don’t have to jump through a lot of hoops, I’m all in! Here are my 5 EASY ways to save money when shopping online.

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5 Easy Ways To Save Money When Shopping Online

Save Money When Shopping Online #1 – Ebates

Last fall I discovered Ebates in a review from another blogger and I am hooked. It’s easy to sign up at Ebates.com. Just give them your e-mail address and set a password. No credit card information necessary.

How does it work? Shop at your favorite stores through Ebates. Earn cash back for every purchase. Every quarter Ebates will send you a BIG FAT CHECK with your earnings. It’s that simple.

• Go to Ebates.com and sign up.
• Install the Ebates button on your browser – it’s literally one click. Every time you shop online, an Ebates window will show up telling you what percentage of cash back you’ll get at that store. Activate the button and start saving.

• At the end of the quarter, watch your mail for the check! Since November 2016, I have received $484.66 cash back from Ebates. That’s a significant chunk of change for little effort!
• You’ll earn your first $10 with Ebates, simply by signing up.

Ebates is the best way I know to save money when shopping online.

Ebates also has ways to save “in store” at some of your favorite retailers, so check that out when you sign up!

Save Money When Shopping Online #2 – Raise

Raise is a site where you can buy gift cards at a reduced price. For example, today you can buy a Kohl’s gift card worth $500 for $462.45. That’s an almost $40 savings.

• No membership required.
• Go to Raise.com.
• Search for a gift card from your favorite retailer and purchase it.
• Raise will send you the e-gift card via e-mail.
• When checking out with the retailer, put the gift card code in the required box.

You can save some big money with Raise. For example, I once purchased a $300 gift card to Chicos for $230.

However, not all the savings are that big. You’ll find that the higher the demand for a particular type of gift card (like Amazon), the lower the savings.  And depending on the retailer, it’s not always easy to know where to put that gift card code when you are checking out. Now, Raise has GREAT customer service. When I’ve had an issue with this I’ve received a prompt response and the problem was solved. But again, for me, the savings have to be worth the time spent.

So… if I’m making a larger purchase and can get some big savings with a Raise gift card, then it’s worth it. And by the way, Raise is an Ebates retailer, so every purchase you make with Raise will get you cash back!

Save Money Online #3 – Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime – Granted, it costs $99/year to be an Amazon Prime member, so there is an initial outlay of cash. But with an Amazon Prime membership, you do get free 2-day shipping, which if you do a lot of shopping on Amazon is so worth it. And is there anything in the world that you CAN’T get on Amazon?

There are also a number of other benefits that you get with Amazon Prime that add value to your membership. My favorite is their streaming service of movies, TV shows, and Amazon Prime originals. You can see some of my favorite Amazon Prime shows here.

Other benefits include free music streaming and online photo storage as well as LOTS of other great deals.

Saving Money Online #4 – Free Shipping on Purchases and Returns

 Zappos is THE BEST for this. They offer free shipping without requiring a minimum purchase. And if you need to make a return, they don’t charge you for shipping to send something back. You can’t lose with a deal like that. I buy most of my shoes from Zappos, but they also have women’s, men’s & kid’s apparel and accessories.

Saving Money Online #5 – Return Your Online Purchases to The Store

Many stores offer free shipping with a minimum purchase.  But what about paying the shipping costs on a return? I avoid this by purchasing from online retailers that have an actual store near me. I take advantage of the free shipping on my purchase, but for returns, I just take them back to the store. No return shipping costs incurred.

Do you shop online? What are your money saving tricks? Tell us below in the comments!

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