Capital One Shopping Review – Save Every Day
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Fast Facts
Free Tool:
No cost to use.
Price Comparisons:
Finds better deals online.
Coupon Codes:
Applies available discounts.
Price Drop Alerts:
Notifies of price reductions.
Browser Extension:
Easy installation and use.
Cash Back Offers:
Earns rewards on purchases.
You may have seen the commercials with the celebrities touting a popular feature under the Capital One brand – the Capital One Shopping coupon and rewards app. Not only is this available to cardholders, but anyone willing to install the Chrome extension can enjoy the benefits of Capital One Shopping.
This Capital One Shopping review revealed several benefits—and possible pitfalls—of installing the extension on your web browser or using the smartphone app. Ultimately, if you shop online quite often, you’ll want to pay close attention to what Capital One Shopping offers.
Related: Best Coupon Apps to Save You Money
Jump To
What is Capital One Shopping?
Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension and a smartphone app that automatically applies available coupon codes and finds the best deal for you, all within the background while checking out online stores or in-store shopping.
Capital One Shopping claims to have helped consumers save more than $2 billion by finding the lowest prices on Amazon and other popular retailers by comparing similar products or finding promo codes to save money on checkout.
Start saving in 3 simple steps
1. Use Capital One Shopping for Free. It takes seconds to add Capital One Shopping and works with all major browsers.
2. Shop as you normally do. Capital One Shopping's magic works quietly in the background, searching for discounts on your purchase.
3. Save effortlessly. Ready to save? Just click Capital One Shopping and the best deal discovered will be applied to your cart.
How does Capital One Shopping work?
Capital One Shopping is a price comparison tool that helps online shoppers find better prices. You have two ways to access the Capital One Shopping tool: add the extension to Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Microsoft Edge, or download the mobile app on iOS and Android for on-the-go convenience.
You can log in using several available connections or by entering your information.
Capital One will identify your browser and connect you to the installation. Or, if you aren't ready, you can skip this step and shop for the website's featured deals.
From there, Capital One Shopping will work in the background and provide you (the shopper) with valuable information for getting the trending deals. The tool includes:
- Automatically applies the best available coupon codes across over 100,000 retailer sites (with the extension only, not available in the app)
- Price comparisons on Amazon, so you see the least expensive option
- Create pricing notifications for your watchlist on Amazon
- Redeem Capital One credits for gift cards
Here's an example of how Capital One Shopping appeared when I searched on Amazon for a flatscreen TV.
Amazon reveals this TV is marked down 30% and is a great deal. The blue bar is Capital One Shopping. It looks like its cheapest begins at $281.44.
When clicking on the bar, a pop-up reveals the best price found on Amazon (which makes sense as it's an Amazon TV!).
When I click on the Continue button, I can see the price it found, which is actually the same as what is listed on Amazon, but it includes the tax, so I see the total upfront. Capital One will even send me back to Amazon to buy the TV or add it to a Watchlist to see if the price drops lower.
How much does Capital One Shopping cost?
The beauty of this particular feature is it’s free for anyone to add. Whether you’re a Capital One cardholder or not, you can potentially save money with your online shopping purchases without spending a dime scouring for the best deals.
You may be wondering, “What’s the catch?” After all, a website isn’t going to do the hard work of finding the best deals for us without asking for something in return, right?
Capital One Shopping may be free, but you should know your personal data is collected and shared. According to the Privacy Policy, your online activity and interaction with the site are tracked. The info is also shared with third parties, although the policy explicitly states the data is not used for marketing purposes with the third party and never sold.
As long as you understand this is what you agree to when using the site, you can get the best deals possible while online shopping.
Start saving in 3 simple steps
1. Use Capital One Shopping for Free. It takes seconds to add Capital One Shopping and works with all major browsers.
2. Shop as you normally do. Capital One Shopping's magic works quietly in the background, searching for discounts on your purchase.
3. Save effortlessly. Ready to save? Just click Capital One Shopping and the best deal discovered will be applied to your cart.
Capital One Shopping features
Automatic
Once installed, you don’t have to do anything extra to receive discounts or search for the best deals on Amazon. The tool will automatically review all the information and give you a snapshot.
Amazon comparison tool
While shopping on Amazon, Capital One Shopping gives you a green button to alert you if the product is less expensive than the Amazon price. Capital One scours online retailers for the best prices so that the button will direct you to the site at a lower price.
Amazon watchlist feature
Another feature allows you to add an Amazon product to a watchlist. The shopping tool will send you price drop alerts when the price changes. This alert lasts for 60 days and will also monitor other retail sites.
Redeem credit for gift cards
Each time you purchase through the program, you’ll earn Capital One Shopping credits towards gift cards. Eventually, you can redeem your shopping rewards for gift cards to participating retailers like Walmart, Target, and eBay.
Featured offers
Capital One features many great deals daily and is constantly updated.
Universal product search
Another interesting feature is a universal product search. You simply scan a barcode, and the tool will tell you the prices across all the major retailers.
Free
It’s free to add and free to use.
No more wondering if you received the best deal
If you think of overpaying for anything, you will love knowing you’re getting the best deal possible without doing anything extra. Plus, you’ll save time by not scouring the internet and trying multiple codes to see if one works.
Link to local offers
Big box retailers aren’t the only ones who benefit from your shopping - local retailers can be included, too. You'll earn credit to redeem gift cards if you link your credit or debit card to your Capital One Shopping account.
Quick startup
Adding the app or applying for the Capital One Shopping browser extension only takes a few seconds.
Who is Capital One Shopping best for?
Anyone who has wasted time copying and pasting various discount codes to see if any work knows how frustrating it is to find the best deal. Even when you go through all the hassle, you may still feel you are overpaying. This tool is best for anyone who wants to avoid either of these scenarios.
If you want to save money as effortlessly and painlessly as possible, it doesn’t get much easier than adding this tool.
Who shouldn’t use Capital One Shopping?
If you are fiercely protective of your online activity, you’ll want to think twice before adding the extension or downloading the app. Although data tracking and sharing are common for most companies, you should know what information is used.
Start saving in 3 simple steps
1. Use Capital One Shopping for Free. It takes seconds to add Capital One Shopping and works with all major browsers.
2. Shop as you normally do. Capital One Shopping's magic works quietly in the background, searching for discounts on your purchase.
3. Save effortlessly. Ready to save? Just click Capital One Shopping and the best deal discovered will be applied to your cart.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Automatic and constantly runs in the background. There is nothing you need to do.
- Each time you purchase through an approved site, you will earn credit to use towards gift cards.
- An effortless way to know you’re paying the lowest amount possible for an item online or in-store with the product scanner feature.
- Doesn’t cost a dime to install or download.
Cons
- Tracks your credit card purchases and other transactions, plus personal data.
- The service has been rated one star in 89% reviews on Trustpilot.
Capital One Shopping vs. competitors
Saving app | Online or In-store | Method | Benefit | Rewards |
Capital One Shopping | Both | Browser extension and mobile app | Earn savings by shopping at major retailers or local stores and finding the lowest prices or discount codes | Earn credit towards gift cards |
Honey | Online only | Browser extension and mobile app | Earn cash back shopping at major retailers and using discount codes | Earn for gift cards or cash payout via PayPal |
Rakuten | Online only | Browser extension and mobile app | Earn cash back shopping at major retailers and using discount codes | Earn cash back with either a check or PayPal payout |
Honey
Honey is similar to Capital One Shopping, as it uses both the browser extension and the app to find the best discount codes. The most significant difference is Honey only works with online purchases. One big advantage of using Honey is redeeming rewards with gift cards or a cash payout from PayPal.
Rakuten
Rakuten is also similar but offers payouts via a check in the mail or cash back via PayPal. The Chrome extension or app helps you find the best discount and coupon codes and comparison shop online to find the best deal possible.
FAQs
Do I need to be a Capital One cardholder to use the Capital One Shopping app or extension?
One of the numerous benefits of this program is that anyone can join, as long as they set up an account and download the app or browser extension. You do not have to be a Capital One credit cardholder to participate.
Is Capital One Shopping legit?
Capital One Shopping website and app is legitimate. Stores pay commissions to companies for sending customers their way, which is referred to as affiliate marketing and is how Capital One can fund this business model. It’s an easy way to earn a little extra money and make sure you’re getting the best-advertised deal.
How much does Capital One Shopping cost?
It's absolutely free.
Start saving in 3 simple steps
1. Use Capital One Shopping for Free. It takes seconds to add Capital One Shopping and works with all major browsers.
2. Shop as you normally do. Capital One Shopping's magic works quietly in the background, searching for discounts on your purchase.
3. Save effortlessly. Ready to save? Just click Capital One Shopping and the best deal discovered will be applied to your cart.
Is Capital One Shopping legit?
The Capital One Shopping app and browser extension might be one of the easiest ways to earn rewards and ensure you’re paying the lowest price when shopping online or in-store. The beauty of this tool is how it works behind the scenes once you add it. Your only decision will be what type of gift card to pick once you earn enough rewards.
You should be aware your data is being tracked, but it is a common practice for these types of sites. As long as you agree with this, there is no reason why you can’t benefit from this simple way to save.
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Writer
Sara Coleman is a former corporate gal turned creative entrepreneur. She began writing professionally several years ago and now contributes to multiple websites, blogs, and magazines. She’s also an avid reader and can’t resist a great historical fiction novel. Sara holds a BA in journalism from the University of Georgia and can be found supporting her Bulldogs every chance she has. She resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her wonderfully supportive husband and three children. When she’s not ushering her kids to sports and dance lessons, she can be found creating content for her own website, TheProperPen.com.
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