Shopping is always more fun — and gratifying — when you can find the best deal possible on what you’re looking for. But in an infinite online marketplace, sniffing out the best deal available isn’t always easy.
That’s where Capital One Shopping comes in. The app works almost as your personal online detective, on the case to find the best prices available.
This article is sponsored by Capital One Shopping and Capital One Shopping pays for referrals when a user clicks on the links provided.
What Is the Capital One Shopping App and Extension?
The Capital One Shopping app or extension is a free tool that you can install onto your mobile device, computer, or tablet to help you look for ways to save money. The product comes in two forms: as an app on a mobile device, or as a browser extension on a computer.
Regardless of which form you use, you can set certain preferences in your Capital One Shopping outlet to give it a heads-up of what you’re looking for. Then, while you’re browsing Amazon for specific products, Capital One Shopping runs seamlessly in the background, hunting for deals, price drops and any potential coupons related to that item.
If your product has specific options, such as a size or color preference, you can add those into your Capital One Shopping app too, to ensure it’s searching for exactly what you want, and doesn’t turn up anything that’s frustratingly close but not quite right.
When it does find a deal, Capital One Shopping will send you a notification within 10-15 seconds of locating the product. The program also provides a summary of all the costs — and ways to save money — involved with the proposed product, including the total price (incorporating tax, shipping and any coupon discounts), pricing history, the return policy, and the estimated delivery time, plus product reviews and rankings and recommendations for related products and deals, determined by the purchases of other Capital One shoppers.
You can also search for deals directly through Capital One Shopping by going to the Capital One Shopping website (on a tablet or computer) or directly through the app (on a mobile device), where a list of discounted items or those available for coupons are available and automatically updated.
The Capital One Shopping app can be downloaded directly from the Chrome Web Store, the Mozilla Firefox Add-On page, the Microsoft Store or the Safari Extensions store, and quickly and easily installed to work with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari web browsers.
The app is also available for mobile, compatible with both iOS and Android operating systems, and available on both iTunes and Google Play.
And the best part? You don’t even have to be a Capital One customer to enjoy the benefits of Capital One Shopping. The app is available for everyone, and always free.
The Capital One Shopping app works as your own personal shopper, sniffing out deals at the lightning pace of technology while you do the legwork of shopping on Amazon manually.
To help ensure you’re always getting the best deal out there, the app uses all the best aspects of the Internet to cover as much digital territory as possible in its search.
Automatically Applying Coupon Codes
Once the app knows what you’re looking for, one of the first things it’ll do is search the World Wide Web far and wide for any coupons related to that product. This can be especially helpful, as not only will it help you save time, but often coupons and other similar deals can be easy to miss if you don’t happen to see the promos.
There’s also no shortage of bogus coupons out there, run by scammers attempting to steal your personal information or worse. To protect against accidentally getting you involved in such a scam, the Capital One Shopping app will first test the coupons to make sure they work and come from legitimate sources.
But all of this works seamlessly in the background while you continue searching. You’ll be notified if and when the app finds a usable coupon, and the discount will be automatically applied when you check out — saving you from having to remember that extra step, or getting any weird code words or numbers straight!
Instantly Comparing Prices
Another tricky tool of the Internet trade the Capital One Shopping app utilizes is instant price comparisons. And in a marketplace as infinite as the Internet, this can be particularly helpful, saving you precious time — and money.
Manual price comparisons can be cumbersome, and particularly difficult. Many products will have extra costs that don’t appear until you’ve made it mostly through the checkout process — including taxes or extra shipping fees.
But Capital One Shopping can compute those numbers in an instant, and use its plugged-in state to instantly browse through prices at more than 30,000 other retailers, casting out a huge net for potential savings.
When the app does find a better price, it’ll send you a notification showcasing the cost difference and offering a link directly to the other retailer, ensuring that ways to save money are always just a click away.
Issuing Price Drop Alerts
Capital One Shopping knows what you like, and what you likely would want. The app and extension keeps track of products you’ve viewed or purchased, so it has a generally good idea of the types of products you’re looking for.
But the app puts this information to use by keeping constant tabs on the price of these items across the web. You can also enter in the products you’d like the app to keep looking out for. And if and when the Capital One Shopping app detects a price drop on any of these items, it will send you a notification.
Earning Rewards for Gift Cards
Even if the app can’t figure out how to save money on a particular purchase, it does its best to help you out.
Each purchase you make while the app is installed will go toward earning you Capital One Shopping Credits. Once enough of these lucrative points add up, you can redeem them in the form of gift cards for dozens of top retailers, including Walmart and eBay.
So even if you’re not saving money now, Capital One Shopping will help you save money later.
Installing the Capital One Shopping app is a quick and easy process that can lead to untold Internet deals on your favorite products. And the process is pretty seamless, regardless if you’re using a computer, tablet or mobile, and whether you have an Apple, Microsoft, Google or Android device.
How To Install It
Installing the browser extension is as easy as making three clicks or less!
If you’re using a mobile device, start by simply visiting your device’s app store, and searching for Capital One Shopping. Once the suggested app appears, click on it to install the device to your phone. The rest should happen automatically.
If you’re using a computer, tablet or other device, you can install the browser extension either by visiting the appropriate app store for your device, or by searching for Capital One Shopping in a search engine.
The website should have a button you can click to get the installation process started. This will take you to an additional page, with the option to read through an additional overview of the app, as well as read through the app’s privacy policies and reviews.
When you’re ready, there will be an additional button to click, which will automatically download the app and add it to your web browser.
Regardless of the device or operating system you’re using, once the download is complete, you’ll be able to open the app or browser extension, where you’ll be prompted to enter some information to get started. You’ll also be able to set your preferences at this point, or use the app to plug directly into the Capital One Shopping website, where additional deals are available.
Even armed with an app on the lookout for how to save money, there are other steps you can take to help maximize your savings when shopping online through Capital One.
Use the Watchlist
First, make sure to add any of your favorite products to the browser extension’s watchlist. This means the Capital One Shopping extension will always be specifically hunting for moments when the price for that product drops, on any of more than 30,000 websites.
This can be especially helpful if there are certain products or living expenses you use on a regular basis, such as grocery shopping, personal care products, pet products, cleaning supplies and even some gym memberships.
Another great way to utilize this feature is to use it for things you don’t need to buy right away. If you see something that would make for a great birthday present or holiday gifts, for example, you can add it to the watchlist, and buy it when it goes on sale.
Check for Comparisons
The Capital One Shopping extension and app is always at work, meaning it’s constantly scanning tens of thousands of websites for not only price drop alerts but product price comparisons.
That means the odds are good that the program can turn up deals for you when you want or need them most. So before pressing “Buy Now” on any item online, make sure to check your Capital One Shopping app for any possible price comparisons.
Link Up to Your Personal Cards
Shop smarter, not harder. If your credit or debit cards are linked to your Capital One Shopping account, it will help you rack up those extra rewards — the Capital One Shopping Credits that can be redeemed for gift cards at major retailers.
Look for Even More Savings
While we’re on the subject of paying with plastic, choosing the right kind of card to hook up to your account can also add up to additional big savings.
There are so many different types of credit cards out there, all with their own specific set of deals, sweeteners, and payback rewards. Look for one that rewards online shopping generally, or could be coupled with your specific types of purchases to add up to even more savings.
Pros of the Capital One Shopping App
An app or web browser extension designed to look for ways to start saving money can come with many benefits. And the biggest and most obvious pro of using Capital One Shopping is exactly that — saving money.
And speaking of savings goals, the app is also free to download and free to use. Plus, Capital One Shopping is available for anyone — users don’t need to have a Capital One account to use this service.
Aside from delivering on its money-saving promises, Capital One Shopping is also easy to use.
Following a ‘set it and forget it’ philosophy, all the program requires is for you to add your preferences in the app or web browser, then let it do its thing. Capital One Shopping works seamlessly in the background, not bothering or interrupting your shopping until or unless it finds a deal to tell you about.
And with the potential to rack up Capital One Shopping Credits, you’ll be able to cash in eventually, whether or not the program ever finds you a deal. These credits can be redeemed for gift cards at dozens of popular retailers, making them a sweet bonus just for doing your regular shopping.
Cons of the Capital One Shopping App
While the Capital One Shopping app can help you find more ways to save money, the program is not without its missteps.
Reviewers noted the app’s Amazon price comparison toolsometimes misses the mark. Instead of redirecting you to a page with a great deal, this feature can sometimes bring you to the homepage of an item that is currently out of stock, or to one where the deal has already expired.
The gift card feature can also be a bit cumbersome to navigate. Rather than being able to sort out cards by their cash-out value, you’ll have to click on each individual retailer to see how much your gift card is worth. Some have said the selection of retailers also felt limited, excluding some big name companies like Amazon.
And those concerned about personal privacy should note that the app doescollect personal data, including personally identifiable information such as your name, address, email address, and age; your location; your browsing history; how you interact with those websites, including the position of your mouse, how quickly or slowly you scroll through a page, and your keystrokes; and any text, images, sounds, videos or hyperlinks appearing on websites you’ve browsed.
Capital One Shopping vs. Competitors
Capital One Shopping isn’t the only app of its kind. In fact, there are a number of other apps that also scrape the Internet in search of coupons, deals and other ways to save money.
Honey is another popular browser extension used by frequent online shoppers. The app is similarly unobtrusive and works by scanning the Internet for coupons, which are automatically applied when you hit the check-out. But unlike the Capital One Shopping app, that’s the only feature this program offers.
Swagbucks also follows a similar formula, looking for sales, coupon codes, and reward options. But this feature doesn’t have a rewards program that can add up to gift cards the way Capital One Shopping does.
FAQs
Online shopping can be a deceptively tricky arena. You may still have many questions about Capital One Shopping and how the program works. We’ve tried to answer some of the most frequent questions below.
How does Capital One Shopping make money?
Capital One Shopping has a similar business model to many other apps and browser extensions designed around online shopping.
The company has partnerships with various retailers, which the app will direct you to, and makes a commission if you make a purchase from them. Capital One Shopping also profits from advertising which may appear on the app or the website.
Does Capital One Shopping cost anything?
No. The Capital One Shopping app and web extension browser are absolutely free — and you can use these programs whether or not you have a Capital One account.
Does Capital One Shopping work?
In a word: Yes. Despite occasional missteps, the app by and large will work to find you savings.
Some reviews have uncovered that these savings can tend to be pretty small, with one analysis finding that the largest savings accumulated through the app was $46, but the average savings found added up to just a couple bucks.
Still, those types of small savings can start to add up, especially if you’re a frequent online shopper. And even if you’re not, why spend more money than you have to?
Conclusion
Online shopping is one of the easiest, best, and most convenient ways to make sure you’re finding exactly what you want. And the Internet can be a great tool for finding great deals on exactly what you want — but this process can also be overwhelming, especially if you aren’t sure where to look or where to start.
This is where the Capital One Shopping app can help. The program seamlessly searches the World Wide Web for ways to save money on the things you’re already looking for — and can even recommend some things you may like that you didn’t even know you should be looking for.
Plus, the app has already been downloaded by more than 6 million people, and racked up an impressive 4.7-star rating, based off of more than 4,700 reviews. So apparently, a large portion of the Internet agrees that the app is worth the time — and the money saved.
