How to Shop Online in Canada

Thanks jot.de

Christmas is around the corner and that usually means shopping. Although I will be trying to simplify my Christmas purchases this year, I still enjoy choosing the perfect gift for those on my list. This year I’m thinking of making a lot of my purchases online. If you have your list in hand and budget in mind, and are ready to begin shopping, here are a few ways you can save money this holiday season by shopping online!

1) Use Coupon Codes – A simple tip, but only recently have I learned to look for coupon codes! You see, I don’t do a lot of shopping, and usually if I need something I just add it in with my grocery shopping. But this time of the year, for Christmas, I’m having to buy things that I can’t get at the grocery store! If you’re going to purchase something online, what’s the harm in doing a simple search online for a coupon code that could save you money! You can start by just Googling the store you would like to make your purchase at for codes or I also really like RetailMeNot.com. RetailMeNot.com has many Canadian coupon codes and they also use a rating system telling you how reliable the code has been. This site is by far my favourite coupon code site as I can usually find a code for 10% and as much as 25% off my purchase!

I also post a few coupon codes here on Simply Frugal for stores that may interest you. You can find all the Coupon Code posts by clicking here.

2) Shop through a cashback site – If you’re going to make a purchase anyways, why not get money back for just making that purchase through a cashback site? Cashback sites work together with online stores to offer you a percentage back as a rebate. Usually somewhere between 3-6%, not much but something that may add up over time! It’s pretty much free money on something you were going to purchase anyways. There are a couple of cashback sites that I would recommend. Each one offers a different percentage back and they quite often change as they each offer specials of the week.

 GreatCanadianRebates.ca - A Canadian Site! When you sign up with them, they give you a free Toonie to get you started! Also, they’ll send you emails with their Merchant of the Week, such as Please Mum and PBS, weekly. The Merchant of the Week is a company that they feature and offer a greater percentage back for the week. (Currently it’s PBS with an 11% cashback and $10 off your $100 purchase.) Great Canadian Rebates has a great selection of Canadian Stores.

 Ebates - An American site, but probably the most known and used cashback system out there. Upon sign up, you’re rewarded a free $5 bonus and you only have to reach $5.01 for payout. The only downfall is that they only pay out every three months, so you’ll be waiting a while to get your money back.

 3) Don’t pay for shipping - I really don’t like paying for shipping. Quite often that’s a deal breaker for me. Especially when the shipping costs are more than the product I’m buying! For this reason I really like buying from Amazon.ca as you only have to spend $39 to get free regular shipping. If you’re like me, it’s quite easy to spend $39 on books. And now that Amazon.ca has a new Home and Garden section, this could come in extra handy for Christmas! I’ve come across FreeShipping.org which is a site that lists a ton of codes for free shipping. Click here to see all their codes that offer free shiping to Canada.

Here’s a couple more sites that are solely devoted to free shipping deals in Canada. FreeShippingCanada.com and FreeShippingToCanada.ca It pays to be patient so you can score free shipping when companies offer it. Also, I think it’s best if you shop when a store is offering free shipping without a coupon code. This way you can also use a coupon code to save a percentage, as many stores don’t let you combine coupon codes.

 By combining coupon codes, rebates and free shipping, you should be able to get a great deal on all your holiday purchases! So you tell me, do you prefer shopping online or in store? Do you have any additional tips for saving money when shopping online?