10 Money-Saving Secrets Every Best Buy Shopper Definitely Needs to Know
Buying electronics is oddly personal.
While shopping online can really help you narrow down the field, when it comes time to buy that laptop, TV, or even a smartphone, you want to see it or hold it in your hands.
Does it feel right?
That means it’s time to get off your couch and head to your nearest Best Buy.
Love it or hate it, Best Buy is still one of the only brick-and-mortar stores where you can walk among a giant variety of laptops, phones, tablets, and TVs.
But, before you go, make sure you know just how to save the most money at the electronics superstore.
These tips can help you save money on electronics every time you shop at Best Buy.
1. Sign Up For Loyalty Rewards
Best Buy’s loyalty program, My Best Buy, is free to join and gives you a number of benefits.
You earn points for each purchase you make, and you’ll get free shipping on some items from BestBuy.com. Plus, for being a part of the program, you’ll receive emails with special offers and sales.
2. Earn Points Just For Stepping in the Door
Download the Shopkick app before you head to the store.
Once you sign up, the app pays you “kicks” just for walking into certain stores (including Target, Walmart, Macy’s and more). These can be redeemed for gift cards to Target, Walmart, Starbucks, Sephora and Best Buy, among others.
It pays you even more “kicks” for scanning items in stores. You can also get “kicks” for Best Buy purchases. When you’re checking out, have the cashier scan your Shopkick barcode on your phone. Boom. Your Shopkick line will be added to your receipt.
Careful, though — you can only take advantage of two Shopkick visits per week. So if you think you’ll do more than that, choose wisely. Use the app with your biggest purchases.
3. Save Your Digital Receipts
If the price of your purchase drops within the product-return period, Best Buy will refund you the difference, if you bring in the receipt and ask. Want to make it even easier? Here’s how:
Your secret weapon here is an app called Capital One Shopping Price Protection. It scans your emails for receipts, looking for online purchases from one of the more than 25 major retailers it monitors. If it finds a reduced price on an item you’ve purchased, it will credit you a refund for the difference.
Capital One Shopping Price Protection takes advantage of retailers’ price-match policies to negotiate a refund on your behalf. So you don’t have to do anything — just wait for a notification that you’ve earned cash back.
Capital One Shopping Price Protection compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.
4. Score Cash-Back On Electronics
You probably know all about the Ibotta app and use it for your grocery shopping, right?
Just like this easy-to-use app gives you cash back on those grocery purchases, it will also reward you for heading to Best Buy.
But, instead of hunting for specific products, you’ll get a straight percentage of cash back from your entire purchase. Free money doesn’t get any easier than that.
All you have to do is download the app, and you’ll get a $10 welcome bonus for scanning your first receipt.
5. Swipe Cash Back on All Your Purchases
If you’re looking for a passive way to earn some money throughout the year, a cash-back credit card is perhaps one of the easiest methods.
You just have to be sure you don’t get too carried away with those purchases — and that the card is paid off at the end of each billing period.
Here’s an option we like: It’s the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. Its claim to fame? You’ll earn an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all your purchases. Plus, if you spend $500 in your first three months of opening the card (hi, groceries), you’ll pocket a $150 bonus.
There’s no annual fee, and the cash-back rewards don’t expire. We checked Credible’s annual rewards calculator, and it estimates $417 in annual rewards based on our spending habits.* (You can enter your unique spending habits and see what you’d earn, too.)
Get signed up — and 0% intro APR for 15 months — here.
6. Shop With Outlet Prices
The Best Buy Outlet is a treasure-trove of clearance, refurbished, open-box and pre-owned merchandise at big savings.
Most items will have little to no noticeable damage and work like new, but without the brand new price tag.
This is a great way to go, especially if you’re looking to test something out, but you’re not sure you’re willing to pay top dollar.
For instance, I found a refurbished Samsung Gear Fit2 Fitness Watch for $64.99 that normally sells for $179.99. That’s a bargain.
7. (Digitally) Clip Coupons
Check out coupon sites, such as RetailMeNot and Dealnews.
Sites like these frequently have coupons for Best Buy that could knock a few more bucks off your purchase. Every little bit counts.
8. Maximize Savings With Price-Matching
Best Buy honors price-matching for many other retailers, including Amazon.
Do your research, and if you find the exact same item somewhere else for less, but prefer to shop with Best Buy, print out the information and bring it with you — or save a tree and have it ready on your smartphone.
9. Get Money for Your Old Electronics
Are you upgrading to the latest and greatest? Don’t let your current electronics go to waste. They’re worth good money.
Best Buy has a trade-in policy that could be worth a look. However, when I used their online estimate, a two-year-old laptop that sold for about $900 was only going to get me $54 in trade-in value.
Check out your device on their trade-in site, but also consider selling your stuff with an app like Decluttr. It buys your old CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays and video games, plus hardware like cell phones, tablets and game consoles.
One user, Gil Flores, sold about 100 DVDs and 75 CDs and made $275 — an average of $1.57 each. Check out our full review of Decluttr.
Just download the app, and start scanning the barcodes on your media to get immediate quotes. It’s completely free to use: There are no listing or seller fees. Payment is super fast, and there is even free shipping.
10. Find Discounted Gift Cards
Not everyone wants that gift card someone gave them for their wedding.
So what do they do? They put them up for sale on a website like Raise or Cardpool. That means you can buy them at a discount.
The discounts may not be more than 2% or 3%, but it’s still money saved, and a small percentage can still be significant on a big purchase.
*Annual Rewards amounts will change based on the amounts you enter. The monthly spending category names and definitions may vary among issuers, and categories may not align one-to-one.
The information for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card has been collected independently by The Penny Hoarder. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. The Penny Hoarder is a partner of Credible.
Tyler Omoth is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder who loves soaking up the sun and finding creative ways to help others. Catch him on Twitter at @Tyomoth.
