Why pay full price when you can get something for cheaper? All stores mark up their products (and services!), sometimes by a few times over of what the item’s cost price is, which is how they can afford to heavily discount without losing profitability.

When purchasing, I try to find the best deal possible and then stack on discounts and points at every step to get the lowest price possible. Below are some of my top tips to never pay full price and make the most of your hard-earned money. While most of these techniques are applicable for online shopping, don’t forget to try some of them offline too!

Buy on sale or during promotions

This one is a no-brainer, as most businesses will mark up their products and run discounts to move stock or generate interest. In Australia, it is pretty much expected that items will go on sale after a couple of weeks, and rarely will you need to buy at full price. I find that following Ozbargain is a great way to be notified of good deals. If you’re not desperately needing the item, it’s not uncommon to see stores run a 10-25% sale every week or two. Waiting for a sale will also stop any impulse purchases and help you decide whether you really want the item.

Price Matching

Most large companies or chain stores have a price-matching policy. The key here is to check the fine print, as some will only price match local stores with in-stock items. With the rise of online shopping, a quick google search should help you find the lowest price on the market. This tip is best used for offline purchases, where you can immediately show the lowest price at checkout. However, some online stores may offer this if you reach out to customer service (best to confirm if they’re willing to price-match prior to purchase).

Coupons and Discount Codes

In these modern times of online shopping, a quick Google search will net you a working coupon code. Alternatively, you can also search for influencers who often quote an affiliate code to allow you to purchase at a discount while they are rewarded with some small commission or kick-back. Youtube is a great place to look for these affiliate codes.

Cashback

There are now plenty of cashback sites that will offer a small percentage of your order back, usually after determining you have successfully clicked-through to the website through their online portal. For Australia, Shopback or CashRewards are two of the largest ones that offer cashback on your purchases. I personally love to use Shopback and have claimed back hundreds of dollars to date. They are also starting to shift to cashback from offline store purchases (with credit card linkage), and frequently run promotions that provide a cashback boost.

Loyalty points

Beginning with Flybuys, loyalty programs have now exploded with every store and conglomerate having their own. So don’t forget to always scan or enter in your membership number to rack up those points. Most will offer you some form of discount, transfer, credit, redemption, or other rewards to keep your loyalty. With prices equal, I’ll be more incentivised to shop at a store with a loyalty program, than a store that doesn’t have one. Don’t forget to also check for affliates that could also help you rack up more points! Large businesses (such as Qantas, BUPA, RACQ, AGL, Commbank, etc) usually have a rewards section where they’ve partnered with other companies to offer you further savings or discounts if you click through via their site.

On top of this, there are also other affliates that may offer occasional discounts. BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) companies such as Klarna or Afterpay sometimes provide credits such as $30-$50 off orders for new signups. These occasionally pop up on Ozbargain posts.

Credit Card points

This works similar to loyalty points, where some credit cards reward you with points based on dollars spent. For instance, I love using my American Express card as I get around 3 points per $1 on groceries and fuel, and usually 1:1 on everything else. On top of this, they run bonus offers throughout the year. Of course, this is only good value with responsible credit management, low/no annual fee, and no further payment fees on top of your order. You can easily work out the points to dollar ratio to check if using a particular card is worth the value of points.

Discounted gift cards

Every so often, a store will run a discount off gift cards. In general, I dislike using gift cards as it restricts where you can purchase, and is prone to expiring before it’s used up (mostly due to misplacing or forgetfulness). However, if you have an upcoming purchase at a specific store and a gift card for that store just happened to be discounted, then take advantage of the instant savings. Again, always note the fine print of expiry and eligibility of use so you don’t end up losing money and paying more than you otherwise would have.

Marketplaces

Like that say, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, and I’ve scored some pretty good bargains. Not only are marketplaces now online with the likes of Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Carousell, Depop, etc, but you can also trawl through offline second-hand markets in your local council area. As usual with anything, do be careful, ask lots of questions, and inspect the item before handing over your money. It’s also best to deal in-person and with cash as much as possible to avoid being scammed.

Negotiate

If none of the above is applicable to your goods or service, you can always try reaching out directly to a consultant or sales person to ask for their best price or a potential discount. This works best offline, but you can also try the online customer service chats. Worse case, they will say no, but at least you tried.

DISCLAIMER & DISCLOSURE ❤
I am not a financial advisor. This post and the ideas presented in it, are for entertainment and general purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. The information is being presented without consideration of your individual financial circumstances and may not be suitable for everyone. This post contains some affiliate links that allows you to find the items/services mentioned and support my blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!