Let's take a look at how Capital One Shopping works, how to maximize it, and whether it beats out the competition.<\/p>\n
Page Contents<\/p>
- What Are Shopping Portals?<\/a><\/li>
- How Does Capital One Shopping Work?<\/a>
- 1. Register for Capital One Shopping<\/a><\/li>
- 2. Download the browser extension or mobile app<\/a><\/li>
- 3. Start Your Shopping Trip<\/a><\/li>
- 4. Shop Online As Usual<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Capital One Shopping Rewards<\/a>
- Maximizing Capital One Shopping<\/a><\/li>
- Redeeming Capital One Shopping Credits<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Is Capital One Shopping Worth It?<\/a><\/li>
- Capital One Shopping vs. Competitors<\/a><\/li>
- Bottom Line<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n
What Are Shopping Portals?<\/span><\/h2>\n
If you do any online shopping, you should be using a shopping portal<\/a> at all times. There are seemingly hundreds of different versions out there, allowing you to earn cash back, airline miles, transferable points<\/a>, and more. They're free to use and can earn you significant rewards on your purchases, especially if you time them correctly.<\/p>\n
![\"Two](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\")
Credit: Kobu Agency\/Unsplash<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n The way it works is this: You find something you want to buy online. Before buying, you navigate to a shopping portal, such as Capital One Shopping. You click through the link on the portal's website, which sends you back to the website you were already shopping at. Then, you complete your purchase, the portal tracks your spending, and you earn rewards based on how much you've spent. In essence, you're selling your purchase history to the site in return for rewards.<\/p>\n
Cashback Monitor<\/a> is a great site for picking out which shopping portals offer the best bonuses, but it's not a fail-safe. This is especially true of Capital One Shopping, which will offer personalized rewards based on your shopping habits.<\/p>\n
How Does Capital One Shopping Work?<\/span><\/h2>\n
First, it's important to note that Capital One Shopping is\u00a0distinct from Capital One and isn't linked to any Capital One credit cards. Capital One Shopping is strictly used to reward you for any online purchases you make. Those cash-back rewards come in the form of gift cards, not Capital One miles<\/a>. It isn't related to Capital One Offers<\/a>, which are linked to Capital One credit cards and can give you similar rewards when you shop at eligible stores.<\/p>\n
You can use Capital One Shopping through the website, or by downloading the browser extension or mobile app.\u00a0Using Capital One Shopping will differ depending on whether or not you've installed the extension.<\/p>\n
1. Register for Capital One Shopping<\/span><\/h3>\n
Joining Capital One Shopping is free and easy. You'll need to provide some personal information, such as your email address and name, but it doesn't require much else. You don't even need to have a Capital One credit card<\/a> to use the portal (unlike other shopping portals such as Chase). With that said, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card<\/a> is one of the best cards for everyday purchases<\/a> — such as general online shopping.<\/p>\n
2. Download the browser extension or mobile app<\/span><\/h3>\n
The easiest way to use Capital One Shopping is by downloading the browser extension or mobile app. Capital One Shopping browser extension is currently supported by Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari while the mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices.<\/p>\n
Once you're on their website, Capital One Shopping will prompt you to download the browser extension with whichever browser you're using at the time. You can also install the browser extension directly from the Chrome Web Store, Safari Extensions store, etc.<\/p>\n
Credit: Capital One Shopping<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n Capital One Shopping also occasionally offers a reward for those who install its extension using referrals. Depending on which referral you use, you can get up to $40 cash back after installing the extension and shopping with it for 90 days.<\/p>\n
Credit: Capital One<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n If you're not interested in installing an extension to your browser, or downloading the app, you can use the Capital One Shopping website<\/a>\u00a0to track your purchases.<\/p>\n
3. Start Your Shopping Trip<\/span><\/h3>\n
If you have the Capital One Shopping extension, whenever you navigate to an eligible retailer or site, the extension will automatically pop up. You'll need to click “Activate” to make sure you earn rewards on any eligible purchases.<\/p>\n
Credit: Capital One Shopping<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n If you don't have the extension, head to Capital One Shopping's website, where you can type in the name of the company that you're shopping with.<\/p>\n
Credit: Capital One Shopping<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n 4. Shop Online As Usual<\/span><\/h3>\n
Now all you need is to shop as you'd usually do!<\/p>\n
Using Capital One Shopping really is a one-step process. Once you've activated your shopping trip, Capital One will automatically track your purchase and award cash back once the waiting period expires. It'll also check for any coupons or discount codes available.<\/p>\n
Capital One Shopping Rewards<\/span><\/h2>\n
Maximizing Capital One Shopping<\/span><\/h3>\n
So far, we've discussed how to use Capital One Shopping like any other shopping portal. However, there are some ways to make it work better for you. Because Capital One tracks everywhere you go online, it also tends to offer some really specialized deals.<\/p>\n
In the screenshots above you can see that Capital One is offering 3% back at Hilton. But when we log in to my Capital One Shopping account on its website, we get this:<\/p>\n
Credit: Capital One Shopping<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n That's a huge difference! To make sure you get the best deals possible, ensure that you're using the Capital One Shopping extension on the browser through which you online shop.<\/p>\n
Why so many different options? As we noted earlier, Capital One tracks your shopping habits. Unlike other shopping portals, Capital One gives you personalized offers based on what you're doing in your browser. In our case, Capital One knows that we do a lot of travel searches, so it's providing elevated offers for a travel company.<\/p>\n
This can be used to your advantage. Not only will Capital One give you different offers based on how you're looking (which means it always behooves you to be thorough as you click through), but it'll also send you emails with exclusive options.<\/p>\n
It can feel pretty invasive knowing that Capital One is watching all your internet history and sending you offers based on what websites you browse. Personally, I installed the extension on a secondary browser (Chrome) which I only use when shopping \u2014 with the idea that we wanted Capital One to track the information.<\/p>\n
Related: Capital One's Best Transfer Partners<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n
Redeeming Capital One Shopping Credits<\/span><\/h3>\n
Capital One Shopping allows you to earn Capital One Shopping rewards on your purchases, but that doesn't mean you receive it in the form of actual cash back. Instead, you'll earn Capital One Shopping Credits, which can be redeemed for a variety of gift cards. These include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Global Hotel Card (usable for Expedia hotels)<\/li>\n
- Shutterfly<\/li>\n
- Home Chef<\/li>\n
- 1-800-flowers<\/li>\n
- StubHub<\/li>\n
- The Container Store<\/li>\n
- Omaha Straks<\/li>\n
- The Children's Place\/Gymboree<\/li>\n
- Office Depot\/OfficeMax<\/li>\n
- Allbirds<\/li>\n
- Columbia<\/li>\n
- Puma<\/li>\n
- Famous Footwear<\/li>\n
- Hot Topic<\/li>\n
- Lucky<\/li>\n
- PlayStation Store<\/li>\n
- The Popcorn Factory<\/li>\n
- Third Love<\/li>\n
- Yankee Candle<\/li>\n
- Land's End<\/li>\n
- Soothe<\/li>\n
- Scheels<\/li>\n
- MLB Shop<\/li>\n
- Under Armour<\/li>\n
- Hanna Andersson<\/li>\n
- Athleta<\/li>\n
- Advance Auto Parts<\/li>\n
- CVS<\/li>\n
- Adidas<\/li>\n
- Callaway<\/li>\n
- Banana Republic<\/li>\n
- Old Navy<\/li>\n
- Stitch Fix<\/li>\n
- Sling<\/li>\n
- Petco<\/li>\n
- Belk<\/li>\n
- Lane Bryant<\/li>\n
- Asos<\/li>\n
- Lowe's<\/li>\n
- Eddie Bauer<\/li>\n
- Ulta Beauty<\/li>\n
- Camping World<\/li>\n
- Lulus<\/li>\n
- Nautica<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Note that credits don't post instantly. Depending on where you're shopping, it can take from 30 to 90 days to be credited to your account.<\/p>\n
Is Capital One Shopping Worth It?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Is Capital One Shopping legit or worth it? Well, nearly everyone is an online shopper, right? So it makes sense that you'll want to earn as many rewards as possible when shopping online. After all, if you aren't doing so, you're leaving money on the table. Capital One Shopping is free, easy to use, offers price comparisons, and checks for coupons automatically.<\/p>\n
It can also offer some truly bonkers deals, especially when you're targeted for certain offers. But the rewards that you'll earn aren't necessarily the most flexible around; you can't redeem them for cash back, and the gift cards you'll find are limited. If you don't shop at any of the above stores, it'll be useless to you.<\/p>\n
Instead, you may want to opt for something like Rakuten<\/a>, which allows you to earn cash back or American Express Membership Rewards<\/a>. Based on recent AwardWallet user redemptions<\/a>, the average value of an Amex point is around 2\u00a2 each. That means earning 5% back through Rakuten provides around a 10% return.<\/p>\n
Other shopping portals, such as the American Airlines portal<\/a>, allow you to earn airline miles plus Loyalty Points. Earn enough Loyalty Points, and you'll earn American Airlines elite status<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Capital One Shopping vs. Competitors<\/span><\/h2>\n
Shopping portals are a dime a dozen, and Capital One Shopping is just one of them. So how does it compare to the others?<\/p>\n
One of the most comparable sites is Honey, a shopping extension (and website) that features many of the same benefits. As when you earn Capital One Shopping credits, Honey will reward your online shopping with gift cards \u2014 but its selection is better and includes favorites such as Amazon, Target, and Walmart.<\/p>\n
Therein lies the biggest weakness for Capital One Shopping: Its earnings. Take Rakuten<\/a>,\u00a0for example, which allows you to earn\u00a0American Express Membership Rewards<\/a>, rather than cash back, on your purchases.\u00a0Recent AwardWallet user redemptions<\/a>\u00a0peg the average value of an Amex point at 1.97\u00a2 each. That means earning 5% back through Rakuten provides over a 10% return.<\/p>\n
Other shopping portals, such as the\u00a0American Airlines portal<\/a>, allow you to earn airline miles plus Loyalty Points. Earn enough Loyalty Points, and you'll earn\u00a0American Airlines elite status<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Finally, Capital One is also weaker when it comes to straight cash-back-earning portals since the only way to redeem your rewards is via gift cards. Other sites will actually send you money as a check or a deposit to your account.<\/p>\n
That being said, Capital One Shopping can and does offer much higher rewards than other programs \u2014 and in some cases, it does so where no one else will. There's huge value to be had in that.<\/p>\n
Bottom Line<\/span><\/h2>\n
Capital One Shopping is an outlier among shopping portals. Although it rewards you with cash back rather than points, the sums it gives you tend to exceed other options. However, redemption options are limited to certain gift cards, which may not be useful for everyone. Before choosing any one shopping portal, make sure you evaluate options to figure out which one is the best fit for your purchases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Capital One Shopping offers both a website and an extension to allow users to earn cash back. Along with other shopping portals, Capital One Shopping tracks your purchases and offers rewards based on what you buy. These are its positives and negatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":126066,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":null,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"default","_twitter_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type":"default","_pinterest_share_type":"default","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"default","_medium_share_type":"default","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12054],"tags":[12787,12708,12621],"coauthors":[36395],"class_list":["post-127652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips","tag-capital-one","tag-capital-one-rewards","tag-earning-strategy"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/75"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127652"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127652\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":257224,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127652\/revisions\/257224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127652"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=127652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Redeeming Capital One Shopping Credits<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- 2. Download the browser extension or mobile app<\/a><\/li>
- How Does Capital One Shopping Work?<\/a>
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