Also see: 

• Use Paribus to Get Money Back If There’s a Price Change
• A Few Apps + Sites I Like to Save Money
• Activate Cash Back for Discover It Q4 Bonus Categories (Amazon.com, Clothing & Department Stores)

I’ve been shopping at Amazon.com a lot recently (for things like rose petal water), and have gotten a few bucks back here and there.

I liken it to seeing a buck on the ground. It’s not a lot, but you’re definitely gonna pick it up, right?

It’s kinda like that.

Were going into Q4 on Thursday, October 1st, which is a big day for Amazon shoppers and means:

• 5X Chase Ultimate Rewards points on the Chase Freedom + 5% cash back 
• 15% cash back possible with Discover It

There are 2 services that’ll boost your Amazon shopping experience and maybe give you a few bucks back.

Paribus

• Link: Sign up for Paribus (my referral link)

I’ve written about Paribus, and how easy they make it to save cash money at lots of other online stores when there’s a price drop.

The gist of it is:

• You plug your email into Paribus
• It monitors your inbox and looks for receipts at supported stores
• It also monitors the prices on the items you bought
• Within each store’s policy, Paribus submits a claim for you if the price changes

I signed up about 2 months ago, and have saved $6 or so from regular shopping.

…Including an astounding savings on hair product.

Most peeps don’t like the fact that it monitors your inbox. It’s just like TripIt in that regard.

All you’ll see is an email with a successful claim, and then a few days later, a credit on your card account.

The service considers price drops, coupons, and sales AKA you should sign-up before the holiday season.

So while there’s no workaround for the email scouring thing, I’ve never had any type of security issue with my email.

One “homemade” option might be to open a separate email account for online shopping.

Giving Assistant

• Link: Sign up for Giving Assistant (my referral link)

I’ve fleetingly mentioned Giving Assistant (it’s a shopping portal) in a post where I fawn about the Discover It card.

All I have to say is:

But it’s me so of course I have more to say about it.

Giving Assistant strives to get your cash back within 1-3 business days. How’s that for turnaround?

And so far, I’ve gotten my cash back in that timeframe.

Things to note:

• It only earns cash back on products sold from Amazon (no 3rd-party merchants)
• It obvi doesn’t work on gift cards, taxes, or shipping
• In-app purchases don’t count. Only browser clicks

That said, if you shop a lot at Amazon, 5% cash back is the highest of any portal payout. And you get that from clicking a link.

Putting it all together

With the Chase Freedom:

• Spend, say, $100 at Amazon.com in Q4
• Get 500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points
• Get 5% back ($5) from Giving Assistant
• Get any price difference automatically refunded from Paribus

5X Chase Ultimate Rewards on up to $1,500 + 5% cash back = 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points + $75 possible

With Discover It:

• Spend $100 at Amazon.com in Q4
• Get 5% cash back at the end of the billing cycle
• Get 5% back ($5) from Giving Assistant
• Get 5% back at the end of the 12th billing cycle (new cardmembers only)

15% cash back on up to $1,500 =$225 possible

Totals for spending $3,000 at Amazon in Q4 (Oct-Dec): 

$300 + 7,500 Chase Ultimate Rewards points (which could be worth $75 in cash or another $150 in travel @ if redeemed at 2 cents per point)

Not bad. But that’s only if you max out the spending on both cards.

Realistically, I’ll pick up a few bucks, and a few points, here and there and be totally happy with that.

Because it’s a few bucks and a few points I wouldn’t otherwise have.

Bottom line

Definitely sign up for Paribus and Giving Assistant if you plan to shop, especially if you have the Chase Freedom and/or Discover It cards (and thank you for using my links if you’d like to get either!).

I’ve saved about $12 total the past couple of months from these services. Nothing crazy, but I sure won’t turn it down.

It’s money I wouldn’t have otherwise had because I wouldn’t have sought about any price adjustments. 

In my opinion, both services are great complements to the upcoming holiday season.

If you’ve had an experience – good or bad – with either service, share about it in the comments!

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