Shopping Tips
Loyalty Programmes: Which Ones Are Worth Joining (and Which Just Harvest Data)
A points scheme is a trade: your purchase history for a discount. We score the common structures so you can see which ones pay you back fairly.
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Category: Shopping Tips
Practical, tested advice for paying less and buying better online.
Shopping Tips
Shopping on Marketplaces: How to Tell Who Is Actually Selling to You
'Sold by' and 'shipped by' are different things, and they decide your returns, your warranty and whether the product is genuine. Here is how to read a marketplace listing.
Shopping Tips
How to Negotiate With Online Customer Service (Politely, and Successfully)
Live chat agents have more discretion than you think - discounts, free shipping, extended returns. The script that works is short, specific and kind.
Shopping Tips
Sizing Online Without the Returns Carousel: A Practical Fit Guide
Clothing is returned at three to four times the rate of other categories, almost always for fit. Measuring once and reading reviews properly fixes most of it.
Shopping Tips
The Best Time of Year to Buy Almost Everything: A Month-by-Month Calendar
Mattresses in May, TVs in January, luggage in March. Retail runs on a calendar, and once you know it you stop paying full price out of impatience.
Shopping Tips
Buy Now, Pay Later: What It Really Costs (Even at 0% Interest)
Split payments are not free just because the interest rate is zero. We look at the fees, the credit implications and the behavioural cost nobody puts on the checkout button.
Shopping Tips
The Subscription Audit: A 20-Minute Routine That Saves Most Households $400 a Year
Streaming, apps, meal kits, razors, cloud storage. The average household pays for subscriptions it has forgotten. Here is how to find them and renegotiate the rest.
Shopping Tips
Refurbished vs New: When Refurbished Is the Smarter Buy (and When It Isn’t)
Certified refurbished electronics can save 20-50% with a full warranty. The catch is that 'refurbished' means five different things depending on who is selling.