Thanksgiving is almost here which means Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner. We are even starting to see many big box stores starting to advertise their circulars and even promoting their big savings well in advance. I personally am a huge fan of these money saving days and have learned a ton of tips throughout the years.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions include anything from electronics to clothing to kids toys and furniture. Literally, anything you are looking for, you should be able to purchase with some sort of discount. And not to mention all of the airline and hotel travel deals. I love how the travel space has adopted these money saving travel offers as well. My ultimate favorite is still the Amazon deals and if it is anything like past years, we are sure to see some amazing discounts — some Amazon Black Friday sales have even already started.
Shop Amazon’s early Black Friday deals here
Here is my guide on how to find the best deals and maximize your purchases!
Tips to find the best deals during Black Friday and Cyber Monday:
Check out Deals We Like blog and twitter feed
I know this is self-promoting, but I will be constantly tweeting out all the deals I find during this period. All Black Friday and Cyber Monday articles can be found easily, but going straight to the Black Friday category section on the blog.
I also suggest friending or following other companies you are interested in. Many companies, especially travel companies, will be using social media to promote their deals and many times have hourly promotions.
Two of my favorite sites to follow include the Slickdeals Black Friday thread and BlackFriday.com. You can also set up news alerts and receive emails with various Black Friday deals.
Use an online shopping portal
If you make any purchases online, go through one of the many online shopping portals first. This will allow you to earn extra points, miles or cash back on purchases you were going to make anyways. Use an aggregator site such as evrewards.com or cashbackmonitor.com to compare the return for a given merchant. For cash back I personally recommend TopCashBack or Rakuten (formerly Ebates). On the points and miles front, British Airways Avios usually has a good return and the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal is great for earning flexible points.
Right now, if you are not yet a Rakuten member, you can earn a $40 bonus when you make your first purchase. This is one of the easiest ways to put money right back in your pocket.
During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, many merchants will even be offering increased payouts just to get you to shop at their site.
Use a credit card that will maximize your points earned
With many purchases being made leading up to the holidays, it is important to use a credit card that will earn you the most rewards. You might be surprised to learn how quickly those points will add up and earn you some nice cash back on your purchase or points and miles to travel for free.
Travel purchases:
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: Earn 3x Chase Ultimate Reward points on all travel purchases (or, 5x points total on flights and 10x points total on hotels and car rentals when purchased through Chase).
Department Stores:
- Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: Earn 3% cash back at select U.S. department stores.
Amazon purchases:
- Discover it Credit Card: Earn 5% cash back, up to $1,500 in category purchases
- Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature: Earn 5% cash back on all Amazon purchases
Walmart:
- Chase Freedom Flex: Earn 5% cash back, up to $1,500 in category purchases (which includes Walmart and PayPal)
**Using the store co-brand credit card also provides good savings
Use a credit card with price protection
Although using the best credit card will maximize your savings, you might also want to use a credit card that will offer you protection. While many merchants market their items as the lower price of the year, it is not unusual to see a lower price to possibly pop up at a later time. If you use a credit card that offers price protection, your credit card company will reimburse you the difference.
Many credit cards have gotten rid of this price properties, but there are a handful that still exist:
Capital One
- Capital One Spark Cash for Business
- Capital One Spark Miles for Business
- Capital One Spark Cash Select for Business
- Capital One Spark Miles Select for Business
With these Capital One business credit cards, you only have 60 days to find a lower price and you must make your claim within 10 days. You can be refunded up to $500 per item and up to a yearly cap of $2,500. You can file a claim by calling 1-800-553-7520.
- Capital One Quicksilver
- Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards
- Capital One Savor Cash Rewards
These cards have slightly different, where you have up to 120 days to file a claim, but you can only be refunded up to $250 per item and up to $1,000 per year. You an also only file 4 claims per year.
Wells Fargo
- Wells Fargo Visa Signature® Card
This is the only Wells Fargo credit card that offers price protection. To file a claim, you must find a lower price within 60 days. You will only be reimbursed up to $250 per item and up to $1,000 per year.
Register for Amex Offers
American Express offers some of the best ways to receive a statement credit on your Black Friday and Cyber Monday purchases. You can even combine this with any other offers and promotions you might find.
To see your eligible offers, you’ll need to sign into your AmericanExpress.com account and scroll down to your Amex Offers & Benefits section. All you have to do is add that particular offer to your American Express credit card and use that card on your next purchase with that merchant. As long as you follow the terms, you’ll receive a statement credit within a few weeks of your purchase.
Just keep in mind that these offers are sometimes targeted, so even if you see an offer available on one card, it does not mean you’ll see it on another. Also, you are only able to take advantage of an offer once per account, regardless of the number of cards you have in your name.
Jump on a Deal
Many really good deals will sell out within minutes. If you see a great deal, do not sit around and think about whether or not you want to make the purchase. Most items can be returned, so if you have the flexibility, buy now and decide later. This seems to be the case quite often is there is a price error or some ridiculously good electronics deal.
For travel deals, such as Expedia’s hourly sales, you’ll also want to have a destination in mind before the sale goes live.
Overall…
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just a week away, get ready for the deals to start appearing soon. With every promotion you see, just make sure to fully maximize your purchase. Many times there will always be another way to save additional money or earn miles and points along the way.
Enjoy the various deals during the month of November!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As always, thank you for supporting Deals We Like and enjoy traveling on a deal!
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Can you buy an item right now that is going to be discounted for Black Friday and then use the price protection to be reimbursed? For example, I buy a TV today at the regular price but want the black friday price. Could I use my spark card with the black friday ad to be reimbursed the difference?
@Dave – Many of the price protection benefits require it to be a printed ad for the item.
Hi Dave, I tried that once, but the small print on the sale ad usually says ‘not valid on previous purchases’ so just be sure to check the fine print first to be safe.
I’m just going to log into BoardingArea and buy everything through those “top 10 gifts for travelers” Amazon affiliate link posts that we know are coming very soon:)