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Capital One Shopping- Basics: Capital One Shopping is a free tool from Capital One that compares prices and automatically applies the best avaiilable coupon code to save you money. You also earn Capitol One Shopping Rewards while you shop and can redeem them for gift cards.
- Pros: This tool is completely free and works with more than 30,000 retailers, including local offers.
- Cons: Capital One Shopping Rewards can only be redeemed for gift cards on Capital One Shopping. Travel-related earnings won’t pay out until 90 days after travel.
This free service from Capital One is like a Swiss army knife for saving money, and our Capital One Shopping review has all the details for maximizing how much it can save you.
Table of Contents
What Is Capital One Shopping?
Capital One Shopping is a free website, app, and browser extension that helps users save money with a combination of price comparison data, coupons, and rewards.
Launched in 2016 as Wikibuy, the platform was acquired by banking giant Capital One in 2018, and rebranded as Capital One Shopping.
Like Rakuten and others, Capital One Shopping allows users to earn rewards when shopping through the links they provide, rewards that they can redeem for gift cards.
Capital One will search for and attempt to use the best available coupon codes on shopping websites to save you even more money.
Another unique feature this tool provides is comparing the price of the items you shop for against other retailers. If a cheaper price is found, you will be alerted.
All of these features seem useful but do they actually save money? Let’s take a deep dive into the features and comparisons in our Capital One Shopping review.
Capital One Shopping At a Glance
| Number of Stores | 30,000+ |
| How to Earn Gift Cards | Purchases earn “Capital One Shopping Rewards” which can then be redeemed for gift cards on the portal. |
| Fees | None |
| Minimum Payout | Starts at $5 (gift cards only) |
| Payout Timing | Up to 60 days |
| Payout Options | Gift Cards |
| Payout Bonuses | None |
| Mobile App | Yes |
| Desktop Version | Yes |
| Browser Extension | Yes |
| In-Store Shopping Rewards | Yes |
| Coupons | Yes |
| Sign-Up Bonus | No |
| Referral Bonus | No |
| Customer Service | Webform or e-mail |
How Does Capital One Shopping Work?
Capital One Shopping works by giving you multiple ways to save money.
The Capital One Shopping Rewards portion of the tool works almost the same as Rakuten and others.
You search for whatever store you want to shop using the portal, then click on the logo to be taken to the website.
You’ll do your shopping as usual and your purchase information will automatically be sent to Capital One and the rewards will be added to your account — usually within 30 days.
Capital One Shopping also offers a browser extension that alerts you of potential coupons and automatically applies them to your cart; you might find incredible deals at jaw-dropping prices.
Most of these coupons are not publicly viewable on the website so they are in addition to the codes the website lists.
My favorite feature, which I’ll cover later in this section, is the tool that searches for better prices.
If Capital One Shopping finds a better deal, it will tell you and take you to that website automatically.
Number of Stores
Capital One states that they work with over 30,000 retailers. Capital One Shopping has saved customers more than $160 million in savings this last year.
Ways to Get Rewards
If you have used Rakuten, TopCashBack, or similar sites, you’ll be familiar with how Capital One Shopping works.
It all starts with the online portal.
From here, you can either click on one of the options on the home page or search for stores using the search bar.
Once you have clicked through to the website using the provided link, Capital One will take it from there.
Make your purchase, and the retailer will send the information to Capital One.
According to Capital One, most retailers will pay the rewards within 30 days, but it could take up to 60 days.
Fees
There are no fees for using Capital One Shopping. There are also no fees for requesting payouts via gift cards.
Payouts (Minimums, Timing, Options, Bonuses)
In my opinion, payouts are the weakest aspect of Capital One Shopping.
Competitor platforms like Rakuten and BeFrugal send you cash. BeFrugal sends actual cash rewards via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, and even directly to your bank account.
But rewards earned on Capital One can only be redeemed for gift cards.
Gift card amounts start at $5, so that is the minimum amount you need to get a payout from Capital One Shopping.
Related: Cash Back Apps That Will Help You Save on Literally Anything
In fact, they don’t even call it cash back. When you shop with Capital One Shopping, you will earn what is known as “Capital One Shopping Rewards” that can then be redeemed for gift cards.
You can request payouts by clicking on the “My Rewards” tab on the top menu.
From here, click on “redeem” and you can see the various gift card options.
As of the time of writing, Capital One Shopping only offers 37 different retailers for gift card redemption.
The largest options are Walmart and eBay, but the rest are not great unless you have a specific item in mind.
Payout speeds do tend to be a bit quicker than the competition. Whereas Rakuten only pays quarterly, Capital One allows you to request reward redemption at any time.
And compared to TopCashBack, where all purchases have to go through a 90-day waiting period until being payable, most rewards redemption at Capital One is yours within 30 days of purchase.
Platforms (Mobile App, Desktop Version, Browser Extension)
Capital One Shopping has a web version, a mobile app, and a browser extension. It is available on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. The browser extension cannot be installed on a mobile device, but an app can be used both for iOS and Android.
After experimenting with all three, they are all easy to use and work well, however, I find the most useful to be the browser extension.
The web portal is similar to other rewards portals in use and offers a wide range (over 30,000) of retailers to receive rewards or coupons for.
In my opinion, the mobile app is one of the easier to use out of the various portals.
I particularly like the ability to add favorites.
This allows you to see rewards and coupons for stores you frequent right on the main page of the app.
The browser extension works very well and has multiple features that set it apart from the competition.
You will automatically be notified of any potential rewards while doing your shopping, preventing the need to search for these stores on the portal or app.
The only downside is the number of popups you will receive.
In-Store Rewards
Capital One Shopping offers rewards for gift cards for in-store purchases but the gift card choices are much more limited than the online offers.
Capital One calls these in-store deals “Local Offers” and they tend to be restaurants, but some national retailers are also available.
After going through the app and website, it appears the only way to access these offers is via the homepage of the web portal.
Scroll down until you see “Local Offers” and you can check out the various reward opportunities.
The way it works is quite simple.
All you need to do is link your card, shop, and the rewards will automatically be added to your account.
You can also use the app to scan barcodes in stores and potentially see lower prices.
Coupons
Capital One Shopping works almost exactly like Honey, another popular coupon browser extension.
The browser extension will let you know of any potential coupon codes and automatically apply them to your shopping cart.
All you need to do is click on the “Try Codes” button on the helpful popup and the codes will automatically be applied.
Be aware that many of the codes will not work.
Capital One states on their website that a lot of the codes they have are obsolete, so even if it says there are available codes, be prepared for none of them to work.
Sign-Up Bonus
There is no signup bonus for Capital One Shopping.
Referral Bonus
Although you can refer friends, I was unable to find any references to a bonus being offered if your friends create an account.
Price Comparison Tool
My favorite feature of Capital One Shopping is the price comparison tool.
While the majority of rewards portals work the same, the Capital One browser extension has a nifty tool that searches various retailers for a better price, coupons, and rewards for gift cards.
The cool thing about this tool is that it even works on Amazon.
With so many of us doing our shopping on Amazon, it’s great to be able to have a money-saving tool here.
When shopping on any retailer, you will see a green button pop up with potential savings.
Clicking that link will take you to the Capital One portal where you can decide to go to the cheaper website or go back to your previous page.
I was able to find some very good savings using this tool and I’m glad it is included.
The drawback to this feature is that it’s not going to save you money on Amazon itself, only on products that are cheaper somewhere else.
So if you’re a dedicated Amazon shopper, and it’s not worth it to you to use another retailer just to save a few bucks, the price comparison tool isn’t going to be useful.
Learn More: Ways to Get Up to 30% Cash Back on Your Amazon Purchase
Customer Service
You can contact Capital One via a form on the website, or there is an email address you can use to email them.
Is Capital One Shopping Legit?
Capital One Shopping is a product of one of the largest banks in the United States.
They have millions of customers and have been around for decades, lending a lot to their credibility.
As for the tool itself, it is definitely legit and receives great reviews for all of its various offerings.
The browser extension receives a 4.8 with over 10,000 reviews and over millions of users.
On Android, there have been over 500,000 installations of the app.
It currently is sitting at a 4.7 rating on the Google Play Store.
On Apple, there have been over 66,000 reviews of the app and the average is a very good 4.8.
Capital One Shopping is legit and is a very useful tool for saving money and getting better deals.
Number of Stores
30,000+Online and PhysicalPayout Minimum
$5Some gift cards have a higher minimum.Payout Options
Gift cards onlyFrom 30 different retailersHow Do You Earn Capital One Shopping Rewards on Capital One Shopping?
Capital One Shopping Rewards are what you receive instead of “cash back”.
Earning these rewards is quick and easy.
If you are familiar with Rakuten, it works pretty much the same.
You begin by searching for a particular store on the search bar.
Once you click on the search result, you’ll be taken to the above page which allows you to activate your rewards and also shows you a list of available coupons.
You click the link to receive rewards, do your shopping, and then wait for the credits to hit your account.
Capital One states that most rewards will be on your account within 30 days, but sometimes it could take 60 days.
How Much in Gift Cards Can You Make With Capital One Shopping?
You could potentially make a decent amount of gift cards with Capital One Shopping.
Let’s say you spend $50 per purchase to see how these rewards vary by retailer. These earning rates are accurate as of the time of writing.
| Gap | 2.5% | $1.25 |
| Belk | 7% | $3.50 |
| Zales | 6% | $3 |
| Macy’s | 10% | $5 |
Capital One Shopping Tips and Hacks
Here are some of the top ways to get the most out of Capital One Shopping.
1. Use the browser extension.
The browser extension is the most powerful aspect of Capital One Shopping.
Use it to add coupons, get rewards, and even search for better pricing on your items.
2. Don’t forget to activate.
If you don’t activate your rewards (either by clicking the link or using the extension) you are out of luck when it comes to receiving gift card redemption.
3. Choose gift cards wisely.
Unlike most other portals, you can only redeem your earnings for gift cards.
Be sure to select a retailer you will actually use as otherwise, the money will just sit there.
Capital One Shopping Pros & Cons
The price comparison tool sets Capital One Shopping apart, but gift cards are the only rewards option.
Pros
- Great Selection: Capital One states there are over 30,000 retailers on their portal. This is much higher than most competitors.
- Ease of Use: Whether you prefer shopping on your computer, phone, or prefer getting notified last-minute about deals — it all works smoothly.
- Price Comparison: Capital One Shopping can help you find incredible deals.
- Speedy Payouts: You can request payouts at any time, unlike Rakuten, which pays every three months.
Cons
- Limited Payout Options: You can only cash out your earnings via a very limited selection of gift cards, limiting your options for redemption.
- No Referral or Sign Up Bonus: Unlike most other portals, referring friends and family doesn’t get you any benefits, nor is there a bonus for signing up.
- No Phone Number: If you need to reach Capital One with questions about the portal, your only option is sending an email, with no guarantee of response timeframe.
- Pop-Ups While Browsing: If you spend a lot of time shopping online, frequent pop-ups from the extension can get annoying.
Alternatives to Capital One Shopping
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Is Capital One Shopping Worth It?
While you likely won’t be able to replace your income with Capital One Shopping, it’s an easy way to get discounts on your items while also potentially earning some gift cards.
The portal and app are simple to use and if you don’t mind an added step in your purchase process, I think it is definitely worth it.
Who Capital One Shopping Is Best For
If you are a big online shopper, there’s almost no downside to using Capital One Shopping.
By clicking a link before you shop, or using the browser extension, Capital One Shopping can help you find potentially huge savings.
Who Capital One Shopping Is Not For
If you don’t shop online very often, definitely skip it. If you like having the most simple, one-step process for checking out, skip it.
If you shop exclusively on Amazon and wouldn’t use another online retailer even if you could save a few bucks, there is no advantage to using Capital One Shopping.
How to Use Capital One Shopping (Step-by-Step)
Signing up with Capital One Shopping is a quick process and shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
1. Go to CapitalOneShopping.com and add the extension to Chrome.
2. Once added, it will automatically take you to the signup page that only has 4 fields.
3. Once you click continue, you’re all set!
Final Thoughts on Capital One Shopping
If you asked me whether or not I recommend Capital One Shopping, the answer would be “Yes”, but with some exceptions.
I personally wouldn’t use this tool as your main rewards portal.
Other portals like Rakuten or TopCashBack offer roughly the same rewards, but will actually allow you to receive your earnings as cash rather than through a limited selection of gift cards.
Since the tool is free, I would definitely recommend you use it for the coupons and price comparison.
There is no downside and you can save a sometimes significant amount of money by utilizing both of these tools.
The online price comparison tool is the best feature of this service, and can save you money if you don’t care who you buy from. Cash back is limited to gift cards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some short answers to basic questions people often have about Capital One Shopping.
- Is Capital One Shopping the same as Rakuten?
- Do I need to be a Capital One customer to use Capital One Shopping?
- Can I use Capital One Shopping on Amazon?
- Can I redeem Capital One Shopping rewards via Paypal?
Author:
Evan Diaz, MBA, covers personal finance topics for Money Done Right. After getting his MBA and working in investment banking, Evan began writing full-time. He's an avid investor and has a passion for helping people improve their finances.
Reviewer:
Logan is a practicing CPA and founder of Choice Tax Relief and Money Done Right. After spending nearly a decade in the corporate world helping big businesses save money, he launched his blog with the goal of helping everyday Americans earn, save, and invest more money. Learn more about Logan.
