Capital One Shopping Review [2023]: How Does It Work?

Everyone wants to save money shopping online and avoid feelings of buyer’s remorse along the way. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether a deal or sale is actually decent. If you use the right credit cards, you’ll earn cashback rewards or miles as you make purchases, which could help save you some money. But using some of the best money apps along with the right cards can help you boost your savings even more.

With Capital One Shopping, formerly Wikibuy, you can easily compare deals on identical products from different sellers around the web using the browser extension or mobile app. This will help remove any fear of missing out on a better price somewhere else by giving you multiple options. In this Capital One Shopping review, you’ll learn what Capital One Shopping is, how it works, and how to get started.

What is Capital One Shopping?

Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension and mobile app focused on the online shopping industry. It was initially launched as Wikibuy in 2014 with a vision to help people make better financial decisions and save money, and that vision still holds true today.

One of the biggest draws of online shopping is the ease with which you can browse and purchase items — all without leaving your home. Capital One Shopping doesn’t want to change how effortless it is to do your online shopping, so its aim is to integrate its money-saving features into your shopping experience easily.

Millions of people have joined Capital One Shopping to use its free and straightforward services because it actually works and saves them money. Within the last year alone, it saved its users over $160 million. Also, the browser extension has close to 2,000 reviews and a near-perfect rating on Trustpilot, a well-known online review platform for businesses worldwide.

Pros	Cons
Will try out coupon codes Will let you know if you can earn rewards while you’re shopping Lets you know if Amazon is offering a competitive price compared to other retailers	Can only redeem rewards for a limited number of gift cards

Overall, Capital One Shopping is a great option for learning how to save money because it’s free and straightforward to use.

Can it actually save you money?

Whether directly or indirectly, Capital One Shopping can absolutely save you money. The extension and mobile app will automatically apply available coupon codes to your cart to ensure you have the lowest price. Indirectly, you will earn shopping rewards as a percentage of each purchase you make.

For example, I was shopping for a new Roomba vacuum cleaner. The Roomba was already on sale at Kohl's, marked down from $689.99 to $499.99. I added it to my cart, and the Capital One Shopping extension automatically applied the best coupon code available, taking an additional $75 off! On top of that, I received 0.5% back in shopping rewards to use later.

How does Capital One Shopping work?

After you get Capital One Shopping, you can start using it immediately. Capital One Shopping works with thousands of online stores, so there’s plenty to choose from. To get help finding good deals, check out Capital One Shopping’s website or mobile app and browse their featured offers. Or head straight to a participating store’s website on your computer, and Capital One Shopping’s features will find any available savings for you automatically.

You can also get started by downloading the Capital One Shopping mobile app on Android or iOS. 

Top features of Capital One Shopping

Here are some of the features Capital One Shopping offers and how it works:

1. Price comparison tool

Many online shoppers use Amazon.com to browse for everything from apparel to groceries to electronics and more. If you’re an Amazon shopper, you’re in luck because Capital One Shopping can seamlessly work in the background as you’re browsing Amazon products online.

As soon as you pick a product and any applicable options, Capital One Shopping will search for lower prices on other websites. If Capital One Shopping doesn’t find a better deal than the Amazon price, it’ll tell you. The product searches are automatic and results are displayed within 10 to 15 seconds. If you want to review the savings you could have, simply click on the helpful Capital One Shopping pop-up and you’ll see useful information like total price, pricing history, return policy, and related product deals.

We like this feature because you can still shop on Amazon, which is convenient, but get alerted if you might find a better deal elsewhere.

2. Coupons

Capital One Shopping can test available coupon codes at participating online retailers with just the push of a button. When you’re on a website that works with Capital One Shopping, click the “try codes” button while checking out. This will prompt Capital One Shopping to apply any codes it has found and potentially save you some money.

Many online stores offer coupons, but it’s not always the easiest to find them. The Capital One Shopping Coupons feature is an excellent way to save yourself the time and hassle of searching for coupons. With just the click of a button, Capital One Shopping will apply the available codes, and you might be in for a nice discount on your shopping trip.

We like this feature because it’s much faster than finding and entering coupon codes yourself.

3. Capital One Shopping Credits

Capital One Shopping partners with select online stores to offer you a percentage of your money back from any eligible online purchase you make. You receive this money back as Capital One Shopping Credits, which can be redeemed for gift cards to popular retailers through Capital One Shopping. 

We like this feature because it makes it easy to get rewarded for shopping you do anyway.

4. Watchlist

Are you constantly checking the prices of specific items and hoping the price drops enough for you to make a purchase? If so, Capital One Shopping’s Watchlist feature can really improve your process and save you loads of time and money.

Just add the items you want to monitor into Watchlist, and Capital One Shopping will track their prices for you. You’ll be able to see the latest prices of each item and the last price you saw on the item. This makes it easy to see if the price has gone down, up, or stayed the same.

5. Automated price protection

Capital One’s Price Protection feature helps you get a refund if an eligible purchase drops in price shortly after you purchase an item. It monitors your email and identifies recent purchases, then files a claim with the retailer on your behalf if it finds an item eligible for a partial refund due to a price drop.

Keep in mind that different retailers have different refund policies and that you may have to complete additional steps to get a refund.

You can sign up for Price Protection under your Capital One Shopping account settings. It’s available for shoppers who use Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook. We like this feature because it’s a painless way to potentially save money.

6. Universal product search engine

Capital One Shopping also has its own search engine, which makes it easy to view prices across multiple sites.

For example, when I searched for “KitchenAid mixer”, it displayed 16 stores with coupons or rewards and over 13,254 product results.

The downside we found to the search engine is that you can’t see what site the products are from until you click through to the next page. For example, I didn’t know the KitchenAid mixer I was looking at was from eBay until I clicked through to the next page.

7. Featured offers

While you’re searching on Capital One Shopping, you can also check out its featured offers. Its offers typically include shopping rewards (either a percentage of your purchase or a flat dollar amount), and many also offer a discount.

We think this feature is worth checking out because the featured offers often include popular brands which might align with your shopping.

8. Hotels, events, and travel experiences

Capital One Shopping offers a great way to earn hefty shopping rewards while booking your travel. Its hotel search tool allows you to easily compare the best nightly offers aggregated from various sources. Plus, it automatically shows you how much you'll receive in Capital One shopping rewards after your stay. The rewards percentage varies by hotel, so keep that in mind when you're making your selection. 

This tool also allows you to search and compare prices for events and experiences through partners like StubHub, Viator, and Hertz. Basically, you can plan your entire trip (accommodations, car rental, and activities) through Capital One Shopping, all while receiving shopping rewards back for each purchase!

Keep in mind, it's still important to shop around for the best deal. During our search, some competitors like Google Hotels did show cheaper nightly rates than Capital One Shopping, even after the rewards were applied. 

Capital One Shopping drawbacks

Although Capital One Shopping can save you money, it’s important to understand it has a few drawbacks.

Browser speed slowdown

Like any browser extension and add-on, Capital One Shopping may slow your browsing speed. While we did not see a noticeable difference in browsing, some users may.

Data collection and privacy concerns

In order to provide relevant offers and the best prices for you, Capital One Shopping collects the personal information you provide when signing up. This can include your name, email address, site credentials, and even your billing information.

It also collects your browsing history, location data, relevant site interaction, pricing details, and coupons you use. It uses this information to inform other Capital One Shopping users of trending coupon codes and provide a more unique experience for you. Ultimately, this data collection is designed to help save you money, but some users may not feel comfortable exposing this information.

Better offers may be available elsewhere

Although Capital One Shopping collects millions of coupons and analyzes the lowest prices for top retail sites, it cannot cover the entire internet. Especially when making high-dollar purchases, you should do your own homework to ensure you’re finding the lowest price.

How to get started with Capital One Shopping

To get started with Capital One Shopping, follow these simple steps:

1. Head to CapitalOneShopping.com and you'll see a button you can click to add the extension to your browser.

2. When you click this button, it will direct you to your browser's web store. If you're using Chrome, click on the “Add to Chrome” button and “Add extension.” You’ll have to create an account if you haven’t already or sign in with your existing account.

Alternatively, you can head to the Google Play or Apple App stores and download the mobile app. 

Who can use Capital One Shopping?

Anyone who has a compatible browser can get the Capital One Shopping browser extension. However, you must be 18 years or older to enroll and use Capital One Shopping’s services. The Capital One Shopping extension is available on the following web browsers: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. You can create a free Capital One Shopping membership with your name and email address or sign in with a Google or Facebook account. 

Capital One Shopping also offers a mobile app for Android and iOS, but its browser extension is not available on mobile devices. The mobile app can still be useful for locating potential deals for nearby retailers, though.

Capital One Shopping mobile app

The Capital One Shopping app is available from the Apple App or Google Play stores. The main difference between the app and the extension is that you need to shop through the app to find savings, while the desktop extension will show you deals even if you don’t start your shopping through the Capital One app. You can scan barcodes in the app or use its search engine.

With the app, you can find coupons and personalized deals. The app doesn’t have as many features as the browser extension, but it could be helpful if you do most of your online shopping by phone.

You can get started by searching the mobile app for specific stores or products. You can see the amount of potential cash back and savings, then click to activate your cashback offer and start shopping. 

If you're shopping at a store for deals, you can click the bottom of your screen to see the various deals that Capital One Shopping has found at that store. It will also check for coupons when you check out. 

Capital One Shopping alternatives

If Capital One Shopping doesn’t seem like the right choice to help you save money shopping online, consider trying other shopping apps like Honey, Rakuten, and Fetch. You can actually download all four and compare the best offer from each. It could help you get one step closer to finding the best buys and meeting your personal finance goals.

	Capital One Shopping	Honey	Rakuten	Fetch
Online vs. in-store	Online and in-store	Online only	Online and in-store	Online and in-store
Type of app	Mobile app (iOS and Android devices) and browser extension	Mobile app (iOS and Android devices) and browser extension	Mobile app (iOS and Android devices) and browser extension	Mobile app (iOS and Android devices)
Redemption options	Gift cards	Gift cards or cash out with PayPal	Cash out with PayPal or mailed check	Gift cards
Minimum cash out	$0.01 minimum of Shopping Credits	1,000 Honey Gold (equal to a $10 gift card) minimum	$5.01 minimum	3,000 points (equal to a $3 gift card) minimum
Rewards expiration	Capital One Shopping Credits don’t expire	Honey Gold only expire if you haven’t earned at least 10 Gold within a consecutive 12-month period	Rewards don’t expire, but they’re subject to account maintenance fees after 12 months of inactivity	Points expire if your account has been inactive for 90 days
Best for...	Those who shop online and in-store	Dedicated online shoppers	Those who shop online and in-store and want cash back	Those who shop online and in-store and can keep their receipts
	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more	Learn more

Capital One Shopping vs. Honey

Honey is similar to Capital One Shopping, and available promo codes can be applied automatically at online checkout. Also, the free Honey Gold loyalty program offers you rewards when you shop at participating retailers. 

Unlike Capital One Shopping, Honey only works online and cannot be used in-store. It also requires a minimum of 1,000 Honey Gold points before a user can cash out, while Capital One Shopping only requires $0.01 in order to use the shopping rewards. However, Honey users can use their points for cash back, shopping credit, or gift cards.

Capital One Shopping vs. Rakuten

Rakuten is another browser extension and mobile app that helps you compare prices and automatically apply coupon codes both in-store and online. 

Unlike Capital One Shopping, Rakuten rewards can be redeemed for actual Cash Back, versus shopping credits. Plus, Rakuten offers a $10 Cash Back reward simply by signing up. You can receive your cash via quarterly PayPal withdrawals or donate it to one of their many nonprofit partners.

Capital One Shopping vs. Fetch

Fetch is different from Capital One Shopping, Honey, and Rakuten. With Fetch, you scan receipt barcodes from your purchases in the Fetch app, which is available for iPhone and Android.

You can earn Fetch Rewards on virtually every type of receipt, so it’s easy to load up on rewards from everyday purchases. Rewards can be redeemed for gift cards from popular retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Starbucks.

FAQs about Capital One Shopping

Bottom line

Keep in mind that Capital One Shopping may slow down your browsing speed, like with any browser extension. You also need to be comfortable with it collecting and storing your information. 

Ultimately, Capital One Shopping is a valuable resource for those looking to save money on their online and in-store purchases. Both the browser extension and mobile app are free and make it super easy to compare prices around the internet, plus utilize any available coupons, to get the best deal.