When I first started writing about personal finance a couple of years back, I never would have expected to be reviewing so many money-saving apps and tools — or that so many would even exist. Well, as it turns out, there are now dozens of helpful services that can help you snag great deals. But what’s even more exciting is that you may even be able to use some of these tools in tandem or, in some cases, triple or quadruple dip on your savings. Let me explain.
Recently, over on Fioney, I actually put two popular cashback platforms head to head: Dosh and Ebates. While preparing this piece and doing my due diligence, I noticed that there was at least one brand that offered deals on both apps — and it just so happened to be the cosmetics chain Sephora. Curious (and needing to cross a couple of people off of our holiday shopping list anyway), my wife and I set off to our local shopping mall to try out my little scheme.
First off, we managed to find some pretty decent sales on reasonably priced items that resulted in us spending only $24 at the store. What’s great about most cash back apps is that you can take advantage of sales and still earn money back on whatever you do end up spending. In other words, the stacking had already begun.
Then came the moment of truth. I swiped my Visa card that I had linked to both Dosh and Ebates and, within a few minutes, I was alerted that my Dosh cash back was on its way. A moment later, subsequent vibration led me to believe that my Ebates had also gone through. Instead, I discovered that I had unlocked another offer I wasn’t even aware of and had managed to earn Uber credits for my purchase thanks to Visa Local Offers. Finally, not too long after these two, Ebates also let me know that my cashback was being processed.
Seeing all three of those alerts on my screen at the same time was a thing of beauty, I tell you. To break it down for you, I earned 8% back from Dosh, 8% in Uber credits from Visa Local Offers, and 4% from Ebates — amounting to a 20% return! Of course, that doesn’t even factor in savings from the sales we took advantage of before reaching that total nor does it include the 1% back that particular credit card I used earns me on such purchases.
The lesson here is that, while it may seem overwhelming or redundant to download all of the various cashback apps that are popping up these days, it’s worth remembering that you may not need to choose between them. Instead, while there are exceptions to how these deals can stack, you can also luck into awesome wins like this. With that, I’ll add one more shameless plug to check out some of my product reviews over on Fioney.com and keep an eye out for more tools you can add to your savings arsenal.