Saving money is at the top of everyone’s mind today, with high inflation rates and prices increasing faster than anyone can handle. Many cash-back and coupon apps are available, but Capital One Shopping and Honey are the most popular.
Below I will take on these two apps head-to-head to see how they work to determine which is better.
Capital One Shopping vs. Honey: Which Saves Shoppers More
Capital One Shopping and Honey promise to save you money, but which is better?
While they have many similarities, like coupons and rewards, some features differ from one to the other and may make one better for you than the other.
Benefits of Installing Shopping Extensions
Shopping extensions make saving money while shopping a no-brainer. Gone are the days of searching for coupon codes or finding ways to earn cash back. With shopping extensions, there’s no legwork and only savings.
The largest benefit is everything Capital One Shopping or Honey provides is legit and not expired. So if you’re tired of hitting a brick wall every time you search for coupons online only to find them invalid or expired, you’ll love how shopping extensions help.
Shopping With Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping offers many features, including applying coupon codes, accumulating shopping rewards, comparing prices before you buy, and price protection to get you cash back if a price drops after you purchase an item.
How Does Capital One Shopping Work
Capital One Shopping has many unique features to help you save money. Here’s how they work.
Coupon Codes
After downloading the Capital One Shopping extension, it will automatically look for coupons for the sites you’re shopping at. If there are coupons for the store you’re visiting online, you’ll see a notification in your browser regarding available coupons.
When you see the notification, click ‘try codes’ to see which coupon offers savings. Don’t worry; Capital One Shopping helps you find potential savings and trying each coupon takes less than a second.
It doesn’t hurt to try multiple codes to see what you can save.
Shopping Rewards
You might earn rewards if you shop on any Capital One Shopping partner sites. Like coupons, the browser extension will automatically notify you of available rewards. You have 24 hours to complete the purchase to receive the reward.
You can cash in your rewards for gift cards through Capital One Shopping when you have enough rewards accumulated.
Price Comparison
There are two ways to get price comparisons while actively shopping. First, Capital One Shopping automatically looks for lower prices from other Amazon sellers when you shop on Amazon. Second, you can search for products directly in Capital One Shopping to see the different prices.
It takes only 10 to 15 seconds for Capital One Shopping to help you find potential savings available based on the products you’ve selected.
Price Protection
Price Protection is a feature you must opt into because you must grant Capital One Shopping access to your email. When you purchase something and receive a receipt or confirmation in your email, Capital One Shopping will detect it and watch for price drops you’d be eligible for to get your money back.
Pros of Using Capital One Shopping
The main benefit of using Capital One Shopping is saving money, but let’s look at each one specifically.
- You’ll have access to multiple coupon codes. There’s no guarantee they will work, but it takes only a few seconds to try them. You don’t have to do any research or waste time copying and pasting codes. Instead, click the button to try the code and move on to the next if it doesn’t work.
- You’ll know instantly if there are rewards when shopping. If you’re on the fence between buying a product at two different stores, knowing that one store offers rewards and the other doesn’t could make your decision easier.
- You can comparison shop on Amazon without any effort. Capital One Shopping notifies you immediately if another seller has the same item cheaper.
- You can cash in your rewards for gift cards to your favorite stores. It’s like getting free money for doing virtually nothing.
Cons of Using Capital One Shopping
Of course, no app is perfect, and Capital One Shopping is no exception. Some of the most common cons include the following:
- The coupon codes don’t always work. There’s no guarantee the coupon codes the system finds will be valid, so there’s no guarantee you’ll save money each time.
- The redemption rewards are limited. You can’t get cash back for your rewards; you must choose a gift card for a store. The options are somewhat limited on Capital One Shopping, so you might not love your options.
- You must provide Capital One Shopping with access to your email for price guarantees. If you want to use the price guarantee service, you must trust the system and let it access your email, which can feel weird.
Usability for Shoppers
Capital One Shopping is accessible and easy to use. If you shop online, the most work you must do is download the extension and click ‘try codes’ when coupon codes appear. Other than that, it runs in the background, alerting you when there’s a deal so you don’t waste money.
Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up for Capital One Shopping using the links we provide.
Shopping With Honey
Honey is also a free browser extension that finds the best coupons and offers cash-back opportunities at partner retailers. Honey works on 30,000+ sites, automatically finding coupon codes to save you money.
How Does Honey Work
Honey has similar features to Capital One Shopping. Here’s how it works.
Look for the ‘H’ in the Corner of your Browser
When you shop at partner stores, look for an orange ‘H’ in the corner of your browser. That tells you that Honey is at work looking for coupons. When they find a reputable coupon, you’ll see a bright green coupon in the corner.
When you’re ready to check out, Honey will show you how many coupons it found. Then, you’ll click ‘apply coupons’, and the savings are yours.
Paypal Rewards
Honey also offers cash-back rewards called PayPal Rewards. You can earn points for cash back or gift cards when you shop at partner stores. You’ll see the opportunity to earn cash back as a pop-up; be sure to click ‘Activate Cash Back.’ While not every Honey store offers cash-back, many do.
PayPal Rewards takes 2 to 14 days to hit your account.
Exclusive Offers
Honey also has ‘Exclusive Offers,’ which are cash-back offers on items that typically don’t go on sale. If an item you’re looking at is a part of the offers, you’ll see the popup and can activate the offer if you want.
Honey Drop List
The Honey Drop List is like a wish list for items you want to buy but wish the price was lower. Simply add the items to your Drop List, and you’ll be notified when an item’s price drops.
Pros of Using Honey
Like Capital One Shopping, the main benefit of Honey is to save money, but there are other benefits you may enjoy including the following:
- You’ll have access to coupon codes without doing any legwork yourself. Honey determines if the coupon codes are valid, and if they are, they automatically apply them to your purchase.
- Honey shops Amazon prices for you, so you buy from the seller with the lowest costs. They also use price tracking and price history tools to help you understand the pricing trends.
- You can earn cash-back or gift cards. You choose how you want to redeem your rewards and when you redeem them.
Cons of Using Honey
Like Capital One Shopping, the Honey extension has its downsides, too, including:
- There’s no guarantee you’ll save money. Honey might find several coupons, but they might not be valid; they can’t control the validity of the offers. Plus, they don’t work at every store, so you might not find any coupons.
- It’s difficult to get in touch with customer service. It could take a long time to get your answers if you have a problem or a question.
- Some people have trouble redeeming their PayPal rewards. Since customer service is challenging to get in touch with sometimes, many people end up with no rewards.
Usability for Shoppers
Honey is incredibly easy for shoppers to use. All you have to do is download the extension and shop how you normally would. You might have trouble redeeming your PayPal rewards, but if you focus on coupon savings, the app is user-friendly and helpful.
Capital One Shopping vs. Honey: Major Differences
Understanding the differences between Capital One Shopping and the Honey app can help you determine which offers you the best options.
1. Price Checking Feature
Capital One Shopping and Honey check prices to help you find potential savings; however, their features work differently.
Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping offers the option to search product pricing on their website or mobile app. You can search by product name or scan the barcode to get the most recent pricing. Capital One Shopping pulls up pricing from the top stores and shows you the store’s savings, reward offers, and estimated delivery dates.
If you’re shopping on Amazon, it automatically looks for identical products at lower prices from other sellers.
Honey
Honey doesn’t have a website where you can check prices. Instead, you can add your desired item to the Drop List, and when the price drops at that store, they’ll alert you.
Honey also compares deals on Amazon when you shop there so you can get the best deals, including shipping on Amazon.
2. Redeeming Credits With Gift Cards vs. PayPal
Capital One Shopping and Honey offer rewards on certain purchases, but how you redeem them differs between the apps.
Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping’s rewards program is in the form of gift cards. They offer a small selection of gift cards; there isn’t an option for cash back. While it’s nice to get gift cards to spend on splurge items or everyday products, a cash option is nice.
Honey
Honey Paypal Rewards are points you earn on certain purchases. You can redeem the points for PayPal cash or gift cards to your favorite stores. If you choose cash, you can transfer the funds from PayPal to your bank account to use how you need.
4. Receiving Cash-Back
Capital One Shopping and Honey are slightly different when it comes to earning rewards, so it helps to understand what you can get with your earnings to determine which is better for you.
Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping doesn’t pay members cash back. Instead, you can redeem your cash-back earnings for gift cards to a handful of stores. The selection changes often, and you don’t have the option to get cash. If you need the money for gas or products at a store they don’t offer a gift card for, it can be disappointing.
Honey
Honey gives members the option to earn cash-back or gift cards. The rewards are PayPal Rewards, so it makes sense that they allow you to earn cash. If you choose the PayPal Reward option, you can deposit the funds where you need them to spend on what you want. However, you also have the option to get gift cards for your points.
5. Earning Referral Bonuses
Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping doesn’t have a referral program.
Honey
To get referral bonuses on Honey, share your referral link on your social media pages or via email. When your referrals sign up and earn PayPal Rewards, you’ll also be rewarded with PayPal points. You can see your referral activity on your Invite Page.
6. Auto-Generated Coupon Codes
Capital One Shopping and Honey offer auto-generated coupons; it’s the bread and butter of both programs.
Capital One Shopping
On Capital One Shopping, you’ll see a ‘try coupon codes’ button when coupons are available for the product you’re purchasing. You must click ‘try coupon codes’ on each coupon to see if they work. If multiple coupons work, Capital One Shopping automatically applies the highest-value coupon it has.
Honey
Honey also automatically adds coupons to your purchase. You’ll know when Honey finds coupons by the green icon in the corner of your screen. Then, click ‘Apply Coupons,’ and Honey automatically tests each coupon and applies the one that works.
7. Price Watching and Alerts for Price Drops
A big part of saving money shopping is learning about price drops before or after you buy a product. Fortunately, Capital One Shopping and Honey offer services to help you monitor prices.
Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping offers a Price Protection plan that monitors purchases you make. You must opt into this program because you must permit them to check your email. When you buy an item, they’ll scan the receipt in your email and watch for lower prices during the store’s price match period. If they find a lower price within that time, they’ll alert you so you can get your money back.
Honey
Honey has a Drop List that allows you to put items at specific stores on the list so Honey can let you know when the price drops. This is a better feature because you can save money before you buy the item. However, Honey doesn’t track items after you purchase them unless you keep them on your Drop List.
Capital One Shopping vs. Honey: Choosing the Right App
Choosing the right app between Capital One Shopping vs. Honey is a personal decision.
First, decide what you feel is most important between comparison shopping, getting coupon codes, and earning cash back.
The premise of the apps is the same, but they have different nuances that may have you favoring one over the other.
Capital One Shopping vs. Honey: Our Top Pick
I’ve tried both apps and prefer Capital One Shopping. I feel it has more features, even though you can’t get cash-back as part of your rewards.
However, I can overlook that issue by using my rewards for stores I normally shop, making it the equivalent of cash-back for me.
Capital One Shopping offers more features and allows me to make better buying decisions rather than only having access to coupon codes and potential cash-back at certain stores.
Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up for Capital One Shopping using the links we provide.Frequently Asked Questions
You can’t go wrong with a cash-back/coupon savings app, but Capital One Shopping and Honey have different benefits that cater to different people.
Are the Capital One Shopping and Honey shopping extensions actually free?
It sounds crazy, but Capital One Shopping and Honey are free. They make money from the retailers they partner with, earning a commission each time members purchase a product.
Is the Capital One Shopping Extension safe for shoppers to use?
The Capital One Shopping app is safe, but I recommend reading the privacy policy to decide for yourself. They collect personal information; if you opt in, they’ll also check your email for receipts. If you’re comfortable with how they collect and use your information, then it’s a safe app to use.
Is the Honey Shopping Extension safe for shoppers to use?
PayPal backs the Honey app, so you know it has a powerhouse company behind it, and it’s safe to use. However, like Capital One Shopping, it collects personal information, so familiarize yourself with the privacy policy to ensure you’re comfortable with how they’ll use your data.
Where can you download the Capital One Shopping App?
The Capital One Shopping app is available on iOS and Google Play.
Where can you download the Honey App?
The Honey app is available on iOS and Google Play.
Are there browser compatibility restrictions with either Honey or the Capital One Shopping apps?
The Capital One Shopping and Honey extensions work on all browsers, including Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Edge.
How do shopping extensions make money?
Shopping extensions are affiliate marketers. They make money when shoppers purchase in their app. The brand or retailer pays them a small commission for each purchase.
Capital One Shopping vs. Honey: Which Is Best for You?
Capital One Shopping and Honey help shoppers save money, but Capital One Shopping takes the cake in my book. It has more features and ways to save money, including comparing items you’re buying with prices on Amazon.
I like Capital One Shopping because I save a lot of time searching for coupons (which usually ends in a dead-end), and I can earn shopping rewards which can be redeemed for gift cards.
Plus, I’m protected after buying an item. If the price drops, I’ll know immediately and can request a refund, saving me more money in the end.
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