Capital One Shopping Review (2024): The Good and the Bad
Capital One Shopping, a user-friendly savings portal, offers coupons and cashback from 30,000+ retailers. Ratings are high on app stores, but mixed elsewhere. The platform's cashback rates are lower than competitors, suggesting alternatives for better deals.
Key Points
- Capital One Shopping is a coupon finder and cashback rewards portal, allowing you to earn and save at over 30,000 retailers. While it lacks a variety of redemption offers, its coupon tracking and price monitoring are worth exploring.
- As we mentioned above, Capital One does have a few strong competitors. If you’re still unsure which cashback and coupon app is right for you, here is an unbiased review of each competitor.
Price No hidden fees
Capital One Shopping offers multiple easy ways to save money, including automatic coupons, reward credits that can be exchanged for free gift cards, a price comparison tool, and price drop tracking. When you add the browser extension, you'll get automatic notifications for deals on sites you visit.
Pros
- Completely free.
- Easy to add (and remove).
- Convenient way to save money with minimal effort.
- Safe and secure.
- Desktop and mobile versions.
Cons
- Gift card options are limited.
- Tracks your online activity and transaction history.
- "Best price" feature isn't always accurate.
Our Capital One Shopping Review: 3.5 Stars
The Capital One Shopping portal functions like Honey or Rakuten — it scrapes the web for coupons and offers cash-back at certain retailers. With its browser extension, you’ll receive a pop-up notification if you visit an online retailer with an available offer, making it simple to use.
Capital One Shopping received the following reviews:
- 4.9 Stars on the Apple App Store (340,000 reviews)
- 4.7 Stars on the Google Play Store (28,000 reviews)
- 4.8 on the Chrome Web Store (13,200 reviews)
- 1.4 Stars on TrustPilot (139 reviews)
- 3.5 on Think Save Retire
We deducted points due to its lack of redemption options and the fact that its cash-back offers aren’t as high as others we’ve reviewed.
What We Love
No Capital One Card Required
Despite having Capital One in its name, you do not need a Capital One card to use the platform. This makes it accessible to far more users.
Browser Extension Available
Capital One Shopping offers a free browser extension, compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. Installing the browser extension allows you to receive pop-up notifications regarding deals on websites you visit.
Mobile App Option
If you prefer to shop on your phone, you can download the Capital One Shopping mobile app, which is available for Android and iOS devices. Capital One Shopping also works with over 30,000 retailers, which is more than some of its competitors A few of our favorite retailers include Etsy, Groupon, H&R Block, Target, and more.
Low Threshold for Payout
While some competitors require you to earn $10 or more to cashout, Capital One Shopping has a minimum threshold of just $0.01. This makes it quick and easy to earn and withdraw.
What We Don’t Love
Despite its pros, Capital One Shopping has a few notable cons.
Only One Redemption Option
Other platforms like Rakuten and TopCashback offer several redemption options, ranging from direct deposit to gift card to PayPal transfer. Capital One Shopping, however, only allows you to redeem your earnings via gift card, and they don’t have the widest selection of gift card options
Doesn’t Offer the Highest Cashback Rates
In comparison to other platforms we’ve reviewed, Capital One Shopping doesn’t offer the highest cashback rates. While worthwhile for its coupon offer, we recommend using another platform like TopCashback to earn better cashback rates.
How Capital One’s Shopping Portal Works
To access the portal, create a free account. You’ll need an email and password. You can also sign up with Google or a Capital One account.
Download the Mobile App
The first couple steps are optional, but might be worth it. After signing in, you’ll be prompted to download the mobile app and install the Safari extension. If you do so, you’ll receive a $10 bonus right off the bat.
Install the Browser Extension
For the smoothest process, install the browser extension on your computer. As you visit retailers’ websites, Capital One Shopping scrapes the web and alerts you of available coupons and cashback offers.
While this step is optional, it’s wise. If you forget to activate the cashback offer before your purchase, you may not receive earnings. Installing the extension prevents that from happening. The extension is also the only way to apply coupons; you can’t find them within the portal.
Find a Retailer
Next, find the retailer you want to shop at by searching in the top bar on the screen. You can also navigate directly to their site.
Reap the Rewards
Once you’ve added items to your cart, view your full cart. If coupons or cashback are available, a pop-up will appear in the upper right hand corner of your browser. Click Activate to add the cashback offer to your purchase. If coupons are available, click Try Codes. This allows the portal to apply every code one-by-one to see if they work. If one works, a pop-up will appear letting you know. If none work, a pop-up will appear that lets you know you’re already getting the best deal.
Other Offers
The Capital One Shopping portal offers two other ways to save — Amazon Price Comparison and Price Protection.
Amazon Price Comparison
When shopping on Amazon, a small green box will appear, letting you know if there’s a better deal elsewhere. For the headphones below, the better deal was a new pair on eBay, although the portal showed prices across a variety of stores.
Price Protection
This feature ensures you receive the best price, even after your purchase. The Price Protection option tracks your recent purchases with current prices, and if they notice a price drop within 30 days, they’ll contact the retailer and file a claim for a price adjustment refund on your behalf. To utilize this feature, you’ll need to provide Capital One with access to your email account. This allows the portal to track receipts and order confirmations from purchases you’ve made.
Redemption Options
Capital One Shopping offers one option for redeeming your earnings: gift card. On my end, I was able to see just 12 gift card options, although other users have reported seeing just under 60. While this is quite the bummer, they do have a minimum payout threshold of just $0.01, which is significantly lower than any competitors we’ve reviewed.
Comparing Cashback Rates
We’re after the best deal, so we stacked Capital One Shopping up against its competitors to see who offers the best rates.
| Store | Capital One Shopping | Rakuten | TopCashBack | Honey |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walmart | Up to 1% cashback | Up to 3% cashback | Up to 8% cashback | 0.5% cashback |
| Target | 1% cashback | 1% cashback | 2% cashback | 0.5% cashback |
| Best Buy | No cashback, just coupons | 1% cashback | Up to 25% cashback | No cashback, just coupons |
| Macy's | Up to 5% cashback | 2% cashback | Up to 7% cashback | 2% cashback |
| Petsmart | 4% cashback | 2% cashback | 8% cashback | 1% cashback |
Given Capital One Shopping’s dual offer of cashback and coupon hunting, Honey is their closest competitor. With that in mind, Capital One offers slightly more cashback. That said, if you’re purely looking for the highest cashback offer, TopCashback is the clear winner.
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Capital One Shopping Alternatives
As we mentioned above, Capital One does have a few strong competitors. If you’re still unsure which cashback and coupon app is right for you, here is an unbiased review of each competitor.
Completely free to use
Rakuten offers cashback at over 3,500 retailers, making it easy to save money on your purchases. With easy browser integration and an extra 10% cashback on purchases made in the first 7 days, it's a convenient way to get more for your money. Choose flexible payment options like check or PayPal for your convenience.
What we like
- Completely free to use.
- Cashback at over 3,500 retailers.
- Easy browser integration.
- Extra 10% cashback on purchases made in the first 7 days.
- Flexible payment options: check or PayPal.
What we don’t like
- Users report difficulty contacting customer service.
- Users report difficulty receiving cash back at times.
Cashback at over 4,500 retail stores
Honey simplifies saving money on online purchases by offering cashback at over 4,500 retail stores. Its simple browser integration and convenient mobile app make shopping and saving easier than ever. Honey's partnership with PayPal also allows for secure transactions and rewards redemption.
What we like
- Free to Use.
- Cashback at over 4,500 retail stores.
- Simple to integrate into your browser.
- Convenient app for mobile shopping.
What we don’t like
- Must have a PayPal account to cash out, due to Honey's integration with PayPal.
- Users have reported issues with redeeming PayPal Rewards they’ve earned through Honey.
Higher cashback rates at over 7,000 retailers
TopCashBack stands out for its completely free service, offering higher cashback rates from over 7,000 retailers. It provides flexible payout options, including bank transfer, PayPal, and e-gift cards, ensuring convenience for all users. The availability of a mobile app and a browser extension enhances the shopping experience.
What we like
- It’s completely free to use.
- Higher cashback rates.
- Over 7,000 retailers.
- More payout options: Bank transfer, PayPal, and e-gift card.
- Mobile App and Browser Extension available.
What we don’t like
- Lengthy payout times.
- Customer service can be difficult to contact.
- Long waiting periods for receiving cashback.
Cashback at over 2,000 retail chains
Ibotta offers solid cashback rates, ranging from $0.20 to $5.00, across more than 2,000 retail chains. Active Ibotta users have great earning potential, with an average of around $20/month. The platform also features a referral program and a browser extension for added convenience.
What we like
- Free to Use.
- Cashback at over 2,000 retail chains.
- Solid cashback rates (ranging from $0.20 to $5.00).
- Great earning potential: Active Ibotta users earn around $20/month.
- Referral Program.
- Browser Extension.
What we don’t like
- Receipts don’t always scan correctly.
- Account inactivity fee.
- Offers need to be activated before shopping.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Does it Take to Get Capital One Shopping Rewards?
You may see your earnings posted to your account within seven days. That said, it takes anywhere from 30 to 90 days for the earnings to be confirmed and available for redemption.
Is Capital One Shopping Completely Free?
Yes. Capital One Shopping is completely free to use.
Is Capital One Shopping Legit?
Yes. In fact, Capital One, as a whole, received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
What are Capital One Shopping Rewards Good For?
Capital One Shopping Rewards are redeemable for gift cards from select retailers. This makes the portal as a whole ideal for individuals that don’t mind the inability to receive their earnings in cash.
