Capital One Shopping Review 2023: Features, Pros, and Cons
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The eCommerce economy has been consistently growing by over 4% per year. This growth is forecasted to continue for at least the next few years. If you’re an avid online shopper, this probably doesn’t surprise you.
No matter what you’re looking to buy, you can probably find it online. In fact, you can probably find many versions of the same product. But the same products can be listed with different names and different prices on different sites. So how can a budget-conscious shopper tackle locating what they want and finding it at a competitive price?
You can always just shop around and compare prices on different sites. But it’s not easy to ensure you’re getting the best deal you can find online.
In this Capital One Shopping review1, we will go over one exciting solution to help you find what you’re looking for at the right price.
Bottom Line: Capital One Shopping is a mobile app and browser extension that helps you find better deals when shopping online. It does this by comparing thousands of online retailers and all the listings for specific products on them.
| Cash back rate | |
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| Store Selection | |
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| Security | |
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| Ease of use | |
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Best for:
Pros:
Cons:
What is Capital One Shopping?
Capital One Shopping, formerly Wikibuy, is a browser extension that helps you find better deals when shopping online. It does this by comparing thousands of online retailers and all the listings for specific products on them.
Many people just rely on Amazon for their online shopping needs. While Amazon offers a lot of conveniences, they don’t always offer the best prices. Imagine you’re shopping for a new guitar on Amazon, and you find the one you like. How would you know whether Amazon has listed it with the best price you’ll find for that exact guitar? Or on the whole web?
Capital One Shopping can help you find a better deal for that guitar by:
- Comparing price differences between Amazon sellers
- Comparing Amazon’s cost with the costs of other online retailers selling that guitar
- Setting price drop alerts
- Finding incredible deals
- A universal product search that checks through all online retailers
- Finding coupon codes that could save you some more money
The thing is that you could, of course, do most of these things on your own. But that would take you all day. And you’d have to take those steps every time you want to make an online purchase. Even finding the best coupon codes can involve a serious search. Capital One Shopping helps you by doing all the homework for you in a short space of time.
Capital One Shopping isn’t the only app and extension meant to help online shoppers financially, so this Capital One Shopping review will explain some of the interesting little details that set Capital One Shopping apart from its competition.
How Does Capital One Shopping Work?
Capital One Shopping is easy to use. It works simply and quickly. You just have to follow these steps:
Step 1: Sign Up for Capital One Shopping
First, you just need to sign up for a Capital One Shopping account.
Capital One Shopping is free to sign up for, and its core services are free. The application process is very fast and simple.
There is one small drawback to Capital One Shopping’s free service. Capital One Shopping works by tracking your online shopping and using that data to help other users. If this is something you are concerned about and think is a violation of your privacy, Capital One Shopping might not be a good fit for you.
Step 2: Enter Your Name and Shipping Info
Capital One Shopping effectively acts as an intermediary between you and the world of online retail, so you will have to give them your name and shipping information.
Step 3: Download the Browser Extension
To use Capital One Shopping’s services while browsing online, you’ll need to download their browser extension. This step is easy to complete, and you can download the extension from the Chrome Web Store.
Step 4: Search for Products
Once you have the Capital One Shopping browser extension set up, you can start browsing. Using Capital One Shopping’s search function, you can shop for precise items and/or comparable items. You can adjust search settings to include:
- Variables like color and size, etc.
- Total price, including surcharges and taxes
- Pricing history
- Return policies
- Delivery arrival estimates
- Related products discoverable on Capital One Shopping
- Review and rating restrictions
You can use these settings to control the scope of your search. You can simply try to find the cheapest online retailer for one product. Or, you can find the cheapest blue T-shirt being sold anywhere on the internet. It’s up to you.
Step 5: Make Your Purchases
After you’ve found the products you’re looking for, you can start buying.
Capital One Shopping Cash Back Rate
The cash back rate Capital One Shopping offers to its users depends on the retailer. While most participating retailers offer cash back rates of around 2.5% to 5.0%, you can definitely find cash back rates as high as 10% or even 15%.
Another thing to keep in mind and remember is that Capital One Shopping doesn’t offer cash for their rewards program. Instead, Capital One Shopping offers gift cards when you redeem your points.
Capital One Shopping Redemption Threshold
Capital One Shopping points can be redeemed for gift cards. There are a variety of gift cards you can choose from; some of the most popular ones include:
- Apple
- Walmart
- Starbucks
- The Home Depot
- Uber Eats
- DoorDash
- Uber
- Sephora
- Airbnb
- Best Buy
- H&M
- Nordstrom
- And many more
Once you have made an eligible purchase and you have activated the Capital One Shopping reward program, it usually takes about 30 days for the rewards to show in your account. However, some retailers may take longer to credit your rewards; sometimes, it can take up to 60 days (or longer).
Some travel retailers can take up to 90 days to credit your rewards to your account so keep that in mind.
Capital One Shopping Features
So far, we’ve gone over the basics of what Capital One Shopping has to offer. Let’s look at Capital One Shopping’s specific tools that enable you to save money.
Universal Product Search
Capital One Shopping’s Universal Product Search helps you find incredible deals at amazing prices for a number of products. The search crawls on the Web while also using the input of other Capital One Shopping users. If one user finds a lower price on a product, the information can be automatically made available to all other users. This is how the Universal Product Search improves over time.
The universal product search engine displays a bunch of information on the item you’re interested in:
- Customer ratings and reviews
- Seller
- Product condition
- Estimated delivery
- Any special offers
- Estimated total amount (including tax and shipping charges)
- Top alternatives
- Related products
- Price history (from 30 to 365 days)
Price Comparison Tool
Capital One Shopping works with major retailers like Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, and of course, Amazon. This last one is probably the most exciting.
While you’re shopping on Amazon, Capital One Shopping will instantly check hundreds of other sellers. It will check other sellers while also searching for all available coupons that could get you a better price.
This process continues in the background while you’re reading about products you’re interested in. When Capital One Shopping finds a better rate on a product you’re looking at; you’ll get a pop-up notification in the lower left-hand corner of your screen. The notification will include the following:
- The final price
- Shipping details
- Tax breakdown
- Delivery date
When you’re ready to finalize your purchase, you can then checkout on Amazon through Capital One Shopping and get your discounted item. For instance, this Nikon D7500 was off by $80.08 (see below).
Featured Offers
Capital One Shopping has a featured offers section to highlight some great deals you can get from a number of brands and retailers.
Trending Deals
The Trending Deals section also highlights some big opportunities where you can save some money at top stores and retailers. These opportunities include coupons and other rewards that can help you save a few bucks here and there.
Price Protection
The Price Protection feature helps you find and save money when your online purchases drop in price. This is actually after you have bought them. In essence, Capital One Shopping identifies recent (the last 30 days) purchases based on shipping and order confirmation emails found in your email.
Then, Capital One Shopping continuously monitors and compares price changes for these items in real time. Upon discovering an eligible claim, Capital One Shopping contacts the retailer on your behalf and files a claim requesting a refund or provides you with instructions so you can do it yourself (some retailers require the buyer to contact them directly for refunds). Once the retailer issues a price adjustment, you are automatically credited onto the original form of payment or given a store credit (depending on their refund policy).
At the moment, Capital One Shopping Price Protection supports Gmail, Yahoo!, and Outlook webmail providers.
Watch List Price Drop Alert
Prices are always changing. If you don’t like the current prices available for any given product, you can just wait for prices to drop. You can make the wait easy by using Capital One Shopping’s price drop alert feature.
After you set a price drop alert, you can forget about that product for a while. Capital One Shopping will notify you if the price drops.
See Also: What Are Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps, and Do They Work?
Automated Coupon Codes
Capital One Shopping is always searching for coupon codes you can use. If you’re shopping at one of their participating retailers, Capital One Shopping will send you a pop-up notification when the app/browser extension detects a coupon field.
Capital One Shopping partners with many top retailers like Home Depot, Target, Best Buy, Lowe’s, and many more.
Here it’s how it works; let’s say you found a good 35% off coupon for Best Buy. All you have to do is select the coupon code, plug it in on Best Buy, and save on your item. This is just one of the many ways you can save with Capital One Shopping.
Capital One Shopping Credits
When you shop for products at Capital One Shopping-partnered stores, you gain Capital One Shopping credits. When you’re shopping, you’ll get a pop-up through your Capital One Shopping browser extension. When you click the “OK” button, your account will be credited. You can view your account balance and spend credits at any time.
Capital One Shopping credits can be used to purchase gift cards from Capital One Shopping. The sad part is that you’re very limited with regard to withdrawal options as Capital One Shopping does not offer Amazon cards, prepared Visa cards, or PayPal cards.
Mobile Apps
Capital One Shopping offers mobile apps for both Android and iOS users. However, keep in mind that the mobile apps don’t have the same functionality as the browser extension. The app allows you to search for items and scan barcodes when you’re shopping in local stores. It also shows you different prices for the item you’re looking for from different retailers.
Once you find an item you want to buy, you can purchase it directly through the app.
Capital One Shopping Store Selection
Capital One Shopping partners with thousands of retailers across multiple industries. You will be able to find anything from restaurants and electronic stores to clothing and streaming services. Some of the biggest names Capital One Shopping has partnered with to offer deals, and cash back include:
- Amazon
- AT&T
- Booking.com
- Cleo
- Dell
- GameStop
- Groupon
- Hulu
- Disney+
- Kayak
- Lenovo
- Microsoft
- Reebok
- Samsung
- Vrbo
- Walmart
- Verizon
- and many more
Check out their website for a full list of retailers and categories available to get cash back on your online shopping experience. Keep in mind that Capital One Shopping is always updating this list to add or remove participating retailers.
Capital One Shopping Security
Capital One Shopping does monitor the products your view and purchase on e-commerce sites in order to notify you when potential savings are available for the products across various retailers. This also allows other users to get the latest prices available for products they have also viewed and purchased.
Capital One Shopping also monitors successful coupon codes found by Capital One Shoppers, which are then shared and contribute to finding savings for other shoppers.
According to their privacy policy, some of the information they collect and store includes:
- Personal information (i.e., name, email address, billing/mailing address, username, and password, phone number, location data, etc.)
- Online activity data (i.e., IP address, browser type, browser settings, interaction with mobile ads, interactions on social media, etc.)
- Payment information and details
- Transaction data
- And other information to provide you with offers
However, even though Capital One Shopping collects this information, they state that your information is protected at all times and never shared with 3rd party merchants or vendors,
Capital One Shopping Customer Support
Capital One Shopping hosts a customer support platform. You can use their self-help portal to solve any minor issues you have while using their platform. If the self-help portal can’t fix the issues you’re having, you can submit a customer support request.
You can also request support directly with an email to [email protected].
Capital One Shopping Pros
- Free to sign up for and use
- Easy to use
- Works in the background, allowing you to continue browsing as usual
- It saves you time and money at no cost and with minimal effort
Capital One Shopping Cons
- It seems to favor some platforms over others, despite longer shipping times for products
- The mobile app needs some usability improvements
- It takes longer to buy through Capital One Shopping than it does to purchase directly from the retailer
Capital One Shopping Alternatives
Capital One Shopping isn’t the only service of its kind available online. Some customers have become upset at some of the downsides of Capital One Shopping, and we can recommend that you also consider some of their competitors before you decide which service to use.
Capital One Shopping vs. Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a platform offering a loyalty and consumer rewards program where people can earn money by interacting with the platform on everyday activities such as searching the web, playing games, completing surveys, watching videos, and shopping online. The main difference between Capital One Shopping and Swagbucks is that you have a variety of ways to earn money beyond cash back with Swagbucks.
Swagbucks partners with fewer retailers (currently, they partner with over 1,500 retailers), but you can find the most popular stores, including Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
Using Swagbucks is as simple as Capital One Shopping and uses a similar search engine. The other main difference is that with Swagbucks, you can redeem your points beyond gift cards; you can also get PayPal cash. You can redeem your Swagbuck points as soon as you collect 300 SB ($1 = 100 SB). Swagbucks also offers a mobile app (i.e., iOS and Android) to earn rewards on the go. Read our full Swagbucks review to learn more.
Capital One Shopping vs. Rakuten
Rakuten is a platform that helps you find coupons and earn cash back when you shop online. Rakuten also partners with fewer retailers compared to Capital One Shopping (currently, Rakuten partners with over 3,500 retailers). But the cool thing about Rakuten is that you can earn up to 30% cash back in some deals.
Rakuten offers a variety of ways to redeem your points beyond gift cards; users can also choose to redeem via PayPal cash or check. The minimum withdrawal requirement at this point to redeem your Rakuten points is $5.00.
Similar to Capital One Shopping, the only way to earn money is via cash back, so if you’re looking for other ways to make money beyond cash back, look elsewhere. Beyond the browser extension, Rakuten also offers mobile apps (i.e., iOS and Android) just like Capital One Shopping. Read our full Rakuten review to learn more.
Capital One Shopping vs. Honey
Honey is another popular browser extension very similar to Capital One Shopping. When you have the browser extension installed, you can just click it, and Honey will automatically search and test available coupon codes at participating retailers. Similar to Capital One Shopping, Honey also offers a robust inventory of retailers ((currently, Honey partners with over 30,000 retailers).
Their “Gold Rewards Program” lets you save up points from using Honey while you shop. Those points can be redeemed for gift cards at many big retailers. Unlike Capital One Shopping, you can redeem Gold Rewards for gift cards and PayPal cash as well.
Like Capital One Shopping, Honey is available on almost every browser you can think of (i.e., Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Edge). Like Capital One Shopping, Honey also offers mobile apps to shop on the go (i.e., iOS and Android). Check out our full Honey review and our Capital One Shopping vs. Honey comparison to learn more.
 |  |  | |
| Our Rating | |||
| Developer | Free | Free | Free |
| Platforms | Mobile (iOS and Android) and browser extension | Mobile (iOS and Android) and browser extension | Mobile (iOS and Android) and browser extension |
| Highlight | Universal product search and price drop alerts | Automatic coupons and Amazon integration | Save on coupons, cash back and discover deals |
| Best For | Online and in-store | Online | Online |
| Redeeming Options | Gift cards | Gift cards and PayPal cash | Gift cards and PayPal cash |
| Rewards Expiration | Rewards don’t expire | Rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains active during a 12 month period | Rewards don’t expire |
| Veredict | Online and in-store shoppers | Online shoppers | Online shoppers and side hustlers |
Tips to Save the Most Money with Capital One Shopping
Saving money with Capital One Shopping is easy, and the app and extension are free. For greater savings, take advantage of as many of their services as possible.
Using the Capital One Shopping browser extension is easy. Just make sure you always have it turned on. You can search for products directly through Capital One Shopping. That way, it can help you find amazing deals and save money. Just make sure to use your Capital One Shopping credits strategically to maximize your savings.
How Much Money Can I Save with Capital One Shopping?
We can’t tell you exactly how much you’ll save by using Capital One Shopping. But as the platform continues to develop and becomes more comprehensive, it should be able to help you save more money on more products.
For now, the savings you can get with Capital One Shopping will depend on the items you’re looking to buy. Capital One Shopping will be able to find you a cheaper deal in most cases. Regular use of Capital One Shopping for your shopping purposes will help you save more substantial amounts of money over time.
Who is Capital One Shopping Best For?
Capital One Shopping is great for anyone who shops online. Even if you seldom buy products online, you can benefit from the free and convenient services Capital One Shopping offers. There is no major downside. That doesn’t mean that Capital One Shopping is always the best option for online shopping. But it does offer a straightforward and simple service that saves online shoppers money.
Capital One Shopping FAQ
We’ve found some of the most frequently asked questions with regard to the Capital One Shopping extension; here are our answers.
What are Shopping Credits in Capital One Shopping?
You can earn Shopping Credits when you shop in one of Capital One Shopping’s partner stores (i.e., Walmart, eBay, and more) and you click on the “ok” button when prompted through the extension. Your Shopping Credits can be redeemed for gift cards, and you can always see your balance in your profile.
What Countries Does Capital One Shopping Work In?
At the moment, Capital One Shopping only finds savings for United States addresses (zip codes); however, there are plans to expand to other countries and regions.
Is Capital One Shopping Safe to Use?
Yes, Capital One Shopping is safe and secure. However, Capital One Shopping does monitor the products you view and purchase on eCommerce sites in order to notify you when savings and good deals are available for those products across various retailers. They also use this data to notify other users of the latest prices available for the products they have viewed and purchased.
How Can I Uninstall Capital One Shopping?
If you would still like to uninstall Capital One Shopping, follow these steps:
Google Chrome:
1. Right-click the Capital One Shopping button located at the top-right corner of your Chrome browser window.
2. Select “Manage Extensions.”
3. Click “Remove extension” at the bottom of the screen to delete Capital One Shopping.
Mozilla Firefox:
1. Click the icon on the top-right of the browser.
2. Select “Add-ons” and click “Extensions” from the list on the left.
3. Click “Remove.”
Safari:
1. Open Safari.
2. Click the “Safari” button on the taskbar at the top of your Mac’s screen, then click Preferences from the Safari menu.
3. Once the Preferences menu is open, click the Extensions tab.
4. Click the Capital One Shopping extension from the list.
5. Click the Uninstall button.
Microsoft Edge:
1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Select More (…) to open the menu.
3. Select Extensions from the menu.
Why Did Wikibuy Become Capital One Shopping?
Wikibuy was acquired by Capital One in 2018. The company decided to rebrand the extension to align more closely with its parent company. The features and functionality remain the same; they just basically changed the logo and colors.
Is Capital One Shopping Legit?
Yes, Capital One Shopping is a legitimate company. They have a Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating of A- and have no history of complaints. And on the Chrome Web Store, they have a 5.0 out of 5.0 rating with over 10,600 reviews. On the Apple App Store, the Capital One Shopping app has a 4.8 out of 5.0 rating with over 57,800 reviews. As for the Google Play Store, the Capital One Shopping app has a 4.7 out of 5.0 rating with over 5,000 reviews.
Capital One Shopping’s services are free, so they don’t have an incentive to defraud customers. However, they do have an incentive to engage in other activities that some users may find problematic.
While Capital One Shopping does save you money, some customers allege that the platform doesn’t necessarily match people with the best prices. Instead, Capital One Shopping seems to favor certain retailers, like eBay. This means they might not always live up to their promise of finding you a great deal.
In A Nutshell
- Searches thousands of merchants and helps you find incredible deals
- Earn credit for purchases on popular sites like Walmart and eBay
- Setup price drop alerts for products you’ve viewed or purchased
- Capital One Shopping codes are updated in real-time and applied automatically at checkout
Final Thoughts
Capital One Shopping is a simple and easy service to use when shopping online. It offers you limitless opportunities to save money online.
While Capital One Shopping’s use is easy to understand, it’s also easy to understand why some users are unhappy with their lack of transparency. Favoritism for certain stores isn’t uncommon in apps like this. But it’s never appreciated when a company promises “the best” and then settles for less to please their partners instead of their users.
Despite Capital One Shopping’s issues, the app and browser extension has a happy and loyal user base. That makes sense because Capital One Shopping is a free service that saves you a lot of money. For that fact alone, it’s worth considering if you’re concerned that you’re spending too much on your online shopping.
1 Capital One Shopping compensates us when you get the browser extension using the links provided.
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Ricardo is an entrepreneur, investor and personal finance nerd who enjoys spending time with his family and friends, travelling and helping others achieve their financial goals. Ricardo has been quoted as a personal finance expert in several online publications including Healthline, Bankrate, GOBankingRates, MSN Money, Yahoo Finance, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes and USA Today.
