Capital One Shopping Review: Earn Rewards for Shopping Online

Bottom line: Capital One Shopping is an easy-to-use browser extension and app that lets you earn rewards for purchases online at thousands of popular retailers. The tool also features access to hundreds of coupon codes to save money on online purchases.

At a glance

Rewards: 1% - 10% or more

iOS app rating: 4.8/5 stars

Android app rating: 4.7/5 stars

Cost: Free

What is Capital One Shopping and how does it work?

Capital One Shopping is a free web browser tool designed to find the best online coupons and prices. Formerly known as Wikibuy, Capital One purchased the tech startup and eventually changed the name to Capital One Shopping.

The web application searches over 30,000 online retailers to find the best deals. To use Capital One Shopping, download the browser extension (available on Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari) or download the mobile app, available for iOS and Android. Then, the app can save you money in three ways:

• Find and apply online coupon codes
• Compare prices as you shop online
• Earn rewards you can redeem for gift cards at dozens of retailers

Top perks

Watchlist

If you want to buy something, but the current price is too steep, you can add it to your Capital One Shopping watchlist. You'll receive an instant notification any time the item's price drops, which makes the tool helpful for budgeting and managing your personal finances

Automated coupon codes

When you visit a retailer's site, Capital One Shopping will show you any available coupon codes you could apply to your order to save money.

Shopping credits

As you shop online, you can earn shopping credits through Capital One Shopping. As you visit affiliated retailer websites, you can earn a percentage of your purchase in shopping credits. As you build up shopping credits, you can redeem them for gift cards to popular retailers.

Product search

Instead of visiting several retailer sites to find a product, you can just search for items directly on the Capital One Shopping website. As you search, you can compare pricing and different brands to find the best deals.

What could be improved

Coupon codes don't always work

While you may see a handful of coupon codes to try, there's no guarantee they will work. It may depend on what you are purchasing and whether it meets the requirements to use a particular code. For example, if the code is for 10% off your order of $50 or more, it won't work if you only have $40 worth of goods in your shopping cart. There are also times when you might run into expired coupon codes.

The app can be intrusive

Because the app automatically searches for lower prices, you'll see Capital One Shopping pop up on any site that sells merchandise online. There could be times when you're just window shopping online and don't want extra pop ups on your screen.

If you want an app that earns cash back: Rakuten is a money-saving app that helps you earn cash back for online purchases. Depending on your rewards preference, you may want to stick with Capital One Shopping and redeem rewards for gift cards.

If you want an app that rewards in-person shopping: Fetch is another app that earns rewards, but includes in-person shopping at physical stores. The app lets you scan store receipts and e-receipts to earn valuable rewards you can redeem for gift cards and more. But if you don't shop in person much, Capital One Shopping may be a better choice.

If you want more options: Check out The Ascent's list of the best credit cards for online shopping.

Capital One Shopping is a completely free tool to use regardless of whether you are a Capital One credit card or banking customer. You can download and use the app and web extension for free anytime.

Anyone who frequently shops online or loves to compare prices to find the best deals. At no cost and with over 30,000 retailers in its arsenal, Capital One Shopping appeals to just about anyone who shops online or uses their mobile device.