Cyber Monday deals come and go in the blink of an eye, so if you see something you want, your best bet is to just buy it right away and return it later if need be. In particular, “electronics are going to be heavily discounted this holiday season, so inventory will go fast,” says Skirboll. “If you see a good deal on TVs—especially OLED and 4Ks—pick them up immediately.”
“You’ll have much more success with shopping if you go into Cyber Monday with a strategy,” explains Skirboll. “Have a budget in place and know whom you’re buying for and ideally what you’d like to get them. That way, you won’t be tempted by all the Cyber Monday noise (and there will be a lot!).”
3
Look up old Cyber Monday flyers.
Though most stores won’t release Cyber Monday sales flyers until right before the big day, you can still find flyers online from years past with a simple search. Just Google the name of the store plus “Cyber Monday flyer” and you’ll easily find many a flyer from years prior that you can use to inform your purchasing decisions, letting you know when you’re actually getting a deal versus when you’re just getting the same discount trotted out the year before.
4
Know which categories offer the best deals.
Before you do your shopping, make sure you know what you should be buying on Black Friday versus what you should be buying on Cyber Monday. According to data compiled by RetailMeNot, items that had better deals on Cyber Monday versus Black Friday in 2017 included teen clothing, accessories, and sports and fitness items. On the other hand, Black Friday offered superior savings last year on designer clothing, and equal savings in pretty much every other category.
5
Take advantage of price matching.
Though many retailers will render their price-matching policies invalid on big shopping days like Cyber Monday, it might surprise you to learn that certain credit cards actually offer this as a built-in feature. If you buy something on Cyber Monday and subsequently see it offered for less somewhere else, check to see if your credit card offers this incredible money-saving feature. (According to the experts at NerdWallet, MasterCard, Citi, and certain Chase cards come with price protection.)
6
Use a credit card that gives cash back.
Pay special attention to which credit card you use to pay for your Cyber Monday purchases. Each credit card has its own unique perks, and big purchases made on Cyber Monday can result in big travel rewards or cash back so long as you’re using the right card. If you’re using a store credit card to get those deals—for instance, a Target REDcard at Target—you might even save more on your entire purchase.
Don’t let the chaos of Cyber Monday turn a day of savings into a day of stress. Sure, the e-commerce holiday is full of great deals, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to score some other great discounts if you happen to miss out on a few! After all, those savings will be back in time for the holidays again next year.
