Shopping for electronics and appliances is quite an undertaking. For starters, they can be incredibly expensive. And with so many competing companies and similar models, it's hard to ever be sure that you're making the right purchase.
Best Buy, one of the leading consumer electronics companies in the United States, prides itself on being a one-stop destination for tech products, services, and solutions with a guarantee of quality and unbeatable prices. But to make sure you're truly getting the awesome prices they tout, we've compiled a smart-shopping guide to racking up rewards and discounts at Best Buy.
This is your starting point: Best Buy's weekly ad features all the week's best deals in one convenient location. Find out what's trending, sort discounts by percentages or dollar amounts, and compare prices on similar products.
This ad lets you view hundreds of deals and filter them by category, brand, and user ratings so you can hone in on what you're looking for. The Best Buy circular can be found in stores and online, but it changes weekly — so if there's an item you've had your eye on, check the ad first to see if there are any deals or specials on it this week.
Each week's ad also features the current seasonal deal. This promotion typically offers better discounts than the rest of the weekly ad because it runs for a shorter amount of time and pertains only to specific categories.
For instance, right now the deal is a Memorial Day sale on major appliances that can get you up to 30% off select refrigerators, washers, dryers, ovens, and dishwashers.
The Best Buy daily deal is a flash promotion featuring any number of products at low prices from across all of Best Buy's departments. Daily deal offers are available for up to 24 hours or until the item sells out. The deals post at around 5 AM and expire at midnight.
Although certain daily deals are available at Best Buy stores, most are online-exclusive. You can sign up for a daily-deal newsletter which sends you a morning email with the day's featured deals, as well as other promotions and specials.
For every dollar spent, you earn one point, and at the 250-point mark, you'll receive a $5 rewards certificate toward a subsequent purchase. There are also opportunities to earn extra points on featured products or by writing a customer review of a recent purchase.
Members also receive free standard shipping on purchases of $35 or more, and get special access to exclusive discounts, sales, and members-only shopping events. The My Best Buy program is free to join and you can track your rewards status on the related mobile app.
If you find yourself shopping for electronics and appliances frequently, consider making your purchases exclusively at Best Buy to obtain Elite or ElitePlus rewards status. You must make $1,500 in purchases per calendar year to qualify for Elite status and $3,500 a year to qualify for ElitePlus status.
Elite and ElitePlus members earn extra points on their purchases: Elite members get 1.1 points per dollar spent — for example, 275 points per $250, or a 10% bonus — while ElitePlus receive 1.25 points per dollar, or 25% more points.
Other perks include free shipping with no minimums for Elite members (and free expedited shipping for ElitePlus members), longer periods for returns and exchanges, and a point-banking option that allows you to accumulate points until you're ready to redeem them for a more sizeable discount. Members in these programs also have access to even more exclusive deals and shopping events.
Of course, I don't advise intentionally racking up thousands of dollars in expenditures just to qualify for such perks. But if you regularly purchase computers, printers, and other office technology for a small business, or expect to buy a new washer/dryer combo soon, consider signing up for the rewards program at Best Buy and making your purchase; you'll likely qualify for Elite status and receive benefits for an entire calendar year.
Another option to consider if you're a frequent Best Buy shopper is applying for a Best Buy credit card. Opening a line of credit with Best Buy gets you 10% back in rewards on your first purchase as well as 5% back in rewards on other purchases.
The credit card is part of the My Best Buy program, so you receive 2.5 points per dollar spent on qualifying Best Buy purchases. Unfortunately, Best Buy doesn't let you combine offers, so those points are not awarded on promotional credit purchases.
However, this card does give you the option of selecting either 5% back in rewards or 12-, 18-, and 24-month interest-free financing on qualifying purchases (price minimums vary by financing period).
The standard APR on this card is a whopping 25%, so I would only recommend it if you're planning on making a big tech or appliance purchase at Best Buy and would prefer the convenience of smaller payments spread out over a year or more.
This membership pays for itself after just three full-price game purchases. So if you're a gamer looking to buy titles upon their release, this is definitely a deal to take advantage of.
Best Buy also offers special promotions reserved exclusively for college students. These deals come in the form of an email with coupon codes that can either be brought into the store or entered online during checkout. Only .edu email addresses are eligible to receive these deals.
Best Buy's student deals focus on items that are useful to the average college student, such as software, laptops, printers, or dorm-room microwaves. With high-school graduation season upon us, now might be a good time to borrow your grad's new college email address and shop for a smart graduation gift that's on sale!
You may have heard about Swagbucks — the site, which pays you for taking surveys or performing other online activities, is an easy side hustle to try if you're looking for extra cash. However, Swagbucks also has a shopping rewards program with many large retailers — including Best Buy.
Every qualifying purchase you make at Best Buy (gift cards and services such as Geek Squad support aren't eligible) gets you one SwagBuck. For every 500 SwagBucks you earn, you receive a $5 gift card or PayPal credit.
SwagBucks also features exclusive terms for earning 1,125 SwagBucks for cell phones with service plans purchased at Best Buy. Signing up for SwagBucks, participating in their activities, and shopping at retail partners like Best Buy that offer rewards is a great way to earn, save, and get a nice payout.
The most dramatic savings you'll find at Best Buy come from the Best Buy Outlet, which includes clearance as well as open-box, refurbished, and pre-owned items.
Best Buy's return and exchange promise gives you 15 days (or more if you're an Elite or ElitePlus rewards member) to return or exchange a product you aren't fully satisfied with. This promise applies to nearly every item in the store. However, refurbished and pre-owned products sold through the Best Buy Marketplace are covered under their own Marketplace Promise with their own specific return policy. You can usually order Outlet products online, but you're typically required to pick them up in store.
Having your phone battery die at the wrong time is one of the more frustrating experiences of our day and age, especially as smartphone apps eat away at your battery life at an ever-faster pace.
Toting this portable backup battery is a convenient and cost-effective way to charge your devices no matter where you are. The micro-USB port is compatible with most USB-enabled devices so you won't have to buy specific cables or add-on items.
This is a must-pack item for me if I'm going on a trip or camping, as you never know when you'll be able to access your next electrical outlet (and it certainly won't be in the woods). One of these little batteries packs almost a full charge for your phone, and at this price you can afford to keep one on hand for those emergency situations!
This fitness watch allows you to keep track of your heart rate, calories burned, speed, and distance traveled to help you monitor your health performance and progress. This device is compatible with select Samsung smartphones and tablets, and uses Bluetooth technology to wirelessly sync data with your Samsung device so all your information is just a touch away.
At nearly two thirds off its retail price and backed by a Geek Squad certified refurbished promise, this watch is a great buy if you currently have a Samsung device or as a gift for a budding fitness fanatic. Plus, with an average 4.2-star rating from nearly a thousand buyers, it's safe to say this product delivers the results it promises.
This is one of the most popular and well-rated point-and-shoot cameras on the market. It's user-friendly and allows you to create high-quality, professional-looking photos without all the extra hardware or confusing functions.
Great as a graduation gift or Father's Day present, or as a low-cost, high-quality replacement for your current camera, this one is on sale for $181.99. Check to see if an open-box version in "excellent" condition is available for 20 bucks less — a total of $170 off the retail price.
"Open-Box Excellent" simply means that the product was returned within 15 days, used as a display model, or opened due to packaging damage but is still in like-new condition. If you ask me, that's $20 found. Plus, if anything does go wrong with the item, you can bring it back into the store and exchange it with a price-match guarantee.
If you find a GREAT Best Buy deal that you'd like to share with The Simple Dollar community, please tweet us at @thesimpledollar using hashtag #SimpleDeals or email it to deals@thesimpledollar.com.