Have you ever bought a new phone case only to notice the price slipped lower a few days later?
Or perhaps you didn’t realize the cost fell, since many e-tailers adjust prices according to stock and demand.
And maybe it wasn’t a phone case… (Am I the only one who can’t resist new phone covers? Anyway, you know what I mean.)
The bright side: several retailers offer price-match policies, so if an item’s cost decreases within a specified window, you can get reimbursed for the difference. Keeping tabs on every online purchase yourself, though, could quickly become a part-time job.
Luckily there’s a free service that watches your receipts for you. It’s called Capital One Shopping Price Protection, and it monitors purchases from more than 25 major retailers that have price-match policies. Big names include Best Buy, Home Depot, Target and Zappos.
If an item’s price falls by at least $3, Capital One Shopping Price Protection notifies you. Or, if your guaranteed Amazon delivery is late, it can help you pursue compensation.
3 Capital One Shopping Price Protection Users Who Scored Refunds
Signing up for Capital One Shopping Price Protection is straightforward; it took me under a minute to link two email accounts.
After that, it runs quietly in the background and only reaches out when something you bought drops in price.
It might sound too good to be true, but here are three Savinly Readers who got money back using the free tool.
1. He Saved Nearly $300 on a Hardware Purchase
Purchase: A $927.35 wood chipper
Price Protection cash back: $278.52
It all began with a wood chipper. (No, this is not the start of a crime story.)
William Gove and his wife own eight acres in Maine. As summer approached last year, the couple bought a wood chipper to help manage fallen trees and yard debris.
Roughly a week after placing the order with the hardware store, Price Protection emailed them to report a $92.26 price drop. Nice.
Price Protection provided a step-by-step guide on how to request a refund. Gove followed the instructions and phoned the store, speaking with a helpful representative.
Then she put him on hold.
It turned out the price had plunged even further, and under the store’s price-match rules they owed Gove $278.53. The manager approved it, and the credit posted back to the card he used to pay.
“I have to say, I was incredibly skeptical at first,” Gove recalls about Price Protection. “But it saved us a ton of money.”
2. A Little Extra Cash to Go with That New Handbag
Purchase: A $103.50 Calvin Klein purse
Price Protection cash back: $20.70
When we asked for user stories about Capital One Shopping Price Protection, Kathleen Garvin, an outreach strategist and editor for Savinly, replied.
“I loooove Price Protection,” she said.
Garvin joined Price Protection in December 2016. She estimates she’s received around $80 in refunds and was thrilled to share her biggest surprise: over $20 back on a handbag.
She purchased the Calvin Klein purse herself so her boyfriend, Nick, could give it to her for Christmas. Don’t worry — he reimbursed her. Garvin wanted to buy through Ebates to earn cash back.
Six days later, she got an email from Price Protection with the subject line, “ACT NOW: $21 with your name on it.”
Because of the department store’s rules, Price Protection couldn’t file the claim directly, so it provided clear instructions. She could submit a web form or call a phone number to request the adjustment. If she called, Price Protection offered a sample script:
Hello, I bought a Calvin Klein Teodora Tote (Order # 123456789) for $103.50 on January 7, 2018, but on January 13, 2018, the price was $82.80. Can you help start a price adjustment refund? Thanks!
Garvin used the guidance and received her refund about a week later.
“[Nick] let me keep the cash back — what a guy,” she jokes.
3. A Gift That Came With Cash Back
Purchase: A $145 Tommy Hilfiger watch
Price Protection cash back: $37
Isaac Humarang, a college student in Kentucky, is roughly 8,000 miles away from his family in the Philippines.
At the end of last spring semester he was preparing to travel home and wanted to buy presents for his relatives, so he signed up for Capital One Shopping Price Protection just to see if he could score some refunds.
He ordered a $145 Tommy Hilfiger watch for his stepfather. A few days later, Humarang received an email that the price fell to $108, making him eligible for $37.
After he followed the instructions from Price Protection, the department store representative happily credited the $37 difference to him.
Although Humarang hasn’t had other refunds since, he’s pleased with the service.
“First, it’s free,” he said. “Second, I don’t know of any site that helps you get reimbursement without asking for anything in return or charging you.”
So… Should You Try Capital One Shopping Price Protection?
After hearing from a number of readers who received refunds, we think Price Protection is worth trying — provided you have a compatible Gmail, Yahoo or Outlook account.
That said, some people haven’t had luck. Ultimately it’s a matter of luck: how often you shop online, where you buy, when you buy and what you purchase all affect how much you might get back.
Price Protection also mentions you’re more likely to see bigger refunds on pricier items — like a wood chipper.
Worst-case scenario, it’s unobtrusive and runs quietly in your inbox, so it won’t bother you.
And remember, it’s free.
If you still have questions, check out our full Capital One Shopping Price Protection review.
Disclosure: Capital One Shopping Price Protection compensates us when you sign up using the links we provide.
Jordan Blake is a staff writer at Savinly. They’re currently using Capital One Shopping Price Protection to keep an eye on an L.L. Bean order. Fingers crossed the price drops!
