A. Rental car
$200 booking for three days
$100 pending Shopping Reward
About $100 in effective cost
50% back in gift card value
Travel Hacking
Underrated Travel Hack
How Capital One Shopping Cut One of My Philadelphia Trips Almost in Half
I was going to Philadelphia for a wedding and needed a rental car and a hotel. Capital One Shopping sent me a $100 reward offer for each booking. Both rewards are already pending in my account, which means I am getting nearly half of those travel costs back in gift card value.
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First, what is Capital One Shopping?
Capital One Shopping is a free browser extension and shopping service. You do not need a Capital One credit card to use it.
It automatically tries coupon codes and shows offers while you shop. Eligible purchases earn Shopping Rewards, which you can redeem for available gift cards.
My Philadelphia wedding trip
The exact booking math.
Both $100 rewards are already showing as pending in my Capital One Shopping account. They should become available as Shopping Rewards after the travel is completed.
B. Hotel
About $220 for two nights, around $110 per night
$100 pending Shopping Reward
About $120 in effective cost
About 45% back in gift card value
Combined
$420 minus $200 in pending rewards equals about $220 in effective cost.
That is nearly half the trip cost back in gift card value.
Why the value works for me
Why I still count the gift cards as real value
I use the gift cards on things I would already buy. I often choose DoorDash when it is offered, because food is already part of my budget.
For travel bookings, rewards typically become available after the travel is completed.
My process
Exactly how I use an offer
There are two places I check for offers.
Bonus offers in my email
Capital One Shopping sometimes emails me a special boosted offer. That is how I found the $100 rental car and $100 hotel rewards I used for this Philadelphia trip.
Offers inside my account
I also sign in at CapitalOneShopping.com and check the offers available in my account that day. These change often. When I checked recently, I had 30% back at Viator and a StubHub offer for $100 back after spending $100. If I found a concert ticket or show for around $100, that StubHub offer could make its effective cost almost nothing after I redeem the $100 Shopping Reward for gift card value.
That means I could use the tour offer for an excursion on a cruise or another vacation, or use the StubHub offer for a concert ticket I was already planning to buy. I only use an offer when it fits something I already needed.
Offers are personalized and change, so your account may show something different.
- 1
I check my email and my Capital One Shopping account for the best offer.
- 2
I open the offer and quickly read the spending requirement and rules.
- 3
I activate it and shop through the link Capital One Shopping gives me.
- 4
Before I pay, I take a screenshot showing that the offer is active and save it on my laptop or phone.
- 5
I finish the purchase in the same browser and save the confirmation.
- 6
I check my account after travel to make sure the reward appears as pending.
Why I take the screenshot
Most of the time, the reward shows as pending without a problem. If it is not there after about a week, I have a screenshot of the active offer and my booking confirmation to send to Capital One Shopping support. It is just an easy precaution that helps support verify the offer.
The fine print
- Offers vary from person to person.
- Rewards are gift card value, not an immediate cash discount.
- You pay the full booking cost upfront.
- Read the offer terms before booking.
Try it on your next booking
Once my referral link is added, I may earn a referral reward if you use it, at no extra cost to you. I only share tools I personally use.
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