If you're not using this hack, you're leaving money on the table

Or: How I beat Amazon and saved an extra 20% on shoes (on top of sale pricing). And how you can get $40 free money right now.

Left: Zappos. Right: Amazon. Same price, right? Right, except that by using Rakuten to purchase from Zappos, I saved an extra 20%.

Welcome to a special Monday edition of Deal Secrets!

I have a trip coming up and it’s going to involve a lot of walking. Over the weekend I asked Twitter followers for comfy-shoe recommendations, and, boy, did they come through. (Thanks to all who chimed in!)

So here’s a quick recap of how I saved 20% that I absolutely wouldn’t have saved otherwise.

I found the shoes I wanted at Amazon, and they were on sale to boot. But, smart shopper that I am, I decided to look around just in case. As it happened, Zappos had the same pair for the same sale price — not a big surprise given that Amazon owns Zappos.

However, cashback service Rakuten, as part of a weeklong special, is offering 20% back on Zappos purchases. (That really is special; the regular cash-back rate for Zappos is just 1%.) Same shoes, same quick delivery, same return policy, etc. No-brainer.

Regular readers have heard me sing this song countless times: If you’re not using a cashback service, you’re leaving money on the table. For anyone new to the idea (or not fully convinced), I’ll repeat this blurb from back in February:

Cashback 101

For a limited time, Rakuten is offering a significant cashback bump on a ton of popular brands. (Zappos is up to 20% right now.)

Do I trust cashback services? Yes, 100%. I’ve used them for years without issue and put a solid chunk of change back in my wallet. Here’s a quick primer, based on my go-to service, Rakuten:

1. Starting with the Rakuten site or app, just choose the store where you want to shop.

2. Shop normally, check out normally.

And that’s it; Rakuten will log the transaction and process your cashback. Super-easy, barely an inconvenience. (For what it’s worth, I greatly prefer shopping in a desktop browser, where the Rakuten browser plug-in makes cashback activation much quicker and easier.)

BUT! Note that this happens entirely behind the scenes — you won’t see any indication at checkout — and payouts aren’t instantaneous. Instead, they happen every 90 days. Read more about how this works, because it can be a little confusing at first.

As noted, I recommend starting with Rakuten, where newcomers can get a $40 cashback bonus just for signing up. Specifically, spend at least $40 at any participating store and you’ll get $40 back, in addition to whatever the cashback percentage is for that purchase. Free money on top of free money, basically.

I also like automated cashback services, which link to your credit card so you don’t have to do anything. Check out mobile apps Dosh and Drop; I use both, but often forget to check them for months at a time. Then I’ll discover I’ve accumulated a nice little reward. It’s like found money!

Am I concerned about data collection, privacy, and all that? Do I think these services are spying on me, selling my data, maybe digging a tunnel into my basement where all the gold is kept? Meh. Like I said, I’ve used them for years. If there’s nefarious work afoot, I haven’t experienced it.

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