There will be lots of talk today about the best Black Friday deals. And, there are some good ones (hello, cheapest-ever AirTags and AirPods under $70). But we all have different shopping lists, so that makes "best deals" hard to really point to since we all want something different.
That is, except for the one thing we basically all have in common: a love of cash. I'd bet we all like a big pile of cash back, and Black Friday is the Super Bowl of cash back opportunities if you are willing to make a couple extra clicks before you hit "check out."
If you aren't yet familiar with cash back (or points-earning) shopping sites, make today the day you change that.
But the basics are that if you start your online purchase by first clicking through a site such as Rakuten, TopCashBack, ShopBack or Capital One Shopping, to name a few, before clicking from there to stores such as Walmart, Best Buy, Target, Lululemon and countless others, you can earn anywhere from 1 – 25% (or more!) of your purchase back in cash (or, sometimes, points) from that site.
On an average day, it's common to earn 1 – 3% back on popular online stores, which is nice but not life-changing. However, during the Black Friday to Cyber Monday sales period, those numbers can jump significantly to some of the highest levels of the entire year.
This deal stacking opportunity allows you to take good Black Friday deals and make them even better by earning cash back on top of already great prices. Here's a look at some of the top cash back Black Friday deals that are absolutely worth paying attention to. (Note: if you are shopping later this weekend and into Cyber Monday, we expect the amount to fluctuate.)
Related: How to maximize shopping portals for Black Friday
25% cash back at Walmart and more via Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping (which does not require a Capital One card or account) has had some truly incredible cash back deals in recent days, to the tune of 50% cash back in some cases. Some of those deals are targeted and not available to all users, so it's essential to check your account. But others, such as 25% cash back on eligible purchases at Walmart until Nov. 30, seem to be more widely available.
There are exclusions to this, naturally, such as Apple products, Beats products, groceries and more. However, if you are shopping for toys, clothes, eligible electronics, and other items, then this may be just the trick to stack on serious savings at Walmart.
Related: How to use Capital One Shopping
Earn 12 – 15% cash back on many popular stores via Rakuten
Rakuten is a very popular cash back site in points and miles circles, thanks in part to your ability to earn cash back, Amex Membership Rewards points or, now, even Bilt Rewards points for your purchases.
So, when we say you can earn 12% cash back, you can also choose to have it be 12 Bilt Rewards points per dollar, which we value at more than double the cash back amount if you maximize the points for travel, thanks to Bilt's outstanding lineup of transfer partners.
Related: How to earn Bilt Rewards points via Rakuten
A few of the great cash back (or bonus points) opportunities at Rakuten for Black Friday include:
- Lululemon: 15% cash back
- PetSmart: 20% cash back
- Bloomingdale's: 15% cash back
- Macy's: 12% cash back
- World of Hyatt: 12% cash back
- Adidas: up to 15% cash back
- Saks Fifth Avenue: 12% cash back
- Disney Store: 15% cash back
- Lego: up to 15% cash back
This is a great time to use the $50 Saks statement credit you may have been waiting to use and stack it with Saks' Black Friday deal for a bonus $75 Saks gift card with an eligible $150 purchase.
It's also a great time to use that $75 Lululemon statement credit you may also have available to you on that same popular card, and earn cash back and get Black Friday deal prices in the process.
Tip to get a bonus $50 cash back:
If you are new to Rakuten, you're in luck because you can stack an excellent new customer referral offer on top of the increased cash back rates and get a bonus $50 cash back after you spend $50 or more via Rakuten in the first 90 days.
Get 5% back at Amazon, 15% cash back at Best Buy and more via ShopBack
ShopBack is relatively new to the U.S., but it has some impressive cash back bonuses available on Black Friday. It is also famously one of the few ways to earn cash back on Amazon purchases.
ShopBack often has caps on the amount you can earn per order with some of these increased rates, so take note of this before placing a larger order. Also, note whether you can use the boosted earn rate multiple times, as many are limited to one per user.
Here are some of the offers available Nov. 28 on ShopBack:
- Amazon: Up to 5% cash back
- Best Buy: Up to 15% cash back
- Walmart: Up to 15% cash back
- Home Depot: Up to 15% cash back
- eBay: Up to 15% cash back
Related: All about using ShopBack to earn rewards online
Earn 26 miles per dollar or more via Rove Miles
I told you today was bananas in all the best ways, and Rove Miles is one of those ways. Rove Miles is also somewhat newer, but it is quickly gaining popularity as a great way to earn a lot of miles on hotel stays, as well as through some of its online shopping offers.
- Kate Spade: 19.6 miles per dollar
- Nike: 15.6 miles per dollar
- Shein: 26.1 miles per dollar
- Walgreens: 10.4 miles per dollar
You can also earn some bonus miles by joining Rove via TPG's referral link.
Don't skip the 'highest cash back guarantee' at TopCashBack
Last, for now, but certainly not least, is TopCashBack, which offers a highest cash back guarantee and has plenty of great offers all its own … up to 50% cash back on one that caught my eye.
It also awards a $35 cash back bonus after you spend $10 via the platform via this link, so it makes sense to try this one if you haven't already.
As with many, there are terms and conditions and eligible purchase categories associated with some of these highest rates, but here are a few deals available on Nov. 28:
- Best Buy: Up to 20% cash back
- Colombia: Up to 25% cash back
- Kate Spade: 25.25% cash back
- Skechers: 50% cash back
- Kiehls: 20% cash back
Related: How to use TopCashBack and get a $35 cash back bonus as a new member
Bottom line
Whether you are shopping for toys, electronics, clothes, trips or almost anything else, Black Friday is actually a tremendous day to save money. Even if the item you want isn't on sale by itself, timing the purchase with outstanding cash back rates via sites like these can make it a great deal for you anyway.
Or, stack these cash back rates with great sale prices (and maybe even some credit card statement credits!) for an even better overall deal.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
