As an avid online shopper, I’ve experienced my fair share of online shopping fails. I’ve shopped for items online that I didn’t end up receiving and once bought a dress that arrived in a totally different colour.
PayPal is here to give you an added boost of confidence when shopping online. We never share your personal of financial details with retailers big and small. And, if something goes wrong with an eligible order, PayPal’s Purchase Protection has you covered.
For more on how to ace online shopping and navigate the festive frenzy of social gatherings with your sanity intact, we’ve shared a few tips and tricks below.
1.Get on the Nice List – Sign Up for Retailer Emails
Many retailers share deals and discounts via email, especially during the holiday season. For example, PayPal shares exclusive deals all throughout the year and extra special offers during the holidays. Be sure to sign up to receive emails from your favourite shops to get the inside scoop on promotions and first dibs on discounts.
2.Bag a Deal on Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Hot cocoa in hand? Check. Tablet, laptop or mobile phone at the ready? Check. Fuzzy slippers and a warm, cozy blanket wrapped around you? Check! This could be your Black Friday (November 25, 2016) and Cyber Monday (November 27, 2014) shopping scene, simply shop online to avoid the chaotic mall madness.
Shopping online allows you to shop from local and international retailers within minutes, no need to drive from store to store, or mall to mall hunting for deals. If you’re really on the ball, start scoping out sales as early as Wednesday, November 22 as retailers are promote deals early.
3.Shop on-the-go
Have a spare minute during your daily commute? Whether riding in a cab or on the streetcar, when you are armed with your mobile phone, you can shop for the holidays from just about anywhere! PayPal makes it easy to buy the perfect gift from your mobile phone or tablet, as there is no need to enter your shipping, billing and credit details over and over again – an especially challenging task on smaller devices.
4.Don't Pay for Shipping
Many of your go-to holiday shopping destinations like
Indigo,
Best Buy and
Toys“R”Us, offer free shipping within Canada for online orders. If you plan on sending gifts to loved ones in a different city or country, take advantage of free shipping to save time and money.
5.Reward Yourself
Be sure to link all your reward based credit cards to your PayPal account and continue earning points with every PayPal purchase.
6.Stay Caffeinated
“But first, coffee” is a mantra to live by especially during the holiday season. If you’ve been out late dancing the night away, save yourself a few moments in the morning with the Mobile Order & Pay feature on the Starbucks mobile app for iPhone and Android. By ordering and paying ahead of arrival this feature, available at select stores, allows you to breeze past the order line to find your beverage or breakfast ready and waiting. Be sure to keep your Starbucks account balance topped up with PayPal, you never know when you might need a caffeine fix!
7.Travel in Style
When you are 20 minutes late for a holiday party and have no cash for a cab, hailing and paying for a ride at the tap of a button is pretty much a holiday miracle. Whether you need a ridesharing service to keep transportation costs low or want the sophistication of black car service, with the Uber mobile app you simply have to tap a button to hail the kind of ride you’re looking for. When you arrive at your destination, just hop out and the charge will go through to your linked PayPal account or credit card. No cash, no tip, no hassle.
8.Get Help – Even Chris Cringle can’t do it Alone
Santa has elves, you have Ubery. Forgot an item on your grocery list? Need a few more bottles of wine for your big party? Urbery, an online grocery and alcohol shopping service, allows you to order and track your delivery in real time. Available exclusively in Toronto.
9.Eliminate Awkward IOUs
Sharing costs shouldn’t get in the way of sharing moments. Be it for food at Friendsgiving, splitting the cost of new holiday decorations, or a group gift for Mom and Dad, PayPal helps to eliminate the awkwardness around IOUs by making it easy send or request money online, from the PayPal mobile app or your personalized PayPal.Me link. As an added bonus, it’s free to send money within Canada when you use your bank account or PayPal balance.