Save money with these early holiday shopping tips

It's never too early to start thinking about the holidays. Armed with a little knowledge, budgeting savvy, and a dash of creativity, this year could hold your biggest bargain bragging rights yet.

Who doesn’t love saving money? One way to achieve this is by shopping early. As the holiday season approaches, these early holiday shopping tips may make things a little easier.

Put a plan in place and stick to it

Having a simple plan can make all the difference. Great deals, no holiday crowds, a wider selection of items; not to mention less stress as the holidays creep up.

Planning ahead can help shoppers avoid last-minute rush decision-making, which often leads to unnecessary spending.

Consider the below tips:

• Start monitoring sales and price trends. Use price monitoring tools to identify sales opportunities. For example, the PayPal Honey shopping extension can send alerts when the prices of specific items drop.
• Make a list and check it twice. Brainstorm a complete list of who you need to buy for and try to resist buying for others. If possible, buy items in advance when you come across deals for the gifts on your list. This may help with budgeting by spreading out costs over time.
• Set a holiday shopping budget. Determine a realistic overall limit for holiday spending. Then, create spending categories within it, such as gifts, holiday cards, shipping, event hosting, decorations and wrapping, and assign a budget to each. This can help with expense tracking and sticking to an overall limit.

Look for ways to earn holiday cash back

It’s possible to stretch your dollar further with cash back incentives when shopping early for the holidays. Consider the below examples:

Cash back debit cards

Some debit cards offer cash back. For example, you can earn 5% cash back in one of five monthly categories – gas, groceries, clothing, restaurants, beauty – with the PayPal Debit Card¹ when you use it to pay online or in-store. Add it to your mobile wallet, and you’ll be able to pay for your gifts in-store with the tap of your phone, or using your physical card.

Cash back apps

Check in to the PayPal app before you check out this holiday season. You can browse and save unlimited cash back offers from hundreds of brands then earn 1, 2, 3, 4, 5% and sometimes even more when you check out with PayPal online.

Stack cash back offers to save even more

See an offer in the PayPal app that you love? Is it in the same monthly category you’ve selected for your PayPal Debit Card? That’s a stack! Save the offer in the app, then check out online using the PayPal Debit Card and you’ll get an extra 5% cash back.

Use credit cards with cash back rewards

Some credit cards offer a percentage of a purchase back as cash or a statement credit. For example, with the PayPal Cashback Mastercard you can earn 3% cash back when you check out PayPal and 1.5% cash back on all other purchases where Mastercard is accepted.² Always shop responsibly with credit and never spend beyond your means.

Maximize savings with strategic spending

Setting a plan and budget, using price tracking tools, and leveraging cash back incentives aren’t the only ways to save this holiday season. Check out the below tips to up your strategic spending game:

• Track your expenses. Keep a running total of all holiday spending. Be sure to check in on spending in order to course-correct if needed.
• Use a digital wallet. Loading cash back credit and debit cards into a digital wallet can help you earn cash back when you shop in-store.
• Shop second hand and in thrift stores: Gently used items from consignment shops or online marketplaces can be more affordable than buying the same items new. This is also a sustainable way to shop.
• Consider buy now, pay later options: Spreading out the cost of large purchases over time can be a convenient and flexible way to pay. With PayPal Pay Later solutions, payments can be broken up over weeks or months.
• Shop during sales events and gift later: Making purchases during

Shop securely with PayPal this holiday

Choosing to shop safely can help you protect purchases and potentially save you money in the long run.

With PayPal Purchase Protection eligible purchases are protected.³ This means that if you purchase something and it doesn’t show up, or shows up but is significantly different than described, you may be eligible for a refund.

Get added peace of mind with PayPal’s fraud monitoring. In 2023, there was a 135% spike in fake retail sites compared to the previous year.⁴ These fraudulent sites often pop up around the holidays, so it’s important to be vigilant. PayPal offers 24/7 fraud monitoring of activity and transactions across millions of merchant sites globally to help protect your account and keep your data secure.