Capital One Shopping Review [Formerly Wikibuy]: Will it Save You Money?

If you like to save money when shopping online, you know it’s important to find the best price. However, comparison shopping takes time and coupon codes don’t always work. This can mean wasted effort and potential savings.

A shopping assistant is a terrific way to solve this problem. Capital One Shopping (formerly Wikibuy) is a great tool you can use to save money.

Our Capital One Shopping review discusses this free browser extension and how it can help you get better deals when shopping online.

What is Capital One Shopping?

The Capital One Shopping browser extension is a service that scans the internet for codes to assist people as they shop online.

Originally, the service began as Wikibuy in 2014. However, it exploded in popularity after its acquisition by Capital One in 2018.

While Capital One mainly provides banking products, they also saw the value that mobile price comparison tools offer consumers.

The platform uses real-time data from other users to help you find the best available deals on items you need to purchase.

If just one customer finds a coupon that helps reduce the price of an item, the whole community benefits by getting access to the savings as well.

Coupon codes are usually automatically added to your cart, but occasionally they have to be manually entered from the browser extension.

You can use the extension on a variety of browsers. They even have a mobile app you can use when shopping on your phone.

The shopping assistant is free to use. When you add that to the potential extra savings, you’ll see it’s a helpful resource to find deals online.

How Does the Extension Work?

Capital One Shopping is simple to use. Once you add the browser extension, it’s easy to start saving money right away.

The extension works with any of these browser types:

• Mozilla Firefox
• Chrome
• Safari
• Microsoft Edge

Within ten seconds of viewing a product page while shopping on Amazon, Target, Home Depot, or Best Buy, notifications pop up on your webpage notifying you of potential savings.

When you buy an item, the app works to find available coupon codes online and applies those to your purchase to further increase your savings.

Additionally, the extension shows you reviews from other purchasers. It even lets you see reviews from YouTube and other sources to better inform you about the product.

Another terrific feature of Capital One Shopping is that you can earn loyalty credits when you shop from its portal. It works a lot like Rakuten in this way.

Credits vary by store. You can redeem these credits for free gift cards. It’s not cash, but it’s free money to spend at other retailers.

You can use Capital One Shopping on your Android or iPhone device as well as a desktop computer. Better yet, it’s always free.

One great part of using the browser is that it provides the final price, including shipping and taxes, along with an expected delivery date for the items you order.

Read our guide on other top coupon websites to use to save money on your shopping needs.

Key Features

The shopping assistant is robust and has many features that can help you save a little money when you buy something on the internet. Here are several of the top features of the service that can help you get better deals.

Universal Product Search

One way Capital One Shopping can help you save is by visiting the product search section. Enter what you’re looking for to see the potential savings.

The tool lets you see all the different stores selling the item and reveals the best possible price. You can also use Capital One Shopping to scan an item’s barcode.

Once you scan the code, you’ll have instant access to the best available prices from top retailers.

Take this Sony TV as an example. When you search for the television, Capital One Shopping identifies 12 other options and recommends one that is $56 cheaper.

You can use this tool both on your desktop computer and mobile device. So, if you’re in a store and scan an item with your app, you can do comparison shopping on the go to see if you can find it for a lower price.

This feature is also helpful when searching for back-to-school supplies and you have multiple items to purchase.

Today’s Featured Offers

If you want to browse and haven’t narrowed down the item you’re looking for yet, Capital One Shopping’s featured offers section can be an excellent way to find deals.

Some current offers are free shipping, $50 off, or even 20-40 percent off a purchase. These offers change regularly, so it’s helpful to check them often to identify lower prices on something you plan to purchase.

Price Drop Alerts

If you opt-in, Capital One Shopping notifies you of price decreases on an item you recently viewed or purchased.

This is a great way to garner extra savings on something you want to buy but just haven’t pulled the trigger on yet or that you’d like to buy again at a lower price.

If you’re waiting for the best available deal, this is a simple way to do it passively since you’ll be automatically notified about price drops.

Another way to use the browser extension to your advantage is to add items to your watch list. They’ll stay there for up to 60 days so you can see if any deals surface.

Mobile Price Comparison

Mobile price comparison with the shopping assistant works a little differently on your smartphone than on your desktop computer or laptop.

Here are the steps to take to save when using the Capital One Shopping app:

• Go to the Amazon product page
• Click on the “share” button at the top of the item’s photo. When you click on the button, your phone’s menu will come up on the bottom of the screen.
• Then click on the “message” icon to create a text message. The message section will have a pre-populated product link.
• In the “To:” section, enter the Capital One Shopping number or choose the extension from your contact list.
• Send the text

If a better deal is available, you will receive a text message with links to compare prices.

Loyalty Credits

The browser extension has a loyalty rewards system named Capital One Shopping credits. Similar to Rakuten or Honey, the app gives you a percentage back after certain purchases.

*Related: Read our comparison of Honey vs. Capital One Shopping to learn how they stack up.

These shopping credits can be used towards digital gift cards to retailers.

You can see savings like 2.5 percent cash back on a daily basis. Although the savings are similar to sites like Rakuten and may even share a few of the same retailers, the offers can’t be combined.

Users can spend their credits at more than 10,000 stores. It’s important to note that not every purchase is eligible for credits, for example:

• Guns and ammunition
• Real estate categories
• Travel insurance
• Canceled orders
• Subscription renewal
• Shipping and tax charges

You also can’t receive credit for in-store pickup, Walmart grocery orders, Direct TV, AT&T Business, or AT&T Voice purchases.

Shop Local

Get real-time offers near you with the ‘Shop Local’ offers on the Capital One Shopping extension. By linking your credit or debit card, you unlock savings at local restaurants and stores.

Customers can use this as another way to earn credit back on purchases. These purchases can also be used to load gift cards to your favorite merchants.

Reviews

Capital One Shopping rounds up relevant product reviews to help you decide if you want to make a purchase. The browser extension offers reviews from the following sources:

• Amazon
• Professional reviews
• YouTube

If a website or company wrote a review on the product, it will be listed in the professional reviews section.

This is super convenient if you often look for reviews or a second opinion before making a purchase decision.

Who Can Use the Extension?

The browser extension is for anyone who wants to save money online. It currently only finds savings for United States residents.

Capital One Shopping users have to be at least 18 years old. Certain functions are available to users who live in Puerto Rico.

Is Capital One Shopping Legit and Safe?

Yes, the Capital One Shopping browser extension is safe to use. Since 2014, the Chrome extension has been a place for Americans to save money.

Numerous stores, like the Google Play and Apple App Stores, give it high ratings as millions of people use it to find automatic promo codes to save when shopping online.

Additionally, the extension has top-notch ratings on TrustPilot, with a 4.6 out of a possible five stars.

It does collect information on users, but that is legitimate and one way the service helps you get better deals.

If you don’t want to use the service any longer, just remove it from your browser. You can do this by opening your web browser, going to “Manage Extensions,” and selecting “Remove Extension.”

Once you do that, it is removed and no longer collects your data.

If you ever have problems using the service, you can contact help@wikibuy.com for assistance.

Ultimately, this is a legitimate resource to use to find active discount codes and genuine reviews of items you’re looking to purchase.

Pros and Cons

Before you use any service, it is essential to look at everything before making a decision to use it. Here are a few of the things to keep in mind with this shopping assistant.

Pros:

• Free to use
• Easy to save with little effort
• Amazon price comparison
• The extension is simple to add and remove
• Receive credits to use at your favorite stores
• Savings offers for both desktop and mobile users
• Calculates taxes and shipping in price comparisons
• Shop local feature allows you to save at local restaurants

Cons:

• See savings from stores/sites you’re unfamiliar with
• Some savings are based on previous shoppers’ coupons
• Currently only available in the United States

The browser extension is one of the top rebate apps to use when shopping online. It offers a fairly effortless way to save money and saves you time from needing to manually search for active coupon codes.

Is There a Fee for Capital One Shopping?

No, there is no fee to use the browser extension. It’s free to install and use to locate active promo codes.

The service does not offer any exclusive tools or features that require a purchase or charge. You simply install it and start shopping.

Is Capital One Shopping the Same as Wikibuy?

Yes, Wikibuy is the same as Capital One Shopping. Wikibuy began in 2014, but Capital One bought it in 2018. The financial institution rebranded the service under its name.

The shopping extension operates independently from the banking services.

Bottom Line

Online shopping tools are a terrific resource to use to save money when buying something. Finding coupon codes can help reduce costs, but searching for them manually can lead to frustration.

Capital One Shopping is a helpful resource to automate that process for you and save you money on your purchases.

What’s your favorite way to save money when shopping online? How do you compare prices on your shopping? 

*Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up for Capital One Shopping using the links provided.