Your commission depends on the cashback portal you use and where you shop. Before making a big purchase, check with CashbackMonitor.comwhich aggregates offers from different discount sites and reports the current best payouts.

Many retailers still send catalogs and coupons through mailboxes. The trick is to avoid the temptation of items you don’t need and only keep coupons that you know fit your shopping list. If there is a promo code, take a photo with your phone and recycle the catalog to avoid a pile of waste.

Keep an eye on retailer sites for a few weeks after making a purchase to see if prices have dropped. Check the policies on the websites. Some stores offer an adjustment within seven days of purchase, some 30 days or more.

If you shop in-store and find a lower price elsewhere, ask a salesperson or cashier to price match you. Checkbook checked the payment policies of 100 major retailers and found that many stores will honor lower prices than their competitors, and we find that most companies keep things simple.

Most retailers now offer various buy now, pay later (BNPL) plans as a convenient way to pay for purchases. The basic model for retail purchases is simple: buy what you want and repay the loan in equal installments, often interest-free. But be careful: these point-of-sale loans can tempt you to buy products you can’t afford. Sellers offer BNPL because they’ve found that these arrangements help them close deals, but most consumers who sign up don’t really understand how these plans work.