7 Ways to Save When Shopping Online at Best Buy

Best Buy is one of the most popular stores among consumers looking for electronics, movies, music, and more. Whether they're on the hunt for the latest iPhone, a shiny new laptop, or even upgrades to their kitchen appliances, many folks see Best Buy as a reputable retailer and one of the first sites to check.

To make the Best Buy online shopping process easier, we've laid out our top tips and tricks to ensure you find the best deals with the least amount of work. Check out our guide on how to save when you shop online at Best Buy, including whether to join the rewards program (yes), how to ask for a price adjustment (keep your receipts!), and if their outlet items are worth checking out (absolutely).

7 Ways to Save When Shopping Online at Best Buy

Opt for Open-Box

Open-box products may have a bad rep with some shoppers, but if you're careful about where you purchase from and read the fine print, you can find seriously excellent savings. Best Buy clearly outlines what open-box means for their products, so you can shop with confidence. And that's a good thing, too, as some of their most popular open-box items are TVs and appliances.

SEE ALSO: Everything You Need to Know to Buy Refurbished Electronics

Here are the four different conditions for Best Buy open-box items:

Excellent-Certified items have passed the Geek Squad Certified process, look brand-new, and include the original parts and box, or at least suitable replacements.

Excellent condition refers to products that look brand-new and include the original parts and box, or at least suitable replacements.

Satisfactory condition means that the items may have minor to moderate cosmetic signs of use, are typically missing original packaging, and may also be missing nonessential parts and accessories.

Fair is the lowest tier of open-box conditions, and products with this designation are operational but may show significant wear. Original packaging is usually missing, as well, and nonessential parts and vital accessories are often absent.

If you want to shop these items online at Best Buy, keep an eye out for "Open-Box" noted near the starting price and a "Shop Open-Box" button on the search results page. When you find an item you like, you can click on the product listing and scroll down to look at the different tiers of open-box models. For each one, you can expect to see the condition, availability, and price of the item, along with an "Add to Cart" button. Place the order and then opt for store pickup or delivery — whichever one works best for you!

Price Match if You Can

Price matching is a method of saving that many shoppers tend to forget about. Plenty of stores have price matching policies, and Best Buy is no different. You can even request a price match either online or in-store, so you don't have to visit your nearest location to pursue the savings.

You should know a few things before attempting a price match. First, the product must be a total match with the other retailer's product. That means the following must be the same:

• Brand
• Model number
• Color

Additionally, the item has to be immediately available at a qualifying competitor, whether online or local. Along with TigerDirect, qualifying online retailers include:

• Amazon
• Crutchfield
• Dell
• HP

Even after meeting those two requirements, the item must also not be on Best Buy's exclusions list. Though the following list isn't comprehensive, some exclusions include:

• Items sold by Marketplace vendors
• Competitors' service prices
• Special daily or hourly sales
• Items for sale the Sunday before Thanksgiving through the Monday after Thanksgiving (i.e., the week of Black Friday through Cyber Monday)

If your purchase meets all of Best Buy's requirements, you can opt to chat online or via phone to receive your price match, or you can visit your nearest store and show an employee proof of the lower price to initiate the price match.

Join My Best Buy

Best Buy's loyalty program is My Best Buy, and it's entirely free to join. The program has different tiers based on spending amounts per calendar year, but even the free tier comes with benefits.

The three tiers are My Best Buy, My Best Buy Elite, and My Best Buy Elite Plus. To become an Elite member, you must spend $1,500 in a calendar year, and for Elite Plus, you must spend $3,500. Each tier features a number of benefits, and we highlight some of the top benefits and differences in the following table.

Trade In Your Old Devices

Devices are designed to be upgraded, and Best Buy makes it easy to do exactly that! Visit their trade-in page, and you'll see that Best Buy accepts electronics from a variety of categories. If you have old iPhones, iPads, game consoles and accessories, laptops, Samsung phones, Microsoft Surface products, Apple notebooks, DSLRs, video games, smartwatches, and streaming media items, know that they may be eligible for trade-in.

SEE ALSO: 10 Trade-In Programs That Pay You for Your Stuff

However, that's just the tip of the iceberg. If the item you want to trade in doesn't readily fit any of those categories, you can still look for it using the search bar on the trade-in page. That page also features product category breakdowns that can help narrow your search, as well.

For instance, you can click the arrow next to "Cell Phones" and choose from iPhone, Samsung, Google Pixel, or Other. Answer some simple questions about the status of your device, and then Best Buy will give you a trade-in value that you can accept if you want. Aside from cell phones, you'll also find categories for tablets and eBook readers, MP3 players, and wearable technology, among others.

Retain Your Receipts

When you're purchasing an item that you may potentially need to return, it's a good idea to hold on to your receipts. But with Best Buy products, there's an even better reason to do so, and that's because their price match policy extends to items that have dropped in price.

Let's say you make a purchase from Best Buy. According to the retailer, if they lower the price in-store, online, or on the app during the return and exchange period, you can request a price match. For instance, if you bought a Chromebook at $500 and then the price drops by $50 within the 15-day return and exchange period, you can request a price adjustment for the difference.

Choose Best Buy Store Pickup

While My Best Buy members can earn free shipping on eligible orders, there are other ways to skip the cost of shipping altogether. If you happen to live close to a Best Buy store, it pays to check and see if you can do a Best Buy online order and then pick up in-store. Other options are available, as well, including curbside pickup at Best Buy.

Beware when taking advantage of Best Buy pickup, though, if you live within range of multiple stores. Make sure you've selected the right store, so you can avoid disappointment and a hassle when you go to pick up your order — you don't want to have to drive across town unexpectedly! Whichever method of Best Buy order pickup you decide to use, it typically translates to having your new products sooner than you would if you waited for delivery.

Shop the Best Buy Outlet Online

Yes, Best Buy has outlet stores, and you can even score deals on outlet products online! You can shop the Best Buy Outlet deals that are the "clearance deals of the week," or you can shop specific categories, including clearance computers, tablets, and accessories; open-box laptops; open-box TVs; open-box major appliances; and refurbished electronics. If you find these terms confusing, Best Buy helpfully explains what they mean by open-box, refurbished, and clearance.

Open-box is specified as products that were returned under the Best Buy Return & Exchange Promise.

Refurbished is classified as products that have been repaired and restored to a "like-new state."

Clearance is simply brand-new items that have been discontinued by the manufacturer or end of stock.

Whether you shop open-box, refurbished, or clearance items at the Best Buy Outlet, they'll fall under the Return & Exchange Promise, and with most purchases you'll earn My Best Buy Points. Additionally, open-box and clearance items come with a warranty of some type, while refurbished items can vary when it comes to warranties.

Curious about other ways to shop the Best Buy Outlet? Look for pages of deals to save 50% or more, check out newly discounted products, and even shop items under $25.

Ready to shop? Check out our Best Buy deals now!