Heather Wheeler | 

22 Best Buy Hacks That'll Save You Hundreds on Electronics

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Have questions about shopping at Best Buy? Need all the Best Buy coupons? We’ve got you!

In fact, you’re gonna learn how to shop Best Buy for the biggest back-to-school deals, how to use the Best Buy Trade-In program, how to score the best deals on electronics, and when the best time to shop is. And, of course, these store hacks will come in clutch when you’re trying to get Black Friday cheap electronic deals.

While you’re here, download The Krazy Coupon Lady app to see more ways you can save.

 

1. Get a Best Buy student discount with a valid “.edu” email address.

sign advertises best buy student discount program

College students get instant year-round savings with the Best Buy Student Discount. Save $125 on a computer, $60 on a printer, or 40% on desktop accessories like a keyboard or a mouse.

Just sign up for student deals while creating a Best Buy account to get extra Best Buy coupons and codes emailed right to you.

 

2. Gather your old electronics now, because Best Buy Trade-In is where it’s at!

hand holds two older samsung tablets to trade in, in front of a best buy store

Before you replace your old stuff with new, check to see if it’s worth a Best Buy e-gift card.

With Best Buy’s Trade-In program, I got $120 for my old iPad. Not too shabby for something that’s been collecting dust for almost a year!

Take in your old phones, smartwatches, video games, or tablets, or send them through the mail — Best Buy will cover the cost of shipping and give you an e-gift card as payment.

 

3. Save hundreds when you buy a refurbished laptop instead of a brand-new one.

Yes, having a brand-new laptop is sexy. But so is buying a Microsoft Surface 13.5″ Touch-Screen Laptop for $699.99 (reg. $999.99), which I was able to do when I bought it refurbished from Best Buy. That’s $300 staying in my pocket. That’s sexy.

Plus, with many renewed and refurbished laptops, you can’t even tell the difference between one that has been used and/or rebuilt and a fresh-out-the-box one. Best Buy offers a minimum 90-day warranty on most products, so you’ll have ample time to test out your discount buy.

 

4. Shop Best Buy Outlet to get refurbished or previously owned items up to 60% off in store or online.

preopened box with a toshiba tv in a best buy outlet

This is hands-down the best way to score a discount at Best Buy. Open-box items and Best Buy Outlet items are guaranteed to work properly, are covered under warranty, and can be returned or exchanged.

I found this 43-inch Insignia LED 4K TV for $276 (reg. $399) just because the box was previously opened.

There are 19 physical Best Buy outlet locations, but you can score the best selection online or in store. Many items are in-store pickup only, so check before you purchase.

 

5. Shop the Best Buy Outlet stores’ “Over 50% Off” section for gadgets, accessories, remotes, and cords.

clearance wall at best buy outlet

The “Over 50% off” section has a pretty decent selection of cords, gadgets, remotes, and headphones for bargain hunters. You can search for these items when you shop online, too!

I found a Samsung Galaxy 4G phone marked down to $67.99 (reg.$149.99). It’s also an easy place to find gifts like $3.99 earbuds.

Since you can use gift cards in the outlet, it’s a good way to put that Best Buy Trade-In gift card to use as well!

 

 

6. Ask for 25% off a floor model TV or kitchen appliance.

woman bends over and looks at a floor model washer at best buy

Ask for an extra 25% discount when purchasing a floor-model TV. You’ll have better luck if the floor model is already for sale, because it means they’re ready to get that thing outta there.

Start negotiating high at 25%, but know the real discount may be closer to an additional 10% off.

TIP: Stack the discount with a gift card from your Best Buy Trade-In for an even better deal!

 

7. Take advantage of Best Buy’s price match policy to beat Walmart and Amazon prices.

sign advertises best buy price match policy

Does Best Buy price match? You bet. I love Best Buy’s price match policy (just know it doesn’t apply from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday). Not only will Best Buy price match their own online prices, but they’ll also price match their biggest competitors, including:

  • Amazon
  • Target
  • Walmart
  • Crutchfield
  • Dell
  • BHphoto.com

Too lazy to look up prices elsewhere? Same. That’s why I use price comparison apps like ShopSavvy. It looks up who has the best price on whatever you want so you can ask Best Buy to match it (just remember you can’t price match and use a coupon).

TIP: If you’re shopping online, call (888) 237-8289 to request a price match — and be ready to verify the competitor’s price over the phone.

 

8. Ask for a discount in store if you’re buying accessories with your big-ticket item.

woman reaches for a laptop cord on best buy accessories wall

Let’s say you’re buying a camera and the associate shows you all the various lenses, storage bags, tripods, and memory cards to go with it.

Once you have a substantial stack of stuff, ask if you can have $100 off if you purchase it all together as a custom bundle (start at $100, and negotiate down from there, depending on your total).

Associates will generally ask a manager for permission if the deal seems reasonable.

You’ll have better luck during the last two days of the month when employees are trying to meet monthly sales quotas, if you’re negotiating on more expensive models, or if you find items in an already-open box.

 

9. The Best Buy employee discount pays 5% above Best Buy’s cost for items.

best buy employee hold a post device

The Best Buy employee discount is seriously the most awesome one in the industry: Employees pay cost plus 5%. “Cost” is what Best Buy pays the manufacturer. Depending on the item, the markup can be significant — think 50% or more!

You won’t be able to get some of your big-ticket items, like Apple, Xbox, or most computers, but you’ll get the discount on all accessories and Best Buy brands, like Insignia.

 

10. Use the Best Buy app to read reviews while shopping in store.

hand holds phone open to best buy app and reviews in the app

Most folks rely heavily on online reviews for valid feedback before making a spendy purchase.

The Best Buy app makes it easy to read reviews on whatever you’re looking at in store or online.

 

 

11. Get free shipping with no minimum when you create a My Best Buy account.

woman stands in front of a best buy rewards sign holding a yellow best buy shopping basket

Best Buy’s free rewards program used to be pretty awesome, giving you points for every dollar you spent. But the program went through a major overhaul in February 2023, and now you can only rack up rewards points if you have the My Best Buy credit card (2.5 points for every $1 spent).

Now, the main perk of the free My Best Buy program is that you get free shipping with no minimum, and access to exclusive members-only deals.

 

12. Shop the Best Buy “Deal of the Day” by following them on Twitter.

hand holds phone with best buy app open to best buy deal of the day

Find the Best Buy “Deal of the Day” on the Best Buy Deals Twitter page. You’ll see everything from phones to vacuums to TVs and more.

 

13. Sign up for emails to get notified of Best Buy Flash Sales.

best buy sign advertises 25 % off best buy flash sale

Best Buy’s 4-, 8-, and 24-hour Flash Sales go quickly, and you’ll miss out if you don’t snag what you want within the allotted time.

 

14. Download the Krazy Coupon Lady app for the most up-to-date deal scenarios and Best Buy coupons.

hand holds an iphone open to the KCL app with Best Buy selected

If you don’t have time to follow all of Best Buy’s deal pages (who does?), then let us (but download the KCL app first!). We’ll give you all the info in one place so that you never miss a Best Buy coupon, deal, or flash sale. Set it up like this:

  1. Open the app and click the star at the bottom labeled “stores.”
  2. Scroll through until you find Best Buy, then click the gray star next to it.
  3. Whenever you scroll through your news feed on the app, you’ll get Best Buy coupons and deals front and center.

 

15. Pick up your Best Buy online orders in store to avoid shipping fees.

The pickup area in the parking lot at Best Buy.

Hate paying shipping fees? We do, too. But if your Best Buy online order is under $35 and doesn’t qualify for free shipping, just have it shipped to your local Best Buy to pick it up.

 

 

16. Get 2% cash back plus instant cash discounts using Ibotta.

hand holds a phone with the ibotta app open to best buy store

Ibotta isn’t just for groceries, folks! When you make certain purchases, Ibotta credits your account with money back. When you hit $20.00, you can cash out via PayPal, Venmo, or Ibotta pay.

Also, new users can get a HUGE bonus just for redeeming their first few offers with Ibotta. Sign up with this Ibotta link to receive up to $20 in bonuses.

When I checked my trusty Ibotta app today, I could score 2% cash back at Best Buy, plus $10 cash back on an HP printer or an August Smart Lock or Doorbell Cam.

 

17. Best Buy Black Friday TV deals are worth your time.

Best Buy Black Friday deals are nothing short of awesome. The deepest savings Best Buy offered on a TV last year was for the Toshiba 43-inch LED 2160p Smart 4K UHD TV with HDR Fire TV for $129.99 (reg. $329.99).

The 61% in savings is significant when you compare it to the typical 25 – 30% savings on Best Buy TVs during Black Friday.

Go into the store and snatch up anything in the 40 – 60% off range.

If you can’t go in the store on Black Friday, you can expect to get 25 – 30% savings on TVs online.

TIP: When you see “Only at Best Buy” on a TV brand like Toshiba, Samsung, or LG, it means the TV was made for Best Buy to sell on Black Friday. These are typically stripped-down versions of more expensive TVs these brands sell.

 

18. Use your American Express or Citi credit card points like cash.

best buy point of sale

If you have an American Express® Membership Rewards card or a Citi ThankYou® Rewards card, you can use your credit card points to pay at Best Buy.

Just choose how many points you’d like to apply to your purchase at checkout. Applied points will show up as a credit on your next card statement.

 

 

19. Purchase your computer or tablet online to get $50 – $100 off Geek Squad support.

woman stands in front of the best buy geek squad desk

Purchase a non-Apple laptop, desktop computer, or tablet online and get $50-$100 off your Geek Squad support plan. This is like getting a huge Best Buy coupon just for tech support!

 

20. Price tags with a red bar are temporary markdowns.

hand points to best buy red tag

These are Limited Time Only, so if you want it, grab it before it’s gone.

 

21. Shop on Sunday to get the best selection and price.

Flyers with sale prices come out Sunday for Best Buy and their local competitors.

So, not only can you score the best prices and widest selection at Best Buy on Sunday when the sales start, you can ask Best Buy to match any competitor’s sale price too.

 

22. Stay on point by categorizing gift ideas by price or recipient on BestBuy.com.

woman looks at a computer screen with best buy gift ideas webpage pulled up

As someone with a huge family, I’m constantly buying gifts for people of all ages and interests, which means I’m always searching for gifts within my budget.

Being able to categorize gift ideas based on gender, age, and price makes it easy for me to get something cool while spending what I want. The free two-day shipping (on orders over $35) helps too!

Remember to check back here as we update this story with any new deals we find, and thanks for reading. If you want more, then check out our best store hacks.

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