How to get discounts when you shop online

Online shopping can make things a lot easier, in many different ways.

You don't have to leave the house, you can easily compare different products and you can have it all delivered to your front door.

See also: Which generation is the best at bargaining?

See also: Ignore the impulse, stop your spending and help your wallet

But one drawback is that the price you're looking at is the price you're going to pay - there's no way to get a discount.

Or is there?

While you may not be able to bargain over the price in person, there are other ways you can save yourself money when you're shopping online.

Here are some tips on how you can cut down your spend online.

Live chat

Plenty of online retailers have a 'live chat' option where you can speak to a member of the customer service team. Why not use this to your advantage to find out whether or not there's any chance of getting a price reduction. If they don't have a messenger option, give them a call. Try explaining that you're shopping around and looking for the best price available and see what they say. Still not getting anywhere? Why not angle for free delivery - it can be expensive!

Trick the site

An old trick worth trying is putting something in your basket online, then leaving the site for a while. Often you'll get a follow up email with a discount or offer involved to try and prompt you to finish the purchase.

Look for gift cards

Have a quick look on voucher code sites before you make any purchases, you may be in luck and find a good deal that could cut your bill down.

Use social media

Check the vendor's Facebook and Twitter pages and search words like 'coupon', 'voucher' and 'discount' and see if they have any offers available. Sometimes shops will advertise their best short-term discounts on social before anywhere else.

Sign up for newsletters

While you might hate spam clogging up your email inbox, you could save yourself some money by signing up for a newsletter or store email alert. Subscribers often get first looks at sales and even one of discount codes.