Buying new electronics is often a steep expense. If you have time to plan ahead and save up, that's great, but sometimes accidents happen and you find yourself replacing a laptop at practically a moment's notice. At that point, everyone is searching for ways to save a few dollars and get what they're looking for at a cheaper price.

Luckily, if you shop in-store at Best Buy or go through their website, there are plenty of opportunities to save on everything from appliances to TVs and everything in between. Below, we've compiled some of the best tricks for shopping at this electronics giant. You'll be able to get what you need or just treat yourself to a new gadget for less!

Use the Price Match Guarantee

If you get sticker shock walking into Best Buy but know you've seen the same item sell for less at another retailer, don't shop with regret. Best Buy will give you a lower price through its price-matching policy. As long as the item is from a qualified retailer, they'll make the price adjustment in-store or online.

Best Buy's price matching policy applies to local retailers within 25 miles of your Best Buy and several major online retailers like Amazon, HP, Dell, and more. If Best Buy's list price of your item decreases during the return and exchange period, you can also request (and receive) an adjustment for that.

There are some exclusions. Best Buy won't match bundle prices, special offers, membership discounts, or similar offers. You can find the full list of special considerations on their website, as well as how to receive a price match adjustment in-store or online. Don't pay more for the same products when you can get them at Best Buy for the competitor's price.

Buy Outlet Products

Best Buy Outlet offers open-box and refurbished products at a fraction of the price of their standard products. Practically any product has a chance of showing up in the outlet, so you might find a new phone case or a washer and dryer. Products vary based on availability and what they offer depends on the products that get returned to stores.

Open box products are typically opened by the customer and returned or former display items. They're checked for damage and verified to be in working order before they're sold. Many times, the items are new and just weren't what the customer needed. In that case, you're getting brand-new items at a steep discount.

As great as open-box products are in some cases, be careful when former electronic display models. Purchasing an open-box television could yield a display model that's already been on for hundreds or thousands of hours in the store. The same is true of computers, tablets, cameras, and other devices that you can try in the aisles. Buying the display model for things like tv mounts, however, is still a steal!

Refurbished products are a bit different. Refurbished products are still returned items, but they've been thoroughly checked and are Geek Squad Certified. To be certified, they've been tested, sanitized, and gone through a whole grading process. If they don't meet Geek Squad standards, they're not sold with the certification. These products also come with a 90-day warranty against hardware defects, so you have some peace of mind when purchasing.

Get a Membership

Best Buy recently unveiled a membership opportunity to lower those price tags on all your future purchases. Previously, Best Buy offered their "Totaltech" membership, which will transition into this new program. There are three tiers available, each with some shared and some unique benefits.

  • My Best Buy - This is the free tier. Customers have access to free shipping, wishlist creation, purchase history, order tracking, and more.
  • My Best Buy Plus - Best Buy Plus is the first paid tier option. It's $49.99 per year and includes new benefits like members-only prices on select items, exclusive sales, free two-day shipping, and an extended return window, among other things.
  • My Best Buy Total - This is the top available tier. It costs $179.99 per year. For that price, you have access to everything in previous tiers, as well as 24/7/365 Geek Squad access, VIP priority for support, product protection, repair discounts, and other promotional opportunities like installation.

You can learn more about Best Buy's new membership tiers on their website. This is a brand new opportunity and just launched in June 2023, but already includes additional perks like four free months of Apple TV+ and Apple Fitness+ and three months of YouTube Premium.

Check for Special Discounts

From time to time, Best Buy runs promotions that offer things like a free gift with certain purchases, quantity discounts if you buy a particular number of a product, promo codes, and more. There are always certain conditions to get these discounts, and some are online-only or you'll only catch in store. You might have to be quick to get them!

For free items, make sure you add the qualifying item and free item to your cart to get the discount. If you're interested in receiving promotional codes, sale announcements, and similar messages, make sure you link your email to your My Best Buy account (or one of the paid membership tiers if you sign up).

Best Buy Education

Through the Best Buy Education program, Best Buy partners with educators working for any post-secondary educational institution to bring technology to the classroom. It offers education discounts, flexible payments, product support and setup, and more. If you're affiliated with a college, university, or similar institution and need equipment for the classroom, be sure to check out the benefits of Best Buy Education.

There are also plenty of opportunities for K-12 educators and administrators as well. Best Buy even partners with schools to teach students to assemble and upgrade computers and set up an eSports team.

Shop Clearance Items

Last but certainly not least, don't skip the clearance section! You might get lucky and find exactly what you're looking for at a lower price, but it's also a great place to pick up gifts or treats for yourself that you wouldn't grab at full price. Most stores have a section with clearance items, but you may also find them scattered throughout the store. Some clearance may be open-box items, as mentioned above, but that isn't always the case. It's a great place to find everyday savings - even if the offers always change!

Conclusion

When you need electronics or anything electronic-adjacent, head over to Best Buy (or their website) armed with the tips listed above. From free shipping fees to chances to save big with sales, you can find practically everything at a lower price!

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