Are you really getting the best prices on Black Friday?

Whether or not your Black Friday shopping list is finalized or still in process (several stores have only recently posted their Black Friday ads), do a quick check against these money-saving Black Friday tips to make sure your Black Friday prices are actually the lowest ones you can get.

Lower Black Friday Prices by the Way You Pay.

Does your credit card offer a special cash back bonus for buying from a department or online store on Black Friday?  Does your credit or debit card automatically give you a percentage back for any purchase?  By buying discount gift cards with a reward-earning credit/debit card and then by paying with discount gift cards (which you got for less than face value) you can up, up, up your savings!  Be sure to pay with the most money-saving payment method to stack discounts.  Not sure your credit card offers additional savings?  There’s still time to get electronic discount gift cards so you can ensure you are saving with your payment method on top of Black Friday prices.  Several retailers, like Walmart and JC Penney allow customers to pay with electronic discount gift cards in store and online.  (Target, unfortunately, is not one of those retailers.)

Plastic Jungle has several electronic discount gift card brands in stock that are honored in store including Walmart, GameStop, Petco and more.  Discount gift card inventories change quickly based on demand, so if you see a discount gift card you want in stock, order it before someone else does.

Know Black Friday Store Hours.

You don’t want to be that Black Friday shopper who nearly pulls their hair out because your shopping priorities are not matched with your store sequence.  No, you want to be the Black Friday shopper who gets home after a fun rush of deals and celebrates all the money you saved on retrieving all the things you set out to buy.  If you’re going to take advantage of Walmart’s or Target’s Black Friday tablet offers, you need to get to the beginning of the line.  Map out your Black Friday shopping strategy based on the Black Friday sale starting time.  One of my Black Friday shopping buddies and I are going to Walmart before Black Friday sale prices start (8:00 p.m. for our area) so she can scope out the layout of the store (since some items are not exactly in the areas you’d normally find them) and I will be holding our place in line.  Meanwhile, two of our Black Friday team members will be holding a place in line over in the Target parking lot, as Target opens at 9:00 p.m.

*Black Friday sale prices and store times vary by region.  Be sure to check your local ads and store for details so you can save the most while Black Friday shopping.

Compare Black Friday Prices.

Sure, you can flip through all the ads and try to find several options for the electronic device, vacuum, or small appliance you are searching for and hopefully you won’t skip over the one that is the lowest price.  Or, you can let a free electronic database do the work for you.  From your computer, you can go to bfads.net and use the search bar.  If you like to have things in your hands, especially while Black Friday shopping, download the “bfads” app (free) and use the handy search menu to compare Black Friday prices for over 50 retail stores.

I have downloaded the mobile app version so I can easily stay up-to-date on the latest prices.  Instead of going to Target, I will be getting the same toaster oven that Target has discounted to $19 on Black Friday for only $17.99 at Sears.  We’re going to be at the mall taking advantage of Bath & Body Works Black Friday deals anyway.

Black Friday (eh hem… Thanksgiving night) is the biggest shopping day (night) of the year.  Take advantage of Black Friday savings with sales, coupons, discount gift cards, and bonuses offered through your credit or debit cards.