INDIANAPOLIS — It happens.
You buy something on sale, only to find out the price went lower days later.
There are some apps that will ask the retailer for a price adjustment on your behalf.
Earny and Capital One Shopping Price Protection work almost the same way, and they start with skimming your email for receipts. If a lower price pops up within 30 days or so, they'll file a refund request on your behalf with the retailer. Successful refunds show up within about a week in the form of your original payment.
While Earny and Capital One Shopping work alike, they have different costs. Earny requires a paid subscription while Capital One Shopping is free.
Earny's terms and conditions also say accounts could be subject to fees for non-use.
The apps may also work with different retailers.
For example, Earny's site said it tracks items purchased from "Best Buy, Bloomingdale's, Costco, the Gap Group (Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta), J. Crew, Kohl's, Macy's, Nike, Nordstrom, Target, Zappos, and Home Depot."
If you don't love the idea of a company monitoring your primary email, there's a workaround. Set up a second email address and auto-send or forward the receipts there and have the app monitor that one.
Capital One Shopping's site said that their "technology only scans for emails that are relevant to saving you time and money - such as emails that reflect a purchase," adding, "We do not read or open any other type of email."
If you want to skip the apps, you can always call and ask for the difference to be refunded or a price match, depending on the policy.
If you don't love the idea of a company monitoring your primary email, there's a workaround. Set up a second email address and auto-send or forward the receipts there and have the app monitor that one.
Capital One Shopping's site said that their "technology only scans for emails that are relevant to saving you time and money - such as emails that reflect a purchase," adding, "We do not read or open any other type of email."
If you want to skip the apps, you can always call and ask for the difference to be refunded or a price match, depending on the policy.
If you want to skip the apps, you can always call and ask for the difference to be refunded or a price match, depending on the policy.