Spot Black Fri duds, hot discount codes, 5% cashback & 11 more online shopping tips

Don't get reeled in by the Black Friday or Christmas hype. But 'tis the season to shop online, with experts expecting at least £25 billion to be spent between now and the New Year - so if you're planning to buy for yourself or loved ones, our Cheap Online Shopping tips can help slash the cost. Here are 14 to get you started:

1. The Christmas Deals Predictor is BACK... Put away your crystal ball - our mega-popular Xmas bargains forecaster returns. It estimates the exact week and saving on 60+ deals we think are coming from biggies such as Amazon, Ikea and John Lewis - see more details below. Xmas Deals Predictor
   
   
2. New. How to spot Black Friday duds... and deals. It's one of the biggest online shopping days of the year and a good time to pick up Xmas gifts, but many Black Friday 'deals' are actually duds. Our Deals Hunters have been sorting the stonkers from the stinkers for years - see how to ditch the duds and root out the deals this Black Friday.
   
   
3. Bag 5% off shopping for three months. Cashback credit cards pay you when you spend on them. Amex Plat Everyday (eligibility calc / apply*) is the top payer, giving a huge 5% for the first 3mths (max £100) and up to 1% after. The cashback's added as a credit to your card after a year, though you need to spend at least £3,000/yr to get any. Of course always repay IN FULL each month to avoid the 22.9% rep APR interest .
   
   It's perfect timing as the 5% covers the high-spend Xmas & Jan sales period. Apply now, and you should get it within a week or so. As Aaron tweeted: "I have an Amex Everyday card - £150 cashback in calendar year." Full help in Top Reward Cards.
   
   PS: M&S shopper? See the M&S Rewards note below for a card offering up to £45 in M&S vchs.
   
   
4. Abandon your online basket to score a discount. Fail to finish your online order and companies often send you codes to tempt you back. We've data on 26 retailers that give abandoned basket discounts. Forumite GeminiJude told us: "I've abandoned baskets at Very and they've always offered money off - the best was £20 off a £50 shop."
   
   
5. There IS a way to haggle big discounts online. While buying online is usually cheaper, the one advantage buying in-store is that you can haggle. Yet now even there the web's caught up - see how to haggle using live chats. Brian tweeted: "Have tried online haggling a few times and always get a result. Best was £300 off a £1,200 Dell laptop via online chat."
   
   
6. Buy 20% off gift cards NOW to use in sales. Gift cards are rarely discounted, but currently Tesco has 20% off cards for Gap, Monsoon, Accessorize and New Look. You can then use these in sales for what's effectively a double discount. Full info: Gift card trick.
   
   
7. Check for discount codes - eg, Body Shop 40% off. If you're going to buy, always check for a discount code. This week, biggies incl Body Shop 40% off, Thorntons 15% off, FitFlop 20% off and M&S 20% off for Sparks cardholders. See discount codes for more deals.
   
   
8. You've a right to change your mind online (but NOT in store). Many assume shops have to refund gifts that are the wrong size or colour -  this isn't the case. It's worth knowing the law...
   
   - In-store purchases: You've NO RIGHT to change your mind: you can only return faulty goods. For the definition of fault, see the SAD FART rules. Some stores do allow no-fault returns, but it's not the law.
   
   - Online purchases: You DO have a right to change your mind - you've 14 days to tell 'em and 14 more to send it back.
   
   
9. Never miss a price drop with personalised alerts. A free price-drop service covering 100s of online retailers lets you input what product you want and emails you when its price drops. We tested it on a De'Longhi coffee machine at John Lewis originally priced at £30. After setting a target price of £25, we ended up buying it for £22.50 - a 25% saving.
   
   
10. Hunt out online outlet stores. Many drive miles to outlet villages to snap up end-of-line bargains. Yet lots of big names such as Argos, Mothercare and Tesco offer up to 70-80% off unsold lines via online outlets. Our Discount Outlets deals page lists over 30 for huge toy, clothing and other discounts.
    
    
11. No discount code? Save with a dept store code instead. Don't just check the store you want for a discount code - department stores often have a workaround. Eg, Levi's 501 jeans are £65 at Levi's, yet buy at La Redoute using a La Redoute code and you can get the same jeans for £45. See our list of 10 department stores/brands this works with.
    
    
12. Pay just 1p on a credit card to protect £100s. Buy goods costing over £100 and even if you pay just 1p on a credit card - the rest any other way - the card company's jointly liable with the retailer for the WHOLE amount. It's the veritable financial superhero, especially if a firm then goes bust. See full info in Section 75 protection.
    
    - Spending less than £100? You can still claim for faulty or undelivered goods under the less well-known chargeback scheme.
    
    
13. Is Amazon Europe cheaper? Even with the current exchange rate, you can sometimes slash costs simply by opting to buy from one of Amazon's European sites - and there's a cheeky Amazon EU tool that checks for you. Louise tweeted: "@MartinSLewis Saved nearly £100 on my new Dyson by buying it from Amazon in Germany. Fantastic deal. Thanks."
    
    
14. Can you get cashback to cut the cost? Once you know where what you want's cheapest, always check the best cashback sites for further savings.

For more, see: 15 tricks shops don't want you to know | 22 Amazon tricks | 40 eBay buying secrets.