Money-saving tool you need before you start holiday shopping
Have you ever had the strange feeling of being watched when you’re browsing online? Well, the truth is you are. Shopping sites track you.
In some cases, you may see prices for certain things go up every time you check. A rental car might be $50 per day the first time you check prices, but it bumps up to $55 when you go back to book it. The same thing happens with hotels and airline tickets.
This common practice isn’t just disturbing. It can also cost you money. But there is a way to fight back, and we’ll show you how. Plus, we’ll tell you all about Kim’s personal and most trusted VPN service, ExpressVPN.
Protect your privacy. Get three months free when you sign up for one year at ExpressVPN.com/Kim.
Are targeted ads costing you money?
Not long ago, targeted advertising creeped people out. They couldn’t understand why Facebook knew what they had just bought on Amazon. The truth is personalized ads are the result of a very impersonal process.
Your details are crunched bits of data that make marketing more efficient. Interest-based advertising uses information gathered through your browser. Special algorithms analyze your visits over time and across different websites. This helps predict your preferences and shows you ads that are more likely to be of interest to you.
Sometimes, all this tracking can overwhelm the average customer. While the process is basically automatic and unmanned, such ads can feel like an invasion of privacy. It can also feel unfair when suddenly prices start jumping up, but it’s all part of a process known as “dynamic pricing.”
Dynamic pricing is when companies sell the same product at different prices to different groups of people at different times.
It’s a very complicated process that could end up driving prices up on stuff you’re looking to buy. Being tracked online plays a role in it, and you want to avoid this. The good news is you can.
Using a VPN can help save money
A virtual private network, or VPN, is a layer of protection between your devices and the internet. It hides your IP address and your location and encrypts your data. When you’re not at home and using public Wi-Fi, a VPN provides a critical layer of security.
Hiding your IP address allows you to stay anonymous online, protects your identity, works around IP bans and allows access to otherwise blocked websites. There are numerous ways for you to conceal your IP address while you’re online, but your best option would be to use a VPN.
Security and privacy are the main reasons you’ll want to use a VPN; however, online shopping is one of the best. By blocking your IP address, retail sites cannot track your activity, which means prices won’t be jacked up when you’re ready to buy.
Think of the money you could save if you’re a big online shopper. The savings could be enough to pay for the VPN service you choose.
We recommend our sponsor, ExpressVPN, Kim’s personal and most trusted VPN service. Get three months free when you sign up for one year at ExpressVPN.com/Kim.
Tags: Amazon, dynamic pricing, internet, money-saving, online shopping, privacy, security, targeted ads, virtual private network, VPN
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