4 routes to holiday savings online

The holiday shopping season is off to its annual early start. Retailers offer early sales and discounts even as they stock less inventory. Shoppers should expect popular items in stores to disappear quickly from store shelves; online offers can be your best bet for getting a prized item at a bargain price.

Here are a few of my favorite tips from savvy shoppers who take advantage of online coupons and promotions.

Get codes and coupons for extra savings.

Discounts are a great motivator to get folks to shop during the holiday season. (Research shows that a 30 percent discount is the magic number that motivates shoppers to make a purchase.) But getting to the discount can sometimes pose a challenge.

Here's a trick that can save you a lot of money. When you are ready to check out of a retailer's website and prompted to enter a coupon or promotional code, pay attention to this tip-off that there is a special discount available for the product. Before you click "Buy," open another browser and Google the merchant's name and the phrase used by the merchant (such as "Old Navy" and "promotional code"). A simple search can quickly locate the coupons and promotion codes you need to get the best discounts.

Meanwhile, log on to websites such as RetailMeNot, CouponCabin and CurrentCodes to look up promotion and coupon codes for many retailers and their products. Using these promotion codes can qualify you for additional discounts or free shipping on your purchases.

Stack coupons.

Some retailers let you use more than one coupon on the same offer. For example, you can use a 25 percent-off coupon along with a free shipping code to maximize savings. You can also apply a coupon code on a sale or clearance item to get the best deal. Check out the coupon-comparison tool at CouponWinner.com called the Coupon Scout. This service helps shoppers compare coupons from up to 5 retailer's side-by-side and all on the same screen.

Stock up.

Sometimes purchasing more may qualify your order for a better-value coupon. Consider purchasing multiple gifts from the same retailer to take advantage of a coupon such as $50 off $150.

Find free shipping.

FreeShippingCoupons organizes free shipping codes for overnight, two-day and priority shipping from thousands of top brands like Nike, Converse, Orvis and more.

Later this week, I write about using credit cards and gift cards during the holiday shopping season.

If you have a holiday shopping tip that has worked for you, please send me an email to share it.