When I think about honey, the word “sweet” comes to mind.
And when I tell people about the Honey App, the word “sweeeet” comes to mind.
#Truth.
Honey is a free browser extension that automatically applies discount codes to your cart when shopping online.
And while there may be other apps out there trying to do the same thing… I have yet to stumble upon one that does it better than the Honey App.
Why, you ask?
Well, Honey checks all of the boxes that I am looking for in a money savings app.
Things like:
Now, I realize you may still need some convincing. After all, you shouldn’t just take my word for it without knowing the hard facts… and understanding who the competition is.
Trust me… I’ve tried most, if not all, of them.
In fact, I almost refused the Honey App after its competitors either crashed my computer or hung up my smartphone. I felt burnt by these browser extensions and coupon clipping apps.
And I really didn’t like the idea of my information being shared.
Call me paranoid, but internet security threats are on the rise… especially as hackers broaden their attack weapons.
In this review, I’ll cover the basics on the Honey App:
- What is Honey & How does it Work?
- How to download it (Browser Compatibility)
- Honey on a CPU vs. Honey on a Smartphone
- Is it safe?
- The competition
- My experience with Honey
- Would I recommend Honey?
What Is Honey?
Honey is a free browser extension tool, designed to help you save money automatically on the things you buy online.
It simply requires you to shop as you normally would… and Honey takes care of the rest.
You can sign up for Honey via your Facebook, Paypal or Google accounts. You may also use an email address.
Once signed up, Honey asks how you’d prefer to save… coupons only or all deal types.
The Savings Finder
Savings Finder offers deals on clothing, shoes, jewelry, beauty products, pet supplies, electronics, video games, cell phones and accessories, home and kitchen items. Even food delivery and travel sites. The sky's the limit!
If there are savings to be found, the Honey App will find them for you.
Guaranteed.
The Droplist Feature
Droplist is for when you are looking for something specific… like that PS5 your son is begging for? Or the 75-inch 4KHD TV your husband wants for Father’s Day?
Droplist will continually search for the lowest price and best deals on that particular item… and automatically notify you when a price drop is detected.
The Amazon Best Price Tool
For those of us who love Amazon… the Amazon Best Pricetool allows the Honey App to compare sellers and let you know which one has the best deal on your item. It even works with Prime!
Honey Gold
For the reward hungry types,Honey Gold is a redemption program where you are able to earn a percentage back in “gold” on 4,000+ participating websites.
If the site participates in the Honey Gold rewards program, you will see a special icon displayed next to the site image. It essentially looks like a G-shaped money sign.
Gold is rewarded on the purchase subtotal and does not include tax or any additional fees such as shipping. The reward you receive is a randomized amount and varies from site to site; however, points that are accrued can be redeemed for gift cards later. Once you accumulate 1000 Gold, U.S. Members can redeem Honey Gold for a $10 gift card at the following stores:
Honey Gold also participates with merchants in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.
The unique Honey App algorithm searches for the Internet’s best deals, promo codes and savings based on what you’re looking for… and applies them directly to your shopping cart, saving you time and money.
So say goodbye to clipping coupons… or having to scan an item’s barcode in-store for reimbursement.
Honey makes saving a cinch.
Effortless, even.
Where And How To Download The Honey Savings Tool
Honey is compatible with 5 browser extensions.
These links will take you directly to the corresponding download page.
Once you add Honey to your desktop browser, it will automatically try all available promo codes on over 40,000 shopping sites.
And while there are sometimes no coupon codes available, that doesn’t mean Honey won’t find the best price.
You are able to click on thousands of stores from the Honey site, which will bring up a list of coupons and discounts… sorted by best value.
Once you accept a deal, you will be directed to the retailer’s website to shop as you usually would. The honey extension icon appears on the page with a number next to it, indicating the number of savings codes it’s found.
Simply add items to your cart as you usually would. When finished, proceed to checkout.
Here, the Honey App’s cute little coin mascot will appear indicating savings have been found. Click accept and Honey will start cycling through all of the codes to find the best one.
That, or it will let you know that you’ve already found the best price on your item(s).
If there are no current deals on a particular item you are looking for, the Droplist icon will appear. Simply click on it to set the price drop you’d like to be notified of (from 5% – 95% off current list price), as well as the number of days you’d like Honey to watch the item (30, 60, 90, 120 days).
You may also download the Honey Smart Shopping Assistant App to your smartphone via Google Play or the App Store.
The premise is the same; however, the Honey App works a bit different in its mobile version.
Honey On A CPU vs. Honey On A Smartphone
Similar to the Honey App extension for your computer, the Honey smartphone app automatically applies coupon codes… it just does it a little differently.
Perhaps the primary difference between the app and browser extension is the shipping. The Honey app for your smartphone will ask for your shipping info first so that it can search for free shipping codes… in addition to every other discount for every item in your cart.
The app also allows you to put items from multiple vendors into one unified card, eliminating the need to have to toggle back and forth between different apps or enter endless usernames and passwords.
Pretty cool, right?
I thought so.
The multi-store shopping cart certainly has its perks, but also makes the coupon code gathering process run a bit differently in the app. Say you have four items from four different stores in your cart, the app will test and apply every code for each individual store.
This may take a bit longer, but you can still search while Honey is doing it’s thing.
Because the browser extension goes with you from website to website, the”coupons found” window pop-ups when you’re on the site’s checkout page. The extension then applies the best code to the cart total (as most coupons are storewide).
Is Honey Safe?
Honey only collects information they believe can help you save time and money when shopping online. Should you choose to register as a member… you will be asked to provide your name, email, and other general profile information. That or else link your Facebook, Paypal or Google accounts.
As with most web services, Honey collects technical information about your device and how you use Honey to make sure that its products are working right. This helps you save more time and money, as well as detect and prevent fraud.
The Honey App does not collect any information from your search engine history, emails or any website that’s not a retail site. It never collects credit card numbers, billing addresses, or any other billing information either.
From a technical standpoint, Honey puts top notch security measures in place… such as limiting access, using encryption, testing for vulnerabilities, advanced malware detection, employing pseudonymization and anonymization techniques, and more.
Honey only retains information about you as long as you keep using the Honey Services. We’ll also keep information if we need it to meet our legal obligations and to defend against legal claims.
You will never be asked to store your credit card information on Honey’s website. It merely serves as a vessel to pass through to the retailer site, where you will proceed to make payment as you normally would with them.
You can view Honey’s privacy policy here.
The Competition
There are other browser extensions and apps that try and keep up with Honey… but most fall slightly short in one way or the other.
In all honesty, it’s often for a matter of preference… I, personally, want to find deals in the simplest way possible. I don’t want to have to click to four different places to get to the savings.
Honey guarantees you savings in as few as two clicks. I like that.
However, for the sake of fairness, you may want to check out some of these apps and see for yourself.
My Experience With Honey
As I mentioned at the start of the article, I was leery to install another browser extension… but I did.
And I’m glad.
To be honest, I do 90% of my shopping on Amazon. I’m a Prime member, which means free and fast shipping on everything that is Prime certified.
That is priceless to me as a busy mom to four young kids… who shutters at the thought of going to an actual store with all of them.
I also don’t particularly care for shopping on multiple websites because that requires saving multiple passwords and payment methods. Whose got time for that?
Thanks to Honey, I can shop Amazon as I usually would and automatically be told whether or not I’m getting the best price. I’m even notified of recent price drops.
In fact, I used it this week while shopping for my youngest daughter’s birthday presents… and switched retailers once when Honey notified me of a lower price.
It was effortless.
Now, for those of you who enjoy shopping from sites other than Amazon… I did visit a few retailers to get a sense of how Honey worked outside of my comfort zone.
I tried Honey out with Target and Best Buy.
I simply went to Honey’s website, clicked on the retailer and was brought to a page with current coupon and promo offers.
I selected the one that best applied to what I was shopping for and Honey automatically generated a code and provided a link to the retailer page.
From there, I went shopping as per usual.
Shoes for my oldest son, in this case… with Honey’s little orange browser icon tucked comfortably at the top of the browser search bar.
I use Google Chrome, ps.
Once I was ready to check out, the Honey coupon was applied to my cart.
Easy peasy.
No fuss.
That being said, I’m still not a fan of shopping multiple websites… unless it’s for a unique or special purchase.
Enter the Honey App for smartphones.
I use an Android, so downloaded the free app from the Google Play store.
As I touched upon earlier in the article, the app allows you to add items from multiple retailers into a single cart.
I love love love this!
As with the desktop version, I can shop by store or category… only with the app, I never have to leave the site.
Once I’ve loaded my cart, Honey will automatically search for coupon codes from each retailer, and apply what they find to your order.
It even tells you how many coupons it’s found and you have the option of waiting to see your savings, or starting the checkout process.
I preferred to wait… just in case I wasn’t thrilled with the final price.
Sorry, that’s the frugal mom in me talking.
Once all coupons are tested, you’ll be notified of the savings that are being applied to your cart… or else be told you have the best price.
If you decide to continue with the purchase, all items will be sent to the shipping address you provided.
There’s no need to log on to each individual retailer to set up shipping… Honey takes care of it for you.
While the app’s selection of retailers may not be as large… nor does it work with Amazon… I was a fan due to its ease of use and functionality.
Would I Recommend Honey? Final Thoughts.
If you take the time to look hard enough, money saving opportunities are out there.
They are out there in droves.
While some people still prefer to clip coupons and sift through circulars the old fashioned way… the majority of today’s 18-45 year olds are turning to online deals and money saving apps.
It’s easy. It saves a step. You’re busy. We all are.
The best way to select the method that works best for you is by doing your research… playing around with the options a bit.
Lucky for you, I’ve done the research on a number of apps… and Honey is by far the most user-friendly one I’ve used.
Why?
Because I’ve had to change literally nothing about the way I shop.
I simply had to install a browser extension or download and app… and voila!
Savings!
I didn't have to abandon my beloved Amazon, but I also did branch out a bit and see what other retailers had to offer… thanks, primarily, to the Honey App for my smartphone.
The savings are instantaneous, which I love.
I’ve tried services where I needed to upload receipts just to get reimbursed 7-10 days later.
Who’s got time for that?
Honey is also safe, they store no personal information… other than the address you use for shipping.
And the browser extensions work seamlessly with Chrome… hasn’t hung up my computer at all. It’s also very simple to uninstall, should I choose to do so.
The app is a work in progress, as far as store selection; but, it’s still worth an install for sake of convenience… even if it doesn’t work with Amazon. That’s what the Amazon app is for. It honestly wasn’t a deal breaker for me.
I literally have nothing negative to say about Honey?
But don’t just take my word for it… try it out.
You have nothing to lose and only savings to gain!
Nicole Krause has been writing both personally and professionally for over 20 years. She holds a dual B.A. in English and Film Studies. Her work has appeared in some of the country’s top publications, major news outlets, online publications and blogs. As a happily married (and extremely busy) mother of four… her articles primarily focus on parenting, marriage, family, finance, organization and product reviews.
