Ask Engadget: What browser plug-ins will help with holiday shopping?

The support shared among readers in the comments section is one of the things we love most about the Engadget community. Over the years, we've known you to offer sage advice on everything from Chromecasts and cameras to drones and smartphones. In fact, our community's knowledge and insights are a reason why many of you participate in the comments.

We truly value the time and detail you all spend in responding to questions from your fellow tech-obsessed commenters, which is why we've decided to bring back our "Ask Engadget" column. This week's question is a useful query concerning how to make holiday shopping easier -- and cheaper. Weigh in with your advice in the comments -- and feel free to send your own questions along to ask@engadget.com!

What browser plug-ins are best for saving money and checking prices while holiday shopping?

Matt Brian
Managing Editor, UK

Most people know about CamelCamelCamel (Camelizer) which is good for tracking price changes on Amazon, and can be useful particularly if you have a product in mind and are waiting for it to drop in price.

However, the one one I use most is Honey, which is a solid weapon in your deals arsenal. As a browser extension, it sits unobtrusively in the background until you visit a retailer where it detects various coupon codes or cash back rates for shopping there.

You could be unaware that retailer has discounts, but when you get the checkout it'll automatically enter them into the voucher code text box until it finds one that works. I think even if it doesn't find you anything; it sometimes gives you a Honey currency for shopping there that once it hits a certain level could result in actual real money back. I don't use it religiously but it's certainly saved me a few dollars here and there.

There are also some apps that track cash back when you visit via their tracking cookie, but be warned that the other ones I know about (Quidco, TopCashback) are UK-only.

Jon Fingas
Associate Editor

I also like Honey because it scours the web and automatically combs loads of coupon sites, and makes it clear how much you'll save. It works across many desktop browsers, which is helpful. I also like that it doesn't cost you money, doesn't harvest your data and it doesn't feel like they're trying to sell you on something else (since the companies help fund Honey, not customers).