Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping is a browser plugin, website and mobile app that offers e-commerce comparison shopping and cash back at online retailers (more than 30,000) that participate in its programs, but has been accused of being a malicious cookie stuffing Trojan horse. It is operated by Wikibuy, LLC of Plano, Texas,[1] and is primarily aimed at consumers in the United States.
Services
[edit]Services include product search, automated coupon codes, shopping credits, and watchlist.[2]
Capital One Shopping searches the internet for products and automated coupon codes for relevant products. It also compares prices among various merchants. When shoppers purchase from participating retails using the Capital One Shopping browser extension or app, they earn rewards in the form of shopping credits, which can then be used to buy gift cards.[3]
The watchlist function lets users know when prices drop on products that they have viewed and/or purchased.[4]
Technical specifications
[edit]Capital One Shopping's browser extension is compatible with Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari. The mobile version is available for both iOS and Android devices and is designed primarily for use within the U.S.[5]
Reception
[edit]Consumer financial site NerdWallet recommends Capital Online Shopping, among several other competitors, but warns that such sites collect basic information about users such as name, mailing address, and email address, which are often used for marketing purposes.[6]
CNET rated the service "Best for Gift Cards".[7]
Lawsuit accusing Capital One Shopping of being a Trojan horse
[edit]A class action lawsuit has been filed by multiple attorneys that allege that the Capital One Shopping plugins and apps are Trojan horses that steal affiliate commissions from content creators by substituting Capital One Shopping's affiliate code for the actual content creators' affiliate codes, causing the merchant to send the commission to Capital One Shopping instead of the actual content creators which helped initiate the sales.[8][9][10] This is a type of cookie stuffing.
References
[edit]- ^ "Terms of Service". Capital One Shopping. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ DeMarco, Jacqueline (24 January 2024). "Capital One Shopping review 2024". USA TODAY Blueprint. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Frankel, Matt (4 December 2023). "Unlocking Little-Known Perks of Capital One Shopping". Motley Fool. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Capital One Shopping". capitaloneshopping.com. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "What Is Capital One Shopping?". Forbes. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Lesniak, Leigh (8 November 2023). "Browser extensions can save you money, but they also sell your data". NBC Boston. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ McMillin, David (30 October 2023). "Best Cash-Back Apps". CNET. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ McCroskey, Kelsey (January 13, 2025). "Capital One Steals Content Creators' Online Sales Commissions Through Shopping Extension, Class Action Claims". Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ^ Sanford, Josh (January 14, 2025). We Sued Capital One For Influencer Scam (Honey Lawsuit - Sequel) (Video). Retrieved January 17, 2025.
- ^ French, Leonard (January 12, 2025). GamersNexus joins the Honey Lawsuit, Capital One also a Defendant (Wendover v. PayPal) (Video). Retrieved January 17, 2025.