News

#Not so secret Santa: How to keep gifts a secret when you're holiday shopping online

Table of Contents

Not so secret Santa: How to keep gifts a secret when you're holiday shopping online

Long gone are the days when keeping holiday gifts a surprise required only a secret stashing space in your home – now you have to cover your digital tracks from nosey family members trying to get a heads-up on what Santa’s bringing.

Cyber Monday sales hit a record $11.3 billion, a 5.8% increase from last year, according to Adobe Analytics. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the number of online shoppers grew 2% from 2021, according to the National Retail Federation.

That means your web searches and browser history could give away the Christmas surprise should your snoopy relatives sneak a peek at your laptop or a joint Amazon Prime account. Here’s how to keep the ‘secret’ in Santa this year:

Shop with a gift card

A gift card can save the surprise by keeping the purchase of your bank statement. It’s also a good way to help you stick to your budget, as you won’t be able to spend more than the amount you put into the gift card, said Athena Valentine Lent, author of the upcoming book Budgeting For Dummies.

Savvy shoppers can even save money by using gift cards.

“Sometimes you can buy discounted gift cards on sites like Gift Card Granny,” shopping expert Trae Bodge said. “Target often has promotions where, if you buy a certain amount within a category, you get a free gift card.”

Home for the holidays?: You can’t go wrong with Roku or retro, Apple or Amazon

Go incognito

Search and shop in “private” or “incognito” mode on your browser to turn off your history and avoid leaving a trace of your online activity. You can also clear your browser history after you’ve searched for gift ideas, but make sure you don’t forget to do so, Bodge said.

The “incognito” option also helps protect your credit card information, Valentine Lent said.

Shopping incognito is “a good idea because it also doesn’t keep your credit card information,” Valentine Lent said. “That way it’s less likely that you’ll get your credit card stolen.”

USA TODAY Gift Guide: No matter how you holiday, make it iconic. Shop the USA TODAY holiday gift collection.

Ship the order elsewhere

If getting the package delivered to your door might ruin the surprise, you can always ship it somewhere else such as your office (if you’re allowed). Some stores allow you to ship to an alternate place like select UPS and FedEx locations, Bodge said.

Be mindful of gifts that come in obvious packaging such as televisions. Retailers like Amazon will let you know if an item comes without outer packaging, Bodge said.

Amazon Prime members can also ship items to a locker to avoid arousing suspicions when the parcel is delivered, Valentine Lent said. Amazon Lockers are a self-service delivery location to pick up and return orders.

Last minute gifts: Shop the best 100+ holiday sales at Amazon, Nordstrom, Lowe’s and more

Cyber Monday sales hit a record $11.3 billion, a 5.8% increase from last year, according to Adobe Analytics.

How do I hide my Amazon orders for Christmas?

If your family shares an Amazon Prime account, keeping gift purchases secret might be tricky. But there are steps you can take to keep your order under wraps.

The e-commerce giant’s Amazon Household feature allows users to share Prime benefits with family members while keeping accounts separate.

“This is a really good way to avoid having people seeing what you’ve bought,” said Bodge, noting that there are limitations on the number of profiles that can be created under the same Prime account.

If you prefer to not set up Amazon Household, Bodge said, you can always archive your orders to hide gifts from your purchase history.

More tips on hiding Amazon orders: Before you start holiday shopping, do this to hide your Amazon gift purchases

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tips to keep Christmas presents a surprise when shopping online

If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on Google News too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.