6 hacks to save money while buying your new laptop

Laptops are a fairly expensive, long-term investment. Perhaps even more so, in the case of students, heading to university, with little to no sources of income. Therefore, it is no surprise that one often looks for ways to save as much money as they can while purchasing their laptop, or any other gadget for that matter. Here’s a handy little guide with tips and tricks to save a little money when buying a new laptop.

Best ways to save money while buying a laptop

1. Look out for discounts

Generally, a good time to buy a laptop is when festivals are around the corner. All major electronics brands and retailers, implement various discount offers depending upon the regional or national nature of festivals, making it easier on students to get their hands on a laptop of their choice.

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2. Consider purchasing older models

Contrary to popular belief, newer may not always be better. When thinking about which laptop to buy, consider looking at a slightly older model with specs suited to your requirements. Older models, when replaced with newer ones, generally see a significant drop in prices, thereby making them far easier on your pocket. Furthermore, it is also a possibility that while a newer model may not necessarily be a significant upgrade.

3. Look out for exchange offers

If not you, maybe someone in your family has an old laptop they’re looking to get rid of. Old laptops, if in good condition, can be exchanged to help slash a significant amount off the price of your new laptop. In addition to reducing clutter in your homes, the same also helps you do your bit for the environment, via e-waste recycling.

4. Look out for cashback offers

Chances are, you may be paying for your new laptop via credit card. In that case, look out for cashback offers. A cashback refers to a benefit with credit cards wherein a small percentage of the price of a purchase is refunded to the cardholder’s account. This, while one may not save money upfront, certainly helps lessen the load on them as well.

5. Student offers

Unbeknownst to many is that a number of brands have student offers on their devices. In these offers, brands reduce a significant amount off their products if one can produce a valid student I.D while purchasing the same. This is a big boon to students, owing to the fact that many of them lack a source of income. Furthermore, the money saved this way can be used to invest in peripherals and accessories such as laptop sleeves, keyboards and mice, external monitors, headphones, and so on.

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6. Set-up and maintenance plans

While investing extra money over and above the price of the laptop may sound contrary to whatever we’ve talked of so far, consider this. Purchasing an extended warranty plan which covers manufacturing defects helps you save money in the long run, as the rectifications and costs for the same are covered by the retailer, which helps you avoid having to shell out large sums of money to brand or third-party technicians, for repairs which are often very small otherwise. Additionally, you may even invest in a set-up plan while purchasing your laptop, such as Croma’s ZipCare Maintain plan which minimises hidden costs and saves you the trouble of having to install relevant applications and software by yourself.