How I Bought a Canada Goose Jacket and Saved $215

*Updated November 2018. This post contains affiliate links.*

When I bought mine in 2014, it retailed for $595. Today, it’s selling for a whopping $895. Holy crap. With prices like these, and the fact that they never on sale, it’s natural to wonder: how does everyone afford these???

Today I’m going to show you a shopping hack for how you can create your own deal on Canada Goose or anything that seems to never go on sale. I’m looking at you, SK-II masks and Equipment silk blouses.

When the Usual Tactics Don’t Work

Normally, I would have stalked the jacket like crazy until it went on sale. The problem? The style I wanted, the Victoria, was such a popular-selling item, and much to my dismay, it NEVER went on sale. Trust me, I waited. I was going to have to pay the retail price of $595. Plus tax, because I live in New York City.

Most people would either:

Settle for a cheaper option with fewer features
or
Buy the jacket full price

But I knew by waiting for the right time, and taking advantage of promo codes and cash back bonuses, I’d be able to save money. I saved 20% off with a Saks Friends and Family sale, and earned 20 points per dollar in Discover credit card cash back rewards. With tax, the total was $647.81, but with discounts I paid $432.81.

I saved a total of $215 on a purchase I was going to make anyway.

But two of the tactics I used are no longer available. All the department stores have wised up and now exclude Canada Goose from virtually all their sales, so you’ll no longer find that Saks discount. And the Discover card I used removed the deals feature I used, too.

So how do you save on a Canada Goose jacket in 2019?

You’re never going to be able to get an authentic Canada Goose jacket at rock-bottom prices, but you can find promos to save over 20%. Below I’ve laid out the tactics that still work in 2019:

Cash Back Sites – Save Up to 15%

You can earn a certain percentage of your purchase price back if you shop through cash back sites. If I’m buying something online anyway, a few extra clicks to earn money just makes sense. So every time I shop online I always check shopping portals to see which one is offering the highest amount of points. Here’s what you have to do:

Sign up for an account with the cash back site.
Instead of shopping directly with the retailer, make sure you go to the cash-back site first, search for the store you want, then click the corresponding ‘shop’ link.
Clicking that link will track your purchase on the retailer. Check out like you normally would.

Here are two sites I use that consistently offer high earn rates at stores that sell Canada Goose:

Rakuten

Example: Earn 10% cash back from Bloomingdale’s.
Sign up for a $30 new member bonus after spending $25.

The trick is to wait for the elevated cash-back rates, which in the past have run around the holiday season (November and December) or when eBates celebrates its birthday. Cash back rates are always in flux, but during these promos you might see a store’s cash back rate soar to 15% when it’s usually 2%. That’s your cue to strike.

Here are stores that sell Canada Goose and where you can usually earn high cash-back:

Discounted Gift Cards – Save up to 8%

You can also snag a discount by buying secondhand gift cards through Raise. For example, right now there is a 4% discount on Bloomingdale’s gift cards.

Raise is also on Jewel so if you click on the Raise link through Jewel and check out on Raise like normal, you can now earn additional 3.2% cash back. In terms of which store gift cards to get, here’s a list of department stores, from highest discount to lowest.

Also, Raise tends to hold promos every now and then, so you want to sign up for their e-mail list to learn about the deals.

Credit Card Promos – Save Up to $100 Off

If you’re responsible with credit cards, then there are a few credit cards that can offer you cash back as a statement credit when you shop at stores that sell Canada Goose. These are pretty popular credit cards, you might already have them in your wallet!

Chase Freedom

I’ve had the Chase Freedom card for over 10 years, and it’s still my top pick for people who are new to credit cards and don’t know where to start. No annual fee, and you earn $200 cash back after spending $500 within the first three months. Plus they have quarterly categories where you can earn an extra 5% cash back. In the last few years, from October through December department stores have been a bonus category. This means you’d earn 5% cash back on purchases made with your Chase Freedom card at places like Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Barneys, Neiman Marcus, just to name a few.

Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express

The Starwood Preferred Guest card by American Express offers limited-time statement credit promos, which you can find on your account homepage after logging in. For example, as I write this now (November 2018), here are some deals at stores that sell Canada Goose:

They don’t really advertise these promos, so you have to be diligent about logging on and checking the deals on your own. This card is also great for travel hacking, and that’s why I keep it around, even though there’s a $95 annual fee.

Store Promos and Sales – Save Up to 30%

As I’ve mentioned before, Canada Goose is going to be on every major department store’s sale exclusion list, but there are still a few indie, specialty or non-US stores where you can find discounts.

Moosejaw

Moosejaw is an outdoor company with an interesting model. When you buy something from their store you’re automatically part of their loyalty program and earn back 10% of all full-priced orders. The catch is the 10% cash back is applied to your account where you can only use it to buy more stuff from Moosejaw. I usually don’t like gift card events, because it encourages you to buy more things you might not need, but if you were planning to buy outdoorsy stuff anyway, this is definitely a viable option.

Freeds

If you’re in the US, then buying the jacket from a Canadian-based store like Freeds might be the simplest way to take advantage of the exchange rate AND avoid sales tax.

Current deal: A jacket here costs $690 versus $895 in the US.

The Italist

The Italist is an Italian luxury e-commerce store that currently has some Canada Goose on sale. The downside is that it costs money to return merchandise, so you want to make sure you’re certain you’re going to keep what you buy.

Current deal: A red Victoria parka in size medium is $756 versus $895.

Putting It All Together

OK, so now that you know all the ways to find a discount on Canada Goose jackets, you can now stack all the promos to create the ultimate sale. Let’s use the Victoria Parka for each example, which retails for $895. For simplicity, all prices exclude sales tax.

1. Freeds
Method: Favorable exchange rate
Everyday savings: $204.89
Final price: $690.11 USD

Note: Sizing and colors are currently limited, so see all their Canada Goose offerings here.

2. Barneys New York
Method: 14% cash back via Jewel + 5% cash back with the Chase Freedom card (expired)
Cash back savings: $125.30
Credit card savings: $44.75
Final price: $724.95

3. Bergdorf Goodman
Method: 10% cash back via eBates + $100 off American Express promo (expires 12/31/18)
Cash back savings: $89.50
Credit card savings: $100
Final price: $705.50

Summary

Freeds’s inventory is currently limited, so your best bet is to wait until the holiday season for 15% cash-back rates, then stack that on top of the Chase Freedom 5% cash back at department stores.

As for everyday deals, here are the places where you’ll want to stay on top off:

So, if you want a luxury item, you don’t have to settle for the two usual options: buying a cheaper version or not buying what you want at all. By being industrious and strategically using shopping portals and promo codes, you can create your own discount on those pesky items that never, ever go on sale by themselves.