Ways to save after you buy

When you’re out doing your holiday shopping, you’re always looking for the best price.

But what if the best price automatically came to you — even after you gifted whatever it was that you got online or in stores?

Welcome to the world of apps and services that relentlessly search for better prices on what you bought and make retailers pay you the difference.

The following free services can put a little extra jingle in your pocket when you’re playing Kris Kringle this year.

Citi Price Rewind

Here’s a free service that’s available to all Citi cardholders.

The savings start when you register the products you’ve purchased with your Citi card at CitiPriceRewind.com.

Once you registered your purchases, Citi then combs through millions of listings using proprietary software to look for better prices on your buys for 60 days after the date of purchase.

If they find a lower price, Citi will email you so you can request the price difference from the retailer. You can get up to $500 back per item, with a $2,500 limit per year.

Citi says the average refund issued this year through September was $30.04.

Visit CitiPriceRewind.com for more details.

Paribus

Unlike Citi Price Rewind, this free service is open to anybody and you don’t even need to lift a finger to claim a refund if you’re told you’re eligible for one.

The money-refunding fun begins by connecting your inbox to Paribus so their Receipt Fetcher can identify your purchases. Any purchases it finds are then crossreferenced against a growing list of retailers that its proprietary software is compatible with.

If a lower price is found, Paribus automatically files a price adjustment claim on your behalf and you get to keep all of the savings.

Here are some of the retailers Paribus currently works with:

Big-box retailers: Amazon, Costco, Kohl’s, Sears, Target, Walmart, Apparel, Anthropologie, Athleta, Banana Republic, Bloomingdale’s, Bonobos, Gap, J.Crew, L.L.Bean, Loft, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Old Navy, Saks Fifth Avenue and Zappos.

Electronics and office supplies: Best Buy, Newegg, Office Depot, and Staples.

Yapta

Have you heard of airfare envy? That’s when you buy a ticket and find the same itinerary for less money later on.

The good news is that there are a handful of airlines that will give you a voucher for the difference if you ask. But unless you religiously follow airfares after you’ve made your purchase, you may not even know that you overpaid. That’s where Yapta.com comes in handy.

After completing the free registration and detailing your itinerary, Yapta will e-mail you when your flight goes down in price and help you get a refund for the difference.