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Between inflation, tariffs and overall economic uncertainty, American consumers are looking to get ahead during the 2025 holiday season. Whether it’s utilizing artificial intelligence or prioritizing group experiences over presents, here are some of the ways shoppers can maximize their spending.

Economic uncertainty

Fifty-two percent of consumers are “stressed” about their finances during the holiday season, according to a survey from credit reporting agency Experian. Meanwhile, 69% of consumers are concerned inflation will affect holiday shopping.

“At the same time, they’re telling us they’re spending,” Rod Griffin, senior director of consumer education and advocacy at Experian, told Straight Arrow News. “It’s that quandary we seem to have in our economy right now, things aren’t always very clear. They’re a little bit confusing sometimes. They’re telling us that they’re trying to find ways to save money.”

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Core inflation — which strips out volatile food and energy prices — surged 3% in September 2025 compared to September 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The agency announced it would not release inflation data for October, because the government shutdown limited data collection.

Experian’s survey found 56% of American consumers set aside money for holiday gift-giving and 45% tightened their budget ahead of the season.

Saving money could be a tougher prospect than in years past due to the current trade environment.

“We might see slightly lower discounts, just because retailers are trying to balance their books with what’s going on with the tariffs,” smart shopping expert Trae Bodge told SAN. “We’re also going to see some lower inventory on some categories, because retailers did pull back in certain cases when they were placing their holiday orders.”

If current tariffs had been in place for the 2024 holiday season, consumers would have spent an additional $28.6 billion last year — about $132 per shopper, according to LendingTree.

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Browse with a purpose

“Smart” shopping doesn’t require the use of AI. 

“Browser extensions are great,” smart shopping expert Trae Bodge said. “What they are is a tool that helps make your browser smarter. You install it on your computer. It’s free to do so. It takes a few seconds, and then as you’re browsing online, the browser extension will pop up with an alert, ‘Hey, there’s a cash-back offer here. There’s a coupon that you can click on. There’s a free shipping offer.’ So it’s basically doing homework for you.”

Browser extensions can be used to do everything from managing passwords to assisting with grammar, spelling and punctuation.

The Karma extension helps users compare prices, get coupons and even receive price alerts. Keepa tracks Amazon prices. And Rakuten’s extension promotes cash-back rewards at 3,500 stores, allowing users to stack rewards on top of credit card and merchant rewards.

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Rewarding spending

In 2025, consumers are split on whether they will use cash, credit or a combination of both, according to Experian’s Griffin.

For some consumers, the holidays are an excellent excuse to maximize credit card rewards.

“I think that the holidays are a great time if you are in the right place financially and your spending is going to help you net a welcome bonus or a little stash of points and miles,” Daisy Hernandez, credit cards editor with The Points Guy, told SAN. “It’s a great time to open a card.”

Premium credit cards can have high annual fees and require massive spending to optimize rewards. While credit card rewards can offer the promise of future travel glory or cash-back benefits, restraint is important.

“Make sure you know how you’re going to spend, how you’re going to repay the debts you take on, and that will take a lot of stress out of the holiday season for you,” Griffin concluded.