The Honey extension has over 19 million Chrome users.
It promises users to “find the internet’s best coupons” and apply them automatically at checkout.
It reportedly does not add better discounts found by users to its database.
For those of you who are unaware, Honey is a popular browser extension which is owned by PayPal. It has made headlines over alleged unethical practices and using influencers for its own gains. Content creator MegaLag made a detailed video on Honey’s practices and shared that it deprived users of the best discounts and blocked affiliate links to cut influencers out of their leaks. She further went ahead and called it the biggest “influencer scam of all time”.
What is Honey extension?
The Honey extension has over 19 million Chrome users. It promises users to “find the internet’s best coupons” and apply them automatically at checkout. However, MegaLag’s investigation uncovered that Honey often fails to deliver on this promise. She put it to several tests that revealed that the extension missed working coupon codes or applied less effective ones. Further, it reportedly does not add better discounts found by users to its database.
MegaLag further shared that Honey more than often prioritises deals with retailers over providing users with the best savings. It limits the coupons shoppers can access. MegaLag alleges because of this retailers get more benefits and Honey goes away from its promise of saving customers money. This became further prominent when evidence supporting these claims was found in Honey’s FAQs and promotional material targeting businesses.
Biggest influencer scam of all time
The influencer also spoke about how Honey intercepts affiliate link cookies. This practice cuts out influencers of commission. For example, a $35 commission from a NordVPN subscription was allegedly redirected to Honey, with just $0.89 returned to the user as cashback. Popular influencers such as MrBeast and MKBHD have huge followings, have also promoted Honey in the past, and must have been affected by this practice.
In response to these claims, Honey said that it follows industry standards like “last-click attribution,” directing users to the best deals rather than influencer links. PayPal is yet to issue a statement in this regard.
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Mustafa Khan
Mustafa is new on the block and is a tech geek who is currently working with Digit as a News Writer. He tests the new gadgets that come on board and writes for the news desk. He has found his way with words and you can count on him when in need of tech advice. No judgement. He is based out of Delhi, he’s your person for good photos, good food recommendations, and to know about anything GenZ. View Full Profile
