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Garry Shi

Garry Shi

Cashback Expert, ShopBack

24 articles

About

Garry Shi is ShopBack's Cashback Expert, the in-house product specialist on how cashback, the wallet, ShopBack PayLater and linked-card programs work across Australia, Singapore and the United States.

Articles by Garry Shi

Finance

NFL 2026 Kickoff: Fan Gear, TVs, Streaming When Cheapest

NFL 2026 kickoff is Thursday 3 September (Chiefs open at home). The three weeks before are a shopping dead zone between back-to-school and Black Friday, which is exactly when the smart buys land on 65 inch to 85 inch OLED and QLED TVs, streaming subscriptions, jerseys, and party supplies. Here is what to buy, where, and when between now and kickoff.

Finance

US College Football 2026 Week 1: Fan Gear, TV, Streaming

US college football Week 1 lands Thursday 3 September through Monday 7 September 2026, with the Saturday 5 September slate as the main event and the Week 0 opener (North Carolina vs TCU in Dublin) on Saturday 29 August 2026. That gives roughly three weeks from mid-August to lock in team jerseys, a conference-aware streaming stack (ESPN+, Peacock, Paramount+, FOX, NBC, ACC Network, SEC Network), a Labor Day TV upgrade, and a tailgate plan. Here is what to buy, where, and when.

Electronics

LG G5 vs Samsung S95F vs Sony Bravia 9: OLED TV Comparison US 2026

For most US buyers choosing a top-tier 65-inch or 77-inch premium TV in 2026, the LG G5 (WOLED with primary RGB tandem stack) is the highest peak brightness OLED on the market and the safest all-round premium buy. The Samsung S95F (QD-OLED) wins on colour volume and glare handling with its matte finish. The Sony Bravia 9 (mini-LED, not OLED) wins for peak brightness in bright rooms and Sony's video processing. Match the TV to your room lighting, primary content, and gaming versus movie priority.

Electronics

M4 MacBook Pro vs Snapdragon X Elite vs Intel Core Ultra: US Laptop Comparison 2026

For most US buyers in 2026, the M4 MacBook Pro remains the safest all-round laptop: best-in-class battery life, silent thermals, and the strongest per-watt CPU and GPU on the market. The Snapdragon X Elite Copilot+ PCs (Surface Laptop 7, Dell XPS 13, Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, HP OmniBook X) win on Windows-first workflows and long-battery ultraportable form factors. Intel Core Ultra Series 2 laptops win for x86 compatibility, discrete GPU pairing, and the widest chassis variety. Buy the platform that matches your software, not the benchmark headline.

Electronics

iPhone 17 Pro vs Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Pixel 10 Pro on Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile: US 2026

For most US buyers in 2026 choosing between the iPhone 17 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, and Google Pixel 10 Pro across Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, the headline 'up to $1,000 off' trade-in credit is only real on an unlimited plan with 24 or 36 months of bill-credit lock-in. Verizon typically publishes the largest headline credit, AT&T the widest phone lineup, and T-Mobile the shortest lock-in on select trade-ins. Match the phone to your platform preference, then pick the carrier by walk-out total cost, not marketing headline.

Savings

How I Earned $340 Cashback on a $2,100 Back-to-School Haul in August 2026

A real August 2026 back-to-school run: $2,100 gross across Best Buy, Target, Amazon, Nike, and Barnes & Noble, stacked with sale pricing, store credit cards, and ShopBack. Final out-of-pocket $1,760; cashback earned $340. Here is the full receipt, in order.

Electronics

AirPods Pro 3 vs Galaxy Buds 3 Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM6 in 2026: Which Flagship Buds Actually Win

AirPods Pro 3 wins on iPhone integration and hands-free Siri; Galaxy Buds 3 Pro takes Samsung ecosystem and 24-bit hi-res over LDAC; Sony WF-1000XM6 keeps the audiophile and travel ANC crown. For most US buyers in 2026, the right answer is the one that matches your phone, not the one with the highest score.

Electronics

Pro Cameras Canon R5 II vs Sony a1 II vs Nikon Z9 US vs Japan vs Hong Kong in 2026: Prices, Tax Refunds, and Warranty Traps

For a US buyer in 2026, Tokyo is the cheapest source for Canon R5 Mark II, Sony a1 II, Nikon Z9, and the flagship 24-70 f/2.8 lens trio once you strip the 10% consumption tax refund and convert at JPY 150 per USD, typically 8 to 14% below B&H and Adorama pricing. Hong Kong sits close to Tokyo on body-only headline price but usually loses on lenses. The catch: parallel-import warranty is not honoured by US Canon, Sony, and Nikon service centres, so any repair or sensor cleaning defaults to paid service or ships back to the country of purchase.

Travel

Cheapest Month to Fly from the US to Japan in 2026: Fare Bands by Hub, Sakura and Golden Week Premiums, Direct vs Asia Connections

February is the cheapest month for round-trip US-to-Japan economy fares in 2026, with median LAX-HND at USD 715 to 890, SFO-KIX at USD 745 to 950, JFK-NRT at USD 895 to 1,120, and ORD-KIX at USD 820 to 1,050. January is a close second on the West Coast. Golden Week (late April to early May), New Year (late December to early January), and cherry-blossom peak (last week of March to first week of April) command 45 to 90% premiums. Booking 60 to 90 days ahead captures the fare-curve sweet spot; direct beats Asia connections on price 60 to 65% of the time from West Coast hubs.

Finance

Is Prime Day Cheaper Than Amazon Big Deal Days in 2026? A Head-to-Head Price Test for US Shoppers

For US shoppers in 2026, Prime Day in July generally beats Prime Big Deal Days in October on Amazon-owned devices, kitchen small appliances, and household consumables, while Big Deal Days tends to match or beat Prime Day on premium electronics that get holiday-window pricing. Neither event beats Black Friday and Cyber Monday on TVs, laptops, and high-end audio.