Scoring Amazon deals requires insider tricks beyond clicking "Buy Now." But uncovering working promo codes doesn't have to be a full-time job. Learn expert hacks to reveal hidden markdowns, legit coupons, price history context, and more ways to save on everything from gifts to groceries. With our insider guidance, saving big and smart is easy.
The best place to uncover Amazon discounts is the under-the-radar "Today's Deals" page. This page lists a changing array of on-sale items and flags the discounts offered — some of which are greater than 50% off.
It aggregates personalized sales up to 50% off based on your search and purchase history. This hidden gem makes relevant deals come to you. You can also get waitlist alerts for sold-out flash sales. The page also dynamically adjusts to your preferences, surfacing products based on your shopping history. There’s also a section that riffs on the wish lists you’ve created, which is a great place to return to all the things you’ve had your eye on. If you’re too late to get a certain deal, you can often get a second chance by signing up for the wait list.
Be sure to bookmark the Amazon Coupon page itself. Here you can browse category promo codes to "clip" at checkout for instant savings. Use the left nav filters to narrow your options.
When you find an item (and a discount) you want to jump on, click the yellow “clip coupon” flag and it will add the deal to your cart at checkout.
Beyond coupons, explore the Amazon Outlet and the Amazon Warehouse are for significant markdowns. They both allow you to shop by category and offer a collection of overstock products on sale – often up to 50% off. The Amazon Outlet typically houses slightly out of season products and the Amazon Warehouse features new, open box merchandise. The top row on Amazon Outlet is also personalized to your shopping habits.
“A big chunk of the merchandise [on Amazon Warehouse] are items people bought on Amazon and returned,” says Clark Howard, a leading consumer advocate and money expert who shares money saving tips on Clark.com. “There’s nothing wrong with them; they just returned them, and they’re being sold open box for a lower price through Amazon Warehouse than they would be otherwise.”
Installing helpful shopping browser extensions like SimplyCodes or CamelCamelCamel guarantees you the best price on Amazon. Use these in tandem to compare historical pricing on any product page, and automatically get eligible promo codes at checkout to maximize savings with just one click.
Before you start your search for any specific product, search the site for coupons first. In the search bar, type in “amazon coupons” you’ll be brought to a dedicated coupon search result, and then you can further filter by whatever you’re looking for.
If you are in the market for a certain brand of toothpaste every single month, consider selecting the “Subscribe & Save” option. This initiates an auto delivery on a certain predetermined cadence. Through Subscribe & Save, get up to 15% off by auto-delivering essentials like toothpaste monthly. It also saves the hassle of reordering. Cancel anytime.
Like any company you love and frequent, following them on social media often means you get first access to sales and coupons. The same is true for Amazon – they will often share coupons in their social channels, which is a great reason to follow.
Many power Amazon users gather on Facebook to share the best deals on Amazon. And there are not one, but dozens of these groups, each with members that number in the thousands. These are great places to hang out because not only can shoppers benefit from the coupon and product research of other group members – smart Amazon sellers themselves gather on Facebook to announce coupons or sales as well.
A great way to save consistently on the things you buy on Amazon is by using an Amazon credit card. With the Amazon Prime Visa, you get 3% back on purchases at Amazon, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh and Chase Travel. If you’re a Prime member (which you should be to fully take advantage of all the benefits of this card) that goes up to a whopping 5% back. The card also gives you 2% back on restaurants, gas stations, local transit and commuting (including ride shares) and on all other purchases you earn 1% back.
Amazon also offers a rotating selection of products that will earn you 10% back, so definitely peruse those before purchasing anywhere else. There is currently no ceiling to what you can earn, and the card is completely free. The savings convert to purchase power via Amazon points, which you can then use on Amazon.com the very next day or on Chase.com for cash back, gift cards and travel. The specific sign-up incentives change regularly, but at press time, Amazon was also offering a $200 gift card for signing up for the Prime Visa.
When it comes to saving big on shopping anywhere online and in person, we rely upon the know-how of deal-hunting veterans and authoritative shopping journalists. Want to learn more tricks for saving money on online purchases? Find more advice from couponing experts and deeper Amazon hacks from the best coupon knowledge writers.
Liz Zack is an experienced lifestyle and shopping writer who has been reporting on family topics for over 20 years. Her shopping guides have been published in outlets like Wirecutter, Byrdie, Bestproduct, and Forbes. As a veteran deal-hunter passionate about maximizing value, Zack delivers proven tips to help consumers get the most for their money. She graduated with her master's in journalism from the University of Missouri. Connect with her on Instagram.
