Mega-retailer Amazon.com offers competitive deals 24-7, but did you know you can save big beyond the advertised prices? Check out some popular ways – and some little-known secrets – for getting more for your money on Amazon.
If the standard savings on Amazon aren’t enough for you, check out Amazon’s special deals. Watch the Deals of the Day and cash in on amazing but short-lived Lightning Deals.
You can also land sweet savings with Amazon Outlet and Amazon Warehouse Deals. Find huge discounts on pre-owned, clearance, and overstocked items. If you’re looking to gift a Kindle or Amazon Fire this holiday season, shop here first!
Amazon is giving its customers more reasons than ever to sign up for Amazon Prime.
The main appeal of Prime membership used to be the free, two-day shipping on all of your orders with no minimum purchase amount. If you typically shell out for shipping because you need your products quickly or because your purchase doesn’t meet the minimum required for free shipping, Amazon Prime membership easily pays for itself.
Nowadays however, there are so many additional perks of joining Prime.
As a Prime member, you enjoy free access to these valuable services:
Amazon offers a 30-day free trial of its service, which currently costs $99/year. However, you can frequently track down promo codes that give you an even longer free trial period.
Are you a Prime member but don’t really need the two-day shipping for your next purchase? Choose No-Rush Shipping when you check out, and Amazon will reward you with some music credits, video credits, free Prime Pantry shipping, or some other perk.
You don’t have to be an Amazon Prime member to qualify for free shipping. With free standard shipping, you’ll get your purchase in about a week just for hitting a minimum order total.
A few years ago, $25 was all you needed to spend to land Super Saver Shipping. Nowadays however, you’ll have to commit to a $49 purchase for most items, though a $25 order of books will continue to ship free.
There’s a certain fear associated with ordering clothes or accessories online. You don’t know whether the real-life item will live up to its shiny online photo or if those pants or shoes will actually fit your body once they arrive.
Amazon takes the risk out of shopping for select clothing, shoes, jewelry, watches, and luggage by offering free return shipping. Any product eligible for free return shipping (for any reason) will advertise “FREE Returns” right alongside its price on the Amazon product page.
So go ahead and pick up that shirt that may or may not fit your kid. Buy two sizes of new running shoes and return the one that doesn’t fit. Save money with Amazon prices while avoiding the trip to your local mall.
All Amazon users can land free stuff every day.
Download free e-books for your reading pleasure. Find free apps for your phone or computer. Even enjoy hours of listening bliss with thousands of free songs, courtesy of Amazon.
If you’re sick of maddening, last-minute runs to the supermarket to replace your empty shampoo bottle, replenish your diaper supply, or load up on tissues for your sick kids, this program is for you.
Amazon’s Subscribe & Save service takes the hassle out of stocking up on thousands of must-have products for your home, family, and sanity. Groceries, personal care products, household items, pet supplies, baby necessities, car care tools, medications, cosmetics, and more – they’re all just a click away through Amazon.
Best of all, you can set it and forget it.
While you can still choose the one-time purchase option for Subscribe & Save eligible products, you can also set up automatic delivery directly from the product page. Choose the frequency that works for you – every month, two months, or up to six months.
Once you subscribe, it’s easy to skip deliveries, change the quantity of an item that’s coming to your door, add more products to your subscription, cancel products, and more. Amazon kindly sends a reminder E-mail before each delivery, so you can review your next shipment (and any price updates) and make adjustments as needed.
And shipping is always free.
Subscribe & Save doesn’t just save you time though. It saves you serious money.
When you subscribe to an Amazon product, you automatically get 5% off the listed purchase price. If you sign up to receive 5 subscriptions in a month to a single address, you earn a whopping 15% off the listed price of each item.
Don’t think your discounts end there however.
Oftentimes, you can find amazing Amazon coupons that are tailored specifically for Subscribe & Save deliveries. There’s always a listing of current coupon deals through the link, but you’ll also see any relevant coupons advertised when looking at a product page.
Have you tried Amazon Prime Pantry for stocking up on your home essentials?
If you’re a Prime member, Prime Pantry lets you buy individual bottles of lotion, packages of mac & cheese, bottles of detergent, and more instead of buying your favorite products by the gallon or caseload.
Here’s how it works:
When you purchase through Prime Pantry, you choose from thousands of eligible items. Each product fills a certain percentage of your Prime Pantry shipping box. Fill your box partway or all the way. Then ship for $5.99.
Want free shipping? No problem.
You can frequently find deals for free shipping just for picking up eligible products. In addition, you can score zero-cost delivery if you track down the right promo code or if you redeem your No-Rush Shipping credit.
Plus, you can always find special Pantry deals and Pantry coupons advertised directly on Amazon.com.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, tap into the free savings of Amazon Family (formerly Amazon Mom). Get access to a special set of discounts, including 20% off diaper subscriptions, baby registry benefits, free streaming of kid movies and songs, and more.
Are you currently a student? Enjoy the perks of Amazon’s Prime Student program, which offers a generous 6-month trial period and deals exclusive to you – dorm necessities, electronics, and (of course) must-have junk food.
If you’re a die-hard Amazon shopper, you could save big money by opening a credit card with Amazon. Choose between the Amazon.com Store Card and the Amazon.com Rewards Visa Card. Both cards offer you cash back for your Amazon purchases and other perks.
Think you need to shell out so that your spouse and kids can enjoy the benefits of Prime membership? Think again.
Amazon Household setup is free for Prime members and allows you to share your Prime benefits with up to 5 people at your address. Share your free shipping, Prime Video streaming, unlimited photo storage, early access perks, and more.
When you’ve got your eye on an Amazon item, head over to CamelCamelCamel.
This handy price-watch site gives you free access to Amazon price history charts and customized price drop alerts on your Amazon product of choice. Get notified by text or E-mail when a special something plummets in price.
With the holiday shopping season looming just around the bend, skip the mall crowds and see how these money-saving tips can get you more for less on Amazon.
Photo courtesy of Amazon
Megan is a lifestyle writer & B2C blogger for hire. She specializes in writing killer content on personal finance, productivity, & organizing. Find her in The Huffington Post, The Penny Hoarder, Money Saving Mom, & many print and online publications.
