There is a reason that Amazon tops about every list for excellent Customer Service. And if you need something, the first place you look at is Amazon…but in addition to having the best service and selection, there are also a ton of perks and money saving options that Amazon provides. Here are 19 Secret Ways To Save Big At Amazon That Everyone Should Know before making their next purchase.
1. Amazon allows price adjustments.
If an item you purchased on Amazon drops in price within two weeks of purchase, you can receive a one-time refund of the difference. Go to your account, chose the purchase, chose “returns and refunds”, “other return or refund issue” and then “partial refund price change” and start a LIVE chat. (I’ve found that live chat works best.) Most refunds take three business days to process.
2. Share your Amazon Prime FREE two-day shipping with up to four other people.
Amazon allows you to invite up to four family members to share the benefit of Prime FREE 2-day shipping. Go to your account, choose “Manage Prime Membership”. Choose “Invite a Household Member” and enter the additional members information. (Note: Make sure to add their credit card information too, otherwise you’ll be footing the entire “family’s” Amazon bill.)
3. Work around the Add-On Item $25 Minimum Order with a pre-order.
Amazon’s Add-On Items are great because they are inexpensive. They are a pain, because they require a minimum order (that includes the add-on item) of $25 in order to get the price.
By adding a pre-order video game or pre-order movie to your cart, you can get our order over the “magically” $25 requirement. Your precious add-on item will ship and Amazon won’t charge your card until the pre-order ships. And you can always choose to cancel the pre-order item before it ships if you change your mind.
4. Save up to 15% with Subscribe & Save Items.
Subscribe & Save is a great way to save on everyday items. (In fact, many times Amazon Subscribe & Save beats warehouse club prices.) You’ll save 5% instantly, but if you get to the “magic 5” subscriptions, you’ll save 15% off all your Subscribe & Save orders. Plus, you can use Amazon coupons with eligible Subscribe & Save items. (Here is a list of the latest Subscribe & Save Deals.)
5. Save up to 20% on diapers, wipes, formula and more with Amazon Mom.
Amazon Mom is open to anyone (Mom, Dad, Grandparent, Caregiver) that takes care of a young one. Amazon Mom with Prime includes the benefits of 2-day shipping, automatic 20% discount on diapers, and up to a 15% discount on other Subscribe & Save items.
In many cases, the price of diapers is LESS than Costco and Sam’s Club and the selection is so much better. Plus, if you are new, you can get a 30-day risk FREE trial subscription.
6. Get a refund or replacement for a broken item without shipping it back.
If something you purchased from Amazon arrives broken, contact Amazon Customer Service. In many cases, they will either give you a refund (if you can live with the break) or have a replacement item shipped to you without the hassle of returning the broken item.
7. FREE Android App and discounted Kindle eBook everyday.
Everyday Amazon deeply discounts a selection of Kindle eBooks and gives away one Android app for FREE. This is a great way to stock up on reading and entertainment on your phone for LESS.
8. Create a wedding or baby registry on Amazon and save up 10%.
Create either a wedding or baby registry on Amazon, and you’ll receive a 10% discount on any item that you did not receive as a gift. Plus, returns are FREE for 90 days too.
9. Amazon allows price matching.
Find an item for a lower price for an item that Amazon sells? Let them know.
Scroll down the page to the “Product Details” and click “tell us about a lower price”. Fill out the information. Then add the item to your cart, but DON’T CHECK OUT. Check back in a hour or two and see if the price has been reduced.
10. FREE 6-Month Trial of Amazon Prime for college students with Amazon Student.
Have a valid .edu address? Then you can sign up for a FREE trial of Amazon Student and receive all the perks of Amazon Prime. Plus, you will receive a discounted Prime Membership (only $50 vs $99) after the trial is over.
11. Save BIG with Amazon Warehouse, Amazon Outlet, and MYHABIT.
Amazon Warehouse is Amazon’s store for open-box and returned items. The good news is that many of the items fall under Amazon’s simple, money-back return policy. So if you don’t like it, return it for a full refund. You can also check Amazon Outlet for deals on new items that are 30% or more off of the original price, and look at MYHABIT for discounted deals on designer clothing and accessories.
12. Trade in used items for Amazon Gift Cards.
Amazon’s Trade in Program allows you to trade-in new or used DVDs, CDs, video games, electronics, books and phones for gift cards.
13. Enjoy over 10,000 songs with Amazon Prime Music.
Listen to, create playlists, and enjoy music ad-free with Amazon Prime Music. This service is FREE to paying Prime Members and can be enjoyed via desktop, tablet or mobile devices.
14. Enjoy over 10,000 television shows and movies with Amazon Prime Instant Video.
What’s better than binge watching? With Amazon Prime Instant Video, you have access to over 10,000 televisions shows and movies. Who needs cable, when you have Amazon Prime Instant Video?
15. Choose no-rush shipping and get perks.
If you are an Amazon Prime member, you can choose “no-rush” shipping and get FREE perks. In the past, you could choose from a $1 eBook or MP3 credit or a $5.99 Prime Pantry Discount.
16. Unlimited Photo Storage With Amazon Cloud.
Another perk of the Amazon Prime Membership is access to the Amazon Cloud and unlimited photo storage. In addition, paid Amazon Prime members can also store videos, and files on the cloud.
17. Free returns on eligible clothing, shoes and more.
When you shop Amazon Fashion, most items are eligible for FREE returns. (You’ll just need to look next to the price to see if it says “FREE returns”. This is a great way to try on multiple pairs of shoes, jeans, dresses, etc. from the comfort of your own home. And whatever you don’t like, you can request a return from your Account and they will ship via UPS for FREE.
18. Use CamelCamelCamel for price alerts and pricing history.
CamelCamelCamel is a price tracker that email you when an you want at Amazon goes down in price or has achieved the price you want to pay. In addition, it even has a price history chart for most items, so you can see whether the price has been lower (or higher) during a certain time frame.
19. If a shipment is missed, get an extension on Amazon Prime or refund on shipping costs.
If your item misses its delivery date, you can contact Amazon Customer service and get either a refund of your shipping costs or a one-month extension to your Amazon Prime membership.
What about you? You do have any secret ways to save money on Amazon? Or did any of these surprise you?
Julie Smith says
Nice article. Many of these tips are new to me. Thank you for sharing.
Steph says
#1 and #9 sadly seam out dated. I think Amazon has updated their policies on this to only include TVs and cell phones 🙁
Kelly says
Actually, you can still do #1 … I did it this week actually with an item I purchased that went lower after a daily deal.