I have a confession to make; I love Amazon. No really, I do around 60% of my shopping with Amazon. Why? Because it is one of my favorite ways to save money! Confused? Don’t be. There are so many ways to save money with Amazon that it really isn’t funny, but the problem is that most people either don’t know about them, don’t think there are any real ways to save money on Amazon or they simply don’t care enough to look for ways to save money on Amazon. The truth is though there are a lot of ways to save; from the 27 Amazon Prime Secrets you might be missing out on to how to look for other sellers; if you’re not using every money saving tool on Amazon to your advantage, you’re shopping Amazon wrong.
When you’re looking for ways to save money on Amazon, you have to be proactive about it. Like any retailer, Amazon isn’t going to go out of their way to make it easy for you to save money. That isn’t their job. Their job is to make you spend as much as possible; not to help you save. If you’re careful though and you take a moment to think and search before you hit the checkout button, you can save money every single time you shop on Amazon.
Ways to Save Money on Amazon – 14 Ways You’re Shopping Amazon Wrong
Whether you’re trying to save money on groceries using Amazon, you’re just looking to save money on gifts or you’re trying to save money on everyday purchases, these ways to save money on Amazon are all a great place to start. Not all of them will apply every single time you shop on Amazon, while others will (and should) be something you do every time. Combine them and they will all save you hundreds, maybe more, each year depending on how often you shop on Amazon.
Related: How I earn $225 (or more!) in FREE gift cards EVERY month
Save money on Amazon by earning free Amazon gift cards online
Did you know that there are lots of legitimate ways to earn free Amazon gift cards online? A lot of people assume that they’re all scams and while some of them are, there are plenty of legit survey sites out there as well. This is probably the biggest way that I save money on Amazon. You can check out my favorite survey sites to earn with here. I earn free Amazon cards and use those instead of cash to pay for my order. After all, why pay for something you can get free?
Another great way to earn free Amazon gift cards is to use the Amazon Trade-In program. This program allows you to send items you no longer need or want to Amazon in exchange for Amazon gift cards. The products they will accept from you vary so you’ll need to check the Amazon trade-in page here to see which ones you’re eligible to trade in.
Save money on Amazon with Amazon Prime
If you’re not already an Amazon Prime member, you’re spending more than you need to when you shop Amazon. Signing up with Amazon Prime can save you hundreds and not just on shipping. There are Prime only deals on Amazon. You’ll be able to access Prime only coupons. You’ll be able to access quite a few Prime only perks which all make it worth becoming a Prime member. If you’ve never had Prime before, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime here. If you’ve already used your trial, you can become a Prime member for $10.49/mo or $99.00 per year unless you receive government benefits. Amazon has a special pricing program for folks who receive government benefits that allows them to sign up for Prime for $5.99/mo. You can check that out here.
Save money on Amazon by shopping with Rakuten
Sometimes, your best way to save money on Amazon isn’t actually on Amazon at all. One of my favorites is by making sure that I always shop through Rakuten. If you’re not familiar, Rakuten is a cash back shopping site. In other words, Rakuten has a relationship with certain stores and when you shop through Rakuten, they receive a small commission from that advertiser. Rakuten then pays you a portion of that commission back as cash back. They have thousands of stores, both online and brick and mortar, that you can earn cash back with. Plus, when you sign up for Rakuten with this link, they will give you $10.00 free when you make your first purchase of $25.00 or more. That’s free cash basically!
Side note: Ready to really kick your savings into high gear? Check out my book, Six Dollar Family. It’s packed with awesome ways to save money and more! Available on Kindle or in paperback.
Save Money on Amazon by Choosing a Different Seller
Did you know that the seller that often appears at the top of a product page on Amazon isn’t always the best price? Amazon refers to this spot as the “buy box” because that is the spot where most people will buy from. Sometimes though, it is far cheaper to choose a different seller than the one showing in the buy box.
To choose a different seller on Amazon, for the “Other sellers on Amazon” list on the item you’re looking to purchase. Sometimes an item won’t have any other sellers, but if it does, you can choose to purchase from one rather than the buy box. Now keep in mind that not all other sellers will offer Prime shipping so make certain that you pay attention to this and like you can see above, some actually charge shipping. If you’re on a computer, the other sellers listing is on the right side of your screen under the main add to cart button. If you’re shopping Amazon mobile, it will be listed under or near the item description.
Save Money on Amazon with Used Choices
Another way to save money on Amazon is by choosing a “used” option. Not only can you get them cheaper, but if you opt for a “like new” product, you’re basically getting a new item. The only difference is that the box may be damaged, but the item is perfectly fine. Amazon is extremely strict on its sellers so if a box has even a tiny scratch, it must be marked as used. Most of the time, the like new items are simply a slightly damaged box or package. You can find the used items in the same place that you find other sellers. Just click where it tells you how many other sellers there are to choose from. Also, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can’t get Prime shipping on used items at Amazon. If the seller is using Amazon FBA, your item will qualify for free 2-day shipping with Prime.
Save Money on Amazon with Amazon Coupons
Another one of my favorite ways to save money on Amazon is by using Amazon coupons. Yes, Amazon has digital coupons just like most other stores. Sometimes you’ll save a percentage off while other times you’ll save cents or dollars off. You can view all Amazon coupons on the Amazon coupon page here.
If you don’t want to view all Amazon coupons and there is one available for a product you’re viewing, it will be shown on the item page. Just clip the coupon and it will be deducted from the items final price when you go to checkout.
Related: How I Get $275 in FREE Groceries
Save money on Amazon by using Subscribe & Save
Another ways to save money on Amazon is with the Subscribe & Save program. Items on Subscribe & Save are automatically shipped to you on a schedule that you determine. There are no obligations and you can cancel a shipment easily anytime after you receive your first shipment. When you add an eligible Subscribe & Save item, you’ll save 5% on that item. Add 5 total shipments and you’ll save 15% on each one. Subscribe & Save items always ship free, but you can bump the shipping to 2-day shipping by making sure you’re a Prime member.
If you combine shopping through Rakuten with Subscribe & Save, you can usually score a few really amazing deals on things your family uses everyday.
Save money on Amazon with Amazon Prime Pantry
A year or so ago, Amazon came out with the Amazon Prime Pantry. With Prime Pantry, you can buy groceries, household items and more at prices that are pretty comparative to what you would pay at the grocery store. When you order from Amazon Prime Pantry, you will fill a virtual box. Each virtual box ships for a flat rate of $5.99. Amazon coupons can be applied to Prime Pantry items so be sure to look out for products that have coupons attached. In addition to the coupons, Amazon also frequently offers Prime Pantry exclusive deals that can help you save even more money. I like to use Prime Pantry to stock up on household items and smaller grocery items that we go through often. Since I can have them shipped, it saves me even more money by not having to go all the way to the store and back.
Save Money on Amazon by taking advantage of free promotional credits
Sometimes, even though you’re an Amazon Prime member, it can be to your advantage to choose a slower shipping speed. Amazon almost always offers an incentive to choose their no-rush shipping option. Sometimes you’ll get a $1.00 credit good on Kindle books. Other times you’ll be able to score a credit that gives y ou free shipping on an Amazon Prime Pantry box. Sometimes the promotional credit is entirely different. If one of these promotional credits will benefit you and you can wait to receive your item, go ahead and choose it. I have gotten Kindle books free with the digital book credits before and had tons of Prime Pantry boxes delivered free with the credit.
Shipping credits aren’t the only promotional credits that you can earn. Amazon offers different promotions throughout the year so just be sure to keep your eyes open.
Save Money on Amazon by using Amazon Prime Reload
If you’re going to be shopping on Amazon and paying cash, why not get a few dollars free? If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can earn 2% back on what you spend with Amazon Prime Reload. The way it works is that Prime Members refill their Amazon gift card balance through Prime Reload and earn a 2% reward on every reload. It may not seem like a huge reward, but if you, like me, keep money in your Amazon gift card account for things like Prime Pantry, it does add up pretty quickly.
To add to your Amazon gift card balance using Prime Reload, you need to head over to the Prime Reload page here and connect both your checking account and your debit card to Amazon. The reason they have you add both is because sometimes they will pull the charge from your debit card if it is going to be quicker than charging your checking account. Once you have that done, simply reload your Amazon gift card balance to get your 2% rewards!
Save Money on Amazon with Prime Only Deals
As I said above, Amazon Prime members can often get exclusive pricing on certain items. A lot of the time there will be the same two items, one with Prime pricing and another with higher non-Prime pricing to choose from. Other times there are items listed that you can only purchase if you’re a Prime member. Those are few and far between, but I have come across a few of them over the years.
Either way, the Prime only deals are a great reason to sign up for Amazon Prime and a great way to save money when you’re shopping Amazon.
Save money on Amazon with Amazon brands
One of my other favorite ways to save money on Amazon is with Amazon specific brands. Amazon Basics is their biggest one and while they may be significantly cheaper, the quality is every bit the same as the higher cost brands. They have thousands of items to choose from! If you’ve never tried them, they’re definitely worth giving them a shot if you’re looking to save money.
Save money on Amazon with Kindle Unlimited
If you read a lot and end up buying a lot of Kindle books, you can save money on Kindle books by signing up for Kindle Unlimited. Instead of paying per book, you can sign up for Kindle Unlimited for $9.99/mo and borrow as many books as you would like during the month. When you’re done reading it, simply return it. If you read like I do, this alone could save you hundreds each year!
Save money on Amazon with Prime Early Access Deals
You probably already know about Amazon’s Lightning deals, but did you realize that Prime members get early access to those deals? This can actually save you quite a bit of money since you won’t run the risk of having to pay more for something because the deal was sold out by the time you were able to purchase it. Not only is this a fantastic way to save money on Christmas gifts, but the Lightning deals and Prime early access deals actually happen all year long. Just click on “Today’s Deals” on the Amazon website to see them!