Amazon is already known for its low prices, right?
It’s true to an extent, but what if I told you that there were even more ways to save?
Yes, it’s possible!
In today’s post, I wanted to talk about the many legal Amazon hacks you can take advantage of right now to slash even more money off your bill. I use a lot of these tools and can say that they have helped me save more 25%+ in some cases. Best of all, it’s 100% free. And, they even work on Amazon branded products like the Fire TV stick, Echo, Alexa and much more.
So, if you’re an Amazon shopper and love to save, you may want to take advantage of these hacks to save even more.
Let’s begin!
20+ Amazon Hacks
Learn How to Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards
In the past, I wrote about the many ways you can actually get free Amazon gift cards. I know it sounds too good to be true, but I promise you it works. If you have been reading any of my posts in the past, you always know I’m about being honest and never about pushing any scams like so many bloggers do.
Anyways, if you have the time to check out that post, do so. If not, I will explain one of my favorite tips below.
What’s known as research/survey companies, these companies will pay you in rewards to answer simple questions, sometimes as much as $50+ each. Yes, it’s that easy.
I do it every single day and easily make $200 to $300+ a month. You can make much more if you work longer than I do.
Anyways, some of my favorites include Swagbucks and Survey Junkie, both of which pay out in Amazon gift cards if you choose that option. You can also choose cash as well, so don’t think it’s just Amazon rewards.
Earning these Amazon gift cards won’t take long and make for a great option if you really want to bring the cost down of your Amazon purchases. At least give it a look to see if it’s worth pursuing every day to get rewards for doing very easy tasks.
Track Amazon Prices with CamelCamelCamel
Yes, the name is weird, but CamelCamelCamel has saved me a ton and has even offered an insight as to whether or not the product I’m purchasing is a good deal.
In using this tool, you can take the product you’re looking to purchase and see how it has been priced in the past. For example, in the screenshot below, you can see a bed frame I have had my eye on…
There’s a lot to take in, I know, but you will be able to see the lowest price it was ever listed at as well as see how it has trended in the past. It gives you a good idea as to whether or not you’re paying a fair price at the time. In that example, I would say $220 was a decent price as the average was $226.
The cool thing about CamelCamelCamel is that you can set price alerts for free, which will automatically send you an email anytime the price drops or it hits a particular price point. So, if you wanted that bed frame for the lowest price it’s ever been posted at $184, I could tell the website to email when it posts for less than that.
Make it a habit to use this tool anytime you purchase something to make sure you’re getting the best price at the time.
Attempt to Use a Cash Back Website to Save X%+
Amazon is almost always on most of the popular cash back websites.
And, if you’re not familiar with these websites, they will pay you a percentage back of what you spent directly to your account. All you need to do is click on the special link and shop as you normally would.
For instance, while I was writing this, Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, offered up to 10% cash back on your purchase. How much you received was dependent on the category you shopped in, as seen below…
I have mentioned using a cash back shopping portal for years now. It’s extremely easy to use, it doesn’t change your shopping experience and puts cash back in your pocket. I mean, what’s not to love?
Be sure to check out my many ways to get cash back on Amazon as Rakuten isn’t the only company in the game.
Check out the Amazon Warehouse
The Amazon Warehouse section is open to all and is a great way to save up to 90% on select items.
In short, this is where Amazon will sell open box and closeout items, many of which come from returns. The products still work, but the actual item may have some cosmetic defects.
In purchasing something, just make sure that you look for the condition before making the purchase as Amazon will tell you what’s wrong with it. This is what it will look like…
That item, for example, is in “very good” condition, which, according to Amazon means that it may have small cosmetic damage, package damage and/or a missing manual.
You can either search for something you already had in mind or you can simply browse by category to see if there’s an item of interest. As long as you don’t mind a perfect item, this can save you a ton of cash.
Amazon Prime Is More That 2 Day Shipping
Many people sign up for an Amazon Prime account just for the free two-day shipping.
While that’s all fine and dandy, know that an Amazon Prime membership offers many more options, including:
- Free two-hour delivery with PrimeNOW – spend at least $35 on the PrimeNOW site and get your items in two hours
- Amazon Music – over two million songs included with Prime accounts
- Prime Photos – unlimited photo storage
- Prime Reading – borrow thousands of books, audiobooks and magazines for free
- Prime Video – similar to that of Netflix
- Prime Wardrobe – an exclusive Prime program where you can try on clothes before committing to buy
Click on your account to know of all your benefits because there are a lot of them.
Share Amazon Prime with Other People
Amazon offers the Amazon Household program, which allows you to share your Prime benefits with a total of two adults as well as up to four teens and children.
In using this benefit, you can share eBooks, audiobooks, apps, games and even access digital content. Basically, that newly linked account gets to do everything you can do, include buy items and receive Prime shipping times.
You just need to connect their accounts and they can then access your Prime benefits just as you would.
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa
If you shop Amazon quite a bit, you may want to consider the free Amazon Prime Rewards Visa to get even more bang for your buck.
If you’re a Prime member, Amazon will give you 5% cash back on all of your Amazon.com and Whole Foods purchases. In the future, you can then apply these credits at any time to your Amazon purchase. Not only can you get 5% back as a Prime member, you can get 2% cash back on all restaurant, gas station as well as drugstore purchases, and 1% on everything else.
Even if you’re not a Prime member, Amazon still offers a card, but instead of 5% cash back on Amazon, you will receive 3% cash back on all purchases.
This credit card has no annual fees, travel perks, no minimum reward balance to redeem and much more. Refer to the official page for more details.
Consider Downloading Parbius (it’s free)
The cool thing about Paribus is that you can link it to your e-mail account, allowing it to scan your Amazon receipts any time you make a purchase. It will scan both the shipping and confirmation emails to see if any price adjustments have been made in the past 30 days. It will also track your packages to see if it’s late.
If it’s able to find an eligible order, it will then do the work for you, requesting a refund on your behalf, or in some cases, it will tell you how to do ask for a credit in the case your shipment arrives late.
Paribus is a 100% free tool, offered by Capital One, and it only takes minutes to sign up for.
Wikibuy and Honey Compares Prices
Unfortunately, Amazon isn’t always the cheapest price in town.
And, this is where the Wikibuy and Honey browser extension can come in the picture.
This extension compares the prices of the items you’re already looking and will tell you if you’re getting the best deal. It will also help you find coupon codes as well as show you the price history of that item.
These extensions work with thousands of other retailers and is 100% free to download.
Parent? Sign up for Amazon Family
Amazon Family is designed for moms and dads, offering you a ton of baby-related discounts.
From 20% off on diapers to hundreds of coupons, all you need to do is sign up for an Amazon Family account to qualify.
If you have any children and are a Prime member, at least add your family members to start saving big.
College Students Get Prime Free for Six Months
If you’re currently a college student and can prove it, Amazon will give you a free Prime account for six months.
To qualify, you will need to enter your university details, your date of birth as well as your expected graduation year. In many cases, you will have to upload some sort of proof, such as a transcript to prove your claim.
Even after your six-month membership expires, your rate is much less than the regular rate as students only need to pay $6.49 a month — a 50% discount! You can pay this rate for as long as you’re a student, up to four years max.
EBT or Medicaid Card Holders Get a Deal as Well
Like college students, EBT or Medicaid cardholders can get a discounted Prime membership as well, only having to pay $5.99 a month.
Yes, you will have to prove your EBT/Medicaid information by entering your number as well as uploading an image. You will also have to do this every 12 months to re-qualify.
If you do qualify, you can only take advantage of this deal for up to 48 months. No household sharing benefits are available on this account option.
Amazon Lightning Deals
The “Amazon Lightning Deals” page is a fun part of Amazon that not many people know about.
With these deals, they are at random and only available for a certain amount of time or when the inventory runs out.
For example, the headphones above were 25% claimed at the time and were more than 60% off.
Again, these deals will always be random, but I have fun at least searching to see what’s on sale for today. If you’re able to find something, you could save more than 25%+ off, making for a pretty sweet deal.
Save up to 15% with Subscribe and Save
The Subscribe and Save program allows you to save up to 15% on items that you may already be purchasing. If you’re going to continue to purchase these items every so often, you might as well save even more, right?
To take advantage and start saving, Amazon just asks that you set up a “subscribe and save” on an item that’s eligible. These are usually items you commonly purchase every month or so, such as toilet paper, dish soap, etc. When you do select this item, Amazon will then automatically ship out the said item for the duration noted and give you a discount.
To save, just look for the “Subscribe and Save” icon on the item’s page when you’re about to add it to your cart. It will look something like this…
Add more than five items to your subscribe and save list and you can save up to 15% off. If it’s less than that, you can save 5%. You get to select the duration and can cancel at any time.
Now, the cool thing about this is that you can set up a program and then cancel immediately to save. You don’t have to continue to receive shipments in order to get your discounts.
No-Rush Shipping for Rewards (Prime Members Only)
If you have a Prime account, consider choosing the “no-rush” shipping option if you don’t need the item within the next two days.
I know this option kind of defeats the purpose of having a Prime account, but in doing so, you can receive discounts after your order ships.
The discounts usually vary, but from my experience, it ranged anywhere from a $5 PrimeNOW credit to a Prime Pantry reward. The Doctor of Credit does a pretty good job noting the best no rush deals as of today.
Again, they vary, so be sure to check out this option when selecting your shipping option at checkout. It may be worth if you know you can use the credit in the future.
Try Amazon Cash for Free Money
In many cases, Amazon will throw you some free money if you’re a first-time Amazon Cash user.
To use it, all you need to do is visit a participating location (found here) and add funds to your account with your cash. Just visit that location, show your barcode that Amazon gives you and hand the cashier your cash. In doing so, you will now have those funds added to your Amazon balance like a gift card.
Many times, Amazon will give you an extra $5~ bonus, so I recommend checking out the page to see what you could take advantage of. It’s free money after all!
Reload a Gift Card
Much like the cash tip, Amazon will often offer bonuses if you add/reload a gift card to your account.
And, the cool thing about it is that they offer a bonus to everyone, not just first-time customers.
To see if any promotions are going on at the moment, follow this link and look for any promotional verbiage like this…
If you see, at least buy a gift card before you make your purchase to save even more.
Amazon Coupons
Finding a coupon code on a third-party website is often hard to do, but if you’re insistent on finding one, then let it be known that Amazon has its own coupons page.
Here, you can either search for a coupon by brand or just browse the most current deals. If you see anything of interest, simply click on the “clip coupon” button and it will automatically add the savings to your cart.
In some cases, you don’t even need to use the page linked prior as the items you’re browsing may alert you to the coupon already.
Shipping Late? Complain for Freebies
If your shipment doesn’t arrive during the timeline specified, complain via the support chat. More oftentimes than not, they will give you some sort of credit as a good gesture.
While I haven’t done it myself, I have read quite a few reports where people were able to get a free month of Prime if a shipment was late. Some were able to get a credit of sorts. Your results will vary.
Amazon often does a great job getting you a package in the time specified, but in the case they don’t, consider venting your frustrations for a freebie.
Donate with Amazon Smile
This option won’t save you money, but you can help a charity in need.
Known as Amazon Smile, you can select from one of the millions of charities Amazon works with, including some schools in your local neighborhood. Just use the search here and pick an organization of your choice.
Once you add it to your account, 0.5% of your purchase will automatically go to their fund. It’s a great way to help a charity in need.
Close to $25 in Shipping?
If you don’t have a Prime account, you will need at least $25 in items to qualify for free shipping, as you may already know.
So, what happens if you have $22 in items and only need to spend a few dollars more to qualify?
Thankfully, Amazon has a TON of “add-on” items that cost less than a few dollars, all found here.
Browse through the list, and I’m sure you should find something of value that you can add to your cart to bring the total north of $25.
Final Thoughts
There are so many ways to “hack” Amazon, in a legal way, of course.
The next time you shop Amazon, consider one of the many hacks mentioned above to save big. I can almost promise you that if you follow at least one of these tips, you can save a decent chunk off your bill. Make it a habit to do so every time you shop on Amazon and the savings can add up.
As always, if I’m missing any saving tips and/or you want to comment on what I already mentioned, then you’re more than welcome to do so in the comments below.
For now, keep these tips in mind and always try to apply them before you hit the submit button to finalize your purchase!
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