17 ways to save at Amazon
For whatever your little heart may desire, retail behemoth Amazon (AMZN) is likely the place that will have it. For any room in your house to the outside of your house to your personal, beauty and baby needs, the list of Amazon purchasing options goes on and on and on. If you're worried that clicking away on tempting items online might lead you to go into debt, try using some of these tactics the next time you're shopping on the site.
Here are 17 ways to save at Amazon.
1. Check out Today's Deals
The Today's Deals section is loaded with savings options. From coupons and 24-hour deals to open-box and used items, as well as Amazon's online outlet store, the savings are endless. Make this your first stop any time Amazon is on your brain (and browser).
2. Sign up for Subscribe & Save
For those things you purchase regularly, it might be worth signing up for the Subscribe & Save program. You can save up to 15 percent on these items, set up a regular schedule for receiving them and get free shipping.
3. Get Amazon Prime
If you shop on Amazon enough, the $99 yearly fee to subscribe to Amazon Prime might be worth it. You'll earn rewards with your purchases and get free two-day shipping on some items. You'll also have access to a selection of streaming TV shows and movies, additional coupons and a free two-month trial on the family plan of Amazon Music Unlimited, plus a discount on full membership if you end up joining. Still not sure it's for you? Sign up for a free 30-day trial and cancel it before the month is out if it doesn't work out.
4. Join Prime Student
If you're a student with a valid .edu email address, sign up for Prime Student. You'll get a free six-month trial, after which you'll upgrade to standard Prime for 50 percent off. Prime Student comes with free two-day shipping, access to video streaming and thousands of books and magazines and early access to select Amazon Lightning Deals, among other things.
5. Look into Amazon Family
If you're a Prime member, signing up for Amazon Family gets you access to exclusive family-oriented offers like coupons, 20 percent diaper subscriptions and a 15 percent Baby Registry completion discount.
6. Consider an Amazon store credit card…
The retail giant's standard store credit card is strictly no-frills -- unless you have a Prime membership, then you'll get a full 5 percent cash back on Amazon purchases, which can really add up for frequent shoppers.
7. … its Prime Rewards Visa …
Amazon also offers a traditional credit card that touts the same 5 percent cash back on Amazon purchases but can be used anywhere Visa is accepted. As an added bonus, you'll also earn 2 percent cash back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores, and 1 percent cash back everywhere else. We've got more on the card here.
8. … or your current rewards credit card
If you're not interested in new plastic, get some kickback on your purchases by using a rewards credit card that's already in your wallet. Just be careful not to spend more than you'll be able to pay off in full. Otherwise, your points, miles or cash back will be lost to interest. Plus, high credit card balances can hurt your credit. (You can view two of your credit scores for free on Credit.com.)
9. Shop with rewards
On the flip side, Amazon partners with quite a few credit card issuers so you can pay for purchases using your points or cash back -- and not the hard-earned funds in your bank account.
10. Buy at the right time
Amazon price-tracker site camelcamelcamel.com monitors millions of products on Amazon and alerts you when the price drops on the items you want, making your price-savings scouting just a little bit easier.
11. Shop around for lower prices
Use price comparison sites like PriceBlink.com to find lower prices and coupons. While you're viewing a product, the site scans more than 4,000 additional merchants for lower prices elsewhere so you know you're always making the most informed purchase.
12. Get paid to shop online
Sign up for a MyPoints accounts and you'll earn points for every dollar you spend when you click to the retail site from the MyPoints page. Plus, you'll earn a $10 Amazon card with your first qualified purchase.
13. Do some digging
If you're searching for a specific product on Amazon, don't always think the first item that pops up will be the cheapest. In fact, if you're in the market for a specific product, it pays to always dig deeper than just typing in the object name in the search bar and putting the first thing that appears in your cart. Check out the "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" carousel below the item for products that are likely to be very similar to what you're looking for -- but potentially much cheaper.
14. Install a coupon aggregator on your computer
Rather than searching around for Amazon coupons yourself, install a coupon aggregator like Honey on your computer and let it do the searching for you at checkout.
15. Buy discounted gift cards
Check out sites like Raise.com and Gift Card Granny to score Amazon gift cards at less than face value.
16. Trade in your old items
Use the Amazon Trade-In program to earn gift cards on items you no longer use.
17. Turn off One-Click
OK, this move won't net you a discount, but it may stop you from going overboard and busting your budget.
This article originally appeared on Credit.com.
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