I don’t think I’m out of line in saying Amazon has revolutionized my life. The ability to hop on my computer or smart phone, pick out an item, and have it brought to my front door (or a friend’s door when their birthday has snuck up on me, or to my mom who lives 3 hours away on Mother’s Day) in a day or two is truly remarkable.
The only thing that makes shopping on Amazon even better is when I can save money while doing so. Looking for more ways to save money when shopping on Amazon? Here’s eleven suggestions to get you started saving money that, let’s be honest, will still be spent on Amazon later when you realize you need to have something else shipped to your front door (and pronto).
Price dropped? Get the difference back in your wallet
I love seeing the little indicator that an item in my Amazon wish list or shopping cart has dropped in price since I added it. Unfortunately, I don’t always save an item for later and get to wait for that – sometimes I buy an item right away, only for it to drop in price after I’ve done so.
Enter Paribus. This app will connect to the email address you receive your Amazon order confirmations in and automatically look for price drops on items you’ve purchased.
If Paribus finds an order confirmation for an item in your email inbox that has lowered in price, they’ll help you get the difference between the lower price and what you paid by either filing a claim for you or helping you do it yourself based on the retailer’s policies.
After your claim is successfully processed, you’ll receive the difference in the form of either a refund to your original payment method or in store credit. Paribus can also be set up to track your Amazon Prime shipments and request compensation on your behalf if your item arrives later than it’s supposed to.
Sign up for Amazon Prime using Ibotta
Ibotta users, rejoice: use your Ibotta account for special cash back offers on Amazon. Ibotta also offers an incredible promo if you sign up for an Amazon Prime account through them for a full year: a free $20 Amazon gift card.
If you’re new to Ibotta, you can sign up to take advantage of this deal and also get a $10 welcome bonus, which essentially just adds to your savings and helps when you are following all the steps to sell on Amazon! If you’re a student with a .edu email address, you can also get 50% off an Amazon Prime Student membership by signing up through Ibotta.
Earn cash back on your Shopping
Instead of going straight to Amazon’s website, start at cash back site like Ebates or BeFrugal.
By going to Amazon through a cash back site, you’ll have the ability to earn cash back on purchases you’re already planning to make.
Sites like Rakuten Ebates and BeFrugal earn a commission when shoppers head to a certain retailer’s site through theirs. These sites then turn around and give part, or in some cases all, of that commission right to the shopper in the form of cash back.
Your cash back can be redeemed in various forms, depending on the site: actual cash via PayPal or a direct deposit, gift cards, and more.
It might take a couple of extra clicks, and some extra effort to remember to do so, but going through the extra steps to shop via a cash back site is absolutely worth a little extra effort.
You can read our full review of Ebates and Befrugal for more information about how they work.
Earn free gift cards from Swagbucks
Use Swagbucks to turn your minutes into dollars…literally. Earn points on Swagbucks for completing various online tasks and turn those points into free gift cards.
You can complete online surveys, watch videos, get “cash” back in the form of Swagbucks points when shopping online, play games, and more to earn Swagbucks points that can then be exchanged for Amazon gift cards.
With just a few minutes a day, you can earn free Amazon gift cards. You know you’re going to spend a bunch of time aimlessly scrolling online throughout the day anyways, why not be rewarded for your time online instead?
Buy a discounted gift card before shopping
Make your money go a little farther by buying a discounted Amazon gift card before shopping, Use a site like Gift Card Granny or Raise, where people can sell unwanted gift cards for less than their value, to purchase a discounted gift card.
This means you’ll be able to spend more on Amazon for less out of your pocket, and you’re helping someone earn cash for an unwanted gift card while you’re at it.
Amazon Outlet
Amazon’s Outlet section is a one-stop shop for markdowns, closeouts, and overstock deals. This is a great part of Amazon’s site to browse when you’re looking for a deal, and be sure to check frequently as there are new deals being added all the time.
Trade-In program with Amazon
Do you have old books or items laying around your house that you would like to trade in for something new? Amazon would be happy to help you out with that. The Amazon Trade-In program allows you to trade some items you’re done with in for Amazon gift cards.
Let them know what you would like to trade in, they’ll make you an offer, and even throw in free shipping to send the items their way. Once they’ve received and approved your items, you’ll see a gift card balance in your Amazon account.
Amazon Subscribe and Save Deals
Do you have trouble remembering to buy toothpaste? Does your toilet paper supply always seem to run out at the worst possible time? Not only is Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program super handy, but it can save you money on everyday items as well.
Subscribe to your favorite items – whether it’s shampoo, trash bags, diapers, coffee pods, or something else – and select the quantity you want in your order and the frequency at which you’d like to receive it.
You can skip a shipment or stop your subscriptions at any time, but in the meantime it’s an easy way to have everyday items shipped right to your front door at a convenient frequency for your family.
You’ll also get discounts on certain items and can save up to 15% when you’re getting five or more products delivered to your door each month. Some products also have coupons available, allowing you to save even more.
Share your purchases and Earn Free Amazon Money
ShopTracker is an app that will pay you to share your Amazon shopping history with them. It’s operated by Harris Poll, a large survey company, for the purpose of market research.
They are interested in understanding shopping habits, and your willingness to share yours can amount to an extra $3 a month in your pocket. It may not seem like much, but a free $36 over the course of a year with very little effort on your part is definitely nothing to scoff at.
You’ll be asked to connect your Amazon account and leave the app installed so they can track your habits and orders, as well as complete a short survey each month. Otherwise, the only thing you have left to do is keep shopping on Amazon and figure out what you’ll spend your extra $36 on!
Today’s Deals
Every day, Amazon’s best deals can be found in one place: the “Today’s Deals” section. You can see how long the deal is good for and keep an eye on future deals as well, or sign up to receive emails with the day’s deals in them if that’s easier for you.
This can be a great place to shop for gifts – if you aren’t sure what to get someone, browsing through these deals might inspire you with a gift idea at a savings!
Amazon Credit Card
Amazon offers two credit cards: the Amazon Prime Store Card and the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card. Both cards offer rewards for making purchases in the form of Amazon credit.
When you make a purchase, your rewards balance will appear when you checkout on Amazon. It’s not quite cash back, but if you shop on Amazon a lot, it might as well be.
Both Amazon credit cards offer 5% back on Amazon purchases for Prime members and neither have an annual fee. The main difference is that the Amazon Prime Store card can only be used on Amazon’s website, while the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card can be used anywhere Visa is accepted.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card also offers 1%-2% back on non-Amazon purchases, as well as offering 3% back on Amazon purchases for individuals who are not Amazon Prime members.
The Amazon Prime Store Card is only valuable for Prime members as there’s no cash back earned without a Prime membership, but it does offer 0% interest 12 Month Equal Pay Financing on some items sold by Amazon.
If you have an Amazon Prime account, it’s absolutely worth getting the 5% back on all Amazon purchases to consider getting one of these cards.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card is also currently offering a free $70 Amazon gift card upon approval, and the Amazon Prime Store Card is offering $60, as another added savings.
