Even before the 2020 global pandemic made us all shut-ins, people were already falling in love with online shopping. E-commerce giant Amazon has made virtual shopping affordable, easy, and fun. Who doesn’t love to see the delivery guy walking up to their door with packages every few days? Amazon sells nearly everything on the planet, so you can buy almost everything you need in one spot.
Ordering online can save busy parents precious time, by not having to run a million errands to grab needed items at various local stores. From groceries to gifts, you can cut down on driving and eliminate having to navigate busy stores with your kids in tow.
If online shopping has become a bit of an addiction for you lately, don’t worry, we’ve got all the information you need to save tons of money every single time you “add to cart” on Amazon.
Using Subscription Features To Save Money On Amazon
There are two major ways you can save money on Amazon by signing up for subscription services. With these Amazon subscribe and save offers, you can save hundreds of dollars a year or more, depending on how much you shop online.
#1. Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime, the site’s own annual perks membership, is one of their most popular features. In fact, with 112 million US Prime members, around 65% of Amazon shoppers have subscribed. The main benefit of Amazon Prime is free 2-day shipping (that sometimes even comes the next day). That’s not all you get for your yearly payment of $119 though. You’ll also get access to Prime Video which has lots of movies, tv-series, and original content for you to watch.
There’s also Prime savings events, discounts of eligible items, a free kindle book every month, and more. During “Prime Days” you will get exclusive savings only available to members. The price might sound steep at first but if you plan to order more than 10-15 times in a year, you will more than pay for the membership in shipping savings.
#2. Amazon Subscribe & Save
Put various home and pantry items you buy on a regular basis on autopilot to enjoy deep discounts from Amazon. Have automatic deliveries set up of things like toilet paper, power towels, cleaning products, and your favorite snacks. You can even set a reminder a few days out that will let you cancel an order if you haven’t run out yet.
Imagine not having to haul in boxes of cat litter or 30 lb bags of dog food every month from the local pet store. You can manage your subscriptions, change the quantity, or change the time between deliveries to fit your needs. This can also help you stick to a planned budget for household expenses and groceries.
Apps, Websites, And Groups That Help You Find The Best Prices On Amazon
If you have your eye on a little something special for yourself or your family, but the price is a little too high, you can use one of these resources to help get the lowest sale price available. Simply load your wishlist and wait to hear that tell-tale alert bell ring.
Apps like CamelCamelCamel can keep track of your watched or favorited items and alert you when the price drops. They usually have both a smartphone app and a desktop extension to help keep you connected to the best deals at a moment’s notice. You can also see the price history of that item over time so you can get an idea of what the best price range is for that product.
Deal websites such as Koopy will give you access to coupons and deals on Amazon you might not have found on your own. You’ll be able to find hidden deals and promos all in one spot. Sign up for email alerts as well.
Want even more ways to be alerted to deals? If you’re a Facebook user, there are lots of Amazon deal groups you can join. Make sure to turn notification on for the group so you don’t miss out on any deals. You can join a general group or a category-specific group like one for moms, pet owners, or beauty products.
Navigate All The Secret Deal Spots Hidden Within Amazon
Amazon is so huge that it can get difficult to navigate. Some of the deal pages are a few clicks in and not that easy to find in the first place. A great way to keep track of the pages you find most useful is to add a folder to your bookmarks tabs and save them there. This works on both laptops and mobile devices. On the Amazon App, you can also tap the three lines on the bottom right to open a menu of individual Amazon pages, as seen below.
The various deals pages will help you keep on top of sales and special promotions that can save you a chunk of change when shopping. Here are some of the pages you’ll find within Amazon:
Daily Deals – The daily deals actually show up at the top of your Amazon page. The deals are typically only good for one day. For hands-free, try asking Alexa on an Echo device about today’s deals. You can find “gold box” deals highlighted at the top of the website.
Digital Deals – Similar to daily deals, these are deals on digital media like Kindle books, and downloadable music or movies.
Amazon Outlets – Amazon Outlets is one of those pages that you have to hunt for but you can find deep discounts on overstock items. They have a section just for things that have fallen under $10. This is a good page to save and come back to over and over again.
Amazon Woot – Download the Amazon Woot app to find deals on quirky finds from the outer fringes of Amazon. You’ll find a lot of fun gift ideas for nerds and techies in Woot. The app works on both iPhone and Android devices. It’s also full of witty content and a thriving community of reviewers.
Bargain Finds – Bargain Finds is another Amazon page to find good deals on specific categories that Amazon describes as “seasonally relevant, priced low.” What makes this page unique is that everything is under $15.
Amazon Trade-In – You can trade in select items for Amazon gift card credit or credit towards your next upgrade on Amazon products. For example, you can trade a video game in for gift card money, or you can trade your old Kindle in for money off your next Kindle.
Used & Refurbished – Did you know that Amazon has a whole second-hand market? You can buy used items like books and games for a cheaper price from sellers who sign up to sell through Amazon. You can also by refurbished electronics, that’s items that were returned because they were broken but have now been fixed and are for sale at a lower cost.
Lighting Deals – Lightning deals are super quick sales where only one item is allowed per customer. You can find them listed on the Today’s Deals page or the Prime Day page.
Even More Ways To Save On Your Amazon Purchases
That’s a whole lot of deals! But wait, there are more ways to save! We haven’t even mentioned coupons yet. Did you know that Amazon has coupons? When a coupon is available you’ll see it in the listing, click to clip the coupon, and save. You can also find coupon codes at Koopy and RetailMeNot or with browser extensions like Honey.
Here are a few extra tips and hacks for saving on Amazon:
- College students can get a special rate on Prime Membership as well as other discounts.
- You can open a charge card with 5% cashback that you can redeem in Amazon Gift Cards. Amazon even has its own credit card partnered through Visa.
- Look for discounts on add-on items when you place an order. Sometimes you can get lightweight items added on to your order of $25 or more with savings.
- Get Amazon credit by selecting a slower shipping time. Even if you have Prime, sometimes there will be an option to opt for slower shipping times in exchange for cashback in credit.
- Use Amazon gift cards to shop and take advantage of “reload” bonuses. Sometimes you will get a reward for topping off your gift card balance. This is a great way to shop around the holidays. You can even give your older children gift cards to use to shop for family members.
Now that you know a ton of money-saving tips, you are going to feel a lot less guilty about your online shopping. Make sure to price compare your pantry, household, and pet food staples because the auto-ship deals on Amazon alone could save you enough money to cover the cost of your Prime membership. Remember, the subscription services will give you the most generous savings of all.
