It's time for Amazon Prime Day — one of the best times of the year to save money on everything from headphones to household staples. Whether you are gearing up to save some cash on Prime Day purchases or looking for deals on any of the other days of the year, here are ways you may be able to save money on your next Amazon "add to cart" moment.
Use points
After filling your Amazon cart, you might have noticed the "Shop with Points" option at checkout. But this is not always the best use of your credit card points from a monetary value perspective, as you can often get better value from your points when redeeming for travel.
But sometimes, promotions award money off your Amazon order even when using a small number of points.
At any given time, various targeted American Express offers give cardholders the opportunity to save. On Tuesday, TPG staffers with eligible Amex cards were targeted to save between 10% and 40% on Amazon orders using as little as 1 Amex Membership Rewards point. Offer terms vary, but the concept remains relatively the same. If one of these offers is available for your account, it can be a great way to save on your next Amazon order.
You must link your eligible Amex card(s) to your Amazon account to shop with Membership Rewards points.
You can check these links for some of the latest Amazon points-related offers:
- Save up to 40% on Amazon purchases using just 1 Amex point
- Check to see if you can save $10 on your next Amazon order using just 1 Chase Ultimate Rewards point
- Get $20 off your next Amazon order using just 1 Citi ThankYou point
Earn bonus points with the right credit card
If you have an American Express card, see if you've been targeted for any Amex Offers. These offers vary from account to account and can be a great way to rack up bonus Membership Rewards points or save money on purchases you would make anyway.
Amazon periodically appears in Amex Offers.
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The trick here is to check your Amex account frequently to see if you're eligible to earn bonus points or additional savings. You must manually add these offers to your Amex account and then use that card to pay for your Amazon orders.
TPG's June 2024 valuations peg Amex Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, so getting 5 points per dollar spent at Amazon is like earning 10 cents in rewards per dollar spent. To start accessing these Amex Offers, a couple of good American Express cards to consider that don't even come with annual fees are:
- Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express (see rates and fees)
- Hilton Honors American Express Card (see rates and fees)
Use an Amazon credit card
While we're discussing the best credit cards for Amazon purchases, let's talk about Amazon's own card — the Prime Visa.
It doesn't have an annual fee, and new cardholders will receive a $200 Amazon gift card immediately upon approval. You can use the gift card straight away for Prime Day purchases. The card is only available to Prime members, so factor that in when deciding if it is the right match for you.
You can read our full review of the Prime Visa card.
The card usually awards 5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market; 2% cash back at restaurants, gas stations, and local transit and commuting; and 1% cash back on everything else.
Use coupons
This tip won't come as a surprise, but if you see a coupon available on Amazon, be sure to click on it.
You'll know if there's a coupon available for your item, as there will be an icon that says "Coupon" below the price. The coupon will be activated if you check the box next to it. Coupons are sometimes only for a few cents or dollars, but saving money is saving money.
Some items will also let you save by subscribing for repeat deliveries.
Track prices and set price alerts
It's hard to know just how good a sale is if you haven't been pricing a certain item for a while. One site that can tell you the historical price of an item on Amazon — and even alert you to price drops — is CamelCamelCamel.
This website can help you gauge just how good a sale is. If it's not an urgent purchase, you can also use this site to help you decide whether or not to hold off on buying an item until you get a better price through a sale or price drop.
Get credit for no-rush shipping or pickup
If you have time to spare, you can opt for no-rush shipping on your items and save them for an "Amazon Day Delivery." This way, you'll earn a credit that you can use for future digital purchases such as select e-books, music, videos and apps. The amount of the credit varies, but it often totals up to a couple of dollars in my tests.
You'll find this option during checkout when you're prompted to enter your shipping information.
If you decide to send your order to an Amazon pickup point (rather than your home), you may be rewarded with a promotion. In the past, we've seen $10 credits on future $20 Amazon orders by using a code and retrieving orders at an Amazon Hub, such as an Amazon Locker or Locker+.
Sign up for a free Amazon Prime trial
You also might be able to sign up for a free, 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. It's a great, free way to try out the service if you haven't already. You'll be able to receive free, two-day shipping on eligible items, and also get access to Prime Video, etc. After that, if you don't cancel, the plan increases to $14.99 every month.
Purchase Amazon gift cards
If the credit cards in your wallet don't offer any points or cash-back bonuses for Amazon, you can also purchase Amazon gift cards at grocery stores with a credit card that gives bonus rewards at that specific retailer.
For example, if you buy a $100 Amazon gift card at the grocery store and pay for that purchase with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you can earn 6% cash back on that purchase (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases at U.S. supermarkets, then 1%). Cash back is received as Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at amazon.com checkout.
Bottom line
From having the right credit card to using American Express Reward Dollars for purchases, there are several ways to save money while shopping at Amazon — bookmark this page for the upcoming Prime Day sale and beyond.
Related reading:
- The best credit cards for Amazon purchases
- Prime Visa card review: A good choice for regular Amazon shoppers
- The ultimate guide to saving money with Amex Offers
- Amex Blue Cash Preferred card review: Generous bonus categories and a solid welcome offer
For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Amex, click here.
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
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