5 Tricks to Save Even More with Amazon’s Subscribe and Save Program
Use these hacks to save yourself even more money using the program.
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Shopping for groceries and essentials can be tough with a busy schedule, especially when it’s a bulky item like toilet paper or dog food. Plus, there is always the sinking feeling of going to grab some toothpaste or baby wipes and realizing you just ran out. Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program is designed to save shoppers from these moments. The service is free, even to non-Prime members, and offers up to 15% off common household items when you sign up for a subscription on the items.
How Does Subcribe & Save Work?
To use Amazon’s Subscribe and Save program, start by checking out the list of eligible products. There are thousands of items to choose from with more being added each day, including groceries, pet supplies, baby products, health and beauty items, and other household essentials like batteries or trash bags. Navigate to the page of the item you want and select “Subscribe and Save” instead of “One-Time Purchase”. There you will see the price, including the discount, and you can select the quantity and frequency. A single item gets an automatic 5% discount, but goes up to 15% if you bundle five items together. All orders ship free, of course, and the service can be cancelled any time. Scheduled something to come once a month but you ran out after a week? You can choose to expedite the order at any time, free of charge.
5 Ways to Save Even More Money
Always check out with five items to get the 15% discount.
Choose between one and four items to subscribe to and you’ll get 5% off each item. Bundle five items together and you unlock the 15% discount. Finding five items that you need at the same weekly or monthly frequency can be tough, but there are tons of items under $5 you can add on to hit that threshold.
Another hack for getting to five items: Add one item to your cart multiple times instead of raising the quantity of the single item and ordering multiple varieties. Ordering something like dish soap? Get it in multiple scents — each version counts as a unique item.
Use Amazon's digital coupons for extra savings.
Many items on Amazon have digital coupons attached, which just need to be activated. Check the Amazon Coupons page to see which items are offering savings. There is a convenient section just for coupons on Subscribe and Save products. Clipping these can net you up to 30% off the total cost.
What’s more, Prime members can save an additional 20% on Amazon Basics products totaling over $50. These items must be purchased in the same transaction to activate the discount and Amazon caps the savings at $100 (sorry, extreme couponers). Stack these coupons together to get the maximum savings on things you use every day.
Let Amazon help with the frequency.
Do you buy cat litter every month? Or every three months? Not sure? One of the toughest things about ordering these subscriptions is deciding how often you run out of your items. The last thing you want is to end up with a huge surplus of stuff and nowhere to store it. Amazon can help with that, too. If you have already ordered these items on Amazon, the company will suggest your ideal frequency based on past purchases. Just navigate to the Subscribe and Save page, and you will see a “Recommended For You” section full of all your favorite products.
Look out for price fluctuations.
About a week or so before your scheduled delivery, you’ll get a reminder email to check your subscriptions. This is your chance to look out for unexpected changes in price. This is also a good opportunity to check and make sure there are no new coupons to apply, add a filler item to bring your total up to five, or to peruse the current Amazon deals so you can add them on to the order and get 15% off everything.
Cancel any time.
Amazon lets you cancel your order at any time, without penalty. Although the company offers the subscription service discount in hopes that you will stick with it, there is nothing to stop you from bundling a bunch of items you need right away to maximize the savings, then cancelling after the first shipment. This can come in handy if you happen to see a great coupon at another retailer for a given month that’s higher than the one Amazon gives you.
Our Favorite Products for Subscribe & Save Value
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