Five Ways to Save with Amazon

More and more people are going online for all their shopping needs this holiday season, thanks to the comparatively low prices and wide variety of coupons and coupon codes from sites such as SumoCoupon available. Amazon, one of the biggest marketplaces on the web, is gearing up for the influx of customers. Of course, Amazon offers great deals and discounts year-round, but not everyone knows about them. If you’re already a fan of Amazon or would consider buying from them instead of a brick and mortar store, then check out these five ways to save with Amazon:

 

Amazon Prime

Most internet-savvy shoppers have probably heard of Amazon Prime, but is the program it worth it? After a free trial period (one month), you have the option of cancelling or paying $79 for a year’s membership in Amazon Prime. With that membership you receive: free two-day shipping on eligible items, access to the 40,000+ movies and TV shows in its streaming library, and access to 350,000+ Kindle books, which you can borrow free-of-charge. For some people, the free shipping alone could make a Prime membership worth the cost. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you’re a frequent Amazon shopper, it could end up saving you much more money than it costs.

Amazon Student

Attention college students! Amazon has a great program for students with a verifiable .edu email address. It has similar benefits to Amazon Prime (free two-day shipping), as well as special discounts tailored for students. This program is free for the first six months, then 50% off the regular cost of Prime thereafter. Also, for a limited time, Amazon is offering a $5 credit for referring friends to Amazon Student.

 

Lightning Deals

Known as the “Gold Box” section of Amazon’s website, Lightning Deals are items with steep discounts that are only available for a limited time (or until they’ve all been claimed, in which case, you are able to join a wait list). There are several new deals throughout the day (each one starts at a specific time) and there is a helpful percentage bar below the deals that show how many items have been claimed so far. Of course, this could inspire an impulse-buying mentality (“Buy it before it’s gone!”), so proceed with caution, for your wallet’s sake.

 

Misc. Deals

To compete with the likes of Groupon and LivingSocial’s daily deals, Amazon created its own Local Deals program. Everything from spa treatments to hotel stays in your area are up for grabs for a limited time (and sometimes, limited quantities). If you want deals emailed to you regularly, you can even subscribe to Amazon Local.

 

For bookworms, Amazon’s Kindle Store usually offers a daily deal on books from a variety of genres, priced around $1.99 for that day. Amazon also has monthly Kindle book deals with the maximum price being $3.99 per book.

 

Super Saver Shipping

If you’re not a Prime member but you don’t want to pay exorbitant shipping prices either, then consider ordering at least $25 worth of items from Amazon in order to be eligible for “Super Saver Shipping,” free of charge. You’ll likely get your packages in the mail 3-10 days after ordering, but even with the wait, it beats paying for shipping on top of everything else.