6 Easy Ways To Save Money When Shopping On Amazon

It's no secret that Amazon is one of the biggest retailers of all time. As of 2024, the online superstore has a current estimated 197 million monthly active users and accumulated 2.72 billion unique monthly visitors in 2023. Based on one survey of online shoppers, the average American spends $91.75 on Amazon purchases each and every month on an extremely wide range of products, including clothes, electronics, appliances, groceries, and — sometimes — books. If you're reading this, chances are you're one of those millions of Amazon customers, and if you're looking to keep under budget without sacrificing the convenience and choice that comes with online shopping, there are several different ways you can save money.

These methods include everything from the way you pay for Amazon's goods to when you want them delivered, as well as taking advantage of special sales and even the old-fashioned, tried-and-true practice of clipping coupons (sort of). Before you go ahead with your next purchase from the retailer, check and see if you can apply one or more of these six easy ways to save money when shopping on Amazon.

If you regularly use Amazon, subscribing to Amazon Prime can save you money. The subscription service offers a multitude of benefits, including free Two-Day Shipping and Same-Day Delivery, depending on the items and your location. Also included are exclusive discounts on certain products, as well as a 30-minute head start on Lightning Deals. Amazon Prime also allows you to order groceries through Amazon Fresh and/or Whole Foods Market. Perhaps most famously, Amazon Prime members have access to Amazon Prime Video, which isn't just a small side-perk but a full streaming service in its own right, which includes a huge library of films and TV shows, as well as award-winning original content.

Additionally, Prime members get access to Amazon Music and discounts for Amazon Music Unlimited, plus a free monthly Twitch channel subscription of their choosing, free games, and other gaming benefits through the brand's Prime Gaming platform. Like with most subscription services these days, Amazon Prime isn't immune to price hikes, and is currently $14.99 per month or $139 per year. However, there are some ways to get a discounted Amazon Prime membership.

You can also get additional discounts by using the Amazon Prime Visa card. It's no different than using a typical credit card, but it comes with many perks that are particularly beneficial if you often shop on Amazon, including 5% cashback on purchases from Amazon, Whole Foods, and Chase Travel, 2% cashback at restaurants, gas stations, and for other transit purchases, and 1% cashback for everything else. This money can easily be redeemed and applied to Amazon purchases with just a single click. You don't even need Amazon Prime to apply for the card, and other similar Amazon cards with varying benefits are also available.

If you regularly use Amazon to buy certain products, such as laundry detergent, coffee beans, or many other items, you can use Subscribe & Save to automate the process — and save money while you're at it. Choose a recurring delivery date (it's customizable, but monthly is a common choice) and select which products you'd like to receive on that date. Many products on Amazon have lower prices if you purchase them through Subscribe & Save, and an additional 15% discount is also applied to most products if your delivery includes at least five eligible items.

If you end up not needing a certain item, you can skip the delivery for a month with just one click, and you can also select backup items in case that brand or product is currently out of stock. You also get an email reminder before the items ship out in case there's anything you'd like to add or delete from the order at the last minute. I personally use Subscribe & Save for literally dozens of household items, like toothpaste and trash bags, and if you bookmark the page you can quickly review and change your order without having to dig into Amazon's menus.

Many products on Amazon will also have digital coupons that can be used for both subscriptions and one-time purchases. They often appear in green under the list price, and you can "clip" them simply by clicking them — the discount will be applied after you add the item to your cart. Sometimes, the discount is just for a few dollars, but other times it can be significant, like 50% off or higher. Always make sure to keep an eye out for Amazon Coupons when buying something from the site.

When you search for certain products, such as batteries, you'll often see an option called AmazonBasics in addition to more traditional brands like Duracell and Energizer. Just as brick-and-mortar stores often have a cheaper "store brand," AmazonBasics is the online retailer's equivalent, and the private-label product line covers a very wide range of products. Some of them, such as AmazonBasics Motor Oil, are made by third-party companies, and if you're worried that the quality of an AmazonBasics product isn't the same as a more well-known brand, you can always check the reviews before adding it to your cart. Similarly, Amazon Essentials is the same conceit, but with a focus on clothing and other apparel. One benefit is that Prime users can try out many Amazon Essentials brands for a week and return them at no cost if they don't fit or you don't like the way they look. AmazonBasics and Amazon Essentials products are often cheaper than many name brands, and you can get the same items for less money by selecting these brands.

Another Amazon shopping hack to get huge discounts is by shopping at Amazon Warehouse, which is the brand's line of renewed and refurbished products. Many of these previously-owned products can be very expensive if bought new, and since they're thoroughly tested by Amazon before being repackaged, you can rest assured you're still getting a product that works — at a much cheaper price.

You may have noticed when looking at a product page on Amazon that other variations are available, such as different colors, sizes, or configurations. For example, a 9-inch Men's Bathing Suit from a certain brand could have a dozen different styles, or a USB cable could be offered in different lengths. Some of the time, you'll see the prices of these variations listed along with their thumbnails, but other times you'll have to click on the thumbnail to see the product page for that specific variation, as well as its price.

This is important, because many times the prices will differ between these variations. A green Bluetooth speaker may be several dollars cheaper than a black or pink one, for example. If you don't care how a product looks, make sure you go through each iteration to find the lowest price. Sometimes, a discount or coupon will only apply to certain variations, which is another reason you should carefully look at each one. Because of this, you may even find that some variations of a product, such as a 12-pack of socks, may actually be cheaper than a 4-pack of the exact same type of sock.

In addition to digital coupons and various other discounts, Amazon also offers different kinds of sales for many products. If the timing is right, you can take advantage and buy a product for less (sometimes significantly less). You can also go out of your way to peruse current deals and see if you want to take advantage of them and purchase a product while it's currently discounted.

Amazon offers Lightning Deals, which only run for a very short time and could include huge price cuts. You have to act fast, because they often have a set number of items available before the deal ends. There are also Daily Deals, which aren't as time sensitive and can have discounts both small and large for a wide range of goods. If you're always on the hunt for a good deal, you can set filters such as four stars or higher and discounts 50% or more, then save the Daily Deals page, with those filters, as a bookmark — that way, you can easily and quickly check sale items.

Of course, you'll also find plenty of deals on Prime Day, which has become an annual shopping event akin to Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Amazon will often offer big discounts on many different products during the sale, so if you're thinking about purchasing a big-ticket item like a new TV, you may want to wait until Prime Day. In 2023, Prime Day was held in October, though it's likely that Prime Day 2024 will take place sometime in July.

While two-day shipping and even same-day delivery is available for Prime customers, you can often save money when shopping on Amazon by being more patient and less choosy with your delivery date. Before completing the purchase of any items in your cart, double check the shipping options — sometimes different dates will have lower delivery fees, especially if the items aren't eligible for Prime shipping. If the items you need aren't time sensitive, you can also select No-Rush Shipping, which is exactly what it sounds like — Amazon will prioritize other deliveries and send yours when it can. Not only is No-Rush Shipping free, but you'll also get discounts or rewards for selecting the option.

Prime members can also set a specific "Amazon Day" for any orders to be delivered for free — that way they can be bundled together and you can have a better idea when to expect them. Packaging multiple purchases together in a single delivery also creates a smaller carbon footprint, which is nice. You can even set your Amazon Day Delivery as the default shipping option. This also makes things logistically easier for Amazon, which is why promotional rewards are available for some Amazon Day orders — saving you money in the process.