Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are upon us, and if you’re like us, you probably already have a few things on your Amazon watch list. While the actual sales are yet to officially begin, we’re already seeing price drops on all sorts of things on Amazon and other retailers (not to mention, great deals on first-rate hotels).
After Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are some of the best ways to save money on everything from headphones to household basics. Whether you’re gearing up to save some money during a sale or looking for deals any other day of the year, here are some ways you can save money on your next Amazon “add to cart” time.
Use the points
After filling your Amazon cart, you may have seen the “Buy with Points” option at checkout. This isn’t always the best use of your credit card points from a value for money perspective, as you can often get better value for your points when redeeming for travel.
Sometimes, however, the promotion awards you cash on your Amazon order or you spend a small amount of points.
At any time, targeted offers from American Express give cardholders the opportunity to save. In the past, TPG employees with eligible American Express cards were targeted to save between 10% and 40% on Amazon orders using as few as 1 American Express Membership Rewards point. The wording of the offer varies, but the concept remains the same. If one of these offers is available in your account, it can be a great way to save on your next Amazon order.
To qualify, you must link your eligible Amex card to your Amazon account to make purchases with membership rewards points.
We are always checking for new offers. If you haven’t already, we suggest you do the same to make sure you don’t qualify for the offer. Bookmark any offer pages to check back later if you don’t qualify yet.
Related: Save up to 50% on Amazon purchases using 1 Amex point
Earn bonus points with the right credit card
If you have an American Express card, see if you’ve been directed to any Amex Offers. These offers vary from account to account and can be a great way to collect bonus Membership Rewards points or save money on purchases you might otherwise make.
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Amazon occasionally features Amex Offers.
The trick here is to check your Amex account regularly to see if you qualify for bonus points or extra savings. You must manually add this offer to your Amex account and use that card to pay for your Amazon orders.
TPG November 2024 peg rates Amex Membership Rewards points at 2 cents each, so earning 5 points per dollar spent at Amazon is equivalent to earning 10 cents in rewards per dollar spent. To start accessing these Amex Deals, a few great American Express cards to consider that don’t come with annual fees are:
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.
There is no annual fee, and new cardholders will receive a $200 Amazon gift card immediately upon approval. You can use the gift card as soon as you make a purchase. The card is only available to Prime members, so be sure to check that when deciding if it’s right for you.
The card typically earns 5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market; 2% cash back on restaurant, gas station, and local transportation and commuting purchases; and 1% fee on everything else.
Related: Prime Visa card review: A great choice for regular Amazon shoppers
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 will know if there is a coupon available for your item, as there will be a “Coupon” icon below the price. The coupon will be valid if you check the box next to it. Coupons are sometimes a few cents or dollars, but saving money is saving money.
Some items will allow you to save by signing up for repeat deliveries.
Track prices and set price alerts
It’s hard to know how good a sale is when you haven’t priced an item in a while. One site that can tell you the historical price of an item on Amazon – and even let you know the price drop – is CamelCamelCamel.
This website can help you measure how good a sale is. If it’s not an emergency purchase, you can use this site to help you decide whether to hold off on buying an item until you get a better price through a sale or price drop.
Get credit for expedited shipping or pickup
If you have time to spare, you can choose not to ship your items immediately and save them for “Amazon Day delivery.” This way, you will receive credit that you can use for future digital purchases such as selected e-books, music, videos and apps. The amount of credit varies, but, based on my tests, it usually amounts to a few dollars.
You will find this option during checkout when you are asked to enter your shipping information.
If you decide to ship your order to an Amazon pickup location (instead of 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 picking up Amazon Hub orders, such as Amazon Locker or Locker+.
Sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime
If you are not already an Amazon Prime member, you may 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 get free, two-day shipping on eligible items and get access to Prime Video. After that, if you don’t cancel, the plan increases to $14.99 every month.
Buy Amazon gift cards
If the credit cards in your wallet don’t give you Amazon points or cash back bonuses, you can also buy Amazon gift cards at grocery stores with a credit card that offers bonus rewards at that particular retailer.
For example, if you buy a $100 Amazon gift card at a grocery store and pay for that purchase Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Expressyou can earn 6% cash back on those purchases (up to $6,000 a year on purchases at US supermarkets, then 1%). Cashback is earned as Reward Dollars that can be used as a statement credit or at checkout on amazon.com.
Bottom line
From having the right credit card to using American Express Reward Dollars to make purchases, there are several ways to save money while shopping on Amazon. Bookmark this page for upcoming sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday and beyond.
Related reading:
For Blue Cash Everyday rates and fees, click here.
For Hilton Honors Amex rates and fees, click here.
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