Note from The Thrifty Couple: This is written by our friend Theresa (mom to a family of 11) who has been using the Amazon Subscribe and Save program for a while now and is sharing how it all works and the benefits of it! We also use Amazon Subscribe and Save monthly as it is like shopping Walmart’s prices, but online, plus even more discounts to make the prices better. But we will let her tell you all about it!
The UPS delivery woman knocks briskly on my door a lot around the beginning of the month, leaving my porch filled with awkwardly stacked boxes. That’s because my Amazon Subscribe and Save order arrives between the 1st and 7th every month. I love Subscribe and Save.
Getting Started with Subscribe and Save
The Amazon Subscribe and Save program can be a convenient and easy way to save money. Here are some basics if you are ready to try it out!
Not all grocery items are part of the Subscribe and Save program. If they are available for subscription, you will see an option to subscribe to the item under the “Add to Cart” button. To subscribe, just select the quantity and frequency of delivery, and click subscribe now.
If that seems like a lot of commitment, don’t worry! You aren’t marrying it, you can change any of the details about your subscription at any time. It is easy to access your Subscribe and Save subscription page from the options under the “Your Account” tab. You can even cancel an item before the first shipment is sent if you change your mind, just as long as you do it before your order is prepared.
If you end up running out too soon, or not needing the next shipment, you have the option to change the schedule to make the delivery frequency anywhere from 1 month to 6 months apart. Or, if you end up getting a great deal somewhere else on a usually delivered item, you can skip a delivery with one click.
Amazon will send you an email every month before they get your Subscribe and Save order ready, reminding you that your order is shipping soon. This is your chance to make any changes. I check mine over carefully to make sure that I want to get all the items this month that are scheduled to come.
Subscribe and Save Discounts
Getting the best deal on Subscribe and Save takes some savvy shopping and knowledge of how the program works. Let’s talk discounts.
Every subscribe and save order gets a 5% discount off the regular “Add-to-Cart-and-Ship-Now” price . For veteran coupon shoppers, this doesn’t sound like much. Don’t worry, it gets lots better! If you subscribe to 5 or more items to be delivered on your monthly delivery day, you will get 15% off your entire Subscribe and Save shipment. For Amazon Mom’s members, that 15% gets bumped up to 20%. So make sure you are signed up for Amazon Mom, which also gets you 20% off of diapers and wipes subscriptions, regardless of how big your monthly shipment is.
If you haven’t already done it, you should sign up for a free 3 month trial to Amazon Mom which includes Prime benefits. That’s a great way to get the best available discounts and see if Subscribe and Save works well for your family’s needs.
Stacking Discounts with Coupons
Alright, so 15% or 20% off is more like honest to goodness savings, isn’t it? The real fun starts though, when you realize that you can stack Amazon coupons with a Subscribe and Save discount. The coupon applies only to the first month’s delivery of the item. However, since it is so easy to cancel, signing up for a Subscribe and Save shipment with every intention of only getting that first, deeply discounted order is no problem. Just make sure you are checking over your order thoroughly every month when you get that reminder email to make deletions and any other needed changes to any previous orders.
There are two basic types of coupons at Amazon: the fixed dollar off amount, and the percentage off.
The best strategy for the dollar off type is usually to look for the smallest unit available. A $1.50 off coupon might not make much of a dent in the price of a 6 pack of deodorant for instance, but can make a single deodorant a screaming deal after discounts. These dollar off coupons for small items can be a great way to build up to the 5 items a month needed to get your 15% (or 20% for Amazon Mom’s members) off for the whole order.
For the percentage off coupons, the percentage is figured from the original price. So a 25% off coupon stacked with a 15% discount makes for a true 40% off. These coupons are often a great way to stock up, if you have the margin in your budget to buy a case. Of course, I do find with my 9 children (4 of whom are teenagers), there is no such thing as stocking up, there is only more to eat!
Sometimes coupons stick around for a month or more, sometimes they only last a very short time. Check out the Amazon coupon page HERE to find out what deals are currently offered.
Recurring Shipments
There are several items that I just find very convenient to be shipped to me. I get a case of high quality toilet paper and paper towels at a great price, shipped every other month without having to wait for sales or coupons, wrestle it into a cart, then in and out of the car. I appreciate that a lot. Coconut oil, Larabars, and tea are other items I have in my recurring shipments. Just check the prices on items you normally get locally or through a co-op and see if Subscribe and Save is cheaper.
When shopping for items for recurring delivery, make sure you check all sizes, flavors, and quantities available. There is often a significant difference in per unit price between these variations. Like box and mortar stores, Amazon does provide a per ounce or per item price to make comparison easier. Look for it right after the price on the product description page. Just like regular stores though, sometimes the unit being used isn’t consistent, so you have to figure it out yourself!
If you happen to see a coupon for an item that is already part of your regular shipment (as has happened to me a couple times), the only way to take advantage of that deal is to start a new delivery order for that item. Then just make sure you go and cancel the other standing delivery if you don’t want to be receiving two of the same. Your most recent Subscribe and Save orders will be closest to the top on your Subscribe and Save account page, scroll down to find the one you need to cancel. Sometimes a coupon you used to subscribe the previous month will still be valid, and you can just rinse and repeat.
Here’s hoping you find some great Subscribe and Save deals, and your UPS deliveries are exciting every month!
See more details about:
Amazon’s Subscribe and Save home shopping delivery service HERE
Susan
It’s important to realize that prices on Amazon change, even when you thought you were locked in with Subscribe and Save. So it’s not like you can plan your budget on the cost of whatever you select. My first experience with Subscribe and Save included a big box of baby wipes for $10. When my next reminder email came, the price went up over 50%, to more than $15 per box. I cancelled immediately, and remain confused. How can you Subscribe and Save on things like diapers and wipes and build that into your budget, only to have the prices change dramatically at the last minute? I find that a pretty offensive way of doing business. Most of us are living on a budget, and last-minute changes that are unexpected and increase your bill are not a welcome surprise in my home.
Also, I can’t figure out how to increase the quantity of items ordered – I don’t need one box of diapers per month for my twins; I need several – so how do I increase the quantity?
I have yet to figure out how to join Amazon Mom – nothing on Amazon’s website let’s you actually join. My Prime membership shows that I already receive 20% off diapers and wipes when I subscribe and Save, but in my Subscribe and Save Cart, it only reflects 15%.
I am an Amazon Prime member, but I find their customer service lacking, their website less than user friendly (for example, there is no way to see how much my Subscribe and Save order is going to cost – the costs reflected for each item is not accurate, as it does not include tax – I would really like to see what the total for this upcoming order would be BEFORE I receive the last-minute email reminder of my shipment), and their prices change constantly. If Jet can do better, I will be moving over to them.