Do you buy a lot from Amazon.com? As online auction fees go higher and higher and sellers pass that along to their customers, we are finding Amazon.com showing up more often on our credit card. The prices are reasonable, and I like knowing exactly what I’m going to pay for shipping before I buy. When I’m buying directly from Amazon, I know that I can get free shipping if I spend $25. It’s rare that I come away from there for less than that. It doesn’t make sense to buy $20 worth of items and pay $25 ($20 + shipping), when $25 worth results in the same charge.
There’s a better way, though, that lets you purchase whatever amount you want and pay no shipping. It’s Amazon Prime. Prime gives you free 2-day shipping on any item sold directly by Amazon. Over Christmas, when 2-day mail wasn’t guaranteed, I upgraded many of our purchases to overnight for $3.99 more. The kids posted their gift lists for the relatives, and they sent them directly here instead of paying two shipping charges. Their customer service is very good, and we’ve been really happy with them for years.
When they first came out, they were a bookseller. They established their reputation, then branched out. Now they carry just about everything – including groceries. That’s where the current promotion comes in. Right now, if you buy Amazon Prime for a year ($79), they’ll give you a $50 certificate good for grocery purchases from Amazon. Of course, third party sellers are not included.
Since I’m a coupon queen, I wondered whether this would be worth it. The answer is “Yes.” For instance, you could take that $50 certificate and combine it with the current Huggies promotion, and come away with $99 worth of Huggies for $19 ($99 – $30 instant rebate – $50 grocery certificate). Shipped to your door for free. There are other instant rebates and specials going on. Most are for the person who stockpiles. The organic items are reasonably priced. Some of the other stuff you might be able to do better on a loss leader with a coupon.
It’s worth checking out. $79 for free shipping for a whole year is a deal in itself. But $50 worth of free groceries on top of it makes it a Dynamite Deal.