The Amazon Subscribe and Save feature will help you save money on essential items and automatically deliver them each month.
If you’ve bought household items on Amazon you’ve probably noticed a “Subscribe” button that promises savings. You’ll get these savings by having the item automatically ordered each month. The feature is called Amazon Subscribe and Save.
It can be a little scary letting Amazon order anything for you automatically. But the reality is that it accomplishes several things at once. It helps make sure you don’t run out of essential items every month. And it can save you a lot of money.
What is Amazon Subscribe and Save?
You don’t have to subscribe to an annual subscription or membership to take advantage of Amazon Subscribe and Save. It’s a tiered system where you save money on things you normally buy but with automatic ordering.
You’ll see the option to subscribe any time you order items on Amazon from a specific category. As an example, let’s look at Axe Apollo body wash for men.
As you can see, even if you only make the purchase using an Amazon Prime subscription, you already get a 40% discount off the regular retail price. If you want to boost that savings an extra 5%, just select the Subscribe & Save option and select the Subscribe now button.
If you don’t run out of that particular product as frequently as every month, you can change the frequency by using the Deliver every dropdown.
You can extend the reorder period up to every six months. This means that you don’t have to worry about receiving too much of a certain product long before you run out. Just schedule it according to how often you typically buy it at the grocery store.
Is $3.26 a good discount off this particular product? As a comparison, the Walmart price on this item is $3.66.
Other comparisons for this product include:
- Target: $3.99
- Dollar General: $4.00
- Walgreens: $5.79
- Rite Aid: $3.99
Clearly, opting to buy on Amazon is already cheaper than most other places, and using Subscribe & Save only multiplies that savings.
And if you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you’ll enjoy free shipping off most items. Meaning you won’t have to waste all of your precious savings on shipping costs.
Multiply Savings with Amazon Subscribe and Save
If you subscribe to all of the items you buy regularly, you’ll likely qualify for significant savings each month.
Pay attention to the wording under the Subscribe & Save section, because the savings are different for every item. The way the monthly savings works is that if in a particular month you meet the quota for the minimum number of items purchased with auto-delivery, you get from 5% to 15% additional off the price of that item.
If you think about this, you’re already saving 5% off the original retail price. This typically puts the price below most other retailers offline or online. Adding these monthly savings on top means you’re getting products using Amazon Subscribe & Save far cheaper than anywhere else.
You’ll also notice, as you’re scanning through your cart after adding all of your purchases, that some of the items feature a Clip Coupon dropdown.
When you click on the Clip Coupon link, it’ll change to agree Coupon Clipped.
You won’t see the coupon savings in the product listing. But once you select Proceed to Checkout you’ll see all of the savings listed there. Savings will include:
- Your Coupon Savings
- Subscribe & Save
In most cases, the coupon savings are available only the first time you purchase a new item, but the Subscribe & Save savings apply for every order. During the next month, you’ll also see the additional 5% to 15% savings if you’re automatically ordering more than five items during that month.
Quick Tip: If you’re just short of five items in a specific month, you can add in an inexpensive $1 to $2 filler item. Then it qualifies for the 15% discount. If you have other more expensive items in your subscription list for the month, these savings could easily come to more than that filler item (meaning you essentially get it for free).
Amazon Subscribe and Save Fine Print
Of course, there are some requirements you need to know about with Amazon Subscribe and Save.
- In order to get the 5% to 15% additional savings, you’ll need to have at least five items with the same reorder date.
- You can order an item and subscribe to take advantage of an Amazon coupon, and then cancel the subscription after the first month.
- If you find you’re receiving items before you’re out of the one you last received, you can adjust the subscription to extend the next order an additional month.
- You can also change the specific delivery dates of individual items. This is a good way to have five items delivered on the same day and get an additional discount.
- Prices can change on items at any time, so make sure you review your upcoming schedule orders and cancel any that you no longer want. On the flip side, if the price has dropped, you can increase the quantity as well.
Canceling Amazon Subscribe and Save is easy.
- Open your account and select Your Subscribe and Save Items.
- Under More Order Actions, select Manage Subscribe & Save Items.
- Select all of the subscriptions you want to cancel and select Confirm Cancellation.
Playing your cards right with Amazon Subscribe and Save can mean a lot of savings. Plus, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you’re not going to run out of everyday items each month.