The Amazon Subscribe & Save Mistakes That Are Quietly Costing You
Amazon Subscribe & Save is a convenient way to make sure essentials such as toilet paper, dog food, laundry detergent and batteries are delivered to your home on a fixed schedule. There are also discounts, including up to 15% off when you get five or more products in one delivery.
But this same convenience can get pricey if you aren’t careful. It’s a useful feature if you monitor your use to make sure you are getting the best discounts and optimal delivery times.
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How convenience could be costing you
With Amazon Subscribe & Save, you won’t necessarily get the best deal for each product. Prices fluctuate between deliveries and you don’t get to price-lock deliveries over a long stretch, which means prices could creep up over time without you noticing if you don’t review the product prices each time.
Discounts also vary due to timing, the type of product, how many products you have enrolled in Subscribe & Save and other factors. Again, Amazon will send you a reminder email showing you what the prices are and any discounts ahead of a delivery, but that entails you checking it and editing or cancelling your order if you don’t want to pay the shown price.
Even though Amazon Subscribe & Save is convenient, it is still good to do some comparison shopping to ensure you are getting the best deal. In general, reviewing your existing subscriptions can let you gauge if the current offer is still as good as the one that prompted you to subscribe.
Common Amazon Subscribe & Save mistakes
While you can still end up with higher costs over time due to inflation, being proactive with your Subscribe & Save plan can help you save money while receiving essential products. These are some common mistakes, and if you avoid them, you can still end up with great deals:
- Not checking the current price per unit before each shipment
- Assuming the Subscribe & Save price always beats a one-time purchase
- Missing the bigger discount because fewer than five items are arriving on the same delivery date
- Setting deliveries too frequently and stockpiling products before using them
- Forgetting to skip, delay or cancel items no longer needed
Amazon customers have some flexibility with their plans that can maximize savings. For instance, you can change delivery days, which influences whether multiple items arrive at your home on the same day. You can decide how often your purchases arrive and edit or skip deliveries. This option makes sense if you are on a vacation or are having guests and need extra items.
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How to use Subscribe & Save well
You don’t have to check your account every day to get the best out of it. Comparing the prices of your upcoming deliveries against warehouse clubs, big-box stores and drugstores will reveal if you are truly getting a deal. It’s also good to group multiple subscriptions to deliver on the same day when it makes sense.
It’s important to assess how often you use each item. For instance, if you aren’t going through tissue boxes as quickly as you anticipated, you can save money by pushing back delivery dates. This one move can save money and space, since it prevents unused items from piling up in your home.
While you may save money with this feature, it may be better to treat Subscribe & Save as a convenience tool first, since you may not get the absolute best price. Amazon buys and delivers based on the schedule, and that can mean missing out on discounts. For many, the real benefit is the automation. But even then, it’s good to occasionally check if your subscription still aligns with your needs.