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30+ Amazon buying tricks

Including short-lived offers, Warehouse bargains & free delivery loophole

Jenny Keefe
Jenny Keefe | Edited by Oli Townsend
Updated 26 February 2024

Amazon's the biggest name in online retail – for many, it's a one-stop convenience shop. This guide is packed with tips to help slash prices, including how to check your personalised offers, £2 a month off Prime via O2 Priority, free delivery loophole and can you share Prime?

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Have we missed anything? Let us know if you've any Amazon tricks we haven't spotted in the MSE Forum. Also see: Amazon Warehouse discounts | Tricks to get FREE (or 99p) Kindle books | Audible tricks | Amazon deals

  1. Check for short-lived 'personalised' promos & codes

    Every so often we spot Amazon offering 'free' credit or similar short-lived promos. These won't always be for everyone, but it's usually quick to check if you qualify. Generally, you need to have an Amazon account already (some require Prime).

    Handily, there's a hidden page on Amazon's site which shows all the short-lived offers that you currently qualify for, as long as you're logged in.

    Simply take a look at your 'personalised' promotions* page. You can then activate any offers you want to use.

  2. Easily uncover the cheapest Amazon Warehouse deals with a unique tool

    Amazon Warehouse* sells returned items at knockdown prices – sometimes just because someone changed their mind. It's a way to get current-model products that might normally be out of your price range. Items are graded from 'Acceptable' up to 'Like new' and are usually priced far cheaper than buying new. Sometimes they may be unpackaged, but you're told all this.

    This is great for up-to-date branded electricals, kitchen appliances, laptops, lawnmowers, games, jewellery, household items. 

    Amazon Warehouse how much can you save

    PRODUCT AMAZON NEW PRICE AMAZON WAREHOUSE
    Samsung Buds2 earphones £139 (cheapest elsewhere £139) 'Like new': £82, damaged packaging
    Barbie jet Playset £60 (cheapest elsewhere £57) 'Like new': £21, damaged packaging
    KitchenAid stand mixer  £450 (cheapest elsewhere £460) 'Very good': £303, small scratch & damaged box

    Updated: February 2024. Prices change constantly and vary according to condition.

    MoneySavers have bagged big discounts through this route, yet it can prove tricky to spot the best bargains in this treasure trove of deals, so to do it for you, we've built the Amazon Discount Finder tool.

    Tell it what you're looking for – either a specific brand item or a broader search such as 'toaster' – and it'll scour the Warehouse in seconds and display your options clearly.

    As Warehouse deals constantly come and go, what you can get on any given day is a bit of a lottery – but we've heard from many who have saved big, including Angela who emailed: "Bought a £200 Tefal Actifry for £70, listed as cosmetic damage. Arrived with not a mark on it. Total bargain".

    Of course, never assume Amazon's cheapest (even through the Warehouse) and always compare prices elsewhere before buying. Our Amazon Warehouse guide has full info on how it works.

  3. Get heavy discounts on phones, laptops, Amazon devices & more with 'as new' refurbs

    A way to bag big discounts on previously owned products, Amazon Renewed* sells products that have been tested and refurbished to work and look like new, and come with a one-year warranty. It's great for slightly older tech, including phones, tablets, headphones, games consoles, smart watches and cameras. While Amazon Warehouse is mostly for current-models, Renewed products are often previous generations from Apple, Samsung, and Dell, etc. 

    As Renewed items are preloved, they are usually cheaper than Warehouse returns. Eg, we saw an Apple iPhone 12 (64GB) in black was £538 (like new) on Warehouse, but £259 on Renewed (excellent condition).

    As they're refurbs, stock is limited, but when we checked we spotted:

    • Apple iPhone 11 64GB – £198 refurbished (£429 new)
    • Xbox carbon black controller – £38 refurbished (£54 new)
    • PS4 slim 500GB – £154 refurbished (£286 new)
    • Apple iPad Pro 10.5in 64GB 4G – £499 refurbished (£619.99 new)

    Patricia told us about her Amazon Renewed bargains on Facebook:

    Bought a phone and a tablet as good as new. My kids didn't notice the difference and it saved me hundreds.

    If you're looking for a smartphone, then also check out our mobile refurbs finder for a wider range.

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  4. Grab a free Prime trial to beat delivery charges, access free TV shows & movies and more for 30 days

    Prime gives you several benefits including free one-day delivery on many items, access to TV shows, movies and some Premier League games, music streaming and more. Amazon offers newbies a free one-month trial* of the service.

    The beauty is you can sign up, then just cancel the trial before Amazon charges you – forget to cancel and you'll be charged the normal £95 for a year's Prime (if you select monthly billing, it's £8.99).

    If you only want Prime to stream TV shows and movies, or Premier League games, then there's a cheaper £5.99 a month Prime Video-only option.

    If you don't have Prime, Amazon only gives free delivery if spending £25 or more (unless your order includes £10 of books, which will get you free delivery). Yet signing up to a free trial can be a good way to beat the delivery charge for non-Prime members (normally 99p to £4.99). You can get free delivery on many items via Prime (excluding those dispatched by third parties), even if your spend is below the theshold.

    • More info on getting a free Prime trial and how to cancel

      You can get a free one-month Amazon Prime trial* (usually £95 a year) if you're a Prime newbie, though a few previous triallists may be offered another trial. To check, log into your Amazon account, click on 'Prime' and see if you're offered a 30-day free Prime trial.

      Prime only works on products sold by Amazon.co.uk itself, not Marketplace sellers. If you're unsure, add the product to your basket and make sure delivery's free before checking out.

      How to cancel

      To cancel, go to Your Account, then Prime Settings and click 'Manage Membership', then 'End Membership'.

      Is it worth paying for Prime?

      Unless you're subscribing for the TV and film/music streaming services or are a mega-shopper, Amazon Prime is not worth your dough. Better to be organised, order early or wait until you need £25-worth of goods.

      Important. If you don't cancel before the trial ends, Amazon will take £95. It's £8.99 if you select monthly billing. Check your bank statement once you've cancelled, because mistakes happen. See Prime refunds for how to get money back if you forget to cancel before your free trial's up.

  5. £2 a month off Prime for O2 customers – makes it cheaper than the equivalent annual subscription cost

    Until 31 December 2024, many O2 mobile customers can get £2 off a monthly Amazon Prime subscription through Priority. It's for anyone with an O2 Pay Monthly Refresh tariff or Sim-only 12, 18 or 24-month tariff – though to get this deal you need to be a new or returning Amazon Prime subscriber.

    While you can't get this if you currently have an active Prime subscription (including being on a free trial that rolls into a paid membership), as this offer is running until 31 December, you may be able to grab this as long as your current subscription ends before then – you'll need to cancel it so it doesn't rollover.

    You'll get the discount by a monthly £2 O2 bill credit – so effectively you're paying £6.99 a month for Prime rather than the usual £8.99 a month. Over 12 months, that's £83.88 – cheaper than the £95 annual upfront Prime subscription.

    To get the £2 a month off Prime. Visit Priority online or search 'Prime' in the Priority app (for Android / iOS). Once you've found the deal, select 'Use Now' and you'll be able to add Prime as an 'O2 Extra Bolt On' in your My O2 account. You'll get an SMS with a link to register an Amazon Prime account.

    There's a six-month minimum term. If you leave O2, your Prime subscription will be cancelled. See full O2 terms and conditions.

    You shouldn't choose a mobile provider solely based on its perks – use our Cheap Mobile Finder tool to search the best deal for you.

  6. Ditch multiple Prime subscriptions or split the cost by sharing Prime benefits with another adult for free

    Amazon allows one person with Prime to share their membership benefits for free with another adult via Amazon Household. You can also add up to four kids' profiles – you won't be able to share all the Prime benefits with a child, but you can share some digital content, for example, books and games.

    The other adult needs their own Amazon account and once you've authorised each other, you'll be able to share selected benefits including free one-day delivery on many items, Prime Video streaming, Prime reading and more. It means you can save on the cost of multiple subscriptions, and even split the cost of Prime membership without having to share login details.

    Despite being called Amazon 'Household', nothing in the T&Cs state you have to live at the same address as the person you want to share Prime benefits with – we asked Amazon to confirm if you need to be living together, and it just pointed us back to the T&Cs. It does state you have to agree to share payment methods – so only do this with someone you trust.

    What you can share with the household

    • If you have Amazon Prime: Prime Video streaming; unlimited one-day delivery; Prime Gaming; and Prime Reading. Note: any children added won't be able to shop at Amazon.
    • If you make digital purchases: Kindle e-books; apps and games downloaded from Amazon Appstore.

    What you can't share

    • Digital films, TV shows, music or audiobooks bought or rented from Amazon.
    • Amazon Prime Student members and anyone with just a Prime Video subscription can't share their benefits.

    How to share your Prime benefits

    1. Start by creating your Amazon Household and linking the adult Amazon account you want to share with, or if you want to share content with a child, simply add a profile for them.
    2. Both adult account holders will need to authorise the other to use the existing payment cards on the two accounts. There's no need for authorisation when adding kids, as what you're sharing is less sensitive.
    3. You can choose what services/digital content you do or don't want to share – see Amazon for detailed info on sharing and accessing shared content.

    When setting up an Amazon Household, you'll get to use your separate Amazon logins, so you won't see the other person's purchases for example. However, it's worth noting if you have an Alexa device such as an Echo, each person in your Amazon household will be able to see what you've asked Alexa to do.

  7. Tool to trick Amazon into giving you free delivery

    If you don't have Prime, Amazon charges for delivery on orders under £25 in most cases. But there's a trick to help you get free delivery if your item doesn't reach that threshold and is sold and dispatched by Amazon itself. It doesn't work for Marketplace items, unless they're dispatched by Amazon.

    Standard delivery can be anything from 99p to £4.99, so it may be worth buying something small that you need which costs less than that, to take you over the £25 free delivery threshold. The threshold drops if your order includes £10 or more of books from Amazon – in that case, all other items from Amazon in the order will be delivered free too.

    To help, a cunning Super Saver Delivery tool (developed by ex-MSE team member Adam) scours Amazon for small filler items to bump up your order to £25. Simply enter how much more you'd need to spend to get to £25 and it displays a list of items with prices close to that amount. For example:

    Imagine Lois Price wanted a £24.99 candle gift set – she'd face £4.99 delivery, a total of £29.98. The tool reveals she could add a 22p safety-pin set, so she'd only pay £25.21.

    Items bought from third parties on Amazon's Marketplace count towards the £25 free delivery threshold if they are marked as 'fulfilled by Amazon'.

    Also see how to beat delivery charges with a free Prime trial.

  8. Free tool checks Amazon's price history – is it really cheap now?

    Just because Amazon lists a price as reduced, it doesn't make it cheap. Before you buy, plonk any item's Amazon URL (its web address) into free price history tool CamelCamelCamel, which charts Amazon price changes, to show how the current price compares, and if the 'was' price is realistic.

    As an example, we found Remington hair straighteners at "69% off" at £40 - but they were £35 a few months before, so the deal wasn't all that.

    Results can be fascinating. Use the tick-boxes to add and remove different seller types or drag the slider to adjust the date range.

    There's also a version of the tool as a free web browser extension called 'The Camelizer' for Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox on desktop/laptop. Once you've downloaded the extension, it'll appear in the address or extensions bar of your browser – when you visit an Amazon page you can then click the extension's icon to see that product's price trend.

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  9. If you only have Prime for TV, movies or Premier League streaming, save up to £36 a year with a Prime Video-only subscription

    As we showed you above, Prime membership comes with several benefits, but if you don't use them all then paying the full £95 a year may not be worth it.

    If you only have your Prime subscription for streaming TV shows, movies or Premier League games through Prime Video, then you can get it cheaper with a Prime Video-only subscription*. Hit 'See more plans' then you should be able to select 'Prime Video £5.99/month' – annoyingly, you may need to click 'start your 30 day trial' to see all the options, so be careful not to confirm unless you want to take the trial.

    It costs £5.99 a month – there's no option to pay for a full year, but if you have it for 12 months it works out at £71.88 – £23 cheaper than a £95 normal annual Prime subscription (with one-day deliveries and so on). If you'd normally pay monthly for full Prime membership at £8.99, then you'd save £36 a year signing up to Prime Video only.

  10. Prime members can claim (and keep) free PC games every month

    If you're a gamer with a Prime subscription (including Prime Video-only, or you're on a free Prime trial) then you can claim a monthly selection of new and classic Windows PC games for free via Prime Gaming*.

    The freebie games (normally about £15 to £30) will change each month, and as long as you claim a game before the end date, you can keep it forever. Some games are claimed via the Amazon Games app for Windows PC, while others require you to claim it using a code at a third-party platform such as Origin.

    It's worth checking each month as the quality of freebie games on offer can differ. Previous popular free games include Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Total War: Warhammer and Two Point Hospital.

  11. Know when to pounce on Amazon's biggest sales of the year

    Of course, Amazon has a large selection of 'deals' every day, but there are a few times a year where it has big sale events – when in theory it offers its best discounts – though don't always trust everything is a good deal, as we usually always spot some duds.

    As retailers are creatures of habit, we're able to look back at when these sales have happened previously and predict when they'll happen again. Here's when we expect Amazon to have its big sales:

    • Spring sale – predicted from 25 March 2024

      In 2023, Amazon made some changes to its spring sale. In previous years, it started around the third week of March and lasted for about a week and a half, but in 2023 it started at 6pm on Monday 27 March and lasted until 11.59pm on Wednesday 29 March. The 2023 sale included over 20,000 items with up to 40% off. The deals usually aren't as strong as what we see during 'Prime Day' or Black Friday, but if there's an item you're after and don't want to wait till later in the year, it could be worth looking out for this sale.

    • Prime Day – predicted from 10 July 2024

      In 2023, Amazon's annual Prime Day promotion (which spans two days) ran on 11 and 12 July.

      It traditionally happens in mid-July, though in 2020 it moved to October due to the pandemic, and in 2021 it was earlier than usual, on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 June.

      Prime Day is usually when we see Amazon's best deals overall, especially on Amazon devices which will often be the cheapest we've seen them, though these deals are only available to Prime members (or those on a free trial).

      For some products, we've seen Prime Day prices matched during Black Friday later in the year.

    • Boxing Day sale – predicted from 26 December 2024

      Like many retailers, Amazon has a sale towards the end of the year, which usually starts on Boxing Day and ends on New Year's Eve. 

      It's a bit of a mixed bag of one-off deals, and while there have been some strong offers in the past, we aren't usually as impressed by this sale compared with Prime Day and Black Friday.

  12. Take 30 seconds to check Amazon is REALLY cheapest

    Amazon* aims to be a one-stop shop, and while it's tempting to do all your shopping in one easy sweep, you can often undercut it.

    In the same time it takes to search Amazon, comparison sites whizz through scores of online retailers to find the cheapest price.

    We find Google Shopping is the most consistent at tracking down the cheapest price – but there are other decent options, such as PriceSpy and PriceRunner. For full help, plus more tips to slash the cost of buying anything and everything online, see our Cheap online shopping guide.

  13. Search for discounts on 1,000s of overstocked items in Amazon's little-known outlet

    It's common for a retailer to have surplus stock of certain goods, especially following a shopping event such as Christmas – and Amazon is no different – in fact, it has thousands of overstocked items in its little-known Outlet*. You can bag some decent discounts here, up to 70% off from what we've seen (sometimes even more), as they're items Amazon is keen to shift.

    The products on offer change regularly but can include electricals, books, home and kitchen items, baby products, toys, clothes and more.

    It can be hit and miss though. The best way to think of it is like any store's end of sales clearance – it's a mix of funk, junk and a few things you may put in your trunk. Do check prices, because not everything in the Outlet's discounted, and even those that are may not be great deals.

    Here are some examples of products we spotted:

    • Aigle kids' dino wellies – £6.05 (was £27) 
    • Mini silicone ice cream moulds – £4.99 (was £10.65)
    • Exercise resistance bands – £5.99 (was £19.99)
    • Set of 40 solar string lights – £7.59 (was £19.99)
    • Inflatable play mat for kids – £8.50 (was £22.99)
    • Uncle Ben's microwave rice mixed selection, pack of 12 (250g each) – £8.73 (was £12.20)
    • Men's professional hair clippers – £18.99 (was £38.99)
    • Babyliss curl pods – £25 (was £60)
    • Homgeek juicer machine – £27.22 (was £38.99)

  14. 'Is it cheaper on Amazon?' fun checker app

    Whether you've spotted some trainers on a blog or seen a playhouse in a shop, we've a nifty trick to check if similar items are available on Amazon for less (though of course, be mindful that feeding the giant can threaten smaller businesses).

    The best way to try this is to download the free Amazon app and have a play. Tap the search bar followed by the camera symbol, point your phone's camera at an item and hit 'Search'. The app will search Amazon for matching objects and list lookalike items for sale.

    When we tried it, the app found similar items with varying degrees of success. Products it worked well on included a leather handbag, pink piggybank, electronic calculator and yellow cushion – on other items though, including a pair of shoes, it failed to find a match.

    When it does work, it can be a handy way of finding a visually similar item. For example, we snapped a £595 John Lewis chandelier, and it produced a similar one for sale at £53, including delivery – though of course, there's no guarantee of quality.

    Use your phone as a barcode scanner

    You can also use the app to scan barcodes, which can be a more reliable way of getting a closer match. So if you've seen something with a barcode, such as a game or a coffee machine, scan that instead.

    To do it, open the Amazon app, tap the camera icon in the search bar, then hit 'barcode'. Your mobile now becomes a barcode scanner, via its camera.

    Point your phone's camera at the code and you'll see it on screen – the app will scan the code and then list identical items for sale.

    Don't just check Amazon – other tools can price-check too

    Never assume Amazon will be cheapest, so while this is a fun tool for a quick check, if you're doing a serious price comparison, look elsewhere too.

    eBay has its own app which does much the same thing and lets you search in a similar way. Read more on eBay's photo search and barcode scanner.

    It's also worth searching Google Shopping to see if you can find an item cheaper elsewhere.

  15. Are other big retailers such as John Lewis, Currys and Argos price-matching Amazon? Look at what extras are offered

    Competition is stiff in the online retail market, but there's not always an obvious cheapest price winner as several of the big retailers often price-match each other on popular items. We've noticed on many occasions when looking at selected items on Amazon, that same item will be the exact-same cheapest price at one or more other retailers, namely Argos, Currys and John Lewis.

    In this case, don't just look at the price – also see if any extras are being offered, such as a longer warranty, a 'freebie' when you purchase the product or free music streaming for a certain number of months.

  16. Can you get money back if an item drops in price after you've bought it?

    Amazon's prices go up and down more than a yo-yo in 1998, so it's possible to buy a product and then notice the price drop within days.

    While Amazon has no official policy on refunding the difference in price if this happens, some MoneySavers have reported success when contacting Amazon about price drops that occurred within seven days of purchase, including Keith who told us:

    I bought an office chair for £118, then by chance on the very day it was delivered I noticed it was £98. I logged on to the online chat and politely asked about this. They immediately answered with a £20 credit to my card. Five minutes. £20 saved 😁

    We can't guarantee you'll have the same success, but if you notice an item dropping in price within a few days of buying it, it may be worth turning on the charm and getting in touch with Amazon's customer service to ask if it'll refund the difference.

  17. Grab more discounts at Amazon's special voucher page

    A clever bit of retail spin, this. Amazon's voucher page* lists scores of discount vouchers for specific products, which you click on to collect (they're then applied at the checkout). Sign in to your account to see all available vouchers, as some are specifically targeted at different users.

    When we checked, many of these 'vouchers' were similar to its bog-standard online discounts, for example, 5% off a wicker pet basket or 10% off a doormat.

    Yet dig through the list and some deals are quite decent. For example, we've seen £3.60 off a £9.60 Green & Black's tasting collection, making it £6.60. The next cheapest was Waitrose, on offer at £9.60. You can sort by 'Discount Percentage' to see the biggest discounts first.

  18. Keep your eyes peeled for easily missed vouchers on product pages

    When doing your general Amazon shopping, it's worth taking a look to see if the product you're after has a voucher available for it – you can do this in the search results or on the item's page. These are easily missed as they're in a small font and quite hidden, plus you have to opt in.

    If a voucher is available, you'll see it underneath the price, for example, 'Save 15% with voucher' or 'Apply £5 voucher', and this will be accompanied by a tick box which you'll need to select to have the discount automatically applied at the checkout – you won't get it unless you tick the box.

  19. Check if you're buying from Amazon or its Marketplace, as delivery can cost more

    If goods say 'sold by' someone other than Amazon, then they're on its Marketplace, which means it's listed by a third-party trader selling via Amazon.

    Delivery can cost more, so always check. Many items bought from Amazon Marketplace aren't eligible for Amazon's free delivery offer (which you normally get on items costing £25+). However, they will be eligible if they're sold by Marketplace sellers, but dispatched/fulfilled by Amazon.

    If there's a problem with an item bought via Amazon Marketplace and/or you want to return it, you need to go to the seller first, not Amazon. Items must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described. See our Consumer rights guide for more.

    Marketplace purchases are also covered by Amazon's buying guarantee. It reimburses you if goods don't arrive or aren't as described (including delivery).

    But you won't be covered under Section 75, which usually covers items worth between £100 and £30,000 which are paid for with a credit card. The fact Amazon takes money then passes it on to the retailer means you don't get that protection.

  20. Been hit by £95 (or £79) charge for unwanted Amazon Prime? How to get a refund

    We're swamped with complaints from people who unwittingly paid £79 for Amazon Prime membership, so we wrote a Reclaim unwanted Amazon Prime guide. (The charge will be £95 if it was taken after 15 September 2022.)

    Forumite Tianna is just one of the successes: "I followed instructions from your weekly email and got £79, thanks".

  21. FREE Deliveroo delivery on £15+ orders for a year for Prime members

    Amazon Prime members can get a year's unlimited free Deliveroo delivery on takeaway orders over £15 (over £25 for grocery). 

    You get a year's free Deliveroo Plus Silver membership – it's normally priced at £3.49 a month and means you don't pay the up-to-£5 delivery fee providing you've met the minimum spend threshold.

    The free delivery is available from all 50,000 restaurants Deliveroo works with, including big chains such as Pizza Express and KFC, as well as supermarkets – handy for last-minute groceries. You'll still need to pay Deliveroo's service fee (typically 50p to £1).

    It's for Amazon Prime members only (including those on a free trial)

    Visit this Deliveroo link and select 'Claim with Amazon Prime'. It will prompt you to sign in to Deliveroo (or create a free account), then enter the email address linked to your Amazon account. You should see a 'Welcome' screen confirming your Plus membership.

    Free Deliveroo Plus lasts 12 months unless you cancel Prime

    Deliveroo says after 12 months, your Deliveroo Plus membership won't auto-renew, so you won't get charged. The exception is if you switch to the free year offer from an existing Deliveroo Plus subscription, then you'll be switched back to a paid membership after 12 months – see full terms.

  22. Access 'must-read' Kindle books free for a month (some offered longer)

    A bit like Spotify for readers, Kindle Unlimited* is a £9.49 per month subscription service that gives you access to a library of a million books. You can borrow up to 10 titles at a time – goodies right now include all seven Harry Potter books, Thrown by Sara Cox Reid and The Sisters by Claire Douglas.

    But even better, if you're new to Kindle Unlimited, you can take advantage of its 30-day free trial* (sign in to Amazon to view offers, as it offers some people longer). The catch is you'll need to finish any books you're reading by the end of the trial, as they disappear after that. Remember to cancel if you don't want to keep it – otherwise you'll be charged £9.49 each month until you cancel.

    Kindles can cost £100+, but you can turn your phone/tablet into a 'Kindle' for FREE

    A Kindle's main advantage is its special screen being optimised for reading and allowing you to read in bright sunshine with no glare, but if you can live without this, you can get the same functionality just by downloading the free Kindle app*.

    It's available on any compatible tablet or smartphone (iOS / Android), or even for a PC/Mac, and this gives you the same access to millions of e-books to read whenever, wherever you like, completely free of charge. Many modern phones and tablets will have a built-in 'reading mode' which will alter the display to make it more suitable for reading a book.

    For more Kindle tricks, see MSE Jenny's 11 novel MoneySaving tricks to get must-read Kindle books for FREE (or just 99p).

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  23. Choose less popular colours to save up to 25%

    This tip won't work for everything, but for some products such as Fitbits, suitcases and travel mugs, the colour you choose can make a big difference to the price.

    For example, when we checked, we noticed an up to £60 price difference between different colours of the same Fitbit – the model and features are identical, it's just the colour and price that differ. Some colours were even very similar – we spotted a £60 price difference between the Fitbit Versa 2 with a pale pink strap versus the one with a darker pink strap...

    The pale pink (petal/copper rose) was £139 compared with the darker pink (blossom) which was £199

  24. Never pay full price for audiobooks at Amazon

    Buying one-off audiobooks can be costly, sometimes £30+ a book. Amazon's audiobook seller Audible tries to push you to subscribe, which can cut the cost to £7.99 a book. Yet we've tricks to slash the price even further... 

    Never had an Audible subscription? Get one book totally free

    If new to Audible, you can take advantage of its 30-day free trial* to get a free audiobook (which you can keep). If you're also a Prime member, you'll get a second audiobook for free.

    You'll need to give payment details to sign up, so make sure you remember to cancel if you don't want to continue with your subscription, otherwise you'll be charged £7.99 a month.

    For more tips to get Audible audiobooks (and other types of audiobooks) dirt-cheap or even free, see MSE Jenny's 14 Audible MoneySaving tricks. 

  25. Reclaim over 20 YEARS of lost music

    If you've bought CDs or vinyl, you're entitled to the downloads of most of them for nowt back to 1999. Amazon's Autorip service* lets you stream or download the MP3 version for free.

    You can potentially recover over 20 years of forgotten music – from CDs you've lost, damaged or thrown away, and MP3s you downloaded that have since been wiped from your devices.

    Check your Amazon Music* library to see if you've any past albums available to stream and download. Bear in mind it can take a while for Autorip to locate your music. It's also worth noting only CDs and vinyl which were sold and dispatched by Amazon, and have the Autorip logo displayed alongside them are eligible to be reclaimed.

    Many Forumites have discovered thousands of tracks, as JHL1959 told us:

    Crikey, it's given me 182 albums, that's 2,367 tracks. Amazingly, I still like a lot of them – cheered me up.

    It's not always such a success though. GingerJuice says:

    Thought it was brilliant then realised I'd bought the mother-in-law a Susan Boyle CD... ugh.

  26. Got an Amazon Alexa device? Listen to free popular audiobooks & short stories every month

    If you've got an Alexa-enabled device, such as an Echo smart speaker or Fire TV stick, you can listen to selected audiobooks each month completely free – just say "Alexa, what's free from Audible?" to hear what's available. You don't need to have an Audible subscription or give it any payment details.

    Alexa, what's free from Audible?

    Past free titles have included Aladdin, Harry Potter, Oliver Twist, Pinocchio, Planet of the Apes, Treasure Island, and The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

    Free short stories – though you can only pick the genre, such as mystery, sci-fi, kids

    It's very easy to listen to short stories narrated by the likes of Stephen Fry, David Jason, Juliet Stevenson and more on your Alexa-enabled device.

    To get it to work, say "Alexa, open Audible Stories". You'll then be asked to choose a genre, such as mystery, sci-fi, horror, kids – Alexa will then randomly select a short story for you to listen to. Examples include The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Dracula's Guest, and The Trial for Murder.

  27. You can pay monthly for Prime – but it'll cost you £13 more than paying for a year

    You're able to opt for a monthly subscription of Amazon's one-day Prime delivery service (plus other benefits) for £8.99 a month, instead of the £95 annual fee.

    While this means paying less upfront, it'll cost you more over the course of a year – £108 compared with £95 upfront. This is still a lot of money, so consider whether you really need Prime. 

    Of course, if you just want to try it out for a bit or want it for a particular reason, such as access to 'Prime Day' deals or in the run-up to Christmas (and you've already used the free trial), paying monthly might be a better option, especially as you can cancel at any time.

  28. Get free Amazon vouchers with credit cards

    Some credit cards reward spending with loyalty points that can be swapped for Amazon vouchers. These aren't necessarily our top-pick rewards cards though – see Credit card rewards for full details.

    The Amex Preferred Rewards Gold* credit card gives you 20,000 reward points if you spend £3,000+ on it within three months.

    Amex points can be used in a variety of ways – including converting them into Nectar points, which, via our trick, can be boosted beyond their usual value. Hit the £3,000 trigger and you'll have 23,000 points, which could get you £185 in Nectar points or £115 in Amazon vouchers. 

    There's normally a £195 annual fee, but it's waived in year one, so if you don't want to pay, cancel before year two.

    Make sure you repay IN FULL every month or it's 88.8% rep APR interest, including fee, which'll quickly wipe out the rewards gain. The easiest way to do this is to set up a direct debit to repay in full. You'll be subject to a credit check when you apply.

  29. How to grab 'free' Amazon gift cards

    There are loads of ways to earn free Amazon vouchers, and even better, most don't take much effort. If you're saving up for something big (and it's cheapest on Amazon), this can be a great way to nab a discount, or even get it completely free.

    MSE Sarah's Eight ways to grab 'free' Amazon vouchers blog includes doing quick online tasks and signing up to survey sites.

    If you're feeling lucky, another potentially rewarding hobby is to enter free online competitions to win Amazon vouchers. Read our Comping tips guide for full details on how to do it.

  30. Students can get six months' free one-day delivery and video streaming

    Prime Student* is a version of Prime specifically for, well, students. It gives those aged 18+ who are in higher education access to free one-day delivery, Amazon's video and music streaming services, and photo storage.

    It costs £4.49 a month or £47.49 a year for membership (compared with £8.99 or £95 normally), but students can get a six-month trial free.

    You need to sign up with a valid .ac.uk email address or other form of student ID. Don't forget to cancel if you don't want to be charged £47.49 (or £4.49 a month if you selected that option). Go to Manage Your Prime Membership to do that.

  31. Have your own website or blog? Tap into free cash with Amazon Associates

    If you've a blog or website, set up a free account with Amazon Associates, a scheme where you earn Amazon vouchers or cash for linking to the site. Just follow the steps to add links and banners to your website. 

    When someone clicks on Amazon from your site and makes a transaction, it's recorded and you're paid different rates of commission depending what products you sell and what categories they're in.

  32. Get up to 15% off household products you regularly order

    For regular household product purchases, there's an easy way to get 5% off – and it's possible to boost this to 15%.

    From loo roll to vacuum cleaner bags, pet food to bin liners, Amazon's Subscribe & Save* service covers a host of items that you might order regularly.

    The service is free – simply select the item and how regularly you want it delivered. Amazon will automatically send it out and apply the 5% discount when it charges you. You do need to save your payment details to your account.

    If you have five or more subscriptions, Amazon boosts the discount to 15% on all your regular deliveries. There is no minimum subscription length, so you can set up your order, get the discount, then cancel.

    It's possible to bag up to 25% off on your first delivery of some popular items

    You can also collect vouchers giving up to 25% off selected products on your first Subscribe & Save delivery (future deliveries will be the usual 5% or 15% discount). You'll need to select the product's 'Collect Voucher' button in order to receive the discount. When we checked, we spotted 25% off vouchers for Andrex Supreme quilted toilet roll, Burt's Bees moisturising lip balm, Wagg dog treats and more.

  33. Prime members get Amazon Music Prime for free, or £1 a month off Amazon Music Unlimited

    If you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you can get access to Amazon Music Prime for free – this gives you 100 million songs ad-free, but does have some playback restrictions (for example, most of the song library can only be listened to on shuffle mode).

    If you want to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited* (higher audio quality, pick specific songs, unlimited skips and more), you can get £1 a month off the monthly price that non-Prime members pay, so it'll cost £9.99 a month instead of £10.99 a month – which makes it cheaper than Spotify Premium.

    For more info on streaming, see our Free music streaming guide.

  34. Use a cashback credit card

    You can earn up to 5% every time you spend by using a cashback credit card, although always ensure you pay it off in full to avoid interest charges. For the current top payers, see the full Credit card rewards guide.

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