8 ways to save money on Amazon orders

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is happening March 25 through March 31, and if you’re anything like us, you already have a few items on your Amazon watch list. This sale is a great time to stock up on winter clearance items, …

Mar 25, 2025 - 13:39

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Amazon’s Big Spring Sale is happening March 25 through March 31, and if you’re anything like us, you already have a few items on your Amazon watch list.

This sale is a great time to stock up on winter clearance items, travel gear, clothing, home goods and anything else you need to prepare for spring.

Whether you are gearing up to save some cash during the sales or looking for deals any time of year, here are eight ways you may be able to save money on your next Amazon “add to cart” moment.

Use points

You might have noticed the “Shop with Points” option on the Amazon checkout page. This is not always the best use of your credit card points in terms of monetary value, as you can often get a much better return when redeeming points for travel.

Sometimes, though, you can utilize promotions that help you save on Amazon orders even when using a small number of points.

Occasionally, eligible American Express cardholders are targeted with an offer to save on Amazon purchases when they pay with points. In the past, TPG staffers with eligible American Express cards have been targeted to save between 10% and 50% on Amazon orders when using just 1 American Express Membership Rewards point. Offer terms vary, but the concept remains relatively the same. If one of these offers is available for your account, it can be a great way to save on your next Amazon order.

To be eligible, you must link your eligible Amex card(s) to your Amazon account to shop with Membership Rewards points.

American Express Membership Rewards Program eligible products discount — AMAZON

We regularly check for new offers, and we suggest you do the same to make sure you’re not already eligible for one. Bookmark any offers pages to check again later if you’re not eligible right now.

Earn bonus points with the right credit card

If you have an American Express card, see if you’ve been targeted for any Amex Offers. These offers vary from account to account and can be a great way to rack up bonus Membership Rewards points or save money on purchases you would make anyway.

Amazon periodically appears in Amex Offers.

The trick here is to check your Amex account frequently to see if you’re eligible to earn bonus points or additional savings. You must manually add these offers to your Amex account and then use that card to pay for your Amazon order.

To start accessing these Amex Offers, a couple of good American Express cards to consider are:

Use an Amazon credit card

Since we’re discussing the best credit cards for Amazon purchases, let’s talk about Amazon’s own card: the Prime Visa.

A hand holding the Prime Visa card — THE POINTS GUY

This card doesn’t have an annual fee, and new cardholders will receive a $100 Amazon gift card immediately upon approval. You can use the gift card straight away for sale purchases. The card is only available to Prime members, so factor that in when deciding if it is the right match for you.

The card awards 5% cash back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market; 2% cash back on restaurant, gas station, and local transit and commuting purchases; and 1% cash back on everything else.

Use coupons

This tip won’t come as a surprise, but if you see a coupon available on Amazon, be sure to click on it.

You’ll know if there’s a coupon available for your item, as there will be an icon that says “Coupon” below the price. You can activate the coupon by checking the box next to it. Coupons are sometimes only for a few cents off your purchase price, but we’ve also seen some for 15% to 20% off.

Some items will also let you save by subscribing for repeat deliveries through Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program.

Track prices and set price alerts

It’s hard to know just how good a sale is if you haven’t been pricing a certain item for a while. You can use the website CamelCamelCamel to see the historical price of an item on Amazon and get alerts if the price drops.

This website can help you gauge just how good a sale is. If it’s not an urgent purchase, you can use this site to help you decide whether or not to hold off for a better price before buying the item.

Screenshot of an item's price history on Amazon — CAMELCAMELCAMEL

Get credit for no-rush shipping or pickup

If you have time to spare, you can opt for no-rush shipping on your items and save them for an “Amazon Day Delivery.” This way, you’ll earn a credit that you can use for future digital purchases such as select e-books, music, videos and apps. The amount of the credit varies, but based on our tests, it usually comes out to $2 or $3.

You’ll see this option during checkout when entering your shipping information.

If you decide to send your order to an Amazon pickup point (rather than your home), you may be rewarded with a promotion. In the past, we’ve seen $10 credits on future $20 Amazon orders by using a code and retrieving orders at an Amazon Hub, such as an Amazon Locker or Locker+.

Sign up for a free Amazon Prime trial

If you’re not already an Amazon Prime member, you might be able to sign up for a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime. It’s a great, free way to try out the service. You’ll receive free, two-day shipping on eligible items and also get access to Prime Video. After that, if you don’t cancel, the plan will cost $14.99 per month.

Purchase Amazon gift cards

If the credit cards in your wallet don’t offer any points or cash-back bonuses for Amazon, you can also purchase Amazon gift cards at grocery stores with a credit card that gives bonus rewards at that specific retailer.

For example, if you buy a $100 Amazon gift card at the grocery store and pay for that purchase with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express, you can earn 6% cash back on that purchase (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases at U.S. supermarkets, then 1%). Cash back is received as Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or at Amazon checkout.

Bottom line

From having the right credit card to using American Express Reward Dollars for purchases, there are several ways to save money on the already discounted prices during Amazon’s Big Spring Sale.

Related reading:

For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Honors Amex, click here.