25 Crazy Amazon Hacks You Need This Christmas Season

25 Crazy Amazon Hacks You Need This Christmas Season – Shopping on Amazon is so easy around the holidays. You need to know these crazy holiday Amazon hacks that will save you TONS of money at Christmas and the Holiday season.

Amazon has become one of the cheapskate’s best-loved tools for internet shopping (especially on Black Friday and Cyber Monday… and the whole holiday season, too). But it’s so much more than just low prices and free 2-day shipping with Prime (which you can try for FREE for 30 days).

There are some crazy holiday money saving Amazon hacks at Christmas that you need to know before you buy anything from them again.

You’re probably thinking that Amazon isn’t the place to save money – but you’re wrong! If you’ve signed up for Amazon Prime like we advised you and made sure everything is on a low-cost delivery (which it will be because of the Amazon hacks below), you’ll find there’s plenty of ways to make your order as cheap as possible. You can find deals on everything, including Christmas lights, ornaments, and even Christmas decorations! Amazon has it all!

But if you’re not an Amazon Prime member or you missed out on all the promos they’ve been having lately, don’t worry because I’m about to share with you some crazy holiday money-saving Amazon hacks that will help you save more this Christmas season!

Other ways to save money shopping online:

• Money Saving Websites That Thrifty People Love
• Best Money Saving Apps You Need
• 5 Ways You’re Losing Money With Ebates
• How to Make Saving Money Easy
• Save Money Automatically

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First off, you need to get Prime in order to benefit most from Amazon!

I’ve had friends who don’t have Prime and have had products shipped to them after a few weeks. Unfortunately, this seems to be the average for non-Prime users.

So hands down, the biggest crazy holiday money saving Amazon hack at Christmas is to get Prime. Again, if you hate it (which you won’t), you can get your money back.

Grab your FREE 30 day trial of Amazon Prime just in time for the holidays now.

Sign up for it right before Black Friday, and then you’ll be able to get rid of it in time for the season to be over without ever having to pay for it! Winning, right?!

Shop Through Swagbucks and Save on Amazon with Cashback

Amazon doesn’t give out too many discounts using cashback sites. Even sites like Rakuten (formerly Ebates) usually only get 1% cashback on obscure categories of shopping.

But if you shop through Swagbucks when you do your Amazon shopping, you can get up to 7% back. Just make sure that you are logged in to Swagbucks before you start shopping. Go to the “shopping” section on Swagbucks. And then click on Amazon.

Once you’re on Amazon, just shop as usual. Everything else goes on behind the scenes, and Swagbucks will give you whatever cashback in points that apply to what you bought from Amazon.

You can get a free $5 BONUS when you sign up for Swagbucks HERE.

Earn free gift cards for your Christmas Shopping for Amazon

I love using my Swagbucks to get Amazon gift cards for Christmas. I get $25 gift cards for (basically) $23 every month and use that to pay for a lot of our Christmas shopping on Amazon. But it’s not just Swagbucks, where you can earn bonus gift cards.

Ibotta can give you payouts from scanning your receipts and shopping through their app in the form of Amazon gift cards. All you have to do is use Ibotta, which is free when you go to the grocery store or shop on Instacart.

Fetch Rewards pays you out for scanning your receipts – any receipts, really – in the form of gift cards. Including Amazon gift cards. It doesn’t take long at all (especially if you already have a ton of receipts in your wallet from starting Christmas shopping or just from regular-life shopping) to get enough points for gift cards.

You don’t have to do anything extra or work for those points at all. Just take a picture of your receipt, and you’re all set to get points.

Use the Deal of the Day tab

Want to know what the best deals are on Amazon this Christmas season? You can find the Deals of the Day right on the Amazon home page.

The flash sales that Amazon runs every day are right there on the home page. Check under the “Today’s Deals” tab. Amazon makes it nice and easy to save money on sales and deals during Christmas.

Use Amazon’s own coupons

There are some items that have coupons for when you check out. These are the best kinds of coupons in my book. The less I have to do to save money – especially on Christmas shopping – the better.

All you need to do is click, and the coupon is automatically added to your cart. Just keep an eye out for them when you add things to your cart.

Compare prices using CamelCamelCamel

Weirdest name ever, but the MOST amazing price comparison tool I’ve found (and it’s free!).  CamelCamelCamel.com shows you the history of the price of a product. You can see how much a product is listed on Amazon right now and see what it was at the same time last year. You can see if it will likely be on sale during Black Friday and the prices to expect to see.

I checked out the prices of the Instant Pot (which is always the most popular thing in recent years for sale on Black Friday and Cyber Monday), and the Price for the Instant Pot was lowest on Black Friday last year… until Prime Day blew it out of the water. But that should lead us to believe that the Black Friday deal on the Instant Pot should be around the same as Prime Day (since that’s what it’s been with Prime Day, and Black Friday is kind of similar pricing).

Checking CamelCamelCamel will help you make sure that you aren’t falling for some nonsense marketing trying to convince you that the prices are such a great deal when they really aren’t. You CAN be an informed consumer and save money when you shop on Amazon for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.. and the rest of the holiday season, too. 🙂 🙂

Check Amazon’s other buying options (aka – third party sellers)

Did you know that Amazon uses different people to bring them their products to sell? It’s called Amazon Arbitrage or Amazon FBA (and you can actually make a lot of money from doing it for yourself if you’re looking for a way to make some extra cash around the holidays).

Basically, that means that you can check to see if other people are offering a lower price for the same product. All you need to do is click the button that says “New and Used from…” and see what other prices are available. This is especially helpful for books that you can get used for a very steep discount.

If you’re also looking to learn how to make money on Amazon as an Amazon Associate, check out this Amazon Associates Ebook.

Get free Amazon gift cards

You read that right. You can earn free Amazon gift cards from Swagbucks. This is a totally legit thing, and it’s even how I paid for all of the cloth diapering supplies for my sons.

Just do some super easy tasks (like watching a commercial or a movie trailer), and you earn your gift cards.

Get started with Swagbucks here and get a special bonus!

Take advantage of Amazon Lightning Deals

These are a little hit or miss, honestly. But if you can find something that you’ve been eyeing for a while on a lightning deal, you’re in luck!

Lightning deals on Amazon are 15-minute deals that go up and on sale for a “limited quantity,” so you have to hurry if it’s a super popular item.

These are especially popular on Black Friday and Cyber Monday on Amazon when almost everything on sale is a lightning deal. The best thing you can do is add an item to your wishlist, and maybe Amazon will tell you if it becomes available. If you’re looking to save money on an item and you can find it on a lightning deal, don’t wait to grab it because it might be gone.

Share your Prime with family

No, this isn’t a scam. You can actually share Prime with your family members. This is one of the best Amazon hacks for those of you with big families!

If you don’t think you can swing that $99 for the year of Prime right now, go in on it with your family. You can ship to many different addresses with the same Prime account and can store different cards as well.

Use Prime Family

Do you use Amazon to shop for diapers? Then you need to check out Amazon Family and get up to a 20% discount on diapers. They also discount things that a family might need (baby food, formula, detergent, cleaning products, etc.) and also – here’s the biggest one when it comes to money-saving around Christmas – they can get you a discount on toys!

This is a big deal! Formula and diapers are so expensive that this can be a huge help for families with kids. Plus, some toys get discounted, too. Talk about a lazy way to save with Amazon to do your Christmas shopping. 🙂 🙂

Get no-rush-shipping at Christmas and earn credits for digital movie downloads, Amazon Pantry (and more)

If you’re not in a hurry to get your purchases for Christmas, you can click on the “no rush shipping” option and get either a $5 credit for Amazon Pantry or even a $1 credit for electronic purchases (aka – stock up on digital movie downloads for the holidays).

Basically, if you get enough of those nifty credits for electronics, you can download movies basically for FREE from Amazon. Every movie in my video library was purchased through Amazon’s credits. And I just needed to wait a few extra days for a package that I didn’t mind waiting for!

It’s also worth mentioning that more times than not, you will STILL get your packages earlier than the time that they quote you. Usually, I still get them within two days. And even if that happens, they still give me the credit.

Especially around the holidays, I’ve had them tell me it would take a week to get my package but had it delivered the next day.

Get a free 30-day trial of Prime here.

Shop Amazon’s Outlet Store to save big

What’s the “Amazon Outlet“? It’s an area of Amazon where you can find overstocked, discontinued, or clearance items for a big markdown on the original price. Because this is a small part of the Amazon store, it’s a little hit or miss. You can’t depend on the things you want to be there.

But it’s a great place to start looking for an item that might not be the newest model or generation, but that will save you big time on the price. You might need to do some digging to find the right items, but if you can get them, they’ll save you a lot of money getting them from the Outlet versus getting them brand new.

If you’re looking for great deals for a super low price, then this is the place to start in Amazon Outlet. See what they have in stock and if you can save on your Christmas shopping.

Check the Warehouse deals for super Christmas deals on Amazon

Warehouse (aka open-box) deals are my favorites around Christmas for saving lots of money on Amazon. You get a VERY steep discount on the same great products from Amazon but at a huge discount just because the box was opened and then someone returned it. There’s nothing wrong with the product (or Amazon will buy it back), the box was just opened.

Meaning that with Amazon Warehouse, you get a great deal and save money for something – usually, a pricey electronic device –  for Christmas without the huge price tag, and no one knows the difference.

There are still deals on open-box deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, too. This is my first stop when I need to buy a high-ticket item (even kitchen appliances or vacuums), especially right after Black Friday and Cyber Monday (when people buy something and then send it back for some reason or another).

Check out what’s on sale in the Amazon Warehouse section that will save you money.

Shop Amazon’s own brand – Amazon Basics

Now here’s one of the best Amazon hacks for all of you online shoppers! Did you know that Amazon makes its own brand? YUP – Amazon Basics.

The selection from Amazon Basics has grown so much this holiday season. Last year they really only had some generic office supplies and some basic kitchen tools. But this year, they have a lot of things that are actually on my Christmas list.

I got a comically large cast-iron skillet (we’re a family of 6, so I guess a skillet that big makes sense) from Amazon Basics, and I was a little hesitant at first. Would it be any good? What if it’s not heavy-duty? Would it rust?

Thankfully, it was amazing. I think we’re going to have this thing for years. And compared to any other brand, you can’t beat the price. 🙂

Check out Amazon Basics and see what they’ve got to offer!

Trade-In your stuff for extra Christmas money

Got some things you don’t want that you’d want to trade in? Here’s one of the most interesting Amazon hacks you probably didn’t know!

Did you know that Amazon has a trade-in program? Yup! For everything from textbooks (yes, even the random ones collecting dust in the closet) to DVDs and more, Amazon has a trade-in program that is a great way to clear out your home AND earn extra money for the holidays.

Now there are a few caveats. It needs to be in good, sellable, working (if electronic) condition. It also needs to be something they actually accept (I double they’d accept an obscure textbook that’s eight editions old and no longer in print, but you can always check before you send it).

They pay for the shipping, and all you have to do is send it. Disclaimer: they might not accept what you send. If they don’t accept it, they’ll return it to you.

But this is a great thing to do especially if you’ve got someone with a new Kindle or a new Echo on their Christmas wish list. They do the trade-in program on your old Åmazon tech. Why not make a few extra bucks on the tech you’re going to update with the Amazon trade-in program.

Review Amazon items for a huge discount

Are there sites that will give you a huge coupon (usually around 50% off the original price) for getting it from Amazon? It’s true. It used to be that you would get an even steeper discount (like 80-95% off or even free), but Amazon changed their policies about the comments and reviews for these products, and now, the discounts aren’t as steep.

But you can still get some great items for a great money-saving discount from places like Vipon and Snagshout. I like to get baby swaddle blankets and art supplies from these sites. They also usually have great tumblers for teacher gifts.

But it’s unpredictable what will be on sale. So you can never really go there and get everything on your wish list. If I know I need something generic (like a selfie stick – don’t judge me 😉 ), I’ll hop onto Snagshout and Vipon before I go searching around on Amazon. I can usually find things on there without a problem, and they will usually save me a lot by just checking first.

Score free $10 by using Amazon Cash

We’ve all heard about Amazon Promo Codes and Amazon Coupons, but do you know the most underutilized Amazon feature? It’s called Amazon Cash. This is an unadvertised service where anyone can get free $10 just by using their own cash to shop online on Amazon.

It takes only 10 minutes to set up an account! All you need is your phone and a checking account. Head over to https://www.amazon.com/cash and choose “Add money now.” Add at least $50-$60 of value to your new Amazon Cash account (the more, the better!). From there, you’ll see $10 deposited into your Amazon account within 48 hours, no strings attached!

Get cash when your Amazon package arrives late

This is one of the most crazy money saving Amazon hacks on this list! Most of the time, Amazon Prime members get their items on time. There are rare cases when shipping gets delayed for whatever reason, including high traffic and bad weather. 

If you ever experience this issue where your package doesn’t arrive on time, here’s what you can do to get your cash back! The next time your Amazon package arrives late, simply take a picture or video of it with a camera or your phone. Then message their customer service directly to inform them of the issue or report your problem. Amazon will issue free cash (the easiest $5 you’ll ever earn) to your account as a token of apology.

Subscribe and save on Amazon

If you’re like me, you buy items on Amazon quite frequently. This can get expensive if you’re not careful with how often you use promo codes. I subscribe to many things that I order very regularly, like laundry detergent or hand soap. As a frequent shopper, you’re probably wondering if more Amazon hacks can help you save more money. Well, you’re in luck! By taking advantage of the Subscribe and Save feature offered by Amazon, not only do I save a little bit of money each month, but I also never have to worry about when my next shipment is going to arrive!

Amazon is also very generous when it comes to giving out coupon codes for new subscribers. These promotional offers range from 20% off your first order up to 50% off your eligible subscription items so they can add up quickly! 

Use your Prime Membership at Whole Foods

Love shopping at Whole Foods for your holiday needs? Now, you won’t need to leave Amazon Prime! This is one of the best Amazon hacks for those of you who enjoy shopping for groceries online! Whole Foods is now a part of the Amazon Grocery store! 

If you’re a Prime member, Whole Foods is your new best friend. You can use your Amazon account to get discounts on groceries and other items, plus they have great prepared food options if you don’t feel like cooking.

This means that if you’re a member, you can get free 2-hour delivery from Whole Foods on orders above $35 and also use your discount of 5% on every purchase. So while there may be people thinking you’re obsessed with shopping for groceries online- let them think what they want! They won’t know about the sweet discounts or time-saving benefits, but we will!

Get refurbished items for way less

Amazon is an online shopping mall where you can get almost anything in the world. With Amazon promo codes, you can get refurbished items for way less than the regular price. 

Every year, Amazon releases thousands of refurbished goods. These are the returned products tested and found to still be in excellent working condition. These items are then sent back to Amazon warehouses, where they’re given cosmetic touch-ups before being resold. They sell them at much lower prices but still look good and work perfectly fine!

Besides selling refurbished items on Amazon, Amazon also has a great Merch by Amazon program that helps you sell your t-shirt designs worldwide with no upfront investment or costs! Interested in getting started? Check out this fantastic Amazon Merchant Course!

Convert your prepaid gift cards into Amazon gift cards

Have you ever received a prepaid gift card as a present, only to use it once and then forget about it? Or perhaps you have left other prepaid gift cards with tiny balances after your purchase? If either scenario sounds familiar, the solution may be simple: convert those old prepaid gift cards into Amazon.com gift cards!

Amazon has two promotion codes to help consumers turn their unwanted prepaid cards into Amazon credit/gift cards at no additional cost. The first option is for select users to convert an existing prepaid Visa or Mastercard to one issued by Amazon itself. To do this, simply go through the online process on Amazon’s website.

The second method allows customers to trade in any older-style card, including gift cards, stored-value cards, and prepaid phone cards. Customers can apply up to three codes per month using Amazon’s online code generator.

Once submitted, customers will receive an Amazon gift card equal to the amount on their trade-in credit/gift card(s) within ten business days of processing time. Unfortunately, the promotion is available for select customers only. So you’ll need to check the online promotions page every once in a while to check if your account is eligible.

Apply for Amazon Rewards Visa credit card

If you want to save even more money on Amazon, you should consider getting an Amazon credit card. It can be challenging and time-consuming to find coupons and deals for your Amazon purchases. However, Amazon credit cards offer promotions just for Amazon shoppers.

There are tons of promotional offers with Amazon credit cards. They even offer gift cards after making a set number of purchases within a certain amount of time. The best part? When applying for a Rewards Visa Credit Card, you can also apply as a Prime member! This means you get free two-day shipping on select items. This is a great way to save money and make some extra cash on Amazon simultaneously!

Use Capital One Shopping for finding refunds

Finding refunds on Amazon just got a whole lot easier thanks to Capital One Shopping. This is one of the Amazon hacks that you wish you would’ve found out earlier!

Do you already have an account with Capital One Shopping? This combo is a fantastic hack for people who already use Capital One as their credit card company. If you go to Amazon and go shopping, as usual, all of your purchases are tracked by Capital One. That means that if you take advantage of the money-saving options that Capital One presents to you, then all of your purchases are tracked, which is super cool because it’s free!

Do you use them for saving money at Amazon already? No worries, there are even more features offered through this system. The Capital One Shopping website allows you to find money-saving deals that can be used on Amazon or any other store. 

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If you’re like me, I know that you love to save money on your Christmas and holiday shopping. Thanks to Amazon, there are many ways to save money on shopping this Christmas.

My personal favorite thing to do is to combine these together. I like to get a free gift card from Swagbucks, see what I can get from Vipon, check out the outlet and warehouse, and see if there are any deals or coupons from the regular Amazon store. When you put everything together, you can make a big dent in the cost of Christmas shopping. You can go Christmas shopping on a budget, especially when you save money with Amazon.

These are my favorite crazy holiday money-saving Amazon hacks at Christmas that you need to try out today. And don’t forget, you can try Amazon Prime for FREE for 30 days!

(I did this on December 1st so that I could get all of my Christmas shopping done for free shipping!) And remember with Amazon that you can cancel at any time. 🙂

More money-saving tips:

• The BEST Ways Save the Most Money Shopping Online!
• Best Money Saving Apps You Need
• Money Saving Websites That Thrifty People Love
• 30+ Real Ways to Earn Money From Home

What is your favorite Amazon hack around the holidays and at Christmas?