Many people flock to Amazon in search of great deals. After all, it’s incredibly easy to comparison shop on the site, explore a wide range of brands in a category, and even get it all shipped to your door for free. For households on a budget, Amazon Subscribe and Save may look like a particularly good deal. Along with automatically sending you critical items on a set schedule, you get a discount for using the program. But is there a darker side to the arrangement? If you’re curious, here’s what you need to know about the ugly side of Amazon Subscribe and Save.
What Is Amazon Subscribe and Save?
Amazon Subscribe and Save is a program that gives shoppers a discount on their purchase if they sign up for automatic deliveries from the same seller at a set interval that the shopper chooses. There are thousands of products that are eligible for the service. The program is free to join. The Subscribe and Save page on Amazon looks like this:
How Amazon Subscribe and Save Works
The concept behind Amazon Subscribe and Save is incredibly simple. When a shopper finds a product that is eligible for the program, they can choose to sign up for a recurring purchase right from the item page. If they proceed, they can select a delivery interval.
With the delivery intervals, Amazon will present the most commonly used option. However, customers can update it based on their needs. The options range from every two weeks to every six months. Plus, shoppers can adjust that interval at any time, as well as cancel a subscription whenever they like.
When it comes to the size of the discounts, it’s typically 5 percent off of the purchase price. In some cases, you may get a higher rate with your first Amazon Subscribe and Save purchase of a particular item, allowing you to capture a savings as high as 15 percent. Additionally, if you have five or more products coming in a single shipment, you get a higher discount across the entire order, usually 15 percent.
Even though Amazon Subscribe and Save involves automatic shipments, customers do maintain a significant amount of control. Along with being able to change their intervals, they get a notification before the subsequent order processes, allowing them to alter or cancel the order as needed.
Another convenient option is the ability to list a backup product. With that, if you’re preferred item isn’t available when it’s time for your shipment, you’ll receive your selected alternative instead, ensuring you don’t have to go without a critical household item.
The Ugly Side of Amazon Subscribe and Save
While Amazon Subscribe and Save is incredibly convenient and does come with some benefits, there are potential drawbacks, too.
Product Prices Fluctuate
One of the biggest disadvantages to the program is that you aren’t locking in a price with an Amazon Subscribe and Save product. While you’ll get the posted price on your first delivery, subsequent ones could cost more or less. Even if the latter works to your benefit, the former can wreak havoc on your budget if the change is significant. Plus, it could make what was once a good deal less competitive in the broader market.
No Best-Price Guarantee
Amazon doesn’t compare prices across the various vendors with Subscribe and Save orders. The recurring purchase always uses the same seller, even if there is a lower-priced option available.
Now, the notification from Amazon about an upcoming shipment does give you a chance to comparison shop before it processes, but the window for changes is small. If you miss the message, you might get stuck with a higher price.
Getting the Biggest Discount Isn’t Always Easy or Convenient
Another challenge with the program is getting the highest possible discount. It typically takes five items in the same shipment to get the highest percentage off. The issue is that different product types don’t always run out at the same time.
If you only have a limited number of products in the Amazon Subscribe and Save program, that could mean going without for a period, ending up with an unintentional stockpile, or having to split up the deliveries. However, if you put items on unique schedules, that means accepting the lower discount, as you likely won’t meet the five-item minimum with every delivery.
Substitutions Aren’t Guaranteed
When it comes to substitutions, Amazon will send one if you list a backup product for that Subscribe and Save item. However, if you don’t have a backup listed, or the backup you choose also isn’t available, you aren’t getting anything shipped to you at that time.
Now, they won’t charge you unless an item ships, so you aren’t out of money if a product in that order isn’t available. Additionally, you may be able to request an item be sent as soon as it’s in stock. However, this can be a bit inconvenient in some cases.
Delivery Dates Aren’t Guaranteed
While you do get to select a delivery date for your Amazon Subscribe and Save orders, that isn’t actually a guarantee. Just like regular shipments, Amazon Subscribe and Save purchases can be late. That may be surprising since Amazon knows about your order well in advance.
Additionally, there’s little recourse if there’s a slight delay. Only after several days can you take action, such as requesting a free replacement or a refund. Until that passes, you have to go without, pay for another order, or get the product elsewhere. Depending on your budget or available time, that can be a significant inconvenience.
How to Avoid the Ugly Side of Amazon Subscribe and Save
In many cases, it is possible to avoid the ugly side of Amazon Subscribe and Save with a bit of planning and diligence. Here’s how.
Sign Up for Notifications
The best way to avoid accidentally paying too much is to stay on top of your upcoming delivery notifications. Along with enabling emails, consider turning push notifications on to ensure you get an alert on your phone, too. That increases the odds that you’ll know a delivery is coming with enough room to make changes, giving you a chance to comparison shop before the shipment locks in.
Having a backup product listed is similarly smart. That ensures there’s an alternative product on the way if you’re preferred option isn’t available at the time.
Only Sign Up If the Smaller Discount Is a Good Deal
Unless you have five products that all coincidentally cycle together or you’re comfortable going without or creating an incidental stockpile, only sign up for Amazon Subscribe and Save if the lower offered discount represents a good deal. That way, you aren’t having to inconvenience yourself by lining up a large enough shipment just to get the higher percentage off.
Plus, you aren’t adding items you don’t actually need just to get to the 15 percent off mark. If you’re able to make it happen, it becomes a nice bonus, not a necessity you have to force every time an order gets ready to ship.
Choose a Delivery Schedule with Room for Delays
Since a delivery date isn’t actually a guarantee, consider creating a delivery schedule that offers some wiggle room in case there are delays. For example, having products arrive about one week before you actually need the replacement isn’t a bad idea. That gives you a buffer, making potential shipment delays less of a concern. Plus, even if you have to wait until you can get a free replacement, it’ll likely arrive around the time you need it.
Have you experienced the ugly side of Amazon Subscribe and Save? What was your experience like, and how did it impact your approach to shopping at the retail giant down the line?
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Tamila McDonald is a U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service, including five years as a military financial advisor. After retiring from the Army, she spent eight years as an AFCPE-certified personal financial advisor for wounded warriors and their families. Now she writes about personal finance and benefits programs for numerous financial websites.
