BARGAIN HUNTER
Get up to 75% off and free delivery under £20 – 7 little-known tips to save money on Amazon
FROM getting 75 per cent off hidden deals to freebies, we reveal how to save money when shopping on Amazon.
Last week, a group of skint students stung Amazon for hundreds of thousands of pounds after discovering a reusable discount code glitch.
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The lucky shoppers found that a discount code meant they could get £5 off their purchases.
But discount code glitches aren't the only way to save cash when shopping on Amazon.
We've found seven loopholes or little-known ways to get a discount.
For some of these tips you'll need to be an Prime member.
It costs £79.99 for a year's subscription, or £7.99 a month and will see you get free next day delivery, access to Prime Video and early access to lightning deals across all ranges.
Amazon offers a free one-month trial, so you can sign up and cancel before the end of the deal and you won't pay a penny.
Just remember to cancel, otherwise you could be charged the full £79.99.
1. Get free product samples
Amazon will randomly send Prime members free product samples in the post that the retailer thinks they may like.
These can range from anything like healthy snacks to moisturisers to pet food.
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They're completely free and you don't have to review the products or buy the full-size version either.
You'll need to opt into the scheme via the Your Account section online and let them know when categories you're most interested in receiving samples from, such as groceries or beauty.
Of course, there's no guarantee you'll get a freebie - but do let us know how you get on.
2. Get up to 75 per cent off by searching for discounts
Clever bargain hunters have found ways to reveal discounts of up to 80 per cent off on Amazon.
and both have free tools you can use to help reveal the bargains.
The amount you'll save varies based on the item you're looking for.
But for example, LatestDeals has found up to 75 per cent off DVDs and Blu-rays, or 50 per cent off health and beauty items.
3. Shop Amazon 'abroad' to save money
Amazon sells the same products for different prices to shoppers in different countries - but there are no rules against you buying from a different countries website to get a cheaper price.
The free tool checks prices across Amazon sites in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the USA.
For example, we found that a pair of Apple AirPods cost £140.99 from Amazon in the UK but £128.64 (€149) from Spain.
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You will need to take into account the current exchange rate on the day that you do your shopping and any customs fees you may have to pay for when considering the bargain.
You may need to pay extra for international shipping too, which can cost between £5 and £10 depending on what site you order from, which may eat into your savings.
It usually works best on tech but don't forget you'll need to use an adaptor with them because they'll have a European or US plug.
4. Get free delivery below £20
If you haven't signed up to Prime then you will usually qualify for free delivery when you spend £20 or more.
Which it why it's really annoying when the thing you want to buy costs £19.99 - at this price you'll need to fork out the £3.95 for postage.
There are a number of free tools that will help you find products to boost your spend so that it comes to £20 or more but costs less than the delivery charges.
Latestdeals.co.uk's free tool lets you shop for low cost products by department, while the will find you any items that cost up to the amount you need.
You can also dodge the delivery charge by pre-ordering something that costs more than the £20 threshold.
For example, adding Star Wars JEDI: Fallen Order PS4 game to your basket will add £54.99 to your bill.
You won't actually be charged for it until a few days before the release day when it will dispatched.
Once the items you actually want have been dispatched with free delivery, cancel the pre-order to make sure you're not charged.
If you haven't subscribed to Prime then you'll need to spend over £20 to qualify for free delivery.
However, there's a section on the site that shows items for under £15 which qualify for free shipping.
These include cushions, nightwear, jewellery and bits of tech. You can find the listings.
5. Get a refund if the price drops
Is there anything more annoying than seeing the price drop on a product that you bought days after it arrives?
Well, Amazon's returns policy means that if the price of your order is discounted within seven days of purchase it then you're entitled to a refund of the difference.
For example, if you bought a vacuum for £50 and the price went down to £30 then you'll get £20 back.
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This only applies to Amazon-own products and not those that were sold through a third party seller.
You'll need to contact them via the website or email and make sure that you include your order number.
6. Save up to 20 per cent using Amazon warehouse
is where all of the returned goods get relisted to be resold.
Some items may be damaged, while others have been used or are refurbished. Any blemishes will be specified in the description.
Tom Church from LatestDeals.co.uk explains: "Amazon Warehouse has its very own deal tracker called The Forklift.
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"This allows you to set up price alerts on items, so that if someone returns a product, you can take the chance to buy it for half price, or sometimes even less.
"During Black Friday, they usually give 20 per cent off everything here."
7. Always get the cheapest price
If you're shopping on Amazon then make sure you use CamelCamelCamel to check prices.
It gives you the price history of the item on Amazon you want to buy so you can decide whether to buy it or wait for the price to drop based on previous data.
Students sting Amazon for hundreds of thousands after discovering reusable discount code glitch
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