13 Ways to Score Free Stuff on Amazon — And Not Just From Product Reviews
Amazon is the biggest online retailer in the country and sells just about everything under the sun. If a product is for sale online, chances are it’s on Amazon. The retail giant doesn’t just sell its own products, it’s also a virtual marketplace for millions of vendors around the globe.
Competition among these sellers is fierce. With just a little bit of work, you can take advantage by scoring deals and getting free stuff on Amazon.
While there are some things on Amazon anyone can get for free right away, the best way to get high-quality freebies is through helpful, informative and well-written product reviews. The company changed its review policy in 2016, and now the only way to get free products through reviews is the Vine program. While you won’t be able to reach out to a struggling retailer and offer reviews in exchange for merchandise, there are still ways for reviewers to get free stuff.
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Robust Reviews Earn Amazon Freebies
Reviewing products is one of the prime ways to get Amazon freebies. We offer some tips and tricks to be successful.
1. Get Invited to be a Vine Reviewer By Writing More (and Better) Reviews
The early days of Amazon reviewing was like the Wild West, with far less regulation — companies sent out free products or other compensation in exchange for positive reviews, despite the actual quality of the item. Unsurprisingly, this led to companies manipulating reviews and “earning” inflated scores for subpar products. Amazon responded in 2016 by prohibiting incentivized reviews, with the exception being those facilitated through Amazon Vine.
In this program, companies send Amazon products that they distribute to trusted reviewers for free. Then, Vine identifies the most helpful and trusted reviewers and invites them to give their opinions on new and pre-release products. Now called Vine Voices. These reviewers aren’t under any pressure to post positive reviews, and sometimes aren’t even required to write one.
Vine membership is by invite only — you can’t apply to join the program. Amazon watches out for customers who post reviews frequently, are considered the most helpful by customers, and write about the types of items that are typically featured in the program.
Vine is a more transparent program because the decision making about who reviews what products is in the hands of Amazon. Vendors have no influence over which Vine Voices review their products.
2. Use Influencer (or Micro-Influencer) Status for Freebies
Let’s admit it: most of us don’t have the kind of social media following that gives us influencer status.
But marketing departments also see the value in micro-influencers — social media users that have smaller, intensely dedicated followings. If you have a blog, Youtube channel or a certain number of social media followers, signing up with a company like Tomoson is one way to get free stuff from Amazon.
Tomoson’s business model is to connect brands with influencers. If you meet the right criteria, you’ll be selected for a campaign. You don’t necessarily need to have a huge number of followers — brands care most about someone with an audience that fits the niche of their product.
These reviews or mentions will be posted on your social media so you don’t need to worry about violating Amazon’s terms by receiving a free item for review — though FTC laws require you to disclose your relationship with the brand you’re posting about. There are other companies similar to Tomoson, and this post reviews 20 of them.
A free site and desktop extension called Rakuten works with Amazon (and just about every other online store). They can make sure you get some cash back every time you buy — up to 15% cash back.
3. Tread Carefully With Facebook Groups and Third Party Review Sites
When searching for Amazon freebies, Facebook groups and third party review sites are a popular recommendation. It’s true these groups can provide vouchers or gift cards for items you’ve purchased on Amazon — usually in exchange for a positive review — but you need to be careful.
Many sellers on these Facebook groups and review sites aren’t reputable and are violating Amazon’s incentivized reviews policy or soliciting fake paid reviews. This is most risky for them but could result in your Amazon account being suspended. The Federal Trade Commission is proposing a rule to ban fake reviews, and the UK banned buying, selling or hosting fake reviews in January.
Additionally, most of the products on these sites and groups aren’t name brands and appear to be low quality. Be wary!
Free Stuff Anyone Can Get
There are ways to get free things without much effort. Here are some.
4. Free Amazon Prime Trials
If you’ve never had a subscription to Amazon Prime or it’s been a year since your last subscription expired, you are entitled to a free 30-Day trial of Amazon Prime. This membership gives you access to ad-free Amazon Music, Prime Video, Prime Reading and Amazon Photo, plus free shipping on items ordered through Amazon.
Even better is the deal Amazon offers higher education students who don’t currently have a Prime membership. All you have to do is visit the Amazon Students page and register — you’ll get a free six month trial of Amazon Prime, and then half off membership for several of their services for up to a year.
People who receive low income assistance, like EBT/SNAP programs, Medicaid, SSI and other benefits may get Amazon Prime for about $7 a month.
5. Amazon Music Free
Like most streaming services, Amazon Music Unlimited has a free 30-day trial for new subscribers, giving you unlimited, on-demand, ad-free music and podcasts. Of course, you’ll need to remember to end the subscription before your 30 days are up or you’ll be charged for a month ($9.99). Signing up for a free 30–day trial of Prime also gives you unlimited access to the service’s deep library.
But did you know that you don’t even need to sign up for a trial to access free songs on Amazon? Head over to the Free Songs page on Amazon Music where you can listen to and download thousands of free tracks.
6. Free Kindle Books
There are a couple ways to get free Kindle books on Amazon. If you’re already a Prime Member, the First Reads program entitles you to one free Kindle book a month. Even if you don’t have Prime, you can use First Reads to pay just $1.99 for one book a month. Plus, you have access to thousands of free Kindle books in the company’s library.
7. Audible Audiobooks
If audio books are more your speed, Amazon offers a free 30-day Audible trial. This includes one credit for a free audiobook (two for Prime members) that you get to keep after the trial is over.
8. Free Baby Box With Amazon Registry
If you’re expecting a baby, sign up with Amazon Registry for a free gift with goodies for the newborn and parents, with a value of up to $35. The program also incentivizes couples by offering a bonus gift if they set up a wedding registry and people make purchases off it.
9. Earn Monthly Rewards on Amazon Shopper Panel
If you’re invited to the Amazon Shopper Panel, you can earn rewards each month on the purchases you make through the website. Amazon Panel is an opt-in, invitation-only program — shoppers upload receipts using the Amazon Shopper Panel app, complete surveys and enable ad verification in order to earn $10 toward an Amazon Balance or charitable organization.
A way to increase the likelihood of being invited is to download the Amazon Shopper Panel App and join the waitlist. You can check your eligibility by tapping the Receipts, Surveys, and Ads tab in the app.
Not Free Stuff, But Free Cash Back
Use your old electronics to get credit? As good as gold.
10. Get $225 in Free Amazon Gift Cards
A website called InboxDollars will give you free Amazon gift cards for filling out surveys.
By signing up for a free account with InboxDollars, you could add up to $225 a month to your pocket. They’ll present you with short surveys to choose from every day, which you can fill out while you watch tonight’s broadcast.
You just have to answer honestly, and InboxDollars will continue to pay you every month. This might sound too good to be true, but it’s already paid its users more than $56 million.
Signing up takes about one minute, and you’ll immediately receive a $5 bonus to get you started.
11. Selecting Slower Shipping Earns Cash
Did you know if you accept longer shipping times, you can earn some cash back on your purchases? It all depends on your order and location, but after you order an item, if you choose a longer shipping time you could earn a credit on your purchase. It’s called No-Rush Shipping, and you can earn between $1-4. One caveat — credit may only last for a fairly short period of time.
12. Get Gift Cards With Amazon Trade-In
Like everyone, you probably have a ton of old electronics laying around the house. Instead of sending them off to the e-waste collection, why not turn obsolete devices into Amazon credit? Amazon Trade-In is a program that gives customers the chance to trade in their unused electronics for Amazon devices, cell phones, video games and more. Thousands of items are eligible for the program.
13. Earn Cash Back on Everyday Purchases With an Amazon Credit Card Approval
If you’re doing a lot of shopping for everyday items on Amazon, consider an Amazon Rewards Card. If you qualify for the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card, you’ll get a $60 Amazon gift card upon approval and 3% back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh and Chase Travel, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drug stores, and 1% back on all other purchases.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card earns even more, with a $100 gift card, 5% back at Amazon.com, Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh and Chase Travel, 2% back at gas stations, restaurants and drug stores, and 1% on all other purchases.
Matt Matasci is a Southern California freelance writer who writes on technology and business, plus travel and lifestyle topics. Deputy editor Tiffany Wendeln Connors updated this post.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. thepennyhoarder.com utilizes paid Amazon links. Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.
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