Can You Really Save With Amazon Prime Pantry?

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Amazon is the go-to website for many looking to save money. I am a huge fan of using Amazon to price-match Target and Walmart merchandise, and I take full advantage of the Subscribe & Save program. However, one newer program, Prime Pantry, has a lot of shoppers confused.

At first look, Prime Pantry does not seem to be that great of a deal. Many of the prices are the same as your local retail store, but what's with the $5.99 shipping? And do you have to fill your box to 100%? Prime Pantry can score you great deals on essential pantry items, but you need to know how to take full advantage of the program. Use these tips to get the best deal on Prime Pantry items.

Earn Pantry Credit

First things first, you do need to be an Amazon Prime member. You can easily get a free trial or a discounted membership if you are a student. As a Prime member, every time you order a Prime item, you can choose "Free No-Rush Shipping." In exchange for choosing a slower shipping speed, Amazon rewards you with either a $1 credit for eBooks and digital videos, or a $5.99 Pantry credit.

I try to make it a habit of choosing the no-rush shipping option when I can wait a few extra days to receive my purchase. I will also separate orders to get the most credits possible. Once you have the $5.99 credit, do not use it until you can pair it with a free shipping promo.

Wait for Free Shipping

Usually once a month, Amazon offers free shipping on their Prime Pantry box if you buy five selected items. This will automatically save you $5.99 on your order. The free shipping code can be stacked with other coupons and your no-rush shipping credit.

Buy Items With Clippable Coupons

I used to be really good at using coupons and getting things like toothpaste and deodorant for free. I honestly just do not have time for that anymore. That is why I love that many of the Prime Pantry items come with clippable coupons. Sometimes the coupons are minimal, and other times they can dramatically reduce the cost of your purchase. I try to find items I need that have a clippable coupon and that also qualify for the free shipping promotion.

Wait for Additional Savings

Often Amazon will also offer their Pantry boxes for an additional 20%–30% off. Last month, I was able to get $60 worth of razor refills, cleaning products, and personal products for about $20 after stacking a 30% coupon, free shipping coupon, clippable coupons, and no-rush credit.

Slickdeals Is Invaluable

It can be time consuming searching through all of the Prime Pantry items to get the best possible deal. Thankfully, there are usually posters on Slickdeals.net that put together scenarios. As long as you need the Pantry items they post, using their scenarios minimizes a lot of the time and guesswork.

Don't Be Afraid to Contact Customer Support

When I was able to buy $60 worth of Pantry items for about $20, my 30% off code would not go through, even though I was doing everything correctly. I simply contacted customer service. All I had to do was give the representative screenshots of my order and tell them the page the code was on (which was Amazon's Prime Pantry's homepage). The customer service person told me to submit my order and then issued me a refund for the 30% once my order shipped.

If the coupon codes are not working for you, don't get discouraged. Just reach out nicely to customer service via chat, and usually they are more than accommodating.

Submit More Than One Order

Unfortunately, you cannot use multiple no-rush credits on one order. You can take advantage of the free shipping and percentage off coupon more than once, though. If I have more than one no-rush credit, I will typically order the bare minimum to meet the coupon requirements, and then order another five items separately. This allows me to use both of my Prime Pantry credits.

Your Box Does Not Have to Be 100%

Every time you add something to your Pantry box, it tells you what percent of the box you have filled up. A common misconception is that you need to get your box total to 100%. This is not true and will cost you more than you need to spend. There is no minimum percentage that you need to fill your box.

I really like Amazon's Prime Pantry, but I would not use it if I did not have coupons to stack. The more coupons you have to stack, the lower your price will be.

What do you think about Amazon's Prime Pantry?

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