These are some prime savings.
Most of us feel like we spend a ton on Amazon AMZN, -0.79%. Prime members, for example, spend about $1,300 a year on the site, while nonmembers spend $700, according to a report from research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
The good news: There are plenty of things you can score for free on the site — beyond just the free one and two-day shipping that Prime members get with their membership.
Here are six:
Free snacks, coffee, pet food and other products through Amazon’s sampling program
Amazon has a program called Amazon Product Sampling that you can sign up for — free. (All you need to sign up is an Amazon.com account; Prime membership not required). Past samples have included cat food, granola bars, retinol skin cream, mascara, coffee and more. You let Amazon know the types of products you’d like to sample, and there is no obligation to purchase or review the products.
Kristin McGrath, editor and shopping expert for Offers.com, says that it’s important to note that “Amazon does not guarantee regular delivery of samples” and that supplies are limited, especially in popular categories.”
Free unlimited photo storage — that you can share with 5 people
If you’re a Prime member, you get “unlimited full-resolution online photo storage, and 5 GB free video storage” and you can share that unlimited storage with up to five people. You can share the photos with anyone, even if they aren’t a Prime member.
Other perks: “Use the iOS AAPL, -1.13% or Android mobile apps to auto-save your photos, then safely delete them from your phone to free up space on your device,” Amazon writes, adding that you can “access your photos and videos anywhere, across desktop, mobile, and tablet.”
Millions of free songs
Get more than 2 million songs and more than 2,000 playlists and stations for no charge. It’s ad-free, with unlimited skips and available for offline playback. “There is so much music available that I use this as my prime resource for music, especially when I’m not at home,” says Trae Bodge, Smart Shopping Expert at Truetrae.com. The catch? You need to be a Prime member to get this perk.
Free baby registry sample box
McGrath calls out this little-known deal, which offers goodies for babies and parents. Here’s how it works: You complete a Baby Registry on Amazon; when people spend at least $10 on your registry, you can get the sample box (you’ll see a “Claim Now” button on the left side of your Amazon Baby Registry) for free.
Free books, audiobooks, magazines, comics and more
Not only do Prime members get “access to thousands of digital books, magazines, comics, audiobooks and more for free,” says McGrath — there are also some Kindle titles you can score for free. “To find free titles, we suggest putting “free kindle books” in the search bar. These titles will pop up showing prices of $0.00,” she explains.
These aren’t, of course, going to be best sellers by well-known authors typically, but they’re a good way to find new authors. And even non-Prime members get access to some free titles (though fewer of them): “Even if you don’t have Prime or Kindle Unlimited, some titles are free to you as well,” McGrath notes.
Millions of free movies, TV shows, games and apps
“With a Prime membership, you can access thousands of free shows and movies. This can be a great replacement for a Netflix NFLX, -0.41% or Hulu membership,” says Bodge. One lesser known tip: “By forgoing express shipping, shoppers can often qualify for credit toward digital downloads, like games and apps,” says Bodge.
Amazon AMZN, -0.79% is up 24.3% year to date. The Dow Jones Industrial Index DJIA, -0.21% is up 14% and the S&P 500 SPX, -0.29% is up 18.9% over the same period.
