Free Shipping Programs...Worth it?

You may have heard about "free" 2-day shipping program offerings where you pay about $79/year and receive unlimited shipping.  I say "free" in quotation marks because if you are paying $79/year, there's actually a cost to it.  However, what some of these programs do offer for that money can more than make up for the cost in extra benefits beyond shipping savings.

1. Shop Runner.com.  ($79/year).  Free 30-day trial.  They can explain their program better than I can, so take a minute a watch the video below:

2. Amazon Prime. ($79/year). Free 30-day trial.  No video, but the info graphic says it all:

3. Free Shipping.com ($156/year). Free 30-day trial.  No video, but this is a screenshot:



I am sure there are others, but Amazon Prime and Shop Runner are probably the best known.  The following table provides some basic comparisons between the offerings:

So, is it worth it?  That really depends on how much online shopping you do.  Because Shop Runner is so limited in its partners, I have only saved $40.  Since I had a free trial for a year, it didn't cost me anything, but I am not likely going to renew this next year when it expires in January.  If I didn't have Netflix already, I'd consider Amazon Prime because of its entertainment options.  Really, except for the limitation to just Amazon, this is probably the best deal.  Two day shipping from a trusted retailer, plus entertainment.  

Free Shipping.com wasn't forward with its pricing structure until you begun the sign-up process.  I don't like that. But, it does cover 1500 retailers, which is pretty amazing.  Big names such as Nordstrom and Nike are covered, whereas Shop Runner has Pets.com and Domino's Pizza.  But, at $156/year, I think I can probably buy enough as it is to get free shipping from retailer's normal thresholds.  I am going to pass for now.  But, you could take advantage of their free trial for 30 days and get some free shipping while you are it.

Let me know your experiences with these services, or others I might have missed.

Access free streaming music, newspapers, ebooks and more from your library

Your local library seems to be getting cooler all of the time with the breadth and depth of resources available for free.  After registering for a library card, don't just limit your browsing to the 'brick and mortar' building.  Go on-line and browse the vast collection of streaming music, ebooks, classes, and even sites like Consumer Reports for free.


Even the smallest library system in the U.S. should have access to a wide array of resources on-line.  As I blog, I am listening to John Coltrane from an outside link from the Arlington, VA library system Jazz Music Library.  It's awesome.  You might even find that you can skip out on having to buy iTunes, or listen to Pandora's commercial-interrupted selection of repeated songs now and again with the library's streaming selections.


To get started, visit the national library directory and find your closest one.  Generally, you might not even have to live in the same town or even state to get a card.  Major metropolitan regions which border several state might have an agreement that allows one out-of-towners to register.

More free movie rentals from Redbox and free wi-fi again for the holidays!

While it's not quite as convenient as cable on-demand movies, free Redbox codes seem to be very easy to come by.  Here is another from McDonald's. 

And, speaking of free, from another blog I read quite often, View from the Wing, Google is again teaming up with major airlines and offering free wi-fi this holiday season.  It's worth a try, but of course, do not surf over to any banking or other sensitive sites.  It only takes one nosy passenger with some rudimentary hacking skills to ruin your holidays after stealing your info.

Enjoy!

Redbox movie rental deal

Kiosk movie provider, Redbox, is offering a deal this month: rent three get one free.  The details:  you must rent between April 14 and April 30.  But, an even better deal, when you can find them, is to get these rentals for free with various coupon codes that appear on third-party websites.  I will give you a head start: try entering the code BREAKROOM when you rent next time.  It may only be a first-time customer code, meaning, one per customer, but try it and see if it works multiple times. 

Nevertheless, there's definitely a case to be made for visiting a consumer product company's website often and signing up for its newsletters.  In this case, the offer isn't even listed on their website, which is perplexing. 

While the Redbox offer period is still very much valid, I didn't get this email until today, two days after the offer began.  It makes you wonder if there is a bit of strategy in that.  If you feel like you are going to miss a great deal if you don't act on it fast enough, you might be more inclined to take advantage of it, and, that much faster.