2 Reasons I Love — and Hate — Amazon’s Subscribe & Save Program

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Subscribe & Save is wonderful, but it has some pitfalls. Read on to learn more. 

Shopping on Amazon often helps me save money because the online retail giant’s prices are often quite competitive. Not only do I order items on Amazon on pretty much a weekly basis, but I also take advantage of the Subscribe & Save program.

The way it works is simple: You set up a recurring shipment for a given item and it arrives at your door as per the interval you select. You might, for example, order toothpaste to come once every month or face cream to come once every three months — the choice is yours.

But while I happen to be a big fan of Subscribe & Save, it’s also far from perfect. Here are a couple of things I like about it, and a couple of things that bug me.

1. The automatic shipments are really convenient

When there are items you use regularly, having them arrive at your door automatically makes your life easier. This especially applies during periods when life is hectic.

When I gave birth to twins, for example, there was barely time in my schedule for me to shower, let alone run to the store for diapers — which, as you might imagine, we went through a lot of. The beauty of Subscribe & Save was that I’d get two bulk cases of diapers at my door every four weeks so I didn’t have to think about it at a time when I was frazzled and sleep-deprived.

2. It lives up to the “save” part of its name

When you order items through Subscribe & Save, you get a discount. My go-to Aveeno body lotion, for example, has a regular price of $10.67 and a Subscribe & Save price of $9.07. Some months, I find that my credit card tab is a good $10 to $20 lower due to the Subscribe & Save discounts I’ve snagged.

1. It can be a hassle when products are out of stock

Subscribe & Save is extremely convenient when the products you want are available. The problem is that when they’re not available, you’ll sometimes only get a warning at the last minute that your item isn’t going to ship. That, in the past, has left me scrambling to try to find a replacement item or running to a local store to try to find it.

2. It can cost you money when you forget to cancel an item you don’t need

You’ll generally get a notice to review your Subscribe & Save items before your package ships. Sometimes, that notice will end up in your spam folder — or at least that’s been my experience. Other times, you might simply forget to open that email and give your shipment a last-minute review. But that can be costly, because you might end up with items you don’t need.

Case in point: Back when my twins were 2 years old, they were potty trained and stopped needing diapers. But I forgot to cancel my Subscribe & Save order. So lo and behold, I wound up with two giant cases of diapers I had no use for. I wound up giving them away, but I would’ve preferred to have not spent the money.

All told, I recommend using Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program. But also, be aware of the pitfalls you might encounter.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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