Best Buy today is announcing a new change to its rewards program to help it get an edge over Amazon Prime to start 2023. Normally in order to score free shipping at Best Buy, you’ll need to exceed the $35 minimum purchase threshold to have your package arrive at no additional cost. Now the retailer is nixing the minimum all-together, offering its My Best Buy subscribers no-cost delivery on everything.
Best Buy rolls out new free shipping for My Best Buy members
Starting today, Best Buy has announced that free shipping is going to be rolling out with no minimum purchase required. Of course, you’ll need to sign up for one of the retailer’s My Best Buy memberships in order to become eligible for the no-cost delivery, though the rewards program is at least free for everyone. That’s right – free shipping isn’t being locked behind a paid membership and instead is available to all.
This is a pretty drastic move to compete with the likes of Amazon and Walmart, both of which have only gotten more competitive with their own respective membership programs. Amazon last year raised the cost of its Prime service for the first time in four years, only to add in even more perks throughout 2022 to offset the burden. Walmart and its Walmart+ service on the other hand also saw some notable perks rolled out to compete, and now Best Buy is looking to one up both of them.
By comparison, Amazon shoppers will only score free shipping in orders over $25 or with the paid Prime membership, while Walmart also locks the no-cost delivery behind its own subscription service or in $35+ orders.
In what is also a double-edged sword, the My Best Buy membership changes aren’t all good. One of the more unique aspects of the rewards program has been Best Buy offering cash back on purchases in the form of points which you’d at the rate of 0.5 per $1 spent. Not entirely coming to an end, Best Buy is opting to change just which shoppers will have access to the added points benefits.
Also announced today and then going into effect next month on February 14, reward points will become a benefit that’s exclusive to My Best Buy Credit Cardmembers. The retailer is detailing the changes over on this landing page, but nothing will be going to effect until next month on this front. Those who don’t wish to upgrade to be a credit card member will seemingly have 90 days to redeem their points.
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