Amazon Just Changed Its Free Shipping Policy

Of all the magical wonders of online shopping (tracking packages! flash sales!), free shipping might be the greatest gift of all. After all, how many of us have loaded up a virtual cart with clothes or books that aren't exactly in our budget, only to be diverted from pulling out our credit cards simply by the high shipping cost? Never mind that we’ve already racked up an order total that breaks three digits, that $5.99 shipping cost can stop us cold. Which is why we love taking advantage of deals from companies like Amazon that offer free shipping after a purchase minimum. Sadly, Amazon’s latest update to its policy is going to make that free shipping a little less attainable. Until recently, you could get free shipping on qualifying items adding up to over $35. But all that’s changed, with a new order minimum of $49. As Lifehacker points out, the last price jump was back in 2013, from $25 to $35. Interestingly, the $25 minimum is still in effect for books, which is good news for bibliophiles (and maybe a good nudge to the rest of us to start reading more). Of course, if you already have Prime, this news doesn't affect you at all, which means you can continue streaming your episodes of Mozart in the Jungle unperturbed. Looking for other ways to save at Amazon? Check out our quick tips here.