Barnes & Noble recently changed their rewards structure to feature a free membership option. This is great, but they also raised the price for the premium rewards option. What was previously about $25, has now jumped to $39.99. Is the premium membership worth the cost?
Let’s look at the free membership option first. With the free Barnes & Noble membership, you collect “stamps” with each purchase. These stamps are totaled electronically, you don’t have to manage a physical stamp card. That’s a great convenience in this day and age of every retailer jumping on the rewards bandwagon. You will get a physical card that you can present so they can add your purchase to your rewards account. If you link your rewards account to your phone number, you should be able to have them look up your rewards account with your phone number.
For both the free and the premium membership, every time you spend $10 (with some exceptions) you get one stamp. Once you get 10 stamps, you earn a $5 reward that you can spend almost anywhere in the store or online. It’s fun to receive a $5 coupon. As if we need an excuse to treat ourselves to a bookish gift.
That’s where the free membership benefits end. However, the premium membership offers many more rewards.
Here is a list of what you get: (keep in mind there are some exceptions. Always with the exceptions.)
- The stamp program
- 10% off most things in the store- including audiobooks. This discount also applies to online purchases.
- 10% off almost everything in Paper Source stores.
- Free shipping with no minimum purchase.
- One free Barnes & Noble tote bag per year.
- 10% off NOOK devices and accessories.
- One free eBook per month.
- Free upsize on a beverage in the Barnes & Noble Cafe
- Special birthday offers for you and your children when you supply B&N with birthdates.
- Exclusive early access to special editions, events, and exclusive deals and offers.
For the past two years I have opted for the premium membership. I don’t think I use it to its full potential, but I have taken advantage of several perks. For instance, last year I bought the new NOOK Lenovo 9″ tablet online. I was able to reserve one when they were announced to premium members, I got 10% off the cost plus free shipping. Although I won’t be doing that every year, that was a significant savings, around $20.
They also claim the free tote bag you get with the premium membership has a value of $19.99, although that value can change based on the location. The tote is nice, though, it’s heavy canvas and will tote quite a few heavy books. It would also make a nice grocery tote. The 2024 tote is also Fair Trade, made with organic cotton by women in India, in collaboration with re-wrap.com. It’s a thoughtful gesture in today’s socio- and eco-conscious climate.
If you’re a fan of special edition hardbacks, you’ll get advanced notice of their release at Barnes & Noble. I have taken advantage of this on a few different occasions, and with free shipping (no minimum dollar amount), and 10% off, it’s a little bit TOO easy to collect pretty books for your shelf.
Teachers might benefit from the Premium membership especially since the discount also applies to Paper Source stores. I feel like Barnes & Noble should discount the cost of the Premium Membership for educators.
Audiobooks are something that I don’t pursue often, and in fact I only learned that Premium members get a free eBook while writing this blog. The eBook will be available in the NOOK app and on NOOK devices, and you can download the NOOK app on any Android or iOS device, so you don’t need to have a NOOK device to read an eBook from Barnes & Noble. There are many eReaders on the market today that run on Android, so you won’t be limited to one specific eBook format.
If you decide to try the Premium Rewards Membership, consider joining Rakuten (Affiliate link: click here to join Rakuten) first so you can earn cash back on that purchase, and more, from Barnes & Noble. (Rock that free shipping!)
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