Christmas Shopping: How to Get Free Last-Minute Shipping Deals - East Idaho News
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Christmas Shopping: How to Get Free Last-Minute Shipping Deals

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Thinkstock B 032211 OnlineShopCart?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1356005738205Ryan McVay/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The cut-off for free shipping on most online sites was Tuesday, Dec. 18.  But there’s still some ways you can finagle free rush shipping on last minute holiday gifts to make sure they arrive before Christmas Day.

Some of the biggest online retailers are still offering free last-minute shipping:

  • Barnes & Noble: Free shipping on Nook HD through Dec. 22.
  • MacMall: Free two-day shipping on orders over $299 and under 25 lbs. through 6 p.m. PST Dec. 22.
  • Macy’s: Free shipping on orders over $99; order needs to be placed  by 11:59 p.m. EST Dec. 20.
  • Overstock.com: Free shipping through the end of the month, but must place order by Dec. 22 to receive by Christmas.
  • Newegg: Free two-day shipping on over 200 items.
  • Target: Free shipping on Daily Deals.
  • Victoria’s Secret: Free shipping on orders over $100 using code “SHIP12.”  Order by 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 20.
  • Zappos: Free shipping for all items with guaranteed Christmas delivery if ordered by 11:59 p.m. PST Dec. 22.

And the biggest online retailer, Amazon, has a limited set of items available for free expedited shipping.  The items include jewelry, watches, clothing, video games, laptops, headphones and kitchen items.  But if you need something that’s not on this limited list, consider Amazon Prime.

Amazon Prime is a yearly subscription service.  In exchange for a $79 fee, you get free two-day shipping all year long.  And yes, that also applies at Christmas (must order by 3 p.m. EST Dec. 22 to receive on time).  You can try the service free for six months.

If you have a family member who already belongs to Prime, they can nominate up to four people for the same free shipping benefits.  Prime members nominate someone by going to their account, clicking “settings” and “manage Prime membership.”

Also, Amazon Student is a free six-month membership to Prime with all the benefits, providing you have an email address that ends in .edu.

But you don’t have to limit yourself to Amazon.  Shoprunner.com also offers free two-day shipping, though the membership service costs $8.95 a month.  The site has tons of participating online retailers like ToysRUs, Sports Authority, Claire’s, PetSmart and EMS.

Finally, the best last-minute option for many is to ship to store.  You peruse all the options from home, pay online and then pick up your selection at your local store.  Tons of big retailers offer this service, and it guarantees your item will be in stock and waiting for you at customer service.

Major retailers offering free Ship to Store include:

  • Best Buy
  • Target
  • Toys R Us
  • Walmart
  • Sears

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