Amazon is giving Prime subscribers a serious incentive to pre-order video games through its service. The online retailer announced Tuesday that Amazon Prime users will now receive a 20-percent discount on new and pre-ordered video games. The discount will apply to physical copies of any game purchased before its release date, or up to two weeks after launch, including collector’s edition box sets. Pre-ordered games are shipped to arrive on the game’s release date. Amazon also said that players will receive a partial refund to pre-order customers should the retailer decide to lower the price of a game before its been shipped. The best part? Amazon has already applied the discount to Prime members’ unshipped pre-orders.
While the savings will vary based on the price of the title, the average full-price game will drop from $60 to $48 before taxes with the discount.
There are some qualifications, however. As The Consumerist points out, the discount only applies to purchases made directly from Amazon, not third-party sellers. Amazon specifies that some products and packages, such as console bundles, will not be eligible.
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One could argue that Amazon is simply catching up to fellow game retailers Best Buy and GameStop, both of which offer premium memberships with discounts and bonuses for frequent video game buyers. Best Buy’s Gamers Club Unlocked membership offers the same 20-percent discount on pre-ordered games, as well as 10 percent off of used games and other bonuses. GameStop does not offer a pre-order-related deal to its Power Up Rewards members, which costs $15 per year, focusing instead on discounts related to buying and selling used games, including a buy two, get one free deal for most used games. While Amazon Prime may not offer as many gaming-specific perks, the $99-per-year membership includes discounts across its entire store, free two-day shipping, and access to its Amazon Prime Video streaming service, to name a few.
Updated on 1-14-16 by Mike Epstein: This article originally said the GameStop’s “Power Up Rewards” program cost $15 per month. It costs $15 per year.
