Amazon wants you to buy groceries before you buy anything else.
Through Saturday, Oct. 3, any Amazon Now order of $25 or more earns a $5 credit toward Prime Big Deal Days, the retailer's October sale event. Amazon Now is the company's on-demand delivery service, live in dozens of U.S. cities, that drops off groceries and household goods in 30 minutes or less. Shoppers can stack up to five qualifying orders for a maximum of $25 in credits. The offer is limited to Prime members, and the credits expire when Big Deal Days ends at 11:59 p.m. PT on Oct. 7.
The math only pays off if you place five separate $25-plus orders instead of one larger one, which nudges people toward more deliveries and more packaging for the same total spend. It is also a loyalty play: Amazon is using its newest delivery service to lock in orders a full week before its biggest fall sale even opens.
A free $5 is still a free $5 - just don't confuse the frequent-flyer math for an actual bargain.