I almost paid $8.99 to ship a $12 phone case once. Eight dollars to ship something that weighs two ounces and fits in a padded envelope. I stared at the checkout screen for a solid minute before abandoning the cart — and that turned out to be the right move, because the store emailed me a free shipping code about two hours later.

Free shipping is almost always available if you know where to look and when to wait. Here are the tactics that have saved me hundreds of dollars in shipping fees over the years, ranked by reliability.

Abandon Your Cart (Seriously)

Add everything to your cart, go all the way to checkout, enter your email, then close the browser tab. Many retailers send a cart abandonment email within 24 hours offering free shipping or a discount code to get you to complete the purchase. This works maybe 40-50% of the time on mid-size retailers. Big stores like Amazon rarely bother. Small independent shops do it constantly. I have a dedicated “shopping” email address that I use just for this — the offers go there and I check it once a day.

Find the Free Shipping Threshold and Use a Filler Item

Most stores offer free shipping at a minimum — often $35 or $50. If you are $3 short, it is mathematically cheaper to add a small filler item than to pay shipping. Household staples work best: toothbrush heads, dish soap refills, batteries, socks — things you will use eventually and do not expire. I keep a mental list of “$3-5 items I will definitely need” and check it when I am just under the threshold. Paying $3 for toothpaste to save $7 in shipping is a net gain.

Search for Free Shipping Codes Before Checking Out

Open a new tab and search “[store name] free shipping code” before you enter your credit card. RetailMeNot, Honey, and CouponCabin aggregate promo codes. The browser extension Honey automatically tries known codes at checkout. I would estimate Honey finds a working code about 25% of the time — not life-changing, but for the three seconds it takes to click “apply coupons,” the return on effort is excellent.

Use a Store Credit Card or Loyalty Program

Store credit cards often include free shipping on every order as a perk, regardless of the amount. If you shop at a particular store more than a few times a year, this can pay for itself. The Target RedCard, for example, gives free shipping on all orders plus 5% off. I have one for the store where I buy pet food — the free shipping alone saves me about $50 a year, and I pay the card off monthly so there is no interest.

Check Amazon Alternatives That Offer Free Shipping Without Prime

Amazon is not the only game. Walmart, Target, and Best Buy all offer free two-day shipping on orders over $35 with no membership fee. eBay sellers frequently offer free shipping on individual items. ThriftBooks has free shipping on orders over $10. Before defaulting to Amazon, check if one of these has the same item with free shipping and a lower threshold. I once found the exact same USB cable on Walmart.com for the same price as Amazon but with free shipping at $35 instead of requiring a $119 Prime membership.