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[Y2Kev]

I have always been a really loyal long-term Amazon Prime member. I love Amazon Prime. I use it for more than just games. But recently this Best Buy GCU thing has become sort of necessary-- the deals are absolutely ridiculous. If you buy like four games you pay for the subscription itself and obviously I buy more than 4 games.

The one thing holding me up is that I have a ton of Amazon credit since I have been asking for Amazon credit for the past 900 years because that's where I do all my shopping. Like $300+. Should I just spend that credit and then move over to GCU? Do they have fast free shipping (2 day equivalent) like Prime?

I use Prime for a LOT though, more than just games. I guess I'd have to keep both.

Amazon's not even really trying these days and best buy is going kamikaze so I feel like I have to get it.

 

[Dispatch]

Why do you have to stick to just one service?

(This feels like some stealth marketing.)

 

[jacobeid]

I moved to GCU last year and haven't moved back. New releases for $48 and a $10 promo certificate? Free shipping to my doorstep on release day?

Sounds good to me.

Why do you have to stick to just one service?

(This feels like some stealth marketing.)

Both programs cost money to be a part of. OP might not want to spend money on both, especially if they don't buy much from Amazon other than games. I'm also a prime member but never buy games there anymore.

 

[GuardianE]

Your Amazon credit never expires. Personally, I'd just treat it as cash as you continue to make day to day purchases off Amazon going forward, but use the steep discount at GCU for games.

 

[Grim Patron]

Get both if you buy games often enough. They both will be worth it in the end. I'm on prime and my friend with GCU gets me BB stuff when need be.

 

[Beautiful Ninja]

Why not both? Best Buy GCU is only 30 bucks every two years, if you're using Prime for things other than games I don't see a particularly compelling reason to go one or another here.

 

[tmtyf]

Gcu is only 30 for 2 years so keep both. I used to use Amazon always until they started to charge tax I'm my state.

 

[JawesomeJaw]

Amazon pre-order credits were the GCU of it's day. Miss those a lot.

 

[Y2Kev]

Can you get GCU in a store? Like the card online says only available for shipping, but do they sell it in store too?

Why not both? Best Buy GCU is only 30 bucks every two years, if you're using Prime for things other than games I don't see a particularly compelling reason to go one or another here.

The hangup in having both is really just the Amazon credit I have (like $300+). So I'd have to wind that down, because every dollar I spend at Best Buy is technically a dollar I would not have to spend at Amazon...it's all gift cards I've accumulated over time.

 

[Cowie]

I moved to GCU last year and haven't moved back. New releases for $48 and a $10 promo certificate? Free shipping to my doorstep on release day?

Sounds good to me.

Wait, you're getting free release-date delivery on best buy orders? I always just did in-store pickup to be safe, but if you're reliably getting it on release day without paying for shipping that changes things.

 

[Beautiful Ninja]

Can you get GCU in a store? Like the card online says only available for shipping, but do they sell it in store too?

You have to go into a store to activate GCU, whether you buy it in store or online.

 

[tmtyf]

Can you get GCU in a store? Like the card online says only available for shipping, but do they sell it in store too?



The hangup in having both is really just the Amazon credit I have (like $300+). So I'd have to wind that down, because every dollar I spend at Best Buy is technically a dollar I would not have to spend at Amazon...it's all gift cards I've accumulated over time.

Yea I got mine in store

 

[tmtyf]

Wait, you're getting free release-date delivery on best buy orders? I always just did in-store pickup to be safe, but if you're reliably getting it on release day without paying for shipping that changes things.

As long as you preorder like a week in advance it will get there release day

 

[Sandfox]

GCU is way better than Amazon Prime IMO. I honestly don't even shop on Amazon anymore.

 

[Cowie]

As long as you preorder like a week in advance it will get there release day

fantastic. this will help mitigate the embarrassing fact that I'm consider proximity to best buy for new release pickup in my apartment hunt.

 

[Illucio]

I pay $50 a year for Prime, rarely any gaming discounts or any decent discounts at all, only true benefit is if I need some oddball item or college books and don't want to go to the store for it I'll just get free 2 days shipping from Amazon.

I'm actually most likely going to cancel my Amazon Prime account soon, mostly because gaming prices are not as much of a discount compared to Gamers Club Unlocked. At first I was like "Oh cool fast game shipping." But I can literally just do that at Best Buy, get my game day one, and have a huge discount with a fair customer service.

Granted Amazon is better for full refunds + additional credit for saying sorry for lost orders, wrong items, and so on.

I save more money with Gamers Club Unlocked and Amazon is just a very convenient ways to get things sent to my house without spending the gas to go out and get it. I rarely save money on Amazon and when I do it's because I find a college textbook. So at the end of the day I think it evens out the money I saved with the textbook with the cost of Amazon Prime itself. But I'm not entirely sure considering most of the time a item doesn't have prime shipping and I end up paying for the shipping myself.

So by time March/April next year I'm probably going to leave Amazon. I don't use any of it's other features like video streaming or music, nor do I attend to. Even if they add a 20% discount to all games, you're still too limited with it having to meet certain qualifications, things like Limited Editions selling out too fast, and items in general sell out fast simply because it's popular and with the discount it becomes much cheaper/more desirable. So I'll stick with Best Buy unless Amazon can offer that discount and a better supply of stock for their gaming content.

 

[LifEndz]

Make sure you preorder to get the 10 dollar promo. Only downside to GCU is that you have to pay for the game in full when you preorder online, but if you go into a store you can put down 5 dollars. if I'm wrong on that someone please correct me.

 

[LifEndz]

Wait, you're getting free release-date delivery on best buy orders? I always just did in-store pickup to be safe, but if you're reliably getting it on release day without paying for shipping that changes things.

I preordered Fallout 4 online (the socks edition) and it was about 5 days late in getting to me. Maybe there was a problem because that socks sku was a store exclusive, but I won't be using their release day delivery again. In-store pickup to be safe.

 

[phant0m]

Video games, I'm all GCU. Just preordered JC3 for $30 after discount and $20 in reward certs from Halo 5 and LotV. I have a store right on my drive home from work so I usually pick up as well.

That said, I'm still a Prime member for all the other shit I buy on Amazon. Big electronics (or anything over $100)? Sorry BB, but I'm not paying tax.

 

[RedAssedApe]

stopped shopping on amazon after they started charging tax in CA. GCU+$10 rewards pts on most AAA titles+10% bonus TIV is way better than Amazon for me.

its even more awesome if you can get a buddy or family member to split the membership fees.

 

[razgriz417]

For just game purchases, GCU is the way to go. As for quick delivery, if you are an "Elite" or "Elite Plus" memeber (have to spend over a certain amount a year) you can get faster free delivery. You also have the option for free In store pickup (I like this better because i can get it at my own convenience). The greatest savings you'll get from GCU is from Collector's and Special editions, 20% off is something amazon won't beat on them.

My advice is to def use GCU for all collector's/special edition purchases, and regular games too if you can find other nongame related expenses for your amazon credit

edit: since you can buy up to 3 copies of every game (different versions count) with GCU, if you have family you're willing to share GCU with, you could help them buy games at 20% off too (I do htat with my brother)


edit2: also, if you use a Discover IT card, going through "Discover Deals" link nets you 5% cash back on BB purchases, and if youre a new to the card, they're doing double cash back for the first year

 

[tmtyf]

Make sure you preorder to get the 10 dollar promo. Only downside to GCU is that you have to pay for the game in full when you preorder online, but if you go into a store you can put down 5 dollars. if I'm wrong on that someone please correct me.

You don't get charged until the game ships

For the guy that got the fallout socks late, I got mine a day late due to ordering last minute over the weekend. I can't remember getting anything else late from them.

 

[Alcoholikaust]

GCU allows me to never spend more than 50 bucks on day one releases and gives me $10 whenever I preorder.

Amazon cutting price for certain titles is nice-but cannot compete with GCU.

I do shop around for best deal wherever I can but time and again it either ends up GCU or gamefly used (a great place for used games all are shipped with clean discs and full case+manual)

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

GCU all the way

 

[jacobeid]

Wait, you're getting free release-date delivery on best buy orders? I always just did in-store pickup to be safe, but if you're reliably getting it on release day without paying for shipping that changes things.

My copies of Fallout 4 and Battlefront were both on my doorstep after work on release day! No extra cost.

 

[LifEndz]

You don't get charged until the game ships

Sweet. Didn't know that. Thanks. Makes GCU even more attractive. Guess I'll also be cancelling Amazon prime.

 

[Hesh]

Honestly, if you can afford Amazon Prime then I don't really understand why you're fretting over the $30 cost for a two-year GCU membership, especially since you seem to be aware of how easy it is to make that $30 back and then some in discounts.

But hey, I guess you just need a little positive reinforcement so: Get GCU, it's the bee's knees.

 

[jacobeid]

Sweet. Didn't know that. Thanks. Makes GCU even more attractive. Guess I'll also be cancelling Amazon prime.

I may be incorrect in saying this, but I believe that if you pay via PayPal, you're charged when you make the order. That's what happened to me on my orders for Shovel Knight physical and Battlefront, but I was expecting it and knew what I was getting into.

Different story for credit cards.

 

[Y2Kev]

Honestly, if you can afford Amazon Prime then I don't really understand why you're fretting over the $30 cost for a two-year GCU membership, especially since you seem to be aware of how easy it is to make that $30 back and then some in discounts.

But hey, I guess you just need a little positive reinforcement so: Get GCU, it's the bee's knees.

I was really more interested in what the shipping service is like. Prime has only failed me twice (most recently with Battlefront, lol). The other time was MODERN WARFARE 2 in 2009.

 

[Josh378]

Pre-order bonuses is the only reason Gamestop is actually keeping my sales. If those pre order bonuses were available for all stores definite would have jumped on Best Buy.

 

[SeanTSC]

I preordered Fallout 4 online (the socks edition) and it was about 5 days late in getting to me. Maybe there was a problem because that socks sku was a store exclusive, but I won't be using their release day delivery again. In-store pickup to be safe.

That sucks, but you shouldn't discount it over that. I've spent about $1200 at Best Buy so far this year and close to that much last year and I've gotten every single game that I pre-ordered more than a week out on release day no problem.

There was one single time that I didn't get one on release day and that was when I pre-ordered like 4 or 5 days before the game was due out. Every single one of my other orders was more than a week before release. And with how much I spend that's a hell of a lot of games.

 

[SeanTSC]

Pre-order bonuses is the only reason Gamestop is actually keeping my sales. If those pre order bonuses were available for all stores definite would have jumped on Best Buy.

You can probably buy their shitty pre-order DLC with a fraction of the money you save at Best Buy. Plus, Best Buy has generally has the same or their own pre-order bonuses for games and usually $10 pre-order rewards for big titles.

 

[sense]

well i still buy a few items here and there throughout the year on amazon but have stopped buying games for the most part. i do use their prime tv service so guess it is kinda worth it? best buy gcu is making me reconsider my digital stance!!! i thought of going all digital this gen but some games have been disappointing and i am stuck with them. so the idea is buy physical at launch, play it and then trade it in and buy like a year or two digitally on the cheap if i really like it. win/win in a round about way lol

it does get annoying when i have to keep switching disks between destiny, cod and fallout !!! anyways sorry if this is off topic

i have both and they are both useful for me so far

 

[tmtyf]

I may be incorrect in saying this, but I believe that if you pay via PayPal, you're charged when you make the order. That's what happened to me on my orders for Shovel Knight physical and Battlefront, but I was expecting it and knew what I was getting into.

Different story for credit cards.

In any store if you pay with PayPal it will charge you on the spot due to policies with PayPal where after something like 30 days of holding it cancels the charge. So essentially if you preorder 2 months out the item would ship but PayPal would deny the charge after. Something like that anyway if I remember correctly.

 

[TangerineCloud]

I don't know if free release date delivery is specifically a GCU "feature", but I did receive Tales of Zestiria, Fallout 4, and Majora's Mask 3D on their respective release dates (and they actually ended up giving me Majora's Mask for free). Plus, you can use the store pick-up option with GCU, so you don't even have to worry about receiving your pre-ordered games late.

 

[chicagocubsfan]

I was really more interested in what the shipping service is like. Prime has only failed me twice (most recently with Battlefront, lol). The other time was MODERN WARFARE 2 in 2009.

Best Buy has been delivering for me consistently on the release date for the past year after not being consistent before that. Also I'm pretty confident that Best Buy will do their B2G1 free sale on the week that JC3 releases because of when they did it last year. If that makes you want to get it more.

 

[Lord Helmet]

GCU has been fantastic for me. I can't speak for shipping as I just pick up my purchases at BB. %20 off, $10.00 for some pre-orders, plus the occasional rewards points coupons. GCU also works on Amiibos if you care about that sort of thing.

 

[_SAKY_]

Op, it's time to subscribe to GCU.

 

[Dr. Black Jack]

Make sure you preorder to get the 10 dollar promo. Only downside to GCU is that you have to pay for the game in full when you preorder online, but if you go into a store you can put down 5 dollars. if I'm wrong on that someone please correct me.

You don't get charged until the game ships

A little of both actually. For online orders BB with do an initial authorization which goes away after 4-5 days then the actual charge when they ship. I've heard stories of peoples' cards being randomly reauthorized during the preorder window...hasn't happened to me but then again I use a BB credit card so who knows.

Anyone looking to get in on GCU NEEDS to get a rewards credit card too. The rewards points are absolutely insane, plus it counts your spend on the card at other places as Best Buy spend towards Elite/Elite Plus status, which means more rewards and early access to deals and stuff. Right now I usually get $5 in rewards points back from paying $48 GCU for a $60 game, plus a bunch of games get an additional $10 back.

On games I get:
Base points (1.0)
GCU points (1.0)
Elite bonus (0.1)
Visa bonus (1.5)
BB Credit Card bonus (1.5)
for a total of 5.6 times the normal rewards points I'd get with just a rewards account, and 3.1 times the base more than if I just had rewards+GCU. Next year it will be even more since I'm going to hit Elite Plus and get 25% back instead of 10%.

 

[TraBuch]

I mean...it's really not that difficult. Buy games at BB with GCU, keep your Amazon credit and buy other things you need at Amazon.

 

[styl3s]

Why not both? Best Buy GCU is only 30 bucks every two years, if you're using Prime for things other than games I don't see a particularly compelling reason to go one or another here.

Yeah there really is no reason to not keep both considering you can just set aside $1.25 a month to pay for that GCU in 2 years.

I think both services are worth the money because both services offer different things. GCU is great for games but prime is just great in general. Free 2 day shipping, prime video etc. And use the credit for other stuff on amazon you don't HAVE to use it on games.

 

[MikeE21286]

It's normally not too hard to turn Amazon credit into Best Buy credit one way or another. You'll probably lose a bit in the transition but it'll be worth it. GCU is so much more worth it if I had to choose one

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

I find if you wait a little bit most games drop to around 20% off on Amazon anyway. But if you want the game day one, the Best Buy program is hard to beat.

 

[Living Proof]

I'm sure you will be buying other things from Amazon with your credit. I have 5 years of GCU left to go still, one of which I paid full price for back in the day, and I'm completely satisfied with that.

Even so, you'll still occasionally find better deals on games from other retailers. I typically only use GCU for new games and something on sale occasionally-- Amazon, especially warehouse deals, still offers better pricing on various games from time to time.

Above all, it's $30 for two years. That should be affordable for anyone who has gaming as a primary hobby. You'll shave $12 off new releases, occasionally get $10 gift cards, stack up more certificates the more you spend there with double points on gaming stuff, and if you reach elite status, their customer service is almost better than Amazon's-- almost.

 

[cackhyena]

Remember last gen? Amazon was the place to get games. 20 bucks in credit for a lot of the newest games. Good times. GCU has now replaced it.

 

[vypek]

I'm in this position as well. I have about 15+ games in my Amazon wishlist I plan to buy but there is so much more I also get at Amazon besides games. So much so that I have considered opening a credit card from Chase through Amazon for the rewards program. I think I saw GCU has release date delivery for games that are preordered online and the cost for a 2 year membership is quickly recouped in savings. I think it is to the point that I have decided get/keep both services. 20% new games is just such a good deal that I don't want to pass it up. I have also been contacting Amazon trying to see if there is a similar service or so in the works.

 

[DeepEnigma]

I used to use Amazon Prime for a couple of years. What got me to cancel was when they kept raising the price on it. I saw someone mentioned $50? When I did not renew a year ago, it was because they wanted $90, did they lower it? Also we now have to pay tax in my state.

I actually took advantage of the GCU 2 years for free deal when you buy a pre-paid phone for $15-$30. Back then a year ago GCU was $120 for two years. However there was a catch, if you bought a Net10 reloadable sim card for $7, that also caused GCU to be free. Thanks GAF, learned that trick from here!!!

So I effectively paid $7 for two years. Been getting games for $48, several $10 preorder bonus certs, 2X the points on all game hardware and software, and 1X the points on anything else all adds up to even more certs. The certs are also stackable (insane!). I seen people bank enough points, where they get new consoles for next to nothing.

Paying way lower than used game prices for brand new games it is a steal. I am definitely renewing another 2 years when this is up next November. Especially now it is only $30 now.

I also have the convenience of bringing a faulty item back to the store for an easy swap instead of having to wait. Only thing I would like them to adopt, is not charging until the item ships for online preorders. The workaround as mentioned is the $5 preorder when you can go to a store. Luckily there is one 10 minutes up the road tops.

 

[Hoho for breakfast]

GCU has the better deals almost always. 20% off any game, plus you get $10 credits on many of the major releases, and an extra 10% for trade ins. If you live near a Best Buy I don't really see it being much of a competition. Amazon has started the save with Prime crap but the discount does not match Best Buys.

Amazon used to be the place to go a few years ago when people weren't paying tax plus getting up to $20 gift cards/credits. Then they stopped doing it and K Mart of all places kicked everyone's ass. They had up to $25 credits on some games + extra deals they used to do. It was amazing. Hi Josh.

Ever since then though it's been GCU with the best deals by far. I wish someone (Amazon) would get real and start competing again.

I say buy a PS4 from Amazon Warehouse with your $300 credit or simply save it for whenever there just happens to be a deal at Amazon until it winds down. Then just buy everything from BB.

 

[goldenpp72]

Prime is kind of useless as a cost saving mechanism while GCU is incredibly valuable as one. I use both services but I buy 90 percent of my gaming stuff from BB right now because of it. Even when I paid 120 for the first 2 years I easily made my sub back. In terms of shipping, I usually get my stuff day one if I preorder but there have been delays, i'd say prime was a bit more reliable there but again i'm not so impatient as to pay a premium on every game I buy just to get it a bit quicker.

Plus you have the option of actually going to the store for store pick up which is handy.

 

[Luke_Wal]

I moved to GCU last year and haven't moved back. New releases for $48 and a $10 promo certificate? Free shipping to my doorstep on release day?

Sounds good to me.




Both programs cost money to be a part of. OP might not want to spend money on both, especially if they don't buy much from Amazon other than games. I'm also a prime member but never buy games there anymore.

.... Free release day shipping? I definitely did not get that when I pre-ordered Black Ops 3 with MY GCU! What do you have to do to make that happen?