Is a Barnes and Noble Membership Worth the Cost?

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Barnes & Noble has replaced its legacy rewards program. Read about the new Premium membership to see if it’s a good fit.

Barnes & Noble is like a second home to me. While I love my Amazon Kindle and the ease of being able to download books instantly, there’s something special about being surrounded by books and ideas, taking my sweet time browsing the aisles, then heading over to the café for a treat. For me, a Barnes & Noble membership is a great investment.

What suits me, however, may not be right for you. Which is why I wrote a guide to help you decide whether a Barnes & Noble membership is worth your hard-earned cash.

You might also be interested in my tips to get free and low cost books from other venues.

Table of Contents

What Is a Barnes & Noble Membership?

With a Barnes & Noble membership, you’re entitled to exclusive discounts and promotions, which I’ll get to in a moment. The cost is $25 a year, and you have the option of setting up your account for automatic renewal, which you can opt out of at any time.

You can also cancel your membership at any time, though refunds are subject to rules and you’ll lose access to your rewards.

A membership is not the same as a Barnes & Noble Mastercard, though you can definitely combine both for even greater savings.

Benefits That Make a Barnes & Noble Membership Worth the Cost

In return for a $25 annual fee, you get some decent benefits.

10% Off the Lowest Price

You can even buy a book in the discount section and still be eligible for the 10% discount. They do apply some exclusions so I suggest reading those carefully before committing to a membership.

40% off Bestseller Hardcovers

Everyone else pays regular price, but as a member you’re entitled to 40% off Barnes & Noble hardcover bestsellers in the store all the time.

They do periodically offer special prices available to everyone (I’ve even seen hardcover bestsellers priced at 50% at BN.com for limited periods), but that 40% is yours regardless of whether or not they have a store promotion.

Free Standard Shipping With No Minimum Purchase

You could theoretically buy a $10 item at BarnesandNoble.com and get free standard shipping; delivery is usually within two to five days. Without membership, you’d have to purchase at least $35 worth of merchandise to receive free standard shipping. Though most items qualify for free shipping, there are some exclusions.

Membership is Not Just for Books

The 10% member discount can also be used on other merchandise in the store, including in the Barnes & Noble cafe – from lattes and plain coffees to bakery items and sandwiches. They also offer members 10% off the regular price of all NOOK readers and accessories both in store and online.

Special Email Savings

If you provide your birthday information at registration, they’ll send you a special offer by email on your birthday month. I personally think Corporate used to be more generous with their coupons and special offers. Several years ago for example, they sent me a $10 Barnes & Noble gift card during the holidays for several consecutive years.

But Is a Barnes and Noble Membership Worth the Cost?

That will largely depend on how much you plan to spend during the year. I’m at Barnes & Noble a lot, so a membership is worth it for me. If you buy a lot of books or café items, a membership is worth considering.

Based on the 10% discount alone, you’d have to spend at least $250 a year to make the cost of a $25 membership worth your while. This doesn’t take into account the additional exclusive offers and free shipping you receive as a member.

Let’s start with traditional hardcover and softcover books. If they run in the $15 to $28 range, you’d have to purchase between 9 and 17 books per year to make the 10% off worth it.

But What if You Don’t Read a Lot of Traditional Books & Magazines?

Fair question. Even if you don’t buy a lot of traditional books, there are still other ways you might be able to benefit from membership.

If you’re thinking of getting a NOOK reader, they run between $120 and $150. (Note that the NOOK reading and audiobook apps are free for download to your phone or tablet). If all you ever plan on buying at Barnes & Noble in a given year is the NOOK, then membership is probably not worth the price. If however, you like buying both traditional and e-books like I do, membership is worth another look.

This is Reason Alone to Purchase a Barnes & Noble Membership

If you can’t recoup the $25 fee on books, a Nook, or free shipping, there’s another reason to consider a Barnes & Noble membership: their cafe! Yes, the 10% member discount applies to anything you order – coffee (they use Starbucks), lattes, tea, sandwiches, cookies, soups, or whatever else you might enjoy at their café.

Taking the $250 minimum (minus free shipping and other goodies) into account, you can technically break even on your investment by purchasing a couple of beverages or bakery items, or a sandwich on most weeks of the year.

Now, if you spend $20 a week at the Barnes & Noble Cafe, you’d save about $79 annually after the $25 membership fee. Based on that alone, forking over $25 for a membership is worth the cost. This doesn’t even include the money you’d save on merchandise or shipping.

How to Get a Free Barnes & Noble Membership

If you have a Barnes & Noble Mastercard, you can increase your savings. With their branded credit card, you earn 5% back on purchases made at Barnes & Noble and points on eligible purchases that you exchange for B&N gift cards.

When you put $7,500 of eligible purchases on your card, they’ll send you a free annual $25 B&N membership.

Things to Consider

✔ Do the math. If you spend at least $250 a year on books, magazines, or food & beverages at their café -not taking into consideration free shipping and exclusive offers- a Barnes & Noble membership might be a good investment. If you’re just planning on buying a book or two and don’t use their café, I’d skip it.

✔ Whether or not you have a membership, I’d make a habit of checking the Barnes & Noble Coupons and Deals for offers available to all shoppers.

✔ Read the fine print for membership exclusions. For example, membership discounts are not valid on products at BN.com, at Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, or on software.

✔ If a Barnes & Noble membership card isn’t for you, consider giving it as a gift to the book lover in your life. That $25 will go a long way – they’ll be able to save on their favorite book or café items for a full year. It’s a priceless gift for book people.

For me, a Barnes & Noble membership is well worth the investment and not just because of the savings. While I love using my Kindle, it can’t compare to the in-store experience. With brick & mortar book stores dwindling, I want Barnes & Noble to survive for years to come.

This post contains references to products from one or more of my advertising partners. When you click on a link to any of these products, I may be compensated. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please visit my Earnings Disclosure & Disclaimer page for more information. Thanks for your support!