Is the New Barnes & Noble Membership Worth the Money?

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Attention all book lovers and avid readers! Have you heard about the new Barnes & Noble membership? It promises discounts, free shipping, and exclusive offers, but is it really worth the money? As bookstores struggle to compete with the rise of online retailers, Barnes & Noble is trying to entice customers with this new membership program.

Before you rush to sign up, let’s take a closer look at what it offers and whether it’s a smart investment for bookworms. In this article, we will break down the perks and costs of the membership and ultimately determine whether the new Barnes & Noble membership is a good value for book lovers.

And, keep in mind that there are even more ways to get cheap (and even free!) books outside of a Barnes & Noble membership.

What is the Barnes & Noble Premium Membership?

The new Barnes & Noble membership offers upgraded benefits, along with a slightly higher price tag (it’s $15 more a year). To help you decide if the new Barnes & Noble membership is a good investment, I’ve outlined some of the most important things to know.

This past February, Barnes & Noble replaced its legacy rewards program with two new plans.

B&N Rewards Free Program. It works like other rewards programs, basically awarding you with credit towards a future purchase when you make a certain number of purchases (in this case, it’s 10 stars). It’s free to join and use.
Barnes & Noble Premium Membership. It offers a number of benefits (some new), and includes the B&N Reward program. It costs about $40 annually. The original Barnes & Noble loyalty program was $25 annually.

How to sign up for a Barnes & Noble membership

If you’re new to Barnes & Noble rewards programs, it’s easy enough to register online for either. Or if you prefer, you can sign up in person at your favorite Barnes & Noble store.

What happens to my Barnes & Noble membership if I’m an existing member?

You have the option to upgrade to a Premium membership or B&N rewards, either by registering online or in-store. If you register for a Premium membership, B&N rewards will already be included. You’ll still receive your Barnes & Noble legacy membership benefits through the end of your expired term, though it can’t be renewed.

What Does Barnes & Noble Premium Membership Offer?

The Barnes & Noble Premium membership offers many of the same benefits as the legacy membership, including 10% off purchases, free online shipping, and special offers. There have been some upgrades. These include:

B&N Rewards (NEW Benefit)

For every $10 purchase, you’ll receive one stamp. If you spend more than 10% in a single purchase, you’ll receive more stamps. For example, by spending $20 in a single purchase, you’d earn two stamps. When you earn 10 stamps, Barnes & Noble will issue a $5 reward which you can redeem on your next purchase.

Stamps are applied virtually. You can find them at the bottom of your receipt or in your account (Reward Tracker), either online or via the Barnes & Noble app.

(You don’t need to be a Premium member to earn B&N Rewards. It is however, included in your Premium membership.)

10% Discount

This benefit was already available with legacy membership. You’re eligible to get 10% off most items, including those ordered from the cafe.

Note that there are some exclusions, including gift cards, ebooks, software, NOOK (though they currently offer a special introductory promotion for members), and purchases made via the BN Marketplace.

Free Shipping on BN.com

This perk includes free standard shipping, which usually takes between three to five days to arrive after it leaves their facility. There’s no minimum purchase requirement, whereas non-members have to purchase at least $40 of merchandise at BN.com to qualify for free shipping.

Free Barnes & Noble Tote Bag (NEW Benefit)

You’re eligible to receive a new Barnes & Noble branded tote bag for every year of your Premium membership. The totes are sturdy, have reinforced handles, and are made of 100% organic cotton. You can choose one in black, blue, or gray. I love mine.

The value of these totes is up to $19.99.

Free Beverage Upgrade (NEW Benefit)

As a Barnes & Noble Premium member, you’re already eligible to receive 10% off of food and beverages. With this new perk, you can save even more by upgrading to the next-sized drink for free. The savings is applied as a discount.

So if you order a Grande drink, you’ll be charged for the price of a Tall drink. If you order a Tall, however, you’ll still pay the price of a Tall.

The discount is good for one drink per transaction.

Special Birthday Offers (NEW Benefit)

For you

You’ll receive a birthday offer by email each year (not sure what the offer entails exactly), provided your Premium Membership is active the first day of the month of your birth date.

For your children

If you have children 12 or younger, they’ll also receive a birthday offer, which will be delivered to you via email.

Exclusive Offers

This includes exclusive early access to special events, as well as special discounts. It’s hard to predict what types of rewards Barnes & Noble will offer in the future, but in the past I’ve received special coupons and a $10 gift card during the Christmas holidays, which helped offset the price of membership.

Is the Barnes & Noble Premium Membership Worth the Money?

As with any other paid membership, it makes sense to purchase one only if you think you’ll use it. Let’s look at four prime benefits to see if a Barnes & Noble Premium membership is worth it for you.

10% Off

If you were to use the 10% off benefit solely on book purchases, you’d have to spend at least $400 a year to make the cost of a $39.99 membership worth your while.

Let’s say that the books you tend to purchase are priced at $20 each. You’d have to purchase at least 20 of these same-priced books to break even. If however, you take advantage of the other benefits of Premium membership, this break-even number will be lower.

The discount also works at Barnes & Noble Cafe

The 10% discount also applies to anything you order in their cafe, including coffee (they use Starbucks), lattes, tea, sandwiches, cookies, soups, and the like.

Using the $400 minimum example, you can technically break even on your investment by purchasing a couple of beverages or bakery items on most weeks of the year.

If, for example, you were to spend $20 a week at the Barnes & Noble Cafe, you’d save about $64 annually after the $40 membership fee. Based on that alone, $40 for a membership would be worth the cost. The savings are greater if you were to order more.

Upgraded Drinks

In addition to 10% off your cafe purchase, this welcome new benefit lets you order an upgraded beverage for the price of the original one.

Here’s how it works:

If, for example, you typically order a Grande cafe latte, you’ll now pay for a Tall cafe latte. This is an estimated savings of .70 cents per drink. So if you typically order two Grande drinks every week, you’d save about $32 annually after the cost of membership.

The savings are even greater if you typically order more beverages. For example,

Purchasing a Grande latte 3 days a week = $69 in annual savings after the cost of membership

Purchasing a Grande latte 4 days a week = $105 in annual savings after the cost of membership

Purchasing a Grande latte 5 days a week = $142 in annual savings after the cost of membership

Free Shipping

What I love about this benefit is that it doesn’t require a minimum purchase, so I don’t feel pressured to add more items to my cart just to meet the $40 free shipping requirement.

If you buy a lot of books at BN.com, you can break even pretty quickly, especially if you live in a non-contiguous state like Alaska or Hawaii. Based on shipping one book at about $6 for standard shipping in the continental U.S., you’d break even at about seven books.

Free Barnes & Noble Tote Bag

The value of the totes, on average, is about $19. If you take advantage of this offer, you’d essentially be paying $21 for the above-mentioned benefits.

Things to Consider About the Barnes & Noble Premium Membership

Read the Fine Print

Check out the membership exclusion page to see if what you plan to purchase is included. If for example, you have your heart set on getting discounts on textbooks via the Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, the Premium membership isn’t ideal for that purpose.

Complete Your Online Profile

If you’d like to receive offers by email, be sure to tick the Coupons & Promotions box in your settings and be sure your email is correct.

You’ll also want to make certain your birth date (and your child’s) is correct so you can redeem your birthday offer.

Find Extra Savings

Whether or not you have a membership, check the Barnes & Noble Coupons and Deals for offers that are available to all customers. They also often have a coupon offer for the cafe, which you can locate at the bottom of your next receipt.

Consider Gifting a Barnes & Noble Membership

It’s a gift that keeps giving year round. For your $40 investment, your recipient will be able to save on their favorite book or café items for a full year.

Barnes & Noble Coupons

Years ago, Barnes & Noble would regularly send me exclusive members coupons (I miss those days!). These days, any Barnes & Books book store coupons or promotions are typically found on their site and are intended for all customers.

Some third-party sites publish Barnes & Noble coupon codes, but I’ve yet to have luck with those. When I recently attempted to enter a third-party coupon code for 25% off during checkout, for example, I got this message: We’re sorry! Your order does not qualify for this promotion. Please check the Terms and Conditions for further details.

How to Get a Free Barnes & Noble Membership

With a Barnes & Noble Mastercard, you’ll receive a free annual Premium membership once you spend at least $7,500 a year on eligible purchases using your card.

A branded Barnes & Noble Mastercard also entitles to you 5% back on purchases made at Barnes & Noble. Plus you’ll receive points on eligible purchases that you exchange for B&N gift cards.

If you’re an avid reader who loves getting lost in the pages of a good book, the new Barnes & Noble membership may be worth the money. Before making a decision, however, consider your own reading habits and weigh the benefits against the cost.

At $25 annually, a Barnes & Noble membership has always been worth it for me. For an extra $15, I now get a cool tote, upgraded beverages, and some other perks. What works for me, however, may not be a good fit for you. My hope is that this provided you with enough information so you can decide if purchasing a Barnes & Noble Premium membership is a good investment.

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!