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Shoprunner Review: The Best Free Shipping Service

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By Sam Nguyen

CEO Avada Commerce

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Do you like shopping online? If yes, there are several ways for you to save money on your orders. You can use coupons or credit cards that are perfect for online buyers. Another way is to join Shoprunner.

Although Shoprunner charges you some fee to join unless you use a partner credit card to gain a free membership, it is worth it if you go shopping with Shoprunner partners. The reason is that Shoprunner offers no-fee two-day shipping on purchases and free returns. Therefore, if you don’t like to pay to get products fast or to turn back unwanted products, becoming a member of Shoprunner is good to go.

Keep reading this article Shoprunner Review: The Best Free Shipping Service, to find out detailed information about this platform.

What is Shoprunner?

What is Shoprunner?
What is Shoprunner?

Shoprunner is a membership service launched in 2010 and is currently used by approximately three million customers every year.

Shoprunner charges users a fee of $79 annually to join. The fee is zero if you have a free membership as a cardholder perk with your credit card. When you become a member of Shoprunner, you can do shopping with more than 100 retail partners, which includes Bloomingdales, Vera Bradley, American Eagle Outfitters, Kate Spade, Neiman Marcus, Staples, and other famous brands.

You’ll receive free two-day shipping on orders and free returns at partner retailers during the checkout process if you use the Shoprunner link on the retailer’s website.

How does Shoprunner work?

How does Shoprunner work?
How does Shoprunner work?

There’s a must for you to get a membership to use Shoprunner. You can register for a free trial membership by giving your email and optional information about where you shop, what you buy, and your age.

If you’d like to keep using Shoprunner after the first month, you’ll need to become a paying customer. When you’ve already been a member, Shoprunner will renew your membership beyond the first year unless you cancel it.

As you decide to become a member, Shoprunner also enables you to check whether you have a participating member that can help you gain a free membership. Simply click on “check to see if I’m eligible.”

You’ll be directed to a link where you can activate your benefit if you have an American Express account and small business or consumer card. You also can bet your membership benefits when you become a member of Yahoo or PayPal.

On every website of partner retailers, you’ll find the option to check out with Shoprunner.

To reach Shoprunner perks, you’ll have to choose Shoprunner checkout, sign into your Shoprunner account, and confirm your shipping details and payment methods.

Detailed policies differ from retailer to retailer, but most of them require minimum orders to activate free two-day shipping. You should read each retailer’s terms carefully to get to know what to expect. Besides, it’s also important to consider return policies, because you’ll have to ensure you turn items within the allowable period of time of the retailer to capitalize on Shoprunner’s free returns.

Review of Shoprunner pros and cons

Review of Shoprunner pros and cons
Review of Shoprunner pros and cons

The benefits of Shoprunner

In addition to the free, two-day shipping at most retailers, some more perks go with being a member of Shoprunner:

  • Special discounts. An additional percentage discount for your purchase in addition to free shipping? Go to the Shoprunner website to go through member-only from partner sellers.
  • Comparison shopping tool. Look for an item such as a leather jacket on Shoprunner and find out the various products and shopping choices before buying the one that’s right for you.
  • Free returns. Online shopping return policies can be different from each other. Hence, it’s good to know that anything bought through Shoprunner can be returned without any fee.

The drawbacks of Shoprunner

Shoprunner does have a few downsides. These might not be deal-breakers if you own a free membership, but they might make you pause if you’re thinking about paying the yearly fee:

  • Varied return policies. Whereas the process is relatively clear for shipping, return policies differ slightly, from “all sales are final” to returns allowed within one year. Things can be tricky when some retailers may require restocking fees, or may only offer a store credit on refunds. Go to the Shoprunnner site to check the list of retail partner policies.
  • Limited retailers. There are indeed more than 100 retailers presented. However, if your favorite brands don’t work with Shoprunner, membership won’t be as valuable.
  • Some restrictions. Not all items will be qualified for the free two-day shipping, and several merchants might charge you a minimum spend. For example, large-sized items might need a shipping fee.

Which credit cards can you use with Shoprunner?

Which credit cards can you use with Shoprunner?
Which credit cards can you use with Shoprunner?

If you want to leverage the savings Shoprunner provides, you can use some great credit cards. These not only go with free Shoprunner membership, but they also have some perks, such as the opportunity to get rewards for spending.

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard is good for both purchasers and frequent travelers. Main features the card includes:

  • The opportunity to get 2X miles at gas station and restaurants, and on American Airlines bookings and unlimited 1X miles on all other purchases
  • Get 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after paying $2,500 in the first 3 months.
  • Receive a $125 discount on American Airlines flights after paying $20,000 or more on purchases during 356 days as a cardmember and after your card is renewed for the next year.
  • Preferred boarding on American Airlines flights
  • Get a free checked bag for you and four more people on American Airlines flights.
  • Get 25% savings on qualified American Airlines food and drink purchases.

American Express Blue Cash Everyday

American Express Blue Cash Everyday
American Express Blue Cash Everyday

This card requires no annual fee. It’s perfect for frequent buyers, not just as it goes with free Shoprunner membership but also as you can receive bonus cash back at some certain department stores. The card has some main features:

  • The opportunity to get 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets up to $6,000 per year, 2% cash back at U.S. gas stations and some department stores, and 1% cash back on other orders
  • No annual fee
  • The choice to carry a balance or pay through your card in full monthly
  • Receive car insurance for rental loss and damage if you rent a vehicle

American Express Green Card

American Express Green Card
American Express Green Card

The American Express Green card is ideal for purchasers and frequent travellers because of the access to Shoprunner and credits for travel-related spendings. Main features of this card include:

  • The opportunity to get 3x points on some eligible travel and at restaurants in the world
  • Get 30,000 Membership Rewards points if you spend $2,000 in the first three months
  • Gain a $100 credit if you register for CLEAR, which help you clear security faster at chosen stadiums and airports
  • Get a $100 LoungeBuddy credit when you spend on LoungeBuddy access

Summary

Getting Shoprunner membership is worthwhile - particularly when you can have a free membership via your credit card or through Yahoo or PayPal. Besides, shopping with Shoprunner is one of the best ways to maximize your savings on your online orders.

If you have any questions or concerns related to this service, leave them in the comment box. We promise to answer all of them. Thank you for reading!


Sam Nguyen is the CEO and founder of Avada Commerce, an e-commerce solution provider headquartered in Singapore. He is an expert on the Shopify e-commerce platform for online stores and retail point-of-sale systems. Sam loves talking about e-commerce and he aims to help over a million online businesses grow and thrive.