Procrastinate much? Mark your calendar for Free Shipping Day on Dec. 14, 2023, if you find yourself scrambling to get gifts delivered by Christmas Eve. Although the date can vary year to year, in 2022, Free Shipping Day was also on Dec. 14. However, retailers like Walgreens and Bath and Body Works offered free shipping early on December 12 to get ahead (and there was no minimum!).
Free Shipping Day is kind of like the last hurrah for retailers offering free shipping promotions during the holiday shopping season. National Free Shipping Day was a website launched in 2008 and has brought hundreds of retailers together to offer no-cost delivery to shoppers, many with guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve. Sadly, the website FreeShippingDay.com is no longer. The website creators shut it down in 2018 after a decade of helping shoppers get their last-minute holiday items — noting on the way out that they were “ready to settle in for a long winter’s nap.”
The good news is we expect plenty of retailers to continue offering a day of free shipping, despite the now defunct website.
To be in the know about procrastinator-friendly retail promotions and holiday sales, download the free The Krazy Coupon Lady app and read on!
Free Shipping Day is Dec. 14, 2023
The date for Free Shipping Day can vary from year to year but hovers around mid-December. This holiday season, Free Shipping Day falls on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. What started out in 2008 as a way to encourage shoppers to shop online later into the holiday season without having to worry about getting holiday gifts on time turned into one of the highest-grossing days for holiday sales. Over the years, more and more retailers of all sizes have participated.
1. Retailers that offer free shipping every day — without a spend threshold.
AbeBooks
AbeBooks offers millions of new and used books online — even textbooks. Select books from their free shipping page and get your books shipped at no charge.
Adidas
Join the AdiClub for free and get unlimited free standard shipping.
Apple
Like Adidas, Apple offers free shipping on all orders. You can usually get next-day free shipping on in-stock iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple TVs, or Apple Watches.
AT&T
Order select AT&T cell phones or tablets and you’ll get free shipping with no minimum. Orders usually take no more than five days.
Billabong
Billabong, known for their surfer-themed apparel, offers free shipping on orders to their Billabong Crew. It’s free to join. Orders should arrive in two to six days.
Bonobos
Bonobos sells casual men’s clothing with free ground shipping on all orders. Your delivery time may range from one to four days, depending on where you live in the U.S.
Crate & Barrel
Shop the Free Shipping section at Crate & Barrel and get your stuff delivered for free.
Dell
If you’re looking for laptops, electronics, or accessories, shop at Dell.com and get free 3- to 5-day shipping with no minimum.
Kate Spade
Looking for a new purse? Kate Spade has free shipping with no minimum purchase.
lululemon
lululemon offers free standard shipping year-round with no minimums.
Madewell
Owned by J. Crew, Madewell sells women’s clothing. Join the free Madewell Insider loyalty program and you can enjoy free shipping with no minimum spend. Delivery typically takes eight to 10 days.
Nordstrom
Nordstrom offers free standard shipping every day with no spend minimum.
Reformation
Reformation, a clothing store for women that uses sustainable fabrics and vintage garments, offers free shipping. Expect your order to arrive in five to 10 days.
Staples
Staples offers free delivery on most of their items with no minimum spend required.
Sweetwater
Sweetwater, an online musical instrument and supply retailer, offers free shipping on almost all items. Some oversized or special orders may have shipping fees. Delivery time ranges from one to five days.
The Children’s Place
Get free shipping every day without a minimum spend threshold at The Children’s Place.
The North Face
Join the free The North Face XPLR Pass loyalty program and get free shipping and returns with no minimum.
Verizon
Verizon gives you free 2-day shipping on any device. Or, you can pick up your order in store for free.
Related: Check out these other free things you can (almost) always get for free.
2. How to get free shipping at stores that don’t offer everyday free shipping.
Some retailers play hardball and make you jump through hoops to get free shipping.
Amazon
Get free 2-day shipping on Amazon if you’re a Prime member, which costs $139 a year or $14.99 a month, or if your order meets the $25 minimum threshold. Standard shipping can take five to eight days.
Barnes & Noble
You can enjoy free shipping at Barnes & Noble with no minimum spend when you join the B&N Member Program for $39.99 a year. B&N nonmembers must spend $40 on “Free Shipping” eligible items to get free shipping.
Best Buy
Spend $35+ on select items and get free shipping from Best Buy. Eligible items will have free shipping noted on the product page and in your cart. My Best Buy Plus ($49.99/year) and My Best Buy Total ($179.99/year) members get free 2-day shipping.
Cabela’s
Cabela’s offers free shipping when you meet the $50+ order minimum.
Carter’s
Enjoy free shipping when you spend $50 or more at Carter’s.
Cents of Style
Spend $40 or more at Cents of Style and get free shipping. If you spend under $40, you’ll have to pay $4.99 for shipping.
Columbia
Columbia offers free shipping on orders over $125, or you can join their free loyalty program Greater Rewards to get free ground shipping on every order.
Dick’s Sporting Goods
To get free shipping at Dick’s Sporting Goods, you must be a ScoreCard member and spend $49+ on a single transaction. Or, you can get free shipping on orders of $65+.
GameStop
Enjoy free 1 -3 day shipping when you spend $79 or more at GameStop.
Home Depot
You can get tools and other hardware essentials with free shipping (on orders of $45+) at Home Depot.
ILoveDooney
Spend $119+ and enjoy free shipping from ILoveDooney.
JCPenney
Spend over $49 and get free shipping JCPenney.
Joann
Get free shipping from Joann when you spend $75 or more.
Kohl’s
Kohl’s offers free shipping on orders over $49. If you’re a Kohl’s Rewards member who spends $600 a year on your Kohl’s credit card, you can unlock Most Valued Customer free shipping events.
Macy’s
Get free shipping at Macy’s on orders of $25 or more through Dec. 21, 2023. Macy’s Star Rewards Silver ($1 – $499) & Bronze (free) members get free shipping on orders of $25+ and Platinum ($1,200+) & Gold ($500+) members get free shipping with no minimum.
Michael Kors
Join the free Michael Kors KORSVIP Loyalty program and get free standard shipping on all orders from Michael Kors without a spend minimum. Or, get free shipping on orders of $50+.
Michaels
Michaels offers free shipping on orders $39+.
Nordstrom Rack
Spend $89 or more and get free standard shipping from Nordstrom Rack.
PetSmart
PetSmart offers free shipping on orders over $49 for their Treats Rewards program members. It’s free to sign up.
Powell’s Books
Spend $50 or more at Powell’s Books to get free shipping. Spend under that and you’ll pay $5.99 per order. Powell’s no-rush economy shipping takes four to nine days.
Reebok
Sign up for a free Reebok account, and you can get free shipping on all your orders. Otherwise, you’ll have to spend $75 for free shipping.
REI
Order $50+ at REI to get free shipping. Or pay $30 for a lifetime REI Co-op membership and enjoy free shipping on all orders, no minimum spend required, forever.
Sephora
Sign up for the Sephora Beauty Insiders Loyalty program and get free shipping on all orders; no minimum purchase required. Or, get free shipping on orders of $50 or more.
Target
Target offers free 2-day shipping on orders $35+ or when you pay with your Target RedCard (debit, credit, or reloadable debit).
Toms
Get free shipping when you spend $54 or more at Toms.
Under Armour
Spend $99 or more and get shipping for free when you shop Under Armour.
Walmart
Walmart has a $35 spend threshold for free shipping. Join Walmart+ for $98 a year to get free shipping on all orders.
3. Free Shipping Day 2023 participating retailers.
Last year, Free Shipping Day happened on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. While most stores offer free everyday shipping or through rewards programs, we did find Ann Taylor, Loft (use code COZY), and Forever 21 (use code FREESHIP) had free shipping on Dec. 14, 2022. Here are others that also made last year’s list:
- Aeropostale
- American Eagle
- Banana Republic
- Bealls
- Best Buy
- Brookstone
- Charlotte Russe
- Chico’s
- Coldwater Creek
- Dillard’s
- Reebok
- Sears
- Zales
4. Watch out for retailers that say they’re participating in Free Shipping Day but don’t actually offer free shipping.
Yes, this is actually a thing.
Some retailers and brands piggyback on the marketing benefits of “Free Shipping Day,” making you pay a minimum amount to reach the Free Shipping threshold when you buy from them.
For example, in 2022, Kohl’s only offered free shipping on orders over $49+. In order to find out whether a retailer’s “Free Shipping” is actually free, always read the terms and conditions to see if there’s a minimum spend requirement. Here are a couple of retailers that lowered their spend threshold for free shipping day 2022:
- Charlotte Russe for orders over $25, normally $100 min
- J.Crew on orders $25+ (was $99)
5. Save the most money at the last minute by shopping clearance online in addition to sales.
Really squeeze the most value out of Free Shipping Day by getting clearance items shipped for free.
Look for markdowns of 50% – 70% off regular prices or items you can’t buy in stores.
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