As a college student myself, purchasing a textbook can really break your bank! If you’ve never purchased a college textbook, you will probably be dumbfounded when you see the price. On average, college students spend a lot of money on textbooks and it’s considered one of the highest expenses students face!
But don’t let that scare you, there are many ways to get the costs down if you’re willing to put your time into it! No matter your course of study, continue reading below to see how you can save money on college textbooks this upcoming school year!
Note: If you’re looking for a credit card that rewards you on all your purchases, I recommend checking out the Wells Fargo Cash Wise card, the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, or the American Express Cash Magnet card to earn rewards on all of your purchases! See more credit card bonus offers here.
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 • Enjoy $100 as a new Chase checking customer when you open a Chase College CheckingSM account and complete 10 qualifying transactions within 60 days of coupon enrollment. • No Monthly Service Fee for up to 5 years if you're a student between the ages of 17-24 at account opening with proof of student status. • Students ages 18-24 with a Social Security Number can open an account online or at a Chase branch. Students with no Social Security number and 17-year-olds can only open an account at a branch. • Manage your money, see your accounts, and pay your bills using the Chase Mobile® app. • Send and receive money in moments using Zelle®. • Access to more than 16,000 Chase ATMs and more than 4,700 branches. • JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC • Chase Overdraft AssistSM – no overdraft fee if you’re overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day or if you’re overdrawn by more than $50 and bring your account balance to overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the next business day* *With Chase Overdraft AssistSM, we won’t charge an Overdraft Fee if you’re overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the business day OR if you’re overdrawn by more than $50 and you bring your account balance to overdrawn by $50 or less at the end of the next business day (you have until 11 PM ET (8 PM PT) to make a deposit or transfer). Chase Overdraft Assist does not require enrollment and comes with eligible Chase checking accounts. |
Amazon
Rent, buy, sell textbooks on Amazon!
Save money by buying cheap new and used textbooks or rent them! You can also trade your used textbooks for an Amazon Gift card, whether you bough it from them or not.
You can save up to 90% on rentals or used textbook purchases, as well as up to 49% on new textbooks! You can also enjoy Free Two-Day shipping when you join Amazon Prime! Get your textbooks delivered to your door and save money and time!
(Click the link above to learn more about this program).
Editor’s Note: If you’re not a current member of Amazon Prime, you can sign up today for a FREE 30-day trial! Being an Amazon Prime Member comes with many benefits. You’ll get access to FREE 2-day shipping, instant access to video streaming, unlimited music streaming to over a million songs, exclusive deals, and much more!
Barnes & Noble
Buy new or used textbooks at Barnes & Noble
One of my two favorites ways to get textbooks is digitally! Digital textbooks are often cheaper than physical copies and they are impossible to misplace or get damaged! Plus, they don’t add the extra weight when you’re moving from class to class!
You can search online at Barnes & Noble to check if the book you want is available in e-book, or NOOK book! You can also rent electronic textbooks, so you don’t have to worry about reselling or returning your book! Check out Chegg as another option!
(Click the link above to search for your book if it’s available digitally).
Facebook Marketplace
Search for used textbooks for sale!
You can check out Facebook Marketplace for good deals, it’s a great way to source used books locally or within your campus’ distance! Towards the end of the semester, students usually post their used books for sale on Facebook, so definitely check it out when you’re in need!
Library – Free Books
Go to library for free books!
This is the first option I usually choose to get my textbooks, I recommend this a lot! Try to utilize your campus library as much as you can, they usually have most of the textbooks you need.
Also depending on your campus library’s rules, you can check out the book for the night or borrow to read it in the library! My favorite thing to do is take pictures from my phone or scan important pages and take it with me at home to read!
Share Books
Share textbooks with a friend or classmate.
If you know someone who is going to be in the same class as you, consider sharing a textbook together! It’ll take some time to get used to, since you both need to plan out who gets the book on certain days! But it’s more than worth it since you can score the book for 50% off!
Buy Older Versions
Buy older versions of your textbook to save money!
In this case, usually, newer textbooks aren’t that different than their slightly older version! Be sure to ask your professor first to see if an older textbook is okay to use, or compare the old one to the new to make sure there are no major differences!
Wait After Class Starts
Don’t buy your textbooks before class starts.
For certain classes, you usually don’t need your textbook right away, or sometimes you might not need it at all! Be sure to wait after class starts to purchase your books since sometimes the professor will say that you might not need it for the semester!
Use Financial Aid
Spend financial aid funds on your textbooks.
If you have financial aid, use it towards your textbooks! Check with your school first to see if you can use your Financial Aid return on future book purchases! But in some cases, colleges will allow you to use some of your money towards books to help you with expenses.
Use Scholarship or Grants
Spend scholarship funds or grants to pay.
Scholarships and grants are used differently, check the terms the terms of your money coming in before planning to pay for your book with them! But mostly, you’ll be able to use this money for your textbook!
Rent Textbooks
Rent textbooks you don’t need in the long term.
If you don’t need a textbook in the long run, renting it online is a great alternative! Since you can:
- Choose a specific rental period: short term, quarter, or whole semester.
- Choose when to return it OR even extend your return date
- Set text reminders, so you’ll never forget when it’s due.
- Everything ships free.
Bottom Line
There are a lot of different ways to save money on college textbooks, other than buying it at full price at your local campus bookstore! We hope that this list helps you save hundreds, maybe thousands, by the time you graduate! See the best student discounts for further helpful money saving tips!
If you’re looking for a bank account, we recommend the Chase College Checking Account, but if you prefer banking somewhere else take a quick peek of our Best Student Checking Accounts for this month!
To help you save even more money with your back-to-school shopping, you should check out retailers that will price match Amazon prices! If you’re not a current member of Amazon Prime, you can sign up today for a FREE 30-day trial and redeem this offer today!
