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.
Editor’s Note: If you are a college student 17 to 24 years old with proof of student status, you can now open a Chase College CheckingSM in-branch, check table below for details.
• 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. • $0 Monthly Service Fee while in school up to the graduation date provided at account opening (five years maximum) for students 17-24 years old. • Wire funds internationally using the Chase Mobile® app or chase.com. Send money to recipients around the world with multiple currency options. Fees apply. • Keep track of your money with confidence and control in the Chase Mobile® app. The Chase Mobile app helps you bank securely and conveniently from anywhere. • Zelle® is available in more than 1,000 banking apps in the U.S. So, you can send and receive money from almost anyone you know and trust who has a bank account in the U.S. • With over 4,700 branches, Chase has the largest branch network in the U.S. plus access to more than 15,000 ATMs. • With Fraud Monitoring, Chase may notify you of unusual debit card purchases and with Zero Liability Protection you won't be held responsible for unauthorized debit card purchases when reported promptly. • JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC *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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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!