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Save up to $40 on the Amazon Echo Studio

Amazon didn't discount this desirable new speaker for Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but we'll show you how to score a deal.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read
18-amazon-echo-studio

Amazon offers no discount on the exciting new Echo Studio. But we've got your back.

Sarah Tew/CNET

For Black Friday and Cyber Monday , Amazon discounted just about every device in its lineup -- Fire tablets, Fire TV streamers, Echo Show displays and so on -- with one exception: the Echo Studio. This new speaker, which doesn't even ship until Dec. 17, has stubbornly stayed at its $199.99 list price. That's too bad, because according to CNET's Echo Studio review, it offers the "biggest, best Echo sound yet."

Good news: By leveraging a cash-back service, you can save up to 10% on the Echo Studio, effectively bringing the price down to $180. And a couple other hacks can lower that price by another $10 to $20. Let's look at how this works.

Step 1: If you don't already have one, sign up for an account at Rakuten (formerly Ebates) or TopCashback. If you're new to the former, you'll receive a $10 sign-up bonus, resulting in a final price of $170. Update: Rakuten has dropped its Amazon-device cash-back rate to 8%, but TopCashback is still offering 10%. Both these rates may change without notice.

Step 2: Once signed into either service, search for Amazon. (To make life simple, here's the Rakuten page for Amazon, and here's the TopCashback page.) Then click Shop Now or Get Cashback, respectively, and you'll find yourself at the Amazon home page.

rakuten-10-back-on-amazon-devices

Although Rakuten is no longer offering 10% cash back on Amazon devices, the rate is still 8% -- and you get a $10 sign-up bonus.

Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

Step 3: Search for the Echo Studio, add it to your cart, then check out as you normally would. Note: If you're new to using cash-back services, it's important to realize that you won't see any indication of their presence at checkout. Remember, this is a post-purchase rebate, not a time-of-purchase discount. What you should get is an email notifying you that the purchase has been logged for future cash-back payout.

Here's a pro tip: If you have the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card, use it for this purchase. That'll net you 5% off the original purchase price of $200 -- so $10 cash back. (Alas, the Echo Studio isn't part of Amazon's current Prime Rewards Visa Card promotion, which can save you 10% back on most other devices.)

While it's possible Amazon will offer a direct discount on the Echo Studio as the holidays draw closer, right now this is the single cheapest way to buy the speaker. At minimum you'll save $20, but you might be able to wrangle that to $40.

Your thoughts?

Read more: Forget Black Friday: This Amazon shopping hack can save you over 70% any day of the year

Watch this: Amazon introduces high-end smarter speaker, Echo Studio

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