[Update] Rakuten cashback has posted. I received $12.5, while some readers in the comments only received $5. Check your Rakuten account; if the cashback is missing or the amount is wrong, submit a Help request. If you’re earning MR instead of cash, 1250 MR plus the $5 Amex Offer credit still makes this a worthwhile deal, even if you can now only get one Echo Dot.
[The following was originally published on October 14, 2020]
This deal is a little more complicated if you want to turn it into a money-maker. KUKU previously posted a $1 Echo Dot deal that also came from SiriusXM. You can refer to that older post for the purchase steps.
Note that the deal says you get one Echo Dot (via a full-price coupon), but in practice you can buy two because the Dot is half off for Prime Day.
Deal Details
Subscribe to SiriusXM and receive a coupon for an Echo Dot at full price, worth $40.
Here are the discounts you may be able to stack:
- An AMEX Offer that gives $5 back on an $8 purchase (up to three times)
- Rakuten cashback of $12.5 (or possibly only $5). If it doesn’t track, you can try asking customer service. YMMV.
- The streaming credit on the AMEX Platinum card (optional)
- Prime Day pricing, with the Dot at half off
Rakuten’s terms on the previous deal were unclear, so some people received 1500 MR, some got nothing, and some got the points and later had them clawed back.
This time the terms are much clearer. The streaming subscription is showing $12.5 or $5 back (1250 MR or 500 MR). Since it’s spelled out this time, Rakuten/SiriusXM hopefully won’t claw it back...
Even if Rakuten only gives $5, after the AMEX Offer it still works out to about $2 for two Dots, which is not bad.
How to Buy
Sign up for Rakuten. The signup bonus is currently at a record high of $30 or 3000 MR.
Search for SiriusXM through Rakuten, and when you see the page shown below, click through to make the purchase.
Make sure it shows the offer for one Echo Dot (coupon).
I used a virtual credit card to pay, such as a Privacy.com virtual card ($5 signup bonus), so I wouldn’t have to contact customer service later to cancel the subscription.
I recommend using a new account. An old email may still work; I used the same email from the earlier $1 deal and still received the coupon. After placing the order, there may be some delay, and it can take several hours for the confirmation email to arrive. You can redeem by the end of March next year, but Prime Day is the best time to redeem for two units.
Limit of one Echo Dot per customer.
You must redeem by 03/31/21 at 11:59 PM ET.
Your purchase confirmation will be sent separately.
Then use the coupon at Amazon to buy the Echo Dot (it can only be used on a standalone Dot, not in a bundle). Below is a screenshot showing my purchase of two units:
If you plan to do multiple orders, note that Amazon currently limits the quantity of Devices you can buy (both a 7-day limit and an annual limit). If you hit the limit and Amazon automatically cancels the order, that’s okay—the coupon should stay attached to your account, and you can buy later after the limit resets. In the previous deal, reader Mooou bought a whole bunch:
Other Notes
SiriusXM’s checkout system can be very hard to get through—or very easy. It may depend on your IP address and billing address. (This time it seems to be going through pretty easily.)
Remember to cancel promptly after purchasing. You can contact online customer service to cancel, or use a virtual card and just cancel the virtual card.
Since one Echo Dot is worth at least $20, this is still a good deal.
In the previous $1 deal, there was a chance to receive 1500 MR. Quite a few people received the MR and then had it clawed back. Mine was not clawed back and is still there. If you’re going after Rakuten points here, good luck.