Kobo Discounts: Coupon Codes + Discussion

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by zelda.owns.link

Read20 still works in Canada!!

Thanks for the report. I suspect they reset after some time of not being used, so I think they're always worth a try.

[pdurrant]

For VIP members in the UK, there's 70% off a list of books with code AUTUMN

[CRussel]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

For VIP members in the UK, there's 70% off a list of books with code AUTUMN

Same for Canada, with, of course, a slightly different URL: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/p/AUTUMN

[ownedbycats]

Tried save30 today, used maximum amount of times, not sure if peraccount or total. Read20 wasn't applicable to items in cart.

[ownedbycats]

Fall sale:

Canada

Switching to US or UK 404s.

[sufue]

Has anyone else noticed that Rakuten seems to have dropped giving Cash Back for Kobo ebooks?

@Library Addict mentioned this in the Romance thread (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=4541893) and when I went and checked just now, the T&Cs sure say "no Cash Back for eBooks, Audiobooks, eGiftcards, or Kobo Plus trials".

(The blurb text still says you get Cash Back for ebooks, but I suspect that's just a case of someone missing that they needed to update that.)

And when I checked my account, I haven't gotten any Cash Back for Kobo ebooks since 29 September. And I definitely have bought a couple of sale ebooks from Kobo US in that time period.

Also from the Romance thread, this may be US only?

Anyway, looks like a real thing to me...

[library addict]

I emailed them to see if this was just during the increased cash back period for the holidays, but this is a permanent change. (Unless they change their mind.) At least for the US.

We understand your question about the Kobo Cash Back terms. Unfortunately, the exclusion of eBooks and Audiobooks from Cash Back is a permanent change, not a temporary holiday adjustment. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please remember that all Cash Back offers and terms are subject to change at any time.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by sufue

Has anyone else noticed that Rakuten seems to have dropped giving Cash Back for Kobo ebooks?

@Library Addict mentioned this in the Romance thread (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh....php?p=4541893) and when I went and checked just now, the T&Cs sure say "no Cash Back for eBooks, Audiobooks, eGiftcards, or Kobo Plus trials".

(The blurb text still says you get Cash Back for ebooks, but I suspect that's just a case of someone missing that they needed to update that.)

And when I checked my account, I haven't gotten any Cash Back for Kobo ebooks since 29 September. And I definitely have bought a couple of sale ebooks from Kobo US in that time period.

Also from the Romance thread, this may be US only?

Anyway, looks like a real thing to me...

I had noticed that getting cash back on Kobo ebooks was spotty for months; I'd click through the site before buying, but I'd never get the rebate. For what was literally pennies, it wasn't worth pursuing.

Anyhoo, my last rebate was dated Seotember 26, a whopping 8¢. I notice that Mr. Rebates still seems to be rebating 1% on Kobo books, but who knows? In the end, while it was fun to play all the angles, my two percents weren't going to add up to much or matter to my buying decisions!

[issybird]

^^I hope this isn’t a sign that Kobo will be eliminating the price match program, because that does make a difference. They’ve already cut back in refusing to match “digital sale” prices.

[ownedbycats]

This might track with the possible change in refund policy that I found. Enshittification is making me uneasy, in light of Amazon's shenanigans.

[Aleron Ives]

Wow, I didn't know the cash back program even existed. In a way, maybe it's a good sign that Kobo is cracking down. It might mean that Kobo is getting enough business now that it doesn't need to entice customers with generous deals anymore.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Wow, I didn't know the cash back program even existed. In a way, maybe it's a good sign that Kobo is cracking down. It might mean that Kobo is getting enough business now that it doesn't need to entice customers with generous deals anymore.

That program was from Kobo's parent company, Rakuten and not directly from Kobo. See https://www.rakuten.ca/static/how-it-works for more information.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Wow, I didn't know the cash back program even existed. In a way, maybe it's a good sign that Kobo is cracking down. It might mean that Kobo is getting enough business now that it doesn't need to entice customers with generous deals anymore.

No, enshittification is almost never good

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Aleron Ives

Wow, I didn't know the cash back program even existed. In a way, maybe it's a good sign that Kobo is cracking down. It might mean that Kobo is getting enough business now that it doesn't need to entice customers with generous deals anymore.

Or just the opposite.....

[Aleron Ives]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

No, enshittification is almost never good

I'm not sure it qualifies as enshittification. If a company has to pay you to shop there, it smacks of desperation, as if the company might go under at any minute. A stable company sells its wares at a fair price and doesn't need to offer crazy deals to get your business, and I want Kobo to be a stable company, so it can continue to offer an alternative to Amazon.