Competitor #2: Best Buy Gamers Club (Unlocked)
Note: For the purposes of this article we will be comparing the Unlocked (read: paid) version of the Best Buy Gamers Club. The free version is mostly just about getting you extra points for buying and trading in video game stuff.
The (My) Best Buy Gamers Club has been around for a couple of years now but just recently has lowered its membership fee to be more competitive with other services (down from a pretty outrageous $100). Good timing too considering what Amazon is doing now.
Price: $30 for two-year membership.
Best Buy’s Gamers Club Unlocked locks you into a two-year membership for $30. Let’s do some quick math here (divide by two, carry the one, hmm, hmm) that adds up to $15 per year.
Gaming Perks: 20% off new software, 10% bonus trade-in credit, 10% off pre-owned.
The 20% off new software is presumably on anything that’s full price and marked as new (we couldn’t find anything in the fine print that says otherwise). Meaning that if you buy at least three ‘new’ games over a two-year period, the Best Buy Gamers Club would pay for itself. Not too shabby plus you have the bonus for pre-owned as well. Best Buy also guarantees a release date delivery provided you pre-order before noon the day before the game comes out.
Non-gaming Perks: Get double points to more easily save on other stuff in the store.
There isn’t a whole lot that comes directly from the Gamers Club. You’ll earn double Best Buy points for buying most video game-related products (besides consoles) and trading games back in. So as an indirect perk of sorts, if you shop at Best Buy for things besides video games, you could use those points to get saving certificates and save money elsewhere within the store.
Other Misc. Bonuses
Upon signing up for the Best Buy Gamers Club Unlocked, you’ll get a Buy Two Get a Third Free coupon and another coupon for 50% off a strategy guide. Members will also get access to “exclusive gaming offers.” Also, if you want a Epson Home 2045 LCD projector, you’ll get a $100 gift certificate if you buy one while being a member. OK then. See the full list here.
