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• You can significantly reduce your shopping bill by redeeming credit card rewards on Amazon.
• Many popular currencies participate, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards® and Amex Membership Rewards.
• We don't usually recommend using points this way because they can be worth much more for travel.
• Read Business Insider's guide to the best rewards credit cards.

Amazon makes it simple to redeem many rewards currencies from the best credit cards at checkout to offset your balance. We almost never recommend using your points this way, but it can make sense for you if you don't plan to travel in the near future.

This is also a good strategy if you have a small points balance you won't otherwise use. And it can make Amazon Prime Day deals even sweeter if you use points to discount or pay for your purchase.

Here's everything you need to know about using credit card points on Amazon purchases.

How to Use Points on Amazon

When you link a loyalty program to your Amazon account, Amazon may change your default payment method to points. This can be devastating if you're not paying attention and lose a large portion of points you had intended to save for travel.

Use Chase Points on Amazon

When you redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points with Amazon, you'll receive a value of 0.8 cents per point. Still, if you plan to use your points through Amazon, your best bet is to simply make your purchase with an eligible Chase card and then redeem your points for a statement credit later at a rate of 1 cent each.

You'll earn points this way, and you'll get the purchase protection included with Chase credit cards. 

Cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards include:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
• Chase Sapphire Reserve® — 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card — 100,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening

To link your Chase Ultimate Rewards account with Amazon, click here. You'll then simply log in to your Amazon account, link your Chase card, and apply your Ultimate Rewards points at checkout.

Use Amex Points on Amazon

American Express Membership Rewards offers a very low redemption rate of 0.7 cents each for Amazon purchases — and the points value when redeeming for statement credits is even lower. If you want to make purchases with your Amex points, consider using them to purchase an American Express gift card at a rate of 1 cent per point, and then use those gift cards to buy your items.

You can earn Amex Membership Rewards points by opening and swiping cards like:

• The Platinum Card® from American Express — 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $8,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership
• American Express® Gold Card — 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $6,000 on purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership
• The Business Platinum Card® from American Express — 120,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $15,000 on eligible purchases with your card within the first three months of card membership

You can link your Amex Membership Rewards account with Amazon by clicking here. You'll log in to your Amazon account, link your eligible American Express card, and choose to apply your points to your order at checkout.

Use Citi ThankYou Points on Amazon

Per Business Insider's estimations, you'll receive just half of the average Citi ThankYou points value when redeeming your rewards for shopping with Amazon. This is not the currency to collect if you intend to regularly use your points for online shopping.

Citi issues credit cards like the Citi® Double Cash Card and Citi Custom Cash℠ Card which earn Citi ThankYou points you can use for travel, cash back, and more. Earning rewards on one of these cards and redeeming them for cash is your best route if you intend to use them for online shopping.

Other Citi credit cards that earn ThankYou points include:

• Citi Premier® Card — 60,000 bonus ThankYou® points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months of account opening
• Citi Rewards+® Card — 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,500 in the first three months of account opening
• Citi Prestige® Card (not available to new applicants)

Click here to link your Citi ThankYou account to Amazon. Then just select your Citi ThankYou card as your payment method and choose to pay with points

Use Capital One Miles on Amazon

Again, Capital One miles are best used for travel — not for Amazon purchases. You'll receive less than half the average points value by redeeming them for shopping — a meager 0.8 cents each.

Similar to Citi ThankYou points, Capital One issues cash-back cards, the rewards of which can be converted into Capital One miles — as long as you have a qualifying Capital One miles-earning card. Examples include the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card† and Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card.

Capital One credit cards that earn miles directly include:

• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card — 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases within three months from account opening
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card — 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening, 
• Capital One Spark Miles for Business† — 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening

You can link your Capital One miles account to Amazon by clicking here. After you enroll your qualifying Capital One card, you'll see the option to pay with Capital One miles at checkout.

Use Discover Rewards on Amazon

Whether you collect cash back with the Discover it® Cash Back or miles with the Discover it® Miles, you can redeem them directly through Amazon to pay for all or part of your cart.

All Discover rewards are worth 1 cent each, whether you spend through Amazon or redeem for cash. Therefore, it's more beneficial for you to make your purchase with the card and later request a statement credit instead of using your rewards for the purchase.

This ensures you'll earn rewards for your purchase — which is especially handy if you have the Discover it® Cash Back, as its rotating bonus categories sometimes include Amazon purchases (from April 1 to June 30, 2024, you can earn 5% cash back at gas stations & electric vehicle charging stations, home improvement stores, and public transit on up to $1,500 in purchases after enrollment, then 1%).

Discover credit cards that earn rewards include:

• Discover it® Miles
• Discover it® Cash Back
• Discover it® Student Cash Back
• Discover it® Chrome

Click here to link your Discover Rewards with Amazon and then select Discover as the payment method at checkout. You'll see the option to apply your cash back at that point.

Use Hilton Points on Amazon

You'd be hard-pressed to find a currency easier to earn than Hilton points. For example, The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card currently offers a welcome bonus of 175,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on the card within the first six months of card membership (offer ends 06/05/24).

You'll even get 5x points on the first $100,000 spent on other purchases outside of eligible Hilton purchases each calendar year (then 3x points). 

However, the redemption rate of 0.2 cents per point means you'll get a return of as little as 0.6% back on purchases. If you intend to use Hilton points to shop on Amazon, make a cash-back credit card your daily driver, instead.

Other Hilton credit cards include:

• Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card — 150,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on the card within your first six months of card membership
• Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card — 130,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $3,000 in purchases on the card within your first six months of card membership
• Hilton Honors American Express Card — 80,000 Hilton Honors bonus points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the card in the first six months of card membership

Use Marriott Points on Amazon

You can't use your Marriott points directly on the Amazon website as you can with the previous rewards currencies. However, if you navigate to Marriott Shop With Points, you can purchase an Amazon gift card with your points at the following rates:

• $25 gift card — 10,000 points
• $50 gift card — 17,500 points
• $100 gift card — 30,000 points

In other words, the most value you'll get by using your points with Amazon is 0.33 cents each — less than half the average value you'll receive by using your points for travel.

You can earn points directly with the following Marriott Bonvoy credit cards:

• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card — 185,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $6,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership
• Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card — three Free Night Awards, each with a redemption level of up to 50,000 points, after you use your new card to make $6,000 in eligible purchases within the first six months of card membership
• Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card — 155,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points after you use your new card to make $5,000 in purchases within the first six months of card membership
• Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card — 30,000 bonus points after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card — 5 Free Night Awards (each night valued up to 50,000 points) after you spend $3,000 on purchases in your first three months from your account opening
• Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful™ Card — 85,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in purchases in your first three months from your account opening

Use Bilt Points on Amazon

You can use Bilt Points directly through the Amazon website after enrolling your Bilt Mastercard® on Shop with Points. Then, when you checkout on Amazon, select the Bilt credit card and choose the number of points you'd like to apply to your order. 

You'll only get around 0.7 cents per point when you redeem on Amazon, which isn't the best rate but better than some of the other options on this list. However, you'll get the most value out of your reward points when you transfer to airline and hotel partners. 

Click here to enroll your Bilt Mastercard® with Amazon. 

Use U.S. Bank Rewards at Amazon

It's easy to redeem U.S. Bank rewards through Amazon.com checkout, and you'll get a solid 1:1 rate. So if you have an eligible U.S. Bank card, and are looking to redeem rewards for Amazon purchases, you'll get a fair value. However, redeeming for travel through the U.S. Bank portal is still a more valuable redemption option. 

That said, if your main objective is to redeem on Amazon anyway, you might as well get a cash-back card versus a points-earning card. The best U.S. Bank card option in this instance is the U.S. Bank Shopper Cash Rewards™ Visa Signature® Card, which can earn you 6% cash back at Amazon (when selected as one of two retail brand earning categories).  

You can earn U.S. Bank rewards on the following cards: 

• U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® Card — 50,000 points after spending $2,000 in eligible purchases within the first 120 days from account opening
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card — 20,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days of account opening
• U.S. Bank Altitude® Reserve Visa Infinite® Card — 50,000 points after you spend $4,500 on purchases in the first 90 days of account opening
• U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Gold American Express® Card — 30,000 bonus FlexPoints after spending $2,000 in eligible purchases on the card in the first four months from account opening
• U.S. Bank Business Leverage® Visa Signature® Card — $750 in rewards when you spend $7,500 in eligible purchases on the card within the first 120 days of account opening
• U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard® — $500 cash back after spending $4,500 on purchases on the account holder's card in the first 150 days of opening your account

Click here to enroll your card with Shop with Points.

Use Bank of America Unlimited Cash Rewards at Amazon

The Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card is one of Business Insider's picks for the best Bank of America credit cards, and the only Bank of America credit card eligible to be enrolled in Shop with Points. It has a no-frills cash-back program that offers a value of 1 cent per point. 

It's a no-annual-fee card and earns unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases. New cardholders can earn $200 online cash rewards bonus after making at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. 

Once your card is enrolled with Shop with Points, you'll be able to view your eligible Bank of America point balance. 

Click here to enroll your Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card with Shop with Points.

Watch for Promotional Discounts Using Points

We occasionally see promotions that give you significant value for using points at Amazon, even if you split your payment between rewards and cash. These offers will trigger when you use at least 1 credit card point at checkout.

Shop With Points at Amazon Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Amazon Shop With Points a good deal?

Paying with points at Amazon is almost never as good a deal as other redemptions. You won't receive outsized value for your rewards, and the return rate you'll get is significantly below what you can expect if you use them for travel. A big exception is the aforementioned promotions that offer a significant discount for using just a single point.

What's the best card for shopping on Amazon?

The best credit card for shopping on Amazon depends on the types of rewards you want to earn. For many folks, it's better to focus on cash-back credit cards where your rewards will go further towards offsetting your cart. The best credit cards for Amazon purchases include the Prime Visa, Citi® Double Cash Card, and Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express.

How do I find discount promotions for using points at Amazon?

Amazon promotional discounts for shopping with points usually come to your email. You can also search online for discounts using a specific rewards currency. These offers are usually targeted, so if you haven't received an email with a link to enroll, you may be out of luck.

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• The US Army moved fast to arm its Stryker armored vehicles with a powerful autocannon.
• The 30mm gun would even the odds with Russian and Chinese troop carriers.
• But the Army put in a large order before ensuring the first turrets worked properly. 

Fearing that its Stryker armored vehicles were outgunned by Russian and Chinese designs, the US Army had an idea for a quick fix: Develop an unmanned Stryker turret with a 30-mm autocannon. But cutting corners in the $1 billion project has led to hardware and software issues that mean the more lethal Strykers won't be available until at least the end of 2024, a year later than scheduled.

"In prioritizing cost savings and rapid fielding, the Army assumed additional production risks because it did not follow sound acquisition practices," according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Though Army leaders said in December 2023 that software issues had been fixed, war clouds in Europe and Asia raise the prospect that Stryker units might go into battle against Russian and Chinese armored vehicles that are more heavily armed.

Compared to ultra-complex projects such as the F-35 stealth fighter, developing a small remote-controlled turret for an armored vehicle should have been easy. The project began in 2015. Worried by growing tensions in Europe and more lethal Russian hardware, the Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment — based in Germany — urgently requested heavier armament for the Stryker, a family of eight-wheel armored vehicles manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems.

Instead of the Stryker's normal armament of a .50-caliber or 7.62-mm machine gun, or a 40-mm grenade launcher, troops wanted a cannon that can punch through enemy armor and hardened positions. Russia arms its BMP series of infantry fighting vehicles with 30-mm, 73-mm or 100-mm guns, while China's new heavy VN-20 troop carrier comes with 30-mm or 100-mm cannon.

The Army obliged in 2018 with the Infantry Carrier Vehicle-Dragoon, which added a remote-controlled 30-mm gun turret — manufactured by Norwegian firm Kongsberg — to 91 flat-bottom-hull versions of the Strykers. General Dynamics did the modifications under an existing contract, which allowed the Army to develop and field the upgrade in a relatively quick two years. The Army decided the next year to buy 269 unmanned 30-mm turrets, under the Medium Caliber Weapons Systems (MCWS) program, at an estimated cost of $1.1 billion. This would be enough to upgrade Strykers in three brigades of 83 vehicles each, plus an additional 20 for testing.

But instead of simply fielding more Dragoons, the Army decided to make some changes. Instead of flat-bottomed Strykers, the turrets would be mounted on the double hull A1 version that is more blast-resistant and could better bear the weight and power requirements of a gun turret. Instead of a Kongsberg MCT-30 turret, the vehicles would receive a Samson turret made by Israeli firm Rafael. And instead of General Dynamics, the prime contractor would be Oshkosh Systems, whose bid was one-third or more lower than other contenders. However, the cannon would continue to be Northrop Grumman's XM813 chain gun used on the Dragoon.

The Army also fast-tracked the project, which shouldn't have been an issue. "Army officials stated that they chose to accelerate production of the Stryker MCWS, rather than begin system development, because the effort integrated mature, proven technologies—the Stryker Double-V Hull A1 and the 30-millimeter cannon," GAO noted.

The problem was that the Army was in such a hurry that it neglected some basic precautions. For example, Oshkosh's turret "was not tested by soldiers in their intended environment during the evaluation of the samples," the report said. "Instead, the vendors acted as the commanders and gunners during testing on a range."

Nor was Oshkosh's demonstration turret built on the actual manufacturing line that would be used for full production. A big red flag should have been the glitches in the turret software that degraded the 30-mm cannon's accuracy. Because the gunner operates the cannon remotely from inside the vehicle, using a video feed rather than the naked eye, accurate targeting software is important. "The Army stated these risks were moderate because of Oshkosh Defense's assurance of a future software fix," GAO said. "Army officials acknowledged that they would not have the ability to evaluate the success of the software fix prior to awarding the production contract."

A perceived need to get improved vehicles to troops in the field is understandable. But what was unusual was that the Army "put in delivery orders for all 269 vehicles before ensuring that production line issues were addressed," Mona Sehgal, acting director of GAO's contracting and national security acquisitions team, told Business Insider.

The Army awarded Oshkosh the first order in June 2021 for 91 MCWS, followed by a second order for 83 in July 2021 and finally 95 in June 2022, according to GAO. The first turrets weren't actually delivered until July 2022.

Normal practice — in the Department of Defense or the business world — would be to place an initial order to judge the quality of the product, before placing further orders. "The Army had structured the agreement to allow that but chose not to execute it that way," Sehgal said.

Michael Peck is a defense writer whose work has appeared in Forbes, Defense News, Foreign Policy magazine, and other publications. He holds an MA in political science from Rutgers Univ. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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• Google doubled down on its messaging to employees about staying focused on work.
• Sundar Pichai said in a blog post the office isn't a place to "debate politics."
• Google fired 28 workers involved in protests against its $1.2 billion contract with Israel.

Tucked at the bottom of Google CEO Sundar Pichai's splashy 1200-word restructuring announcement is a stern reminder to employees.

The CEO's message, which comes only two days after in-office protests, is loud and clear: the office isn't a place for politics.

It echoes an earlier memo Google's VP of security sent out on Wednesday after the company fired 28 employees involved in sit-in protests against Google's $1.2 billion contract with Israel in Sunnyvale and New York City. That separate memo had told workers to "think again" before violating company policies with sit-in protests.

Pichai doubled down on that sentiment Thursday at the end of his note in a section titled "Mission first," addressing the recent events and restating the company's "policies and expectations are clear."

"This is a business, and not a place to act in a way that disrupts coworkers or makes them feel unsafe, to attempt to use the company as a personal platform, or to fight over disruptive issues or debate politics," Pichai said in the memo. "This is too important a moment as a company for us to be distracted."

Pichai also said employees have a duty to ensure the company is an "objective and trusted" provider of information that serves "all of our users globally."

"When we come to work, our goal is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," Pichai said. "That supersedes everything else and I expect us to act with a focus that reflects that."

The headline news in Pichai's announcement is that Google is combining its Android and hardware teams to create a "Platforms and Devices" team to oversee Google products that include its Pixel line, Android, Chrome, Photos, and more.

The tech giant is also consolidating teams that focus on building AI models across Google Research and DeepMind to scale its AI capacity. The CEO said the change will simplify development by having all the AI model-building teams in one place, and make space for more focused research into computing systems and the science behind AI.

"Excited to see what these teams accomplish in their new formation," Pichai said.

Are you a Googler? We want to hear from you. Email the reporter using a non-work device and email at aaltchek@insider.com.

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• Netflix just blew past Wall Street's expectations for subscriber growth.
• A big contributor to that was its limit on password sharing and its cheaper, ad-supported tier.
• That bodes well for Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, which plan to follow suit this year.

Netflix said it grew subscribers by 9.33 million worldwide in Q1 — double what Wall Street had expected.

Boosting its performance was the company's crackdown on password sharing, which has led to new signups, as well as its cheaper, ad-supported option. The ads tier costs less ($6.99 per month) than adding a member outside your household ($7.99 per month).

Netflix "added more subscribers than many analysts, myself included, expected," Emarketer senior analyst Ross Benes wrote. "This signals that password sharing was even more common than previously thought as Netflix keeps converting freeloader viewers into paid users."

There could be still more growth to come, as the crackdown helped drive nearly 30 million subscribers in FY23, while fully 100 million users are estimated to share their passwords, Macquarie wrote in a research note.

Netflix said its ad-supported tier grew 65% quarter on quarter, after nearly 70% sequential increases for the previous two quarters. Over 40% of signups in its markets that offer the ads tier are to that option.

The people at Disney are sure to be watching closely, with the company getting ready to tighten up on password sharing at Disney+ this summer, with a full crackdown to come in the fall.

Warner Bros. Discovery, too, said it would start limiting password sharing at streamer Max later this year.

So the password-sharing crackdown continues to be a win for Netflix — even if it effectively gives its rivals a road map to copy.

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• Netflix will stop regularly releasing subscriber statistics starting next year.
• The streaming giant added 9.3 million paying users in the last quarter — a great result that Wall Street normally rewards.
• But Netflix says those numbers no longer reflect its real value. Will Wall Street go for that?

For years, Netflix investors cared about one thing more than anything else: Go-go growth, which they measured by the number of subscribers the streaming company signed up.

Now, those investors are going to have to live without that data.

Starting next year, Netflix will stop releasing subscriber statistics on a regular basis, the company announced. Instead, it said in an investor letter, it will "announce major subscriber milestones as we cross them."

It's a major shift in how the company interacts with Wall Street. And it comes on the same day that the company announced a huge boost in susbscribers: Netflix said it added 9.3 million paying users in the last quarter — about 4 million more than the average Wall Street forecast.

What's the rationale for the change?

Netflix says it's because it no longer thinks subscriber growth is a good way to understand the company's progress — something it has been saying for some time in its investor letters.

Here's the explanation in their words:

"In our early days, when we had little revenue or profit, membership growth was a strong indicator of our future potential. But now we're generating very substantial profit and free cash flow (FCF). We are also developing new revenue streams like advertising and our extra member feature, so memberships are just one component of our growth. In addition, as we've evolved our pricing and plans from a single to multiple tiers with different price points depending on the country, each incremental paid membership has a very different business impact."

To push that point across, last year, Netflix stopped providing quarterly guidance on subscriber growth. But analysts still created their own estimates. But starting in the first quarter of next year, that's all going to grind to a halt.

Netflix shares are down a bit after the news — which could simply be a reaction to the fact that Netflix stock has been on a tear for some time, so even wowza numbers aren't enough to wow investors right now.

Will Netflix be able to crush it in the future?

But it's also understandable if investors think Netflix is going to stop providing subscriber numbers because the numbers aren't going to be as impressive in the future.

Which, really, is a proxy for the main question about Netflix for a very long time: Just how big can the company get?

Today, Netflix has nearly 270 million paid subscribers around the world, which makes it much, much bigger than its peers. But for the past few years, investors have wondered if Netflix might be stalling — either because of competition from the likes of Disney, or because there simply may not be as many people interested in paying for videos, period.

That's why Netflix's admission that it lost a million subscribers two years ago shook the entire media world and had everyone asking — was that a Netflix problem or a Streaming problem?

Since then, investors have stopped telling would-be Netflix rivals to grow at all costs, and have started pushing them to worry about profits, not subscriber numbers (this also, not coincidentally, synced with the end of zero interest rates, which changed the way most investors viewed most companies, period).

Netflix now looks well set up to live in that world, too: After burning money for years as it built up its streaming business, it is now consistently profitable — this quarter, it earned an eye-popping $2.3 billion on revenue of $9.4 billion, though some of that seems due to one-time accounting issues.

Will that satisfy investors? On the one hand — it's going to take some getting used to, and plenty of people will reasonably be asking why now? On the other: There really aren't any rules about how this stuff works — which is why Google/Alphabet has provided next-to-no information about its business forever and has been rewarded with sky-high stock for most of that time. Let's see if it works for Netflix.

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• Dominique Raroha bought a duplex as a first-time homebuyer instead of a traditional house.
• Raroha, a 29-year-old who works in insurance, figured she could collect rent while building equity.
• She lives in one unit with her boyfriend, and her tenant's rent cuts down her own monthly expenses.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Dominique Raroha, a 29-year-old working in insurance in Sicklerville, New Jersey, which is about 23 miles outside Philadelphia, who bought a duplex as her first home purchase. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

I don't regret my decision to buy a duplex.

Honestly, it felt right. I always believe in going with a good gut feeling, and from start to finish throughout this whole process of buying it, I just had a good feeling.

Homeownership was a huge goal of mine. I'm the type of person who likes to take on a lot more responsibility, so I was excited and ready for it.

My great-grandfather bought up a big piece of real estate in Voorhees, New Jersey, and that piece of real estate gained value so much over time. Over the years stuff was sold off, we built houses, and we were able to subdivide that piece of property.

In total, I think that amount of real estate — which was once a dirt road and is now a major highway in South Jersey — had to be valued at a couple of million dollars.

The United States is a capitalist society, and real estate goes up over time. It's how you build your retirement. It's how you build generational wealth. It gives you something to pass down to the next generation.

After buying my first property, I'm already talking to my lender about buying another.

Given the financial freedom of owning a duplex, buying another makes so much sense.

My tenant's $2,000-a-month rent pays most of my mortgage

I looked at single-family homes, condos — I was looking at all my options.

The way I view money and my personal finances comes down to what I can afford on a monthly basis. Is this purchase in my best interest?

I just wanted to maximize my investment.

The single-family home I put an offer on was a really good-sized home. It was very well-priced, so that's why it made sense to put that offer in. For the condo I put an offer on, I would've been paying under $1,000 a month. But somebody else already made a higher offer and the same with the other place.

I put other offers in. Many of them were not accepted because you're dealing with a multiple-offer situation. But the more offers I didn't get accepted, the better prepared I was for the next one.

When this home came on the market, I didn't see it — I bought it sight unseen. That was why working with the real-estate agent I did made such a difference because I was like, "Hey, this house, are you sure?" She's like, "There's 15 other offers. You need to do the math. I don't see you losing in this situation."

My lender and I talked about it and we came up with our offer number based on what I could afford on a monthly basis with rental income. And to be honest, we could have gone higher and still made a decent investment.

The total square footage is about 2,400. My unit has two bedrooms and one bath — and I also have a private garage. The upstairs unit has three bedrooms and two baths.

I put in an offer for $335,000, and it appraised for $320,000, so I had to fill an appraisal gap.

My interest rate is 6.6%. I did get it lowered because I had almost an 800 credit score at the time of closing. If it was a point more, which was the average going rate, the cost would've been that much more.

The mortgage itself is about $2,900 a month— more on the $3,000 side. My upstairs tenant pays me $2,000 a month.

My boyfriend lives with me, and he helps contribute. I'm not making him pay half my mortgage, but he does. So we split half of the difference.

Owning a duplex gives me a lot of options for my next move

Before buying the duplex, I was living with my best friend, who had purchased a home, and she rented out a room to me to help pay for her mortgage. I was paying around $700 to her. It was a really good living situation because she knew the whole time I was looking for houses. So I wasn't like, "Oh my God, am I going to break a lease?"

It's important to be proactive. You have to be in this market — especially if you're a younger buyer. Even if you don't feel like you're fit today, at least talking to a lender ahead of time will help tell you where you need to be.

I started talking to my lender in June of 2022. We would discuss different houses on the market, whether or not it would make sense, or whether it would be a good investment. Then this house came up, and it was very, very quick. But because I was working with him, he already had all my financials on file. He already had everything ready to go.

If I were to rent out my unit today — I think there's a similar unit down the street from mine with the same layout that rented for $1,900 — then I would be making a profit. So there's room to make money in terms of both income coming in and then also building equity.

If you own a home, you own that home. If you're building equity, the market doesn't go down. I do like having ownership of a duplex specifically because I feel like it's opened up doorways for more options for me. Do I want to go and buy a single-family home next? Do I want to buy another duplex?

You get tax write-offs, too. I don't think I see a lot of people talk about that. I just filed my taxes, and I wrote a lot of stuff off.

To accomplish buying something like a duplex in this market, it does take years of planning. Planning ahead definitely made purchasing this home a lot more satisfying and a lot more comfortable to buy.

It's not going to happen overnight, but it starts with planting the seed. Even if it is three years from now that I buy another one, it would definitely be worth it.

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Amazon's Kindle lineup has led the e-reading space for years. In terms of design, performance, and convenience, they're nearly unrivaled by other brands. Right now, buyers can choose between four main Kindle models, and I put them all to the test to find the best Kindle for most readers.

My top pick, the Kindle Paperwhite, presents the ideal balance between performance and price. It has a larger screen than the base Kindle and is one of the cheapest waterproof e-readers you can get. But if you're on a tight budget, the more affordable standard Kindle is also a great buy. It isn't waterproof but delivers the same core features that Kindles are known for without breaking the bank. 

After dozens of hours of reading, page-flipping, and book browsing, here's how all the best Kindle models stack up and why certain ones are better suited for specific buyers.

Our top picks for the best Kindle

Best overall: Kindle Paperwhite – See at Amazon

Best premium: Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition – See at Amazon

Best budget: Kindle – See at Amazon

Best for notetakers: Kindle Scribe – See at Amazon

Best overall

The Kindle Paperwhite offers everything a reader could want from a book replacement, balancing simplicity, capability, performance, and price. More than just the best Kindle, it's also our pick for the best e-reader you can buy right now. 

The Paperwhite is designed with all the Kindle essentials, including a beautiful paper-like display with adjustable lighting, font size settings, and a dark mode. It's also got a sharp screen with 300 pixels per inch (PPI) and Bluetooth support for Audible listening. But you can expect as much from any of our picks in this guide. 

What sets the Paperwhite apart from the rest of the Kindle lineup is its perfect set of features for the money. Unlike the standard model, the Paperwhite is waterproof and has a more modern flush-front design. After unlocking the device, you'll find the snappiest performance of all the Kindles with little to no ghosting (after-images left on the screen). Its lighting temperature is also adjustable, and it has a larger 6.8-inch screen versus the standard Kindle's 6-inch display. 

Starting at $150, it's reasonably priced and the cheapest waterproof Kindle available. Even better, it's often on sale for as low as $100 — which is the regular starting price of our budget pick. Whether discounted or not, the Paperwhite delivers the best Kindle value for most people. 

Note: Though Amazon previously sold an 8GB version of the Kindle Paperwhite for $140, that model is no longer available. As of April 2024, only the 16GB Paperwhite is listed for purchase on Amazon's site.

Check out our Kindle Paperwhite review.

Best premium

Designed with all of the normal Paperwhite's splendor and more, the Kindle Paperwhite Signature offers additional features if you're willing to pay a little extra. It's a convenient size with a beautiful display and snappy performance that helps you stay immersed in your books. 

Just like the regular version, the Paperwhite Signature Edition has a 300 pixels per inch (PPI) resolution with a 17-LED backlight. That translates to crisp page fonts that are easy on the eyes, with lighting powerful enough for reading books in the sun. It's also waterproof and powered by a speedy processor for quick page turns with little to no ghosting (after images left on the screen). 

It gets its premium title by being the only Kindle to charge wirelessly, and it's the only model you can get with automatic light adjustment aside from the $340 Kindle Scribe. And where the normal Paperwhite has 16GB of storage, the Signature Edition comes with a whopping 32GB for building a massive library of titles and storing tons of audiobooks. 

Our former pick in this category, the Kindle Oasis, offered even more cool features but had an outdated design and was more expensive. However, the Oasis has been phased out of the Kindle lineup and is no longer available to buy. I wish the Paperwhite Signature Edition had the Oasis' page turn buttons and automatic page orientation flipping, but for $60 less, missing these features isn't a dealbreaker. 

Best budget

Amazon's base Kindle got an upgrade in 2022, making this model one of the newest of the bunch. That means, despite being the cheapest option, the 11th-generation Kindle now has the benefit of a modern user interface with a 300 ppi resolution. 

This model forgoes many extra features in exchange for a lower price point, but it still comes with a glare-free display, adjustable backlight, and customizable settings. With a 6-inch screen, it's the smallest Kindle in the lineup, but it feels great in hand. In my review, I found it to be ideal for users who just want to read and don't want to pay for all of the bells and whistles of its pricier siblings. 

However, if a waterproof design is important to you, you'll have to get a more expensive Paperwhite. You can't read in the rain or the tub with a regular Kindle, and that's its main drawback. It also lacks extra features you might want to pay more for on another model, like lighting temperature settings, automatic adjustments, and page turn buttons. 

In the end, my advice is this: if the Paperwhite is on sale for the same price, opt for that, but when the regular Kindle costs less money, it's an excellent budget e-reader. 

Check out our Kindle review.

Best for notetakers

Most readers don't need the Kindle Scribe, an e-reader you can write on, but it is a nice device. Starting at $340, it offers an incredible sketching and note-taking experience, as well as all of the essential e-reader features you could want. 

The Scribe comes with the usual Kindle glare-free display, adjustable brightness, and customizable settings, with the added bonus of automatic page orientation flips and lighting adjustments. With its paper-like feel and responsive e-ink display, writing on this device is a joy that feels leaps and bounds better than writing on an iPad with an Apple Pencil. It's also well organized with digital notebooks you can format and file away into folders.

For an extra $30, you can upgrade the included stylus to the Premium Pen. After testing, I found the Premium Pen to be a nice improvement over the basic option — it adds a dedicated eraser and a shortcut button to the base design. Both can attach magnetically to the Scribe. 

But despite just how fun it is to use, it's tough to justify the Scribe's high price. As noted in my full review, it's uncomfortably thin, making a case a necessary investment for commuters and students to prevent any potential bending. One of the Scribe's main selling points is its annotation functionality, but you can't even write on pages without using a clunky sticky note feature, nor can you use the highlighter directly on text. Did I mention it isn't waterproof?

If you have $340 to spare, the Scribe is a fun device, but if you fall into the category of "most readers," I recommend opting for a cheaper Kindle model.

Check out our Kindle Scribe review.

How we test Kindles

I used several key evaluation points to judge each of the Kindles in Amazon's e-reader lineup to arrive at their final ranking, including display, responsiveness/speed, price, and lighting customization. Here's how those aspects were considered during testing for our reviews. 

Display: Though all Kindles share the same 300 ppi resolution, every model has a different size that makes a big difference when used. In testing, I found the Kindle (11th Generation) could be too small for some readers and the Scribe too large for others. Luckily, the sharp resolution was easy on the eyes across all of the models, even during long reading sessions. 

Responsiveness/speed: You don't need to be a speed reader to notice when an e-reader is slow. Page turns will take a second to stutter into view, previous screens will leave an after image, and images will load in slowly. I evaluated this by loading each device with 100 titles from my ebook library before testing. The fastest model is the Kindle Paperwhite, and the Oasis is the slowest, but this difference is small. 

Price: Of course, price plays a big part in judging a Kindle's value, and that's part of what brings the Paperwhite above the rest. I compared pricing between Kindle models and comparable e-readers from Kobo and Nook to see what the industry is like overall. None of the Kindles are a waste of money, but the Scribe is definitely the least cost-efficient.

Lighting customization: You won't always be reading in the same room, under the same conditions, every time, and that's where lighting customization comes in. The ability to toggle the brightness based on your current environment is a godsend for eye comfort, especially for long reads. All of the Kindles offer adjustable brightness, but the base Kindle doesn't offer temperature adjustment, and only the Oasis and Scribe offer automatic lighting changes.

What to look for in a Kindle

Every reader is different, but there are a handful of features that all buyers should look for when it comes to committing to a Kindle. 

If you ever plan to read in the bathtub or the rain, waterproofing is a must — that eliminates the 11th-generation Kindle and the Scribe from the running. Readers who like to get in a few chapters before bed can also benefit from lighting temperature adjustment to warm the screen and ease your eyes into bedtime, which is something the base Kindle doesn't offer. And if you're looking for a digital notebook that you can write on, the Scribe is the only Kindle to offer such a feature.

Ultimately, the best Kindle for you is whichever one covers your needs the most without breaking the bank. That's why I recommend the Kindle Paperwhite as our top pick because it manages to offer the best balance between price and features for most people.

Kindle FAQs

Are Kindle books free?

E-books typically cost money, just like physical books, but you can score titles for free in several ways.

• Join Kindle Unlimited: This Kindle Subscription service comes with over four million digital titles when you sign up for $12 a month.
• Become an Amazon Prime member: If you're a Prime member, you have unlimited access to thousands of titles as an included benefit of your subscription.
• Check out a book from your Public Library: E-reader users can still take advantage of borrowing books for free from their local public library's website.

What is Kindle Unlimited?

Kindle Unlimited is Amazon's e-reading subscription service. For $12 a month, it includes access to over four million books, thousands of audiobooks, magazine subscriptions, and Kindle Books you can borrow. 

Can the Kindle read to me?

Your Kindle can read most content to you using Text-to-Speech, an option available in your Kindle's menu. If you prefer a human voice reading to you, you can also buy and download Audible Audiobooks of your favorite titles to have a narrator read to you from your e-reader.

Do I need a case for my Kindle?

While most Kindles are designed with a solid build, a case is still a good idea for protecting your device from drops or scratches. The Kindle Scribe, in particular, has a very thin design, which makes it feel flimsy without a case. You should also consider buying a case if you bring your Kindle with you outside your home during trips and commutes.

Cases can also help by providing a better grip on these otherwise flat devices. For less bulk, you may even want to consider attaching an adhesive phone grip, like a popsocket, to your e-reader.

For top recommendations, check our picks for the best Kindle Paperwhite case.

When is the best time to buy a Kindle?

Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are the best times of year to buy just about anything, including Kindles. During these major sales events, Kindles drop to their all-time lowest prices, making it easier than ever to make the leap and buy one. 

Historically, we've seen the Kindle Paperwhite on sale for as low as $95 and the Kindle (11th Generation) on sale for as low as $65. Deals can be short-lived and low in stock, so we highly recommend acting fast if you come across a great deal.

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• Both Alaska and United Airlines reported quarterly losses this week.
• But the airlines' bosses said they would've turned profits if it weren't for Boeing's door plug fiasco.
• Alaska said it received $162 million from Boeing in compensation for the damages.

The Boeing door blowout in January tanked Alaska Airlines' first quarter earnings — and it's not the only airline to have been hurt by the incident.

Alaska said Thursday its results were "significantly impacted" by the door plug blowout and subsequent grounding of its fleet of 737-9 MAX planes.

Alaska reported losses of $132 million in Q1. But, excluding the grounding impacts, the company said it would have posted $5 million in adjusted income before taxes.

Alaska said it received $162 million from Boeing as "initial cash compensation" for the damages.

"Despite significant challenges to start the year our results have far exceeded initial expectations," CEO Ben Minicucci said in a statement.

In addition to Alaska Airlines, United Airlines also reported significant losses that it said were related to the door plug incident. The airline said Tuesday its Q1 results were down $200 million because of the Boeing grounding — without which it said it would have turned a profit.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

On January 6, Alaska Airlines grounded its entire fleet of Boeing 737-9 MAX planes after one lost part of its fuselage mid-flight. The incident led to the resignation of Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun and other top executives.

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• A US Navy ship deployed to help build a floating pier in Gaza returned home after an engine fire.
• USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo deployed to transport equipment to operate the temporary port.
• The US plans to use the pier three miles off the coast to deliver more aid into war-torn Gaza.

The Navy revealed that one of the ships it deployed to support the mission of building a pier to deliver aid to starving residents in Gaza was forced to turn back last week after it suffered a fire in its engine room.

The incident comes as the Pentagon's self-imposed deadline of having the pier operational and delivering the needed aid by May rapidly approaches, and experts say there are other delays and problems cropping up with the mission.

The USNS 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo "experienced a fire in the engine room while in transit to the eastern Mediterranean Sea" on April 11, and while the crew evacuated the area and used portable extinguishers to put out the fire, the ship had to return to Jacksonville, Florida, using just one engine, "for further assessment," according to a Navy statement provided Wednesday.

When the Pentagon first announced the plan to use the Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, platform to construct the pier that would serve as a way to quickly deliver large amounts of aid to war-torn Gaza in early March, spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said the pier would be operational in the next 60 days.

Shortly after that announcement, a group of five Army ships left for the Mediterranean, followed by the MV Roy P. Benavidez, a military sealift command vessel that was carrying "heavy equipment and material needed to construct a temporary pier," according to a statement.

Finally, in late March, the Navy said that it would deploy Naval Beach Group 1 along with the Bobo and the USNS 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez. The unit and the ships would bring enough watercraft and equipment to operate a huge floating dock three miles off the coast of Gaza that would serve as the off-load point for aid.

Now, more than a month later, not all of the ships in the flotilla have made it to the Mediterranean, a tracker run by USNI News shows.

Sal Mercogliano, an academic and shipping expert, noted to Military.com on Wednesday that one of the Army Landing Craft Utility ships, the Wilson Wharf, seems to be stuck in Tenerife — a small island that is part of the Canary Islands cluster off the west coast of Africa. Plus, the Army's Logistics Support Vessel General Frank S. Besson spent a week in the Azores before finally making it to the Navy's base at Souda Bay in Greece.

Mercogliano said such a long stay may indicate the ship had an engineering issue.

A retired Army chief warrant officer who has significant experience in the Army's watercraft community also told Military.com in an interview Wednesday that "if those boats don't have multiple major mechanical failures — I mean 'dead in the water' mechanical failures — I will be shocked."

"They're horrendously maintained. I've got videos of these things falling apart," the retired officer added.

According to the officer, the delays of the Bobo and the smaller Army ships mean "they're going to have a lot fewer pieces to work with as far as building the actual pier."

"The other rub point … is security arrangements," the officer said, noting that "these boats have next to no security."

"You've got a couple of .50 cals and small arms … and the vessel masters are not taught maritime tactics," the officer explained.

When asked about the safety of the vessels, Ryder told reporters Tuesday that there will be "some Israeli support when it comes to the maritime aspect of security" and noted that the Navy's 6th Fleet has "capabilities there as well."

Ryder also added some nuance to the 60-day goal that he laid out at the beginning of March.

The Pentagon spokesman told reporters that the Defense Department is "still on track to have JLOTS achieve operating capability by the end of the month or early May" but went on to draw a distinction between an initial operational capability and full operational capability.

"Right now, we're tracking that it will be operational, which means it will have some initial operating capability, by the end of the month or early May," he said.

Ryder said the construction of the two piers will probably begin "in the next two to three weeks."

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• Google is merging more parts of the company in an effort to move faster in AI.
• Google's DeepMind chief has gained more power, while the head of Pixel will also oversee Android.
• The changes put more firepower behind some key Google products, and could help it launch faster.

The Googleplex is in flux.

CEO Sundar Pichai announced a series of re-orgs in a memo to staff on Thursday, and — surprise, surprise — Google says it's all happening because of artificial intelligence.

Pichai said the changes, which include merging different parts of the company, would help Google "simplify decisions" and move faster.

This includes further merging its central AI teams. Last year, Google combined Brain, a group that sat within its AI Research group, with DeepMind to form a new super-unit that would be laser-focused on building AI models.

On Thursday, Pichai said that teams within Research that work on building AI models will also merge with Google DeepMind. The Responsible AI teams, which develop rules for safely and ethically developing AI, will also move from Research to Google DeepMind, he said.

All told, it gives more control to Demis Hassabis, who leads Google DeepMind. Before last year's merger, Hassabis ran DeepMind at arm's length from Google — a distance he had long fought to maintain — and now he is front and center of the company's AI push.

Hassabis has quickly become Google's MVP, with his unit developing AI models such as Gemini that are helping the company compete with OpenAI and other encroaching competitors. He's also helping turn those models into products.

Interestingly, Pichai said this change should help by "concentrating compute-intensive model building in one place." That may also help with a problem that has been getting worse inside Google for a while: the fight for computing resources.

Google's Pixel chief also gains more power

Google is also merging two of its large product units together. The devices and services group, which oversees hardware products such as the Pixel devices and Fitbit wearables, will merge with the part of the business that runs Android and Chrome.

That's big: these are two huge organizations that are now being pulled together under the banner of "Platforms and Devices." Rick Osterloh, who previously oversaw hardware, will oversee both groups. Hiroshi Lockheimer, who ran the Android and Chrome group, will remain at Google but run other projects across the company, Pichai said.

Sameer Samat has also been promoted to "President of Android Ecosystems" and will work with all of Google's Android partners. He'll be crucial in maintaining the firewall between the Pixel and Android groups, which has long served as a way not to let Google give its hardware special treatment over rivals (a firewall Osterloh promised The Verge would remain in place).

Expect more restructuring to come as Google continues to reshape itself around AI.

On Wednesday, Google's finance chief Ruth Porat informed staff in the finance group that there would be a reorg resulting in some job cuts, BI first reported. Porat said the changes were being made as the company realigns its priorities around AI, per an employee who saw the memo.

Are you a current or former Google employee with insight to share? Reach this reporter securely on Signal (628-228-1836).

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