Buying your first Kindle must be exciting; you finally have access to all your cherished E-books and have company when bored or going on a long trip, but there is one more thing. Many first-time owners don’t know whether they should pay for the titles, how to go about it, or their price ranges.
So, can you use a Kindle without a credit card? You can still access and enjoy the Kindle Ebooks you need even without using a credit card. Amazon has offered alternatives for users that are equally effective and convenient. You can make title purchases using Amazon gift cards, debit cards, Amazon Cash, and many others, but the most common modes are credit and gift cards. You may also be lucky to find your book for free on the site.
Amazon’s Kindle is an impressive library of books that you can conveniently carry on the go. If you are a newbie in all matters about the E-reader, one of your first questions is how to make book purchases, especially if you don’t have a credit card.
You can still enjoy reading downloadable books from Amazon without a credit card. A few alternatives involve purchasing options like Amazon’s gift cards, Amazon cash, and debit cards, among others. However, the most common payment modes are gift and credit cards. You can also access free books in hundreds of genres based on your preference.
You can pay for Kindle books using various modes besides credit cards, and if you are lucky, you can find your favorite books for free. However, if you can buy single books, you can also access best-selling options with reasonable price tags.
Amazon also allows Kindle readers in the US to link to their checking accounts and make Ebook payments electronically. Therefore, if your credit card has issues, you can still pay and read your titles using other methods.
Like regular credit cards, prepaid and standard debit cards also work with Kindle. All you need to do is register the cards as your alternative payment options in your Amazon account. Note that any unregistered payment card cannot work with Kindle. Therefore, it is advisable to register all your settlement options with Amazon to avoid being denied access to the books you need.
Gift Cards
Besides allowing debit and credit cards, Amazon allows for more convenient payment options. The use of gift cards for payment is quite common in most retail shops in the US. You can buy a card in cash at certain convenience stores and load it to your Amazon account. Ensure that you feed the codes correctly and confirm the balance once the system accepts them.
With that, you can pick any E-book, provided your gift card balance can cover the total cost. The Amazon cash payment method allows you to add money to your account effortlessly. You can find your barcode on the Amazon page and then send it to your phone or print it since it is vital to help you add cash to your account at the site. Next, visit any store that accepts the barcode for scanning and loading your money into your Amazon account as you settle the agents in cash.
Bank Account Linking
You can link an Amazon account to your bank. It works best in the US, where you can conveniently settle your Kindle transactions without a credit card if you register the checking account as one of your payment options. The E-reader provides exclusive access to millions of free books, especially the classics, as long as you pay the stipulated fees or have a subscription.
However, you can deploy some hacks to enjoy reading some titles for free. Some sites allow users to download select free books into their Kindle. All you need is to sign into the accounts and dive into the massive Ebook library. Additionally, it would be the best time to upgrade your Kindle with newer titles if you have access to your local library.
Subscriptions
There are the Kindle Unlimited and Amazon prime subscriptions. They may not be entirely free, but they are relatively more affordable than buying single books from the site. You have unlimited options to access your preferred titles at a considerable fee.
Alternatively, by searching “free Kindle books” on your tablet, you can discover a list of available E-books that don’t require payment.
Do you need to buy books on Kindle?
Many users buying their first Kindles are always excited that they have invested in the gadget for free access to a vast E-book library. It would make sense since the Kindle is quite pricey, and anyone would want free titles at their disposal, but how does the system work?
There may be some free books or samples but as a general rule, buying books is required on a Kindle. Some users prefer buying single versions at a time from Amazon, while others would rather get a subscription which may be cheaper for avid readers. With a monthly fee of $9.99, Amazon gives you unrestricted access to the entire Kindle library, which is more convenient, unlike buying books each time.
Some buyers don’t know that Kindle books are for sale and purchase the gadget, hoping to read right away. Amazon has a payment system where users have to acquire single titles or make monthly subscriptions for access to a wider library.
Whenever you make a purchase, the downloaded title goes to your library. Amazon uses iCloud technology to preserve the file for you to always find it even after erasing it.
The Kindle is worth buying if you are a frequent reader because it is a dedicated device you can use whenever you want. You can carry it when traveling long distances, camping, or browsing for casual reading at home. On the contrary, using the app on your Apple device, Android, Mac, or Windows PC can be restrictive since you also use your phone and computer for other tasks.
After ordering it from Amazon, it is linked to your account, although you must register it manually if you buy it from the retailer. Doing this syncs the gadget and simplifies making purchases. The steps are straightforward if you want to buy a title on your computer or phone.
For your PC, start from your browser, go to Amazon’s website, and access your account. You will see the menu icon on the top left of the screen, shown as three lines. You can use it to select a particular category, and in this case, choose “Kindle E-readers” then “Books”, which will display various titles.
It will be easier if you know the title because you can type it in the search bar. When you find the book you want, you can go to the details tab that allows you to pick your preferred Kindle version. Next, click “Deliver to” and select the device or let it sync if you have registered multiple of them.
Lastly, click to buy using 1-Click, and you will have finalized the purchase. Alternatively, you can access Kindle books via your mobile phone using almost the same process. Open the Amazon app on your handset, sign in and click the menu icon.
You then navigate to the Kindle category, which displays the book section where you can go through the list to search for a title or type in a particular one to reach it faster. You can then choose a title and the version you prefer.
The two processes are similar and simple to perform from Amazon’s page. It is the only way to go if you want to make single purchases, but the most convenient alternative for an avid reader is to use subscriptions.
You don’t have to buy a book at a time. At a reasonable fee, you can have more books at your disposal and access them faster. You may even find it cheaper in the long run, especially if you read fast.
Kindle App
The Kindle app may be free to download, but you must pay to read most of the available books. The application is free for installation on your phone or computer, and you don’t have to buy the Kindle to read the featured books.
You only go to the applications store on your handset or tablet, search “Kindle, ” and download and install it. Therefore, you can read Ebooks from your iPad, iPhone, Android, Mac, or Windows computer. You will save on the cost of buying a new Kindle but still receive the books.
Kindle book pricing
Now that you know that you need to buy books on Kindle, you may want to learn more about the costs. It is critical to help you budget better and know if you are overpaying. The following is a breakdown of how Amazon prices Kindle books.
Kindle books come in various price tags depending on several factors. The publishers set the prices, meaning each book has its cost. The pricing can be anything between $0.99 – $50. When browsing, you will find great books at around $4- $20; in most cases, the average price is $11. You can also land free books or unlimited and cheap access through subscriptions. Ultimately, Kindle books are more affordable than hard copy alternatives from Amazon.
One of the best parts about buying a book from Amazon is that the company indicates the prices under each title. Therefore, you always know how much you need to pay before gaining access.
From there, you can calculate how much you usually spend monthly according to how many books you read. When publishers partner with Amazon for the books to sell on the E-readers, they must agree on the pricing.
It can be anything from $.099 to $50 depending on the author, genre, the number of pages, book’s status, and several other aspects. As a writer, you can earn around 35% royalty on books costing less than $3 or more than $9.99. However, the rate for books that retail between $2.99- $9.99 stands at 70%. The books from your favorite authors will have different price ranges, and you can decide if you want to buy them.
Most books with the best ratings that sell fast typically cost between $4- $20, and the average rate is about $11. You can also be lucky to land on free Kindle books or very cheap ones costing $0.99.
The main reason why Kindles and E-Books are getting more popular among readers is due to their cost friendliness. If you compare a hard copy and an E-book of the same title and author, you will realize that the latter is significantly cheaper.
Kindle version vs paperback equivalent
In most cases, the Kindle version of the book is about 35% cheaper than the hardcover option and 30% less than the paperback. Besides, the Kindle is more convenient to use and carry, especially since it can hold hundreds of books simultaneously. When you accumulate all your money on the soft copies, you will realize a massive difference had you bought actual books.
Another advantage is that you can take the Kindle with you wherever you go, and you will have packed all those books in one tiny E-reader. Luckily, there are various ways to get free books online, but some sites are not legitimate. One way out is to use Prime Reading, but you should first be an Amazon member. The status lets you access thousands of titles on a rotating catalog.
The restriction is that you cannot read more than ten versions at a go; hence the faster you return books, the more you read. The other option is the Kindle Unlimited which is cheaper than buying single books from the site.
With a small monthly fee of $9.99, you have millions of titles at your disposal, and there are no limitations. If you read fast, you will find it impressively more affordable than buying several titles in one month.
Wrap Up
The Kindle is a convenient device for all book lovers who are always lost in the fictional world. You can carry this compact device wherever you go, and it can store hundreds of books for you to access when you need them. While the app is free for download, you need to pay for books unless in special cases where titles are free.
Each book has pricing between $0.99-$50, and you are free to use your credit or debit card or Amazon gift cards for purchases. Alternatively, if you want to save extra costs instead of buying individual titles, you can pay a monthly subscription of $9.99 for unlimited access to the Kindle library.
