(FREE) ECA Membership, Amazon Codes are down for time being

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No begging for codes. Beggars will be permabanned on the spot.

[img-l=5198]6006[/img-l]Get 10% off all your Amazon gaming purchases for a year and receive other special benefits by joining the ECA, a non-profit advocacy organization which is dedicated to defending and advancing the interests of gamers. Codes aren't available at the moment, unknown ETA when/if they'll be back.

icon4.gif
Join the ECA $14.99 (college students & military), others $19.99

(Free memberships available, see below.)

Complete list of discounts/benfits [hiddenlist]
Discounted games sales/rental offerings from:

  • Amazon.com - download a code from the Benefits section to use at Amazon.com towards 10% off your games purchases. If you buy three or more games a year, this benefit alone makes being a member worth it.
  • Direct2Drive.com - download your code from the ECA's exclusive member benefits section to use at Direct2Drive.com towards 10% off your game purchases.Direct2Drive's easy and secure system lets you download full pc games, arcade games, anime, game guides, and comics from home instead of dealing with waiting time and inventory stock-outs. Check out thier site for the best way to buy!
  • GameFly - is offering ECA members a 30-day free trial to their video game rental service.
  • Good Old Games - a leading destination for download-to-own DRM-free classic PC games, is offering members 20% off of new game purchases.
  • Newegg/Patriot Gaming - get $10 off when you buy select memory sticks.
Discounted admission/access offerings from:

  • NYComiCon - is offering members a discount on the price of admission.
  • Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) - members receive 10% off the price of admission to the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington for pre-registrants.
  • TooManyGames - get $1 off entry to gaming community events.
  • VGXPO - America's Video Game Expo is offering 10% discounted admission.
Discounted/Free Trial offerings from:

  • GameJobs - ECA members receive free resume uploads at GameJobs.com, the leading job board and career site serving the games business.
  • Hyatt Hotels - members receive a 5-10% discount on room rates at Hyatt Hotels throughout the US and Canada.
  • Prima Publishing - get 10% off of over 500 hint book and strategy guides.
  • Warcry - ECA members are invited to take advantage of a 30-day free trial membership in the Warcry Network's "Choice" program.
[/hiddenlist]

[quote name='dallascowboys']If you use the code GIMAG on theeca.com (found in an article of the new Crackdown GI issue), you can receive a free, full 1 year membership (I think it's only for new accounts). You do need a credit card to sign up, but if you cancel before the 1 year is up, you won't be charged. This is a great deal for the free amazon discount. Be sure to use the coupon soon, because the article doesn't mention the expiration for the coupon.
Enjoy guys!
dallascowboys

P.S. Now all of CAG can have an ECA membership!

Also, after you enter your CC number and the coupon, the page after lets you check everything before you submit your order. That way you know that the coupon worked and you won't be charged.

-----------------------

LinkinPrime Edit:

Check your spam filters for the confirmation link, if you signed up for the newsletter you will get 2 emails, one for the newsletter and one for the membership. For some reason the newsletter one showed up in my inbox and the membership was in my junk mail folder, so keep an eye out.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='slickkill77']You weren't kidding. Ok I found this on page 28. All credit goes to jacknicklson for the original faq (1-6).



ECA/Amazon FAQ

1. I can't get into the member's area/can't find out where to pay. Help!

After the initial registration email, you should receive a second email linking you to a payment page. You can request that this email be resent if need be. Make sure to check your junk/spam folders as well.

2. Will this work on consoles?

No. Games and most accessories only. Physical point cards are also eligible, but not digital point codes.

3. Do these work on Quick Picks/Deals of the Day/Trade-in Coupons?

Yes, Yes, and Yes!

4. How do I get my Quick Picks to show games?

http://betterelevation.com/2009/02/1...old-box-trick/
This should be a basis to get it to work for whatever you are interested in. It is not a science though so be persistent.

5. Does this work on Pre-orders?

Yes, it does. The price will also automatically take off 10% of whatever the final selling point is due to the Pre-Price Guarantee that Amazon offers.

6. I have heard that these offers have expired/been removed, is this true?

There have been a few instances where codes expired or they ran out but The ECA and Amazon have usually rectified the situation within a week or so. Also, the Terms of Service state that any membership benefits can change or be canceled without any notice so keep that in mind when signing up.


7. Double and Triple stacking

This is no longer possible. Don't bother trying. Originally when the ECA would run out of codes and switch to a new batch members were able to stack codes. A glitch in Amazon's system would keep older codes in your account, and it was possible to add codes from the newer batches to obtain more than 10% off. Amazon found out about this, hence the reason the codes are currently down/ being worked on.

8. Begging/Asking for codes

This is not allowed. If you beg/ask for a code you will be permabanned. No questions asked.

9. Selling codes

Definitely a big no no. If you do this, you will get reported to the ECA and your account will be shut down.

10. If I make a pre-order with a code a cancel it, will the code still work?
Yes. Codes should remain in your account but again they will no longer stack. It is one code per game. Amazon and the ECA are working on codes tied into our accounts but this option is not yet available.

11. If I already have a pre-order made, can I add a 10% off code to it?

You can not add a anything to an order once it is made except a gift card. You can try emailing Amazon customer support and ask them to add it. Generally they have no issue doing this for you but it's a crap shoot.

12. What if I already have a pre-order with the old codes applied? Should I be worried?

We don't know definitively, but chances are good that Amazon will not touch the pre orders we have already made.[/QUOTE]
 
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Yeah.. I'm wondering too. I can get it for $15 since I'm a student. I'm looking to get ECA to get 3-4 $30 to $60 games on Amazon, but if I can only get 1 valid code, I'm out $10.
 
This should clear up most of the questions about this deal.

Codes are one time use, but you can generate as many as you want, until they run out of codes. Then you'll have to wait about a week to get more codes. The codes may also expire again, and then you'll have to wait about a week for amazon to extend the expiration date. The ECA promptly contacts Amazon when they're told about a problem, and Amazon usually takes care of it in a few days.

The codes work on games and game accessories. It does not work on digital downloads from Amazon, or items from 3rd party sellers. You used to only be able to get the discount if you bought one game at a time, but now you can have multiple items in your cart and get the discount on your entire order. Before it would only take the discount off of cheapest item in your cart if you had multiple items.

The ECA are also trying to get amazon to replace the one-time use codes with a multiple use code that gets tied in with the person's amazon account. No word on when/if that will happen, but they're trying and Amazon is supposedly working on it.

We have no idea how long this deal will last, it really depends on how pleased Amazon is with the results. So far they appear to be happy with the arrangement.

The codes stack with other discounts, and the codes actually take the discount off of amazon's listed price, so if you have a game in your gold box quick picks(5% off discount), you can get 15% off of Amazon's list price. It's even better, if a game is a lightning deal, because that discount is usually significant(20%-50% off) and you can add an additional 10% off the list price by using an ECA code.

Amazon also routinely has deals and special offers. The video game deal of the day, gift cards with pre-orders, discounts for buying certain games together, buy 2 get 1 free sales, a plethora of pre-order bonuses that are sometimes exclusive to their site, and they usually match some of the weekly sales held by other stores. You can get free shipping on all orders over $25, or free two day shipping for prime members regardless of price. They recently started free release day shipping for prime members on select titles.

Finally, there's Amazon's great black friday deals. if these codes are still around you'll be able to save even more on some great holiday deals.

It's well worth the price. You get an entire year's membership for $20(or $15 if you have a student or military e-mail address). If you plan on buying more than $150-200 in games during the year it's worth it. Even if you are a hardcore cheapass, you'll likely find enough great discount on games at Amazon during a year to spend enough money to make the subscription pay off. the black friday sale alone could save you more than the year's subscription cost you.
 
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I think they fixed the codes, I used two different codes to pre-order Mass Effect 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Prestige, in two separate transactions.

Transaction #1. Took off 5.70 on Mass Effect
Transaction #2. Took off 15 on Modern Warfare 2

EDIT: Thanks to Saix_XIII, who may have gotten the ECA to fix the codes.
 
[quote name='doodofdoods']This should clear up most of the questions about this deal.

Codes are one time use, but you can generate as many as you want, until they run out of codes. Then you'll have to wait about a week to get more codes. The codes may also expire again, and then you'll have to wait about a week for amazon to extend the expiration date. The ECA promptly contacts Amazon when they're told about a problem, and Amazon usually takes care of it in a few days.

The codes work on games and game accessories. It does not work on digital downloads from Amazon, or items from 3rd party sellers. You used to only be able to get the discount if you bought one game at a time, but now you can have multiple items in your cart and get the discount on your entire order. Before it would only take the discount off of cheapest item in your cart if you had multiple items.

The ECA are also trying to get amazon to replace the one-time use codes with a multiple use code that gets tied in with the person's amazon account. No word on when/if that will happen, but they're trying and Amazon is supposedly working on it.

We have no idea how long this deal will last, it really depends on how pleased Amazon is with the results. So far they appear to be happy with the arrangement.

The codes stack with other discounts, and the codes actually take the discount off of amazon's listed price, so if you have a game in your gold box quick picks(5% off discount), you can get 15% off of Amazon's list price. It's even better, if a game is a lightning deal, because that discount is usually significant(20%-50% off) and you can add an additional 10% off the list price by using an ECA code.

Amazon also routinely has deals and special offers. The video game deal of the day, gift cards with pre-orders, discounts for buying certain games together, buy 2 get 1 free sales, a plethora of pre-order bonuses that are sometimes exclusive to their site, and they usually match some of the weekly sales held by other stores. You can get free shipping on all orders over $25, or free two day shipping for prime members regardless of price. They recently started free release day shipping for prime members on select titles.

Finally, there's Amazon's great black friday deals. if these codes are still around you'll be able to save even more on some great holiday deals.

It's well worth the price. You get an entire year's membership for $20(or $15 if you have a student or military e-mail address). If you plan on buying more than $150-200 in games during the year it's worth it. Even if you are a hardcore cheapass, you'll likely find enough great discount on games at Amazon during a year to spend enough money to make the subscription pay off. the black friday sale alone could save you more than the year's subscription cost you.[/QUOTE]

You have won me over my friend. I just signed up for ECA. The thing is, I'm only being offered the "Regular" membership at $19.99 but I want the "Student" membership priced at $14.99. How would I go about getting that? I'm a college student in Southern California.
 
[quote name='mis0']You have won me over my friend. I just signed up for ECA. The thing is, I'm only being offered the "Regular" membership at $19.99 but I want the "Student" membership priced at $14.99. How would I go about getting that? I'm a college student in Southern California.[/QUOTE]

The only way to get the discount that I know of is to use a .edu or .mil e-mail address when you sign up. If you have one of those you'll save an extra $5.
 
Now, if only Amazon would fix their fucked up Gold Box algorithm, I'd be happy. The only items that are included in my "Improve Your Recommendations" database are video/PC games. Yet, today, my Gold Box contains:

Strange Cousins from the West (music)
BLACKsummers'night (music)
Wilco (music)
The Twilight Saga Collection (book)
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (music)
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (book)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (music)

Amazon...what...the...fuck?! I've never purchased books or music from you! Fix your damn algorithm!
 
[quote name='Mysterio']Now, if only Amazon would fix their fucked up Gold Box algorithm, I'd be happy. The only items that are included in my "Improve Your Recommendations" database are video/PC games. Yet, today, my Gold Box contains:

Strange Cousins from the West (music)
BLACKsummers'night (music)
Wilco (music)
The Twilight Saga Collection (book)
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (music)
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (book)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (music)

Amazon...what...the...fuck?! I've never purchased books or music from you! Fix your damn algorithm![/QUOTE]

This was happening to me for the longest time too. What I did was clear my browsing history just in case, and then went to the recommendations page and looked through every single item they recommended and mark everything I didn't want as not interested. Nothing but games for me since then. Make sure you check your wish lists too, I had a ton of CDs in there from like 8 years ago that I'd completely forgotten.
 
[quote name='Mysterio']Now, if only Amazon would fix their fucked up Gold Box algorithm, I'd be happy. The only items that are included in my "Improve Your Recommendations" database are video/PC games. Yet, today, my Gold Box contains:

Strange Cousins from the West (music)
BLACKsummers'night (music)
Wilco (music)
The Twilight Saga Collection (book)
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things (music)
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (book)
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (music)

Amazon...what...the...fuck?! I've never purchased books or music from you! Fix your damn algorithm![/QUOTE]


I had the same thing happen to me the last couple of weeks. My solution was to go to my recommendations (all) or to any game in particular and "rate" games that hadn't come out yet that I wasn't gonna buy anyway (think Dead Rising 2 or Bayonneta for me) and the next day, those ratings made games come back to my gold box. Worth a shot, just remember to not rate games you do want, cause it eliminates them from gold box contention for some odd reason.
 
[quote name='bvharris']This was happening to me for the longest time too. What I did was clear my browsing history just in case, and then went to the recommendations page and looked through every single item they recommended and mark everything I didn't want as not interested. Nothing but games for me since then. Make sure you check your wish lists too, I had a ton of CDs in there from like 8 years ago that I'd completely forgotten.[/QUOTE]
I just got that Limited edition tekken 6 bundle in my gold box. After eca and gold box discounts the price was brought down to 127.5. A great price, indeed.
 
[quote name='bvharris']This was happening to me for the longest time too. What I did was clear my browsing history just in case, and then went to the recommendations page and looked through every single item they recommended and mark everything I didn't want as not interested. Nothing but games for me since then. Make sure you check your wish lists too, I had a ton of CDs in there from like 8 years ago that I'd completely forgotten.[/QUOTE]

I just spent 30 minutes going through all my recommendations telling them what to use and not use as recommendations so I can just get games in my goldbox. I hope I get better stuff now.
 
[quote name='MasterWolf']Cool, I was waiting for another confirmation, Thanks again Saix_XIII.[/QUOTE]


I don't know if I'm the sole reason for it being fixed or even a factor in it. I just thought it was odd since I called them yesterday and finally they were fixed yesterday. Regardless, thanks for the thanks.
 
[quote name='vherub']sometimes the goldbox recs are stupid and messed up- completely independent of activity[/QUOTE]

After monitoring my own Gold Box for quite some time, I would guess that it is exactly as vherub suggests. I sometimes get 3-5 days of nothing but tools, music, old movies, and general randomness. I never do a thing to my recommend list and eventually games start appearing in the gold box again. For instance for the past 2 days I got no games whatsoever, but today I have FF Dissidia and Dragon Quest 5.
 
Excellent! Glad to see this is back in service now.

So I did something interesting, which I thought I'd share if this ever happens again:

While the codes weren't functioning, I had a few pre-order items show up in my Gold Box Quick Picks. Just in case, I placed each of the orders with the small discount. Now that the codes are working, I sent an email to Amazon, along with a new code for each pre-order placed. I requested the discount to be applied to each order (an email and code for each order) and they applied the 10% discount!

I hope this information comes in handy for others if -- scratch that, WHEN -- we have troubles with the ECA codes again.
 
[quote name='Lucian']^^^ Wow. Good idea. I'm surprised they did that; great to know![/QUOTE]
I can back that up. When ECA first made the discount available I had 2 games sitting in pre-order status. I emailed Amazon CS with two codes and they applied the 10% discount to both games. So, in theory, Killrig's plan should work. At least until they get tired of manually changing bills :lol:
 
[quote name='H3m1 R4m']can anybody get me a code lol[/QUOTE]

sure no problem...just paypal me $20. I'll need your email as well =)
 
[quote name='addicted2games']I just spent 30 minutes going through all my recommendations telling them what to use and not use as recommendations so I can just get games in my goldbox. I hope I get better stuff now.[/QUOTE]

I hope it works for you. I did it a few days ago and so far so good, but I wouldn't be shocked if I start getting random junk again.

I got Dissidia FF in mine today, so I used the newly working again ECA codes to preorder.
 
With everything now working as it should I made a huge order yesterday with a bunch of other games, I cancelled that one along with the other one I made before. So today in my Gold Box I got.. Dissidia FF, Resident Evil Zero, New Super Mario Bros. Wii & Wii Sports Resort. Hope items keep showing up like this, and hopefully Amazon doesn't F anything up.
 
[quote name='paintballers']Can I remove my credit card from my account once I register and pay? I want to register but will prob. forget to cancel after a year.[/QUOTE]

Best tip I have for this is to check your credit card company's website...

See if they give you the option of a temporary account number. Think this has gotten kinda popular in the last couple years.

You can create a new number with a set $ limit and an expiration date. Use that for these types of purchases and forget 'em.
 
You can use a single coupon on multiple items in the same purchase now. You can't reuse that same coupon on subsequent orders, but still. The coupons rock and they rock hard.
 
[quote name='eastx']You can use a single coupon on multiple items in the same purchase now. You can't reuse that same coupon on subsequent orders, but still. The coupons rock and they rock hard.[/QUOTE]

With each screw up, they some how become better and better.
 
Yeah, I'm pleased about this. It doesn't matter too much since I have Prime, but it should save Amazon money since I prefer games to come in one box instead of the old way where I put one item per order and let Prime do the rest...
 
I got my student account. Got $3 off my GTAIV order from Amazon (by the way.. GTAIV is only $29.98 right now on Amazon).

In other news.. got GTAIV for only $1.98 after I applied all my SwagBucks gift cards. YEAHHH!
 
My coupon came through today, so I just ordered the Tekken 6 bundle. After 50% off + ECA + $52 trade-in credit I only owe $7. :)

I've also managed to whip my gold box into shape somehow. I've gotten only games in it for the past 3-4 days now. Preordered Heavy Rain a couple days ago, Dead Rising 2 yesterday, and today got Demon's Souls deluxe ed. :D
 
[quote name='argyle']My coupon came through today, so I just ordered the Tekken 6 bundle. After 50% off + ECA + $52 trade-in credit I only owe $7. :)

I've also managed to whip my gold box into shape somehow. I've gotten only games in it for the past 3-4 days now. Preordered Heavy Rain a couple days ago, Dead Rising 2 yesterday, and today got Demon's Souls deluxe ed. :D[/QUOTE]

What's your secret? I have 3 accounts and rarely have games in them. Do you guys have browsing history on or off?
 
[quote name='newlu']Demon's Souls Deluxe Edition w/ Artbook for $59.49 shipped![/QUOTE]

Yep, same here. Nothing like paying $.50 less than the retail price for the regular edition! :)
 
[quote name='PhrostByte']What's your secret? I have 3 accounts and rarely have games in them. Do you guys have browsing history on or off?[/QUOTE]
I clear my browsing history every 2-3 days or so. I mainly only look at games, so that's not the huge deal. It is when I buy non-game merchandise where I immediately go and click on "Don't use this for recommendations" checkbox once it ships and shows up in the 'Items I've Purchased' (or whatever its call in you my account section) area of recommendations.

Other than that, go all the way through your amazon purchased items clicking that box for stuff you don't want influencing your gold box/recs. Hmm, also what I've done was add damn near all the games I've ever purchased elsewhere as well. Making sure to check the don't use for recs box for older games, but leaving the gaming stuff from last gen in place. In addition, I go through my Recommedations every few days and check the 'Not Interested' on anything I don't think I'll buy anytime soon, or that is a tangent (you bought x game, so we recommend this CD. Wtf?!).

At least, that's what keeps me routinely getting games in my gold box.
 
Anyone else have trouble joining the ECA? I registered and can log in to my account, but when I try to access the member area it gives me an "Access Denied" message and there is nowhere to pay the membership dues or generate Amazon codes... Tried resending the activation email and nothing ever shows up.
 
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