Is Pet Food Autoship Worth It?

Updated November 2026 · 5 min read

Most big online pet stores will deliver your pet's food on a schedule and give you a discount for it. Chewy calls it Autoship, Amazon calls it Subscribe & Save, and other stores have their own versions. Here's how to tell whether it's actually saving you money.

How it works

You choose the food and how often you want it delivered, such as every four weeks. The store charges you and ships it automatically on that schedule. In return, you usually get:

• A small discount on every delivery. At Chewy, for example, Autoship takes 5% off eligible items on future deliveries.
• Sometimes a bigger discount on the first delivery. This varies by store and product, so check the product page for the current offer.
• No long-term commitment at most stores. You can usually skip, delay or cancel a delivery online.

When autoship is worth it

• Your pet eats the same food consistently. The discount adds up over a year of regular deliveries.
• You'd otherwise make last-minute trips to a pricier nearby store when you run out.
• The store is already among the cheapest for your food. A discount off a high price can still be more than another store's regular price.

When it isn't

• You're still finding a food your pet likes. Try a bag first, then set up a subscription.
• Another store's regular price is lower than this store's subscription price. Always compare the final price.
• Your schedule doesn't match your pet's appetite, so food piles up and goes stale.

Five tips to get the most from it

1. Work out your real schedule. Note the date you open a bag and the date it runs out, then set deliveries a few days before that.
2. Compare before you subscribe, and again every few months. Prices change, and the cheapest store today may not be the cheapest in three months.
3. Use the first-delivery discount on your biggest regular item, since a percentage off saves more on a larger order.
4. Set a calendar reminder a few days before each delivery so you can skip or delay it if you still have plenty.
5. Check the price on each order. Subscription prices follow the store's current price, so they can go up as well as down.

The bottom line

Autoship is a good deal for food your pet already eats, as long as you set the schedule carefully and keep an eye on other stores' prices. Our comparison tool can show prices with autoship discounts included. Just tick "Include autoship / subscribe discounts."