Reddit Users Have Found a Way to Save Hundreds of Dollars on a Whoop Subscription.
I’ve always said there’s no compelling reason to buy older Whoop bracelets, since the company gives you the latest model for free when you subscribe. But on Reddit, some people who already own Whoop 5.0 bracelets are buying up older 4.0 bracelets to save on the subscription price.
There have been several posts on this topic before, but perhaps the author of this life hack is Reddit user u/thelifeofcb, who found Whoop 4.0 bracelets new in a box at TJ Maxx for $39 each and bought several. This allowed him to extend his existing Whoop 5.0 subscription for several years, effectively saving $200 per year.
How does the Whoop discount hack work?
When new Whoop bracelets are sold in retail stores, they come with a yearly subscription. The idea is that you create an account in the app, connect the bracelet you purchased through the app, and receive credit for a 12-month subscription—since that was the core service you paid for when you purchased the bracelet at full price.
At the time of Whoop 4.0, there was only one subscription tier. When tiers were introduced, these subscriptions automatically transitioned to a Peak subscription, which now costs $239 per year. This means that a Whoop 4.0 device—no matter how much you pay for it—can provide you with a year’s Peak subscription.
Reddit users have discovered that connecting one of the new Whoop 4.0 devices adds a year’s subscription to their accounts, regardless of whether they’re new customers or not. This means you can buy multiple discounted bands, connect them all, and enjoy several years of discounted subscriptions. So, a $39 band is a $200 discount on each year of subscription. Some say they were offered an upgrade to a Whoop 5.0 band if they added two years of subscription (by connecting two bands).
The $39 price is incredibly competitive, but you can still get a significant discount anywhere new Whoop 4.0 devices are sold. For example, Amazon is currently selling 4.0 devices for $124 , which is still about half the price of a Peak subscription. You can find them cheaper on eBay, but I’d advise caution against purchasing a device that may have already been opened. I’ll explain this below.
However, finding a cheap Whoop isn’t always possible.
While Reddit users claim this works—and it matches my understanding of how subscriptions are paid and activated in the app—there are a few pitfalls to be aware of.
First, this applies to new devices in the box that (1) are sold with a subscription and (2) have never been paired. The hack won’t work on a device that was inherited and has already been used, nor on a new device that has already been paired and its subscription is active. For example, you can’t give the same bracelet to a friend and expect them to grant the subscription to both of you.
This means you should ensure the bracelet you purchased hasn’t been opened. If a store accepts returns of opened items, they may not realize that a valuable item—a digital subscription—is already in stock. If they return it to the shelf and you buy it, you’ll lose the purchase price and never receive the subscription.
Another problem is e-waste. You buy a device only to throw it in the trash. But I’d argue that’s Whoop’s fault, not yours—these devices will become obsolete and end up in a landfill anyway (or in a responsible electronics recycling program, if you can find one).