It’s hard to say no to free teen magazines by mail, especially when print media is shutting down one magazine at a time and replaced completely by digital.
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Those of us who grew up with teenie-bopper mags, getting fragrance samplers stuck to pages, or cutting them to make our vision boards when we were teens know that having this kind of reading material is an important part of any teenage years.
Yes, even in the world of Netflix and streaming, magazines continue to give a tingle in a teen’s life.
But with subscriptions left and right piling up the household expenses, it’s hard to say YES to your teens bugging you to get their own magazine subscriptions, right?
If you’re in the same boat as I was before I discovered these techniques, this post is for you.
5 Ways to get Free Teen Magazines by Mail
There are five methods I use for getting magazines for free and shipped by mail, too!
1. Use Amazon Prime to Get Free Teen Mags
If you’re an Amazon Prime member and you’re already paying to for a ton of features and shopping promos from Amazon, but there’s one more you should be taking advantage of… free magazines!
As Amazon Prime members, not only can you get free access to Prime books and magazines, but you’ll receive monthly issues of your chosen magazines from Prime reading.
2. Convert unused Miles for Magazines of Your Choice
If you’re a frequent flyer member of airlines and it’s going to take you years to earn a ticket with your miles, why not use them for your teen’s magazine subscription?
Yes, MagsForMiles make it possible!
MagsForMiles (short for Magazines for Miles) is a program run by CAP Systems, a division of Synapse Group, Inc, where they partner with airlines and publishers to offer this valuable redemption option.
Magazines for Miles invites frequent flyer members to redeem their unused, orphan, or expiring miles for popular magazines, no cash cost or credit card charge is required.
To claim your magazine:
- Select your airline first, which would then direct you to the magazine options (with the number of miles required to claim).
- You’ll then click “add to bag,” add other magazines if you want.
- Checkout when ready. You’ll need to fill out your shipping information, including your SkyMiles Number.
Once the publisher has approved your subscription, the miles can no longer be refunded. Should you have insufficient miles at the time of your order, you will not receive all of your selections but MagsforMiles will still process other selections that fit your miles.
What’s great about this program is you can even gift the magazine subscription to another teen.
3. Earn Gift Cards to Pay for ANY Teen Magazine You Like
The problem with the two options above is you have no control over the list of magazines they offer. So if you can’t find a particular magazine title that your teenager is looking for, then this method solves your dilemma.
There are multiple ways to earn a particular gift card, at no cost to you. It depends largely on where you want to order your teen magazine subscriptions.
- From Stores: Do you wish to buy teen magazines at your nearest Walmart? Earn a FREE Walmart Gift Card, then pay for the magazine subscription with your own free gift card. Before you decide to go with Walmart, check what magazine titles are offered by Walmart first.
- From the Magazine: If you wish to pay for a magazine subscription directly from the magazine’s website or online store, your best bet is to get a FREE Visa gift card first and use it as payment. If the magazine company isn’t accepting Visa gift cards, learn how to convert your Visa gift card to cold cash.
This method does take a bit of time, but once you’ve made the initial setup to the techniques listed here, getting free gift cards will be a piece of cake.
4. Join Reward Sites
- Survey sites – Not all survey sites allow you to claim points for magazine subscriptions, but some do. ValueMags is a website that gives away free magazines, but you need to take a survey first before you get the freebie.
- Reward sites – Complete any microtask like watching videos, trying out new apps, accepting online offers, and even just signing up on sites like Inbox Dollars or Swagbucks.
- Cashback sites – Shop from various establishments or buy food from a restaurant and get cashback if you use apps like Rakuten and Ibotta.
All these methods are similar in that you earn points from tasks (survey, shopping, etc.), then once you saved enough points, you can cash out the money via PayPal or other methods. This free money can now be used to pay for any teen magazine subscriptions your kid desires.
5. Stalk Companies that Giveaway Free Teen Magazines by Mail
Traditional teen magazines are like unicorns these days. Yes, many of the more popular ones are still available, but the print division has ceased for several years now and only digital issues are released.
Some are not so fortunate. The parent companies of Bop, Elle Girl and even People Magazine’s teen mag, Teen People have all shut down publication of their then-popular teen mags.
- Teen Vogue – You can subscribe to Teen Vogue’s newsletter free of charge – It’s the best way you can enjoy content from the magazine. This company ditched print back in late 2017 but continued to create cover titles for the brand.
- Seventeen – Just like Teen Vogue, all of Seventeen magazine’s content is published on the site. You just have to enter your email address to subscribe.
- J-14 – This teen-focused, celebrity magazine still has printed issues (and digital as well), but it currently has no free trial promo. Check back here often so you could get first dibs once they do. Or use the above ways to get a free gift card or free money and pay for your own subscription.
- Elle Magazine – If your teen loves fashion, claim this two-year free subscription with Elle magazine
so they’re updated with the hottest designers and latest fashions on the street and on the runways. - Girls World – This is a tween magazine for girls ages 10 to 12. It’s filled with crafts, party ideas for fun with friends, and advice for everything in a girl’s life. You can subscribe to the digital issues and access content immediately or wait for a free trial of their printed issues.
- NYLON – This digital-only magazine used to have printed issues and is a source of fashion-forward pieces for young adults. Now you can just freely subscribe to its online mag at no cost.
- Teen Ink Magazine – Teen Ink magazine is available for FREE as a digital publication. It is available in a digital format optimized for desktop, mobile, web and app view (you need to create a Teen Ink profile to access it). Or, you can view it on Issuu.com.
- Affinity Magazine – Affinity Magazine is one of the largest teen-ran websites in the world that deals with serious real-life issues such as race, LGBT, feminism, mental health, politics and entertainment. Because teens write and submit pieces for this magazine, teens get early experience in journalism.
- Premier Guitar – If you have a teen obsessed with everything about guitars, get FIVE free issues of Premier Guitar (the world’s foremost authority on all things guitar and bass). This five-month freebie is only a trial subscription. You need to “add to cart” below and checkout. You’ll also get plus FREE and INSTANT access on the PG app each month.
- Kazoo Magazine – If you’re looking for tween magazine subscriptions, Kazoo is an award-winning, ad-free, indie magazine for girls, 5 to 12, that celebrates them for being strong, smart, fierce, and true to themselves. Subscribe to their newsletter to be updated whenever promotions go back.
- SchoolArts – If your teens love art, they’ll love a FREE issue of SchoolArts. This magazine has been giving art inspiration to kids all over the world since 1901. Each issue of SchoolArts is filled with current, relevant information for the classroom.
Other must-see, independent online teen magazines include SuperHero Mag, Teen Eye Magazine, Crybaby Zine, Lithium Magazine, Brightlight Mag, and Keke Magazine.
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If you don’t want to subscribe to newsletters, you can always follow them on your chosen social platform (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tik-Tok, and even LinkedIn) so you are updated when new articles or digital issues are available.
BONUS: If your teen is entrepreneurial at heart, FreeBizMag is a goldmine resource.
Freebizmag offers free subscriptions to business and trade magazines, white papers, newsletters, and more. There’s no teenie-bopper content on FreeBizMag, but for the little Shark-Tank-in-the-making, the magazine offers up-to-date information on a wide range of professional industries.
Mercury Magazines is similar to FreeBizMag.
Where Else Can You Find Free Teen Magazines?
If your teen just wants to get updated with fashion, relationship advice, or other awesome photography in these teen or tween magazines, there is always the library. If you’re lucky to be in a city with a modern public library, you should definitely visit it more often.
Is your teenager obsessed with home improvement or interior design? Do they like checking out new clothing, gadget news, or other products? Make sure they check out this HUGE list of free catalogs as well.
