Buy the Nintendo Switch for $299 and get 10% back from Amazon – CNET [CNET]

Happy Thursday, cheeps! A few quick odds and ends:

• If you have 5G-capable phones (or plan to in the near future), Metro by T-Mobile has a pretty good in-store offer: Two unlimited 5G lines for $70 a month, taxes and fees included. Actually, your first payment will be $80, but when you sign up for autopay, it drops to $70 starting with the second month. Existing customers can add a new line of service to hop on this deal.
• It won’t be in stock until Oct. 14 (aka the second day of Prime Day), but right now you can order the Aukey 10,000-mAh USB-C power bank for just $10.49 with the on-page 15%-off coupon and promo code PVCHCTZJ. It has two USB Type-A outputs and a USB-C. Crazy-good deal.
• Last year’s streamer is this year’s bargain: Woot has the second-generation Amazon Fire TV Stick with voice remote for $20. That remote includes TV controls, making it a better choice (IMHO) than the new Fire TV Stick Lite, which is currently $10 more.

On to the main event! The hard-to-find Nintendo Switch is available for purchase from Amazon right now, though with an expected in-stock date of Oct. 26. Here’s something that will help make it worth the wait: When you order the Switch with your Amazon Prime credit card, you’ll get 10% back. That brings your net cost down to around $269 and makes this among the better Switch deals of the year. Note, however, that this is for the Blue and Red model; the 10%-back offer doesn’t appear to apply to the Animal Crossing Special Edition.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because there’s a similar option available right now for the Oculus Quest 2. Basically, if you have one of the aforementioned Prime credit cards, your regular 5%-back jumps to 10% for various items, including the Quest 2 and, now, the Switch.

Don’t have a Prime credit card? This is the time to sign up, because existing Amazon Prime subscribers will score a $100 gift card for doing so. (Non-subscribers will get a $50 gift card, still pretty good.)

In theory, you could apply for the Visa, then apply the $100 gift card to the purchase of the Switch, and then still get 10% back, for a final net price of around $180. 

While you’re at it, consider picking up the wildly beloved Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, on sale for $45 right now. That’s $15 off the regular price and one of the better deals I’ve seen lately.

Your thoughts?

CNET’s Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. For the latest deals and updates, follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest promo codes from Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon and more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page.