The gifts that keep on giving: subscriptions to services that deliver entertainment, beauty goodies, delicious food and more. (Vellabox)
The thrill of most gifts wears off after the recipient first unwraps them. But if you want to win Christmas, we suggest giving a gift that brings recurring joy, in the form of a subscription service. When you sign up a giftee for one of these services – or give a gift card that lets them choose what they want – you're signing them up for months of gifts that will brighten their day each time they unexpectedly arrive in the mail. (See more ideas for the best gift cards to give this holiday season.)
And if that’s not a compelling enough reason to gift a subscription instead of a one-off gift, allow us to remind you that Christmas is less than a week away, which means it’s nearly impossible to order something online that’ll ship in time. But a subscription box turns delayed gratification from a bug to a feature.
We’ve combed through the possibilities and gathered our favorites below: dozens of brilliant subscription services and gift cards that will delight absolutely anyone on your list. And don't miss our other last-minute gift ideas.
Update, Dec. 23, 2024: We checked all prices and product availability.
Everyone feels better when they look their best. With a new year looming, pampering presents will be deeply appreciated. Behold these fabulous options for her and for him.
For anyone plus-sized who has trouble getting dressed in the morning, Stylogic sends full outfits to their doorstep — five of them at a time — in sizes 12 to 36. Just input the basics and personalized outfits will be hand-curated. The service lets you buy a gift e-certificate for your recipient starting at $25.
Send a digital gift card — with a personalized message — from $25 to $500 to kick off a membership to Dollar Shave Club, where well-groomed men can have high-tech razors, skin-nourishing moisturizers, shave butters and more delivered to their door. They also sell gift sets if you'd rather give a one-and-done.
Got a perfume lover on your list? Gift the sweet scent of Scentbird. Choose between a three-, six-, and 12-month subscription and have new fragrances sent to them every month. Bonus: you as the gifter get a free fragrance or two when you choose the six- or 12-month option for your giftee!
In-person self-care routines like going to the gym can be hard to stick to at this time of year, but you can fill in the gaps with a virtual lift for mind, body, and spirit. All these digital subscription services work round the clock to keep the ones you love healthy.
Starting at just $12 a month, this subscription box ships a new scented candle to your door monthly, based on your scent preferences. The boxes (and prices) vary based on candle size, and you'll save if you subscribe.
No matter their interest or skill level, there's an at-home Obé fitness class that suits anyone: strength training, dance, barre, spinning, pilates, kickboxing...the list goes on. There are 22 live classes daily and more than 16,000 on-demand workouts available 24/7 with Obé, so to say it's customizable is an understatement. Gift a subscription of one month or one year – they start at $25 a month.
Seasonal sadness or anxiety can be a bear. Help your giftee unwind with a Calmbox subscription box curated with five to seven treasures like chamomile tea, scented candles, bath soaks and aromatherapy sprays. The company lets you send a gift subscription starting at $40 for one month (the gift box value is $50) to $204 for six months (a value of $70 in each box for just $34 a box!).
This service designed for women of color provides subscription box services from two to 12 months starting at $48 a box (with more than $100 worth of products in each box) packed with six to eight self-care gems like skincare, jewelry, soaps and healthy snacks handpicked from black-owned businesses — and everything is handpicked by holistic wellness experts!
Aaptiv is a service that offers expert-led virtual fitness programs — plus playlists — tailored to specific goals. Your recipient can find what she wants whether she’s looking to lose weight, build muscle or even get back in shape after giving birth. It offers unlimited access to more than 8,000 workouts in categories from strength training to yoga. You can gift a one-year subscription for just $50.
We all know we’re supposed to be meditating, but how many of us really do it? This meditation app makes it easy to start—and easy to stick with. It’s the perfect entree for newbies— friendly, accessible and unintimidating. Gift either three months or a year (from $39 to $49), and get yourself a subscription too. It will change their life. (Not even exaggerating.)
Whether it’s pre-made meals, kits that make it easy to prepare a gorgeous dinner, or easy-access grocery shopping, there’s a subscription gift for it. Services that feed and nourish are universally appreciated.
Give the gift of a daily buzz — these coffee subscription boxes can be customized to your recipient's taste, or just choose from a list of the brand's bestsellers. You can't go wrong.
This delicious subscription service sells by the serving, but you can gift Sunbasket with the gift card value of your choice, from $50 to $2,500. A week of meals for a family of two costs about $100, and recipients can choose between fresh meals or meal kits the whole family can make together.
Gift the wine lover in your life a one- to three-month subscription to Winc, and they'll receive hand-picked bottles straight to their door. Gift e-cards start at $60 for one month.
A great option when weather makes it tricky to get to the supermarket, Walmart+ is a membership service that provides unlimited free delivery, and same- or next-day service. And it’s just $13 a month (after a 30-day free trial), or $98 a year. (Instruct your giftee to change over to their own payment info—this way you can gift the limited-time subscription and the recipient can choose to extend it if they want.)
Give a sweet and juicy gift in the form of a subscription service by Harry & David called the Fruit of the Month club. Choose from three months to 12 months with subscriptions ranging from $110 to $400. Each month has a fruit devoted to it: January's will be Bosc pears!
Meat lovers and seafood lovers have their very own subscription service with Butcherbox, which delivers humanely raised, ethically sourced steaks, ground beef, ham, ribs, seafood and more to your door in either custom plans, where you choose the contents, or curated plans where someone does it for you. Give a giftee a taste of this service with a gift box starting at $85.
This thrilling subscription service offers a monthly delivery of ice cream in a mouthwatering array of flavors from cookie dough to caramel swirl. Indulge your recipient in creamy decadence with a subscription ranging from three to 12 months, starting at $100 per month. What's inside the box? Five to six pints of ice cream or six to 24 ice cream sandwiches!
Each Blue Apron box contains just the right amount of ingredients (responsibly sourced) to cook an amazing, nutritious meal for for a couple or family—no waste (or grocery shopping) necessary. If you know someone who’s getting sick of their own cooking in these trying times—or who wants to learn to cook but could use an assist—kick off their Blue Apron relationship with this gift.
This service is made for busy parents who want to cook healthy meals without the hassle of regular supermarket shopping. Get all the ingredients you need in a weekly subscription box. Dinnerly even offers kid-friendly recipes and vegetarian options.
These healthy meals require zero prep. Splendid Spoon delivers ready-to-eat grub like roasted Brussels sprout bowls and vegan, gluten-free smoothies right to your door. Gift cards are available from $100 to $200 and can be used to purchase breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Streaming services, audiobooks, podcasts, and news services are perennial favorites with options for every interest. Give the gift of time well spent.
Audible, the audiobook arm of Amazon, makes it easy to venture into deep-listening territory, with great deals on memberships. This would appeal to just about anyone. It affords someone access not just to endless audiobooks, but also to podcasts via Amazon’s proprietary service. Choose the right price point for you, from one month to 12 months starting at $15.
Pay to kickstart someone's Netflix account or offer them a free month or more on their existing one by purchasing a gift e-card that they apply to their account as a gift balance. Go to the Netflix gift card landing page and check out through one of their retail affiliates, like Amazon or Walmart.
Whether they’re an app fiend or have kids who can’t stop making in-app purchases, a Google Play card is a great get for anyone with an Android device.
Gift Spotify Premium, the ad-free way to listen to music, podcasts and more, by purchasing a gift e-card from a leading electronics store.
Never wonder what to read again — or what books to gift. Book of the Month lets you choose from the five to seven best books selected by the service each month. Gift from three to 12 months of this amazing service.
Gift access to Criterion’s entire streaming library of almost 3,000 important classic and contemporary films. The channel is always updating its selections of Hollywood, international, art-house and independent movies. Anyone who loves classic and foreign films will adore a membership, which goes from $11 a month to $100 a year.
Keep loved ones up to date with a subscription to their favorite newspaper online. They’ll get unlimited access to WSJ.com plus WSJ’s apps and podcasts for 6 to 12 months.
It’s cold outside, but we're ready for some stimulation and challenge. The excitement of learning something new like guitar, knitting, photography, Italian, coding —there’s so much you can give. Help someone follow their bliss with these educational subscription gifts.
Masterclass really does deliver on its name, with courses in everything you can imagine all taught by icons like Spike Lee, Annie Leibovitz, Gordon Ramsay, Dr. Jane Goodall and more. Gift an annual membership for unlimited access, currently on sale for $5 a month.
Udemy markets itself as a 'learning marketplace,' and you can gift courses one everything from web development to drawing — there are 250,000 online video courses to choose from and new additions every month. Courses start at $15 each.
Gift a monthly craft subscription box to a creative friend or family member. Home Made Luxe will deliver a new craft kit each month with all the supplies needed along with step by step written, photo and video instructions for the craft provided. Gift subscriptions start at $30 for one month.
Give the gift of a new language, with the app from the company that’s at the very top of the field. With a Rosetta Stone subscription, your recipient can choose from 25 languages. Choose a gift from 3 months to a lifetime membership, for a single language or access to all 25.
If you know someone who wants to learn guitar, FenderPlay is the perfect virtual teacher. Yes, they can learn to shred completely online. Gift a six or 12-month subscription.
This kids' subscription box is tailored by age (from newborns to teens) and interest (science, art and more). Choose from 1, 3, 6 or 12-month subscriptions, or keep things simple with a gift card. You can even have the first "crate" shipped to yourself so you can gift it in person.
Friends who are serous pet parents always appreciate having their baby acknowledged. And if you have a pets in your home and heart, gifting them one of these great subscriptions means a little bit of joy arriving on the regs. Which is fun for everyone in the house.
Order an adorable dog pack filled with three to four items like chew toys, treats and more. Everything is handpicked for your dog's size and made in the U.S. or Canada. Boxes start at $15 a month.
Order a subscription box for a feline friend and Meowbox will send it with five to six items ranging from high-quality toys to organic food, all based on your theme of choice or your finicky cat's preferences. Plans start at $26 for one month.
Just for cats—and the people who love to truly indulge them—this personalized subscription service delivers what many reviewers deem to be exceptionally nutritious and delicious vittles for felines. A sweet gesture for the kitty-lover in your life—she will feel truly “seen."
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