bol.com Select: Is the Annual Subscription Worth It for Expats?

When you need something delivered fast in the Netherlands, bol.com is usually the first place Dutch shoppers look, and it is quickly where most expats end up too. Select is bol.com's paid yearly membership, currently €14.99 a year, and it mainly pays off by removing the small delivery fees that add up if you order often. Here is what it actually includes and whether it makes sense for your shopping habits.

What bol.com Select Is

Select is bol.com's optional annual subscription, similar in spirit to Amazon Prime. For the yearly fee, it removes several delivery charges that non-members pay on eligible "Select" badged items, and adds a few convenience perks on top. New users can usually try it free for 90 days before deciding to pay, so it is worth testing before committing.

What You Get With Select

Without Select, bol.com charges a small delivery fee on orders under €25 (normally €2.99), plus extra charges for same-day delivery (normally €3.99), evening delivery (normally €1.99), and Sunday delivery (normally €3.99). A Select membership removes all of these extra charges on eligible items, so even a single small item ships free, any day of the week, in whatever delivery window suits you.

Free Home Return Pickup

If something does not work out, Select members can arrange for a courier to collect the return directly from home, rather than dropping it off at a pickup point themselves.

Select Deals and Points

Members also get access to Select-only deals, often at a minimum of 10% off on selected popular products, plus a rewards scheme that lets you build up points on purchases and trade them in later for gifts or discounts.

Why It Is Useful for Expats in the Netherlands

A lot of apartment setup in the Netherlands happens one item at a time rather than in one big order, a lamp here, a kettle there, a specific adapter or cable you forgot. Select means none of those smaller orders cost extra to ship. Evening delivery is also genuinely useful if you work regular office hours and are not home during the day, since missing a delivery in a Dutch apartment building often means a trip to a PostNL pickup point.

Is It Worth the Cost?

If you order from bol.com even a handful of times a year, especially smaller orders or ones that need evening or weekend delivery, the subscription tends to pay for itself through avoided delivery fees alone. If you only order occasionally and do not mind waiting for standard delivery, it may not be worth it, and the free trial is the easiest way to judge your own usage before paying.

If you are also setting up a home, our guide to IKEA Family membership covers similar free membership perks for furniture shopping, and our HEMA Pas guide covers the smaller everyday version of the same idea.

References

• Select (bol.com)
• Select Deals (bol.com Partnerplatform)