Whether you are shopping for a recent finance graduate, a seasoned investor, or a business-minded friend, a subscription to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is one of the most practical gifts you can give. However, navigating the purchasing process, delivery choices, and subscription tiers can sometimes feel a bit confusing. Plus, is it even a good deal?
Don’t worry, here’s a breakdown of how WSJ gift subscriptions work, how print and digital compare, and a few clever tricks to get the best price and a bonus $25 Amazon gift card when you give Print.
How a WSJ Gift Subscription Works
The Wall Street Journal offers flexible gifting options. When you purchase a gift subscription directly through the official WSJ Customer Center or store page, you pay a one-time upfront cost for a set period of 6 or 12 months rather than a recurring monthly charge on your credit card.
1. WSJ Digital Gift Subscriptions
The digital option is the simplest and most instant way to gift The Journal to someone else.
What it includes: Unlimited access to WSJ.com, the WSJ mobile app, audio articles, daily podcasts, puzzles, and subscriber-exclusive newsletters (like The 10-Point).
How to give WSJ Digital:
- Go to the official WSJ Gift Subscription order page.
- Select your gift subscription duration of 6 or 12 months.
- Enter the recipient’s name and email address, along with the date you want the notification sent.
- Complete checkout using your credit card or debit card.
- On the chosen start date, WSJ sends an email directly to the recipient with a link to activate their account and create their login.
Tip: You can compare the “gift” price against the regular WSJ+ new customer promotion and decide which makes more sense. If you are giving WSJ to your husband, maybe consider the cheaper option?
2. WSJ Print (+ Digital) Gift Subscriptions
For readers who prefer holding a physical newspaper over morning coffee, (or to roll up and hit their disobedient dog with) WSJ offers home delivery options in eligible zip codes.
What it includes: Physical newspaper delivery (either 6-day Monday–Saturday delivery or Weekend-only delivery) paired with full, unlimited WSJ Digital access.
How to give WSJ Print:
- Check address eligibility on the WSJ Print subscription portal here
- Choose 6-Day delivery. Weekend-only not available.
- Enter the recipient’s physical delivery address for print and their email address for instant digital account setup.
- Print delivery typically begins within 3 to 7 business days after order confirmation.
- The gift giver receives a $25 Amazon gift card after purchasing a WSJ Print subscription. Nice!
Thought: The WSJ gift subscription with print delivery is actually a good deal! However, receiving a newspaper 6 days a week is a big commitment. If you choose the 6-day WSJ print delivery option, be sure that they won’t be overwhelmed and end up with a pile of newspapers.
Is There a Better (Cheaper) Way to Give a WSJ Subscription?
Standard gift subscriptions listed on the main site don’t come with the steepest discounts. In fact, giving the WSJ as a gift is like paying about $40 for a fancy gift bag. It’s convenient, but not a great deal.
If you’re looking to save money, you might want to try one of these alternative approaches instead:
1. Use the (Non-Gift) Digital Promotion
WSJ frequently runs promotions offering digital subscriptions for $2 per week ($8 per month) for the first year.
The Strategy: Instead of buying through a dedicated “Gift” checkout link, set up a standard discounted subscription using your recipient’s email address. Just keep in mind that standard subscriptions auto-renew; you will need to set a calendar reminder to turn off auto-renewal before the promo rate ends.
2. Use the Weekend-Only Promotion
WSJ runs a promotion for Print + Digital subscriptions starting at $6.75
3. Use Student & Educator Rates
If your recipient is currently a college student or university professor, they qualify for heavily discounted WSJ rates (often around $4 per month or $24 per year).
The Strategy: You can offer to reimburse the giftee directly or use your payment method on their account setup page to lock in student pricing.
4. Gift a Prepaid Visa or Mastercard
Because formal WSJ gift orders require upfront payment at standard gift rates, gifting a prepaid debit card pre-loaded with $50 to $100 allows your recipient to sign up under any steep promotional discount they find online at a lower monthly rate.
Thought: Every year my mother-in-law gives me a $50 Visa gift card, and pays an extra $5.95 to buy it at the store. That’s kind of how a WSJ gift subscription works. I understand that giving me a $50 bill would feel tacky, but know that you pay extra for the “gift” experience.
Wall Street Journal Gift Subscription FAQs
A WSJ Digital subscription costs $117 for 6 months or $187 for 12 months, while a Print subscription (6-day delivery) costs $310 for 12 months.
No. WSJ does not issue physical plastic gift cards for subscriptions. Digital gift activations and print delivery notifications are delivered entirely via email.
Official WSJ gift subscriptions expire automatically at the end of the prepaid term without auto-renewing. However, if you sign them up using a standard promo deal instead, it will auto-renew unless you cancel it.
No, WSJ subscriptions are non-transferable once activated under a specific user profile and email address.
No. Receipts and billing details are sent strictly to the gift giver’s email address. The recipient receives only a welcome email with instructions on how to activate their digital access or print delivery.
No, it’s cheaper to buy a Digital or Print subscription through their featured offers for new customers here.
My Thoughts on Wall Street Journal Gift Subscriptions for Print & Digital
Do you have a friend or family member who loves finance and investing? Giving the WSJ as a gift is a great idea! While the WSJ gift subscription for Print is a good deal, you can get Digital cheaper through their featured promotion. The problem with doing that is that you won’t get the pure “gift” experience, though.
My advice is this: if you are giving the WSJ Digital subscription as a gift to your husband or son, consider signing up with the new customer promotions to save a lot of money. I mean, you use the same credit card anyway, right?
If the WSJ Digital gift subscription is for someone outside of your immediate family, then you might not have the option to give it informally at a better price.
Either way, I hope you are better informed abut how giving a WSJ gift subscription works, how much it costs, and how to save money.
Have you given someone a WSJ subscription as a gift? If you have any advice, let us know with a comment. Thanks for visiting PrettySweet.com!