Yes. 

GCU requires an additional yearly fee while Prime is something I have for many other features and this discount is just an awesome addition.

GCU requires me going into a store instead of deciding to buy a game anywhere I am in the world and having it show up in my home on day of launch or a day/two from order for free. The time I save from having to stop at a store alone is worth an extra few bucks I could potentially save via GCU vs Amazon. Consider gas and time savings in that equation.

I would never get a retail company credit card, so no compounding the "benefit" from that.

I'm glad GCU works for you, but for me, I'll stick with the simpliest option at a similar price.

None of the brick and mortar retailers match Amazon's service when buying online (one-click!) or shipping to home. With Amazon it almost exclusively arrives in my USPS box, even launch day. I hate to risk stuff on my door step. So, if I'm buying from BB, then I'm forced to go in-store... which sucks. No way do I want something coming to me via FedEx or UPS. Additionally, I hate BB pre-order online setup. I shouldn't have to pay 100% up front. Amazon allows zero payment until shipment, which means I can pre-order and then cancel later on without any cost/frustration.

My mention of the credit card wasn't because I thought it was tied to GCU. It was because another person remaked how you can get additional discounts by using your BB card. The interest rates of retail cards and lack of kick-backs make them meh to me. I solely use my American Express or other rewards cards if Amex is not accepted on a rare occasion. With that I get hundreds of $$ free shit all year long (I just spent $200 on Nike shoes for myself and my son from Amex rewards - free shoes!). Amex is also my default payment method when I do my one-click checkout via Amazon. (oooh so easy)

To be fair, the 20% for any new game with GCU is better than the pre-order only feature of Prime. However, I spend $99/yr on Prime for A LOT more than discounts on pre-ordered games. Prime movies, free 2-day shipping, exclusive buys, bigger discounts during holiday / prime days, exclusive discounts on various types of merchandise, and many other things I'm not even counting. All in all, I consider the 20% off pre-ordered games a $0 benefit. GCU would cost me an 'extra' $30 and would require me buying at least 2 games via Best Buy to break even. With Amazon's deal, if I choose to go digital, I don't even care about the potential 20% I "lost" as I don't feel like I'm spending anything to have that benefit. I only buy retail when I think I either may sell it later or want to share with my son. For instance, while I bought SMBO retail (to share), I am buying LA Noire and Rocket League digital (again for simplicity).

Lastly, while I'm not being biased, I do work for Amazon. I do get 10% off the first $1000 I spend annually on Amazon as well. So that means quite a few game purchases may be technically 30% off. A lot of my original purchases for Switch this year had that benefit. Not SMBO unfortunately, as I've spent way more than $1000 this year. Frankly, I just don't like going to stores anymore unless I have to for food / clothing / big furnature / etc. I do all of my holiday purchases, bday purchases, and nearly everything else online... overwhelmingly from Amazon.

I agree that plan vs plan, GCU is cheaper. However, the win for Amazon is convienance. For me specifically, I'll never buy a "collector's edition" so meh. In the end, the bit I'd potentially save with GCU simply isn't worth the drive. Especially considering most of my game purchases are likely to just be digital.

I'm sure those that take into account gaming competiveness, etc, know the value of GCU. I'm betting that they also recognize that it's just another free benefit in the Prime membership and that BB is likely losing money on this hand over fist, meaning it won't be around forever. Amazon can keep the lesser benefit, which is better than any other company, and still outdo BB (and any other retailer). 

This is all appealing to me. I use Amazon Prime but the thing I dislike about Best Buy is that (I like to order online) they charge you at the time of pre-order. Amazon charges when they ship. And I like to pay off my pre-orders on my own time, rather than immediately have the money. Meaning, I just reload my amazon account with the required funds and then apply them to the pre-order I have and boom, done. 

If Amazon changes anything else about their Prime savings, I'll switch to Best Buy. Also kinda pisses me off that half the time when I pre-order something, the price goes down to like $48.50 on Amazon for NON Prime members. So I get like... $0.51 cents of savings? Gross. 

Well the thing is, I like my special editions. So if I have Amazon prime, I can easily snag the edition. Anyone who wants a special edition won't cancel it because they have to pay a few bucks more. And as for when Amazon is ready to ship, I generally stick to the rule of paying off one game per paycheck (I get paid every week) so I just pay off the next game on my pre-order list and currently I'm a month ahead. Meaning all the games I want in November are paid for in full. Don't have to worry about it. It's quite nice actually. 

As for Best Buy losing money, they are on this program yes, but they make up for that loss in the profit they gain from their other departments, (especially their Refridgerators and such) 

I get most of my games from my job, but I've been known to go to GameStop in a pinch.

Amazon has been shifty on their special editions though. I saved on Fire Emblem Warriors because it's a "special edition" rather than a "collector's edition". It seems like they're only applying the savings for the smaller titles that aren't defined as "collector's". It's what a rep told me anyways. And I really only tend to buy Nintendo special editons and after Xenoblade, I don't see myself getting another one for awhile. At least not until Metroid Prime 4 or something, if they have one for that. 

amazon or eshop as i live in the virgin islands no dedicated Videogame stores here just rip offs

But this is how Best Buy is too. There's zero convience that Amazon offers that Best Buy does not have. If anyhting Best Buy is FAR better at delivering on time. I regularly get things a day early from BB preorders where Amazon is on time most of the time. Outside of the desire to not have anything shipped to you (which is not my case), I figured the option for physical pickup outside of mail carrier would be a pro, not a con.

Nope to both. I literally went and verified my info is still correct and pre-ordering via BB forces full payment online (though I do know they only require a deposit in store, which has a $$ real cost as well as physical of going to a damn store).

Amazon is far more convienant and my personal experience has never had a miss on Amazon shipping time. Though, I know it does happen but when it does happen (as shown in this very thread) you can call and get all kinds of free shit vs an "I'm sorry" you'd get from BB or any other retialer.

User 1: While doing literally anything else (walking, driving, working, eating, shitting, receiving oral sex, etc) I can open my Amazon app, pre-order with one-finger and one-click. Time spent = less than 2mins with zero $$ spent or wrapped up on a long-term pre-order. (launch day comes, card is now charged as item was shipped out!) I do whatever the fuck I'm alreadying doing each and every day... like work, managing da kids, kids sports, side-chick's needs, then come home to check mail (which I do everyday as well) and hello kitty! there is my brand new game in my locked USPS box perfectly safe and sound. Done. Literally no impact to my everyday life.

User 2: I have to drive to a store either on my way to/from the many important events in my life. Park car in parking lot risking door dings. Walk in heat (I'm in AZ) to store. Greet person whose sole purpose in life is to watch for theft and fake that they actually care you are there. Walk to section of store that sells games. Use the stupid kiosk that works (poorly) to print a ticket I take to a cashier. Go to cashier and crawl though a $5 transaction. Time spent = at least 15mins if the store was on my way already or double/triple that if I had to leave home just to go do this action. (launch day comes!) I again spend 15+ mins to go out of my way to get to the damn store. Then walk in with my receipt (fuck did I remember the receipt?) and proceed to the counter. Wait in line. Get up and they pull up the receipt, find the game, cashier my ass for the remaining amount and then I finally make my trek home. Literally a ton of impact unless I am an employee for that store or a store right next door.

User 3: While doing literally anything else, I can open my BB website and find the game/pre-order (far more clicks that the one I do in Amazon) the game. What's this, I have to pay the fully $60 plus tax up-front? Normally not a big deal as i'm buying the game anyways, however should I want to cancel my pre-order for any number of reasons, now I need to go through the cancellation and refund process (yay). Otherwise, I've spent ~5mins and far more focused attention due to the numerous clicks / process to pre-order. (launch day comes!) Here I follow pretty much the same process, except BB ships via FedEx or UPS. Why does this matter? well it matters because my small package has been sitting on my door step begging those nasty little neighborhood kids to claim my new game or won't arrive to sometime in the late PM. Far too much risk, which is why I probably chose pick up at store... ugh now I need to take a way out of the way trip to the damn store again.

I'm sorry, how in the world can you conclude that using Amazon is not somehow more convienant? There is a reason Amazon is dominating the retail market.