Get $15 from Walmart+ Week and other freebies – learn how from The Shortcut

We teach you how to get that $15+ Walmart Cash and other freebies. Plus the latest gadget news (Cover Art: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)

💯 Our big Nintendo number. Last week, The Shortcut generated 10,000 Switch orders, with subscribers in our Substack Chat getting the first crack at alerts and 1:1 tech advice. Other publications – some of whom sit on our alerts, copy our work, and don’t credit us (we see you!) – missed Walmart’s surprise Saturday restock. But we’re 24/7 and had multiple alerts (and an emergency newsletter) ready.

💰 $4 million in sales. For US retailers, that meant $4 million in sales via our links. We’ll do it again when there’s a new Switch 2 pre-order restock. Fun fact: the $449 bundle with Mario Kart World sold 7:1 over just the console, according to our data.

Still need Switch 2? These are the pre-order links I constantly check:

• Walmart: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle

• Target: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle

• GameStop: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle

• Best Buy: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle

• Sam’s Club: Switch 2 console / Mario Kart World bundle

🎨 Magazine covers are back! You’ll notice we’ve adopted fancy hero images. Every issue (except maybe breaking news) will have these. I went to Adobe MAX London last week (yes, the same time Nintendo picked for its delayed pre-order date), and I’m fine-tuning my Photoshop & Adobe Express skills for these covers and our video thumbnails. Please keep the feedback coming!

🌟 Walmart+ Week deals. This is Walmart’s version of Amazon Prime Day, but instead of discounts this time, it’s hawking subscriber-only freebies. You can get at least $15 in shopping bonuses and other perks (which pays for one month of Walmart+). The hope is that, to promote Walmart+ Week, it’ll dish out more Switch 2 pre-orders. 🤞

We’ve laid out the Walmart+ Week perks (Image credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)

• 🌟 Walmart+ Week rewards members with exclusive perks

• 💳 50% off a Walmart+ membership for expired members who return

• 💵 Up to $15 in Walmart Cash shopping bonuses (tutorial below)

• 📦 1 Express delivery in as little as one hour

• 🍔 Free food at Burger King daily with a $1 spend (link accounts, tutorial below)

• 🏔️ Free Paramount+ with Showtime for 6 months (sign up here)

• ⛽ 50¢ off per gallon at Exxon & Mobil stations (in the app)

• 📆 Perks run from today to May 4 at 11:59pm ET

I almost went with the headline: Walmart+ Week is weak, as I didn’t see many deals this morning. Then Walmart got back to me, saying this week isn’t about the usual 100,000+ price drops, but exclusive membership perks.

1. Be a Walmart+ member for $12.95/mo or $98/yr. It’s 50% off at $49/yr for returning members who let their subscription lapse

2. Get $10 Walmart Cash when buying two Walmart+ Week offers

3. Get $5 Walmart Cash (with $15+ orders) by using Scan & Go in a store

4. Redeem more Walmart Cash with these offers (it was a hard link to find)

The fine print says you can’t get the $10 in Walmart Cash if you’ve been a member for less than 30 days, so I guess those who get that 50% off Walmart+ membership deal can’t save $10 of the $15. I’ve reached out to Walmart for further clarification and will update you in our Substack Chat.

This is worth it if you’re already a Walmart+ member, and kind of a wash if you’re not.

1. Link your accounts for Walmart+ and BK Royalty Perks

2. Spend $1 (Apple Juice or Soft Serve Ice Cream are the cheapest menu items in my area. YMMV.)

3. Add either a Croissan'wich or a Whopper Jr. (your free items)

4. Repeat for 7 days until you 🤮

See the Walmart+ perks

• 📱 The rumored iPhone 17 Air is expected to be announced in September

• 🤏 It’ll be Apple’s thinnest to date, but achieving that takes a lot of work

• ❌ Akin to Samsung Galaxy Edge, some features may be sacrificed

• ↔️ It’ll fit between iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, replacing the Plus

Apple is making a super-thin iPhone, but it needs to take a few different routes than it’s used to in order to make it right. The iPhone 17 Air has been rumored for quite some time as the successor to the iPhone 16 Plus, but instead of just being a larger version of the iPhone 17, it’ll be the thinnest iPhone Apple has ever shipped.

Like we’re seeing from the Samsung Galaxy Edge, compromises are expected, with the latest leaks pointing to fewer cameras, a shrunken battery, and smaller speakers. As you may have seen in my iPhone 16e review, the power-efficient Apple C1 modem is likely to replace Qualcomm’s, but lacks 5G mmWave. Also rumored? iPhone Fold for 2026.

Dive deeper: Max's iPhone 17 Air news

Talk about ‘Dumb Money’ (Image credit: GameStop)

• 🕵️‍♂️ GameStop is investigating complaints about an Astoria store pushing expensive Switch 2 pre-order bundles

• 😡 Customers reported being forced to buy bundles with accessories, raising the price

• 🙏 GameStop's Help account urged affected customers to reach out via DM for resolution

• 😬 Switch 2 pre-orders on GameStop's website sold out quickly after technical issues and crashes

Hundreds of people turned to traditional brick-and-mortar GameStop stores to pre-order Nintendo Switch 2 consoles. However, complaints were made against an Astoria store in Queens, New York, for reportedly pushing expensive Switch 2 pre-order bundles onto customers.

We visited multiple GameStops in NYC. At least one tried to force gamers into more expensive bundles (Image credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

In a post on X, Elea Tsentzelis, an Emmy-winning audio engineer, claimed that the GameStop store they lined up for was "forcing" people to buy bundles that included Nintendo Switch 2 accessories, such as cases, and screen protectors, which would hike up the price. Those who wouldn’t agree to the bundles were unable to pre-order and had no choice but to walk away.

Deep dive: GameStop's latest troubles

• 🎧 These headphones look a lot like the ones for the Sony Walkman, but modern

• 🛜 They feature wireless connections, noise cancellation, 24 hours of battery life, and a design that weighs just 103 grams

• 🇯🇵 They’re made by a Japanese company called km5

• 💰 The Lightwear Headphones Hp1 are available for $189

If you don’t like the way modern headphones are designed, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Sony WH-1000XM5, perhaps these Walkman-inspired cans will suit you.

The Lightwear Headphones Hp1 sure do look like Sony Walkman headphones (Image credit: km5)

The headphones are made by a company called km5 out of Japan, and they’re essentially hyper-futuristic Sony Walkman headphones with all the modern conveniences that technology affords us. The best part? They’re pretty affordable.

Dive deeper: Lightwear Headphones Hp1

(Image credit: Apple)

• 💻 Apple’s latest-gen MacBook Air is on sale at Amazon

• 💰 It’s by far the best deal on any laptop right now

• ⚙️ Specs: a 13.6” display, M4 chip, 16GB of RAM, and all-day battery life

Amazon: MacBook Air M4

Apple makes the single-best laptop you can get for $1,000 with the MacBook Air. When the new M4 model was announced last month, virtually every tech reporter I know agreed that Apple beat everyone else in the race for the best laptop for the money, and now, that laptop is an even better value thanks to a deal that’s popped up on Amazon.

Right now, you can get the MacBook Air M4 for just $849 at Amazon. That’s a 15% discount from its original $999, and it makes the laptop the single-best value on the laptop market right now. This is the best price we’ve seen so far on Apple’s new M4 model, too, and we likely won’t see a discount this steep very often in the future.

Deep dive: MacBook Air price drop news

• 🔊 Beats is adding two colors to the popular Beats Pill speaker

• 🌈 You can now get it in Navy Blue and Blush Pink

• ✅ The rest of the speaker remains the same, which is great news

• 🛍️ The Navy Blue version is a Walmart exclusive, while Blush Pink is at Target

• 💰 Beats is charging $149.99 for the Pill

Beats is updating its iconic Beats Pill speaker just in time for summer. The famous audio brand is adding two new colors to its lineup: Navy Blue and Blush Pink. The colors live alongside three other available shades: Matte Black, Champagne Gold, and Statement Red. It’s still priced at $149.99, and both new colors go on sale today.

Amazon: Beats Pill

Deep dive: Beats Pill news

• 😢 Nintendo confirmed the Switch 2 dock won’t work with the Switch 1

• 👏 Switch 2 can use Switch 1 accessories like controllers, though

• 📈 Switch 2 accessories have risen in price due to US tariffs

• 💰 The console itself remains $449.99, though it’s difficult to find in stock

Unfortunately, you can't use your Switch 1 with the newer Switch 2's dock, according to Nintendo. Due to the fact that both Switch and Switch 2 have the same thickness, some were holding out hope they could use the new dock to connect to a TV.

However, there's a lot more going on with Nintendo's new console and with the dock that makes it virtually impossible. For instance, the Switch 2's dock comes with a fan to keep it cool, and it uses a different AC power voltage. Aesthetically, it also has a more rounded appearance, though that’s unlikely to have affected compatibility.

Deep dive: Why it won't work

• 📱 OnePlus has finally announced the OnePlus 13T

• 📐 The phone comes with a more compact design and a huge battery

• 🏎️ It also has flagship specs for reliable performance

• 💰 OnePlus is charging less than $500 for it, and it’s launching first in China

OnePlus has finally announced the latest member of the OnePlus 13 family: the OnePlus 13T. The device has been garnering attention online from fans who want a more compact flagship smartphone, which has been promising to deliver with this device. The biggest perk, though? The huge battery, which weighs in at a whopping 6,260mAh.

• 🥳 A new PS5 update restores the classic 30th Anniversary UI themes

• 🕹️ Themes include PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 under Settings > Appearance

• 👂 New ‘audio focus’ feature enhances immersion with presets for amplifying soft sounds, like footsteps or dialogue

• 🎧 Audio focus presets include Boost Low Pitch, Boost Voices, Boost High Pitch, and Boost Quiet Sounds, but only work with headphones

A new PlayStation 5 update has finally brought back the 30th Anniversary PS5 themes.

Thanks to overwhelming demand, players can customize their console UI with the classic look of the original PlayStation, PS2, PS3, or PS4. The feature can be accessed under the Settings menu, and then Appearance.

The 30th Anniversary PS5 themes are the closest thing we'll get to genuine customization options on PlayStation 5, as Sony has admitted it isn't planning to create any dedicated themes in the future. Instead, players can choose from a selection of dynamic backgrounds for the PS5 Hub page.

Sony has also added a new “audio focus” setting, that lets you enhance your immersion and may even give you a competitive edge online.

Deep dive: How to enable the PS5 themes

• ✌️ Boox has announced two new 7-inch e-readers

• 📐 The updated Go 7 and Go Color 7 come with Kindle Oasis-like designs

• ✍️ They have sharp resolutions, support handwriting, and run Android

• 💰 The devices start at $250, with one on sale now and the other coming soon

Boox is updating its e-readers with some new features. The popular E Ink device maker has unveiled new versions of the Go 7 and Go Color 7. The Gen 2 models still come with Kindle Oasis-like designs with a thicker side for easier grip, as well as 7-inch screens. The real kicker? Pen input.

These new e-readers support Boox’s new InkSense stylus. The pen boasts 4,096 pressure levels of sensitivity for more responsive drawing and handwriting, and there’s a button for switching to the eraser function quickly. The stylus is sold separately for $45.99, but even still, it could be a great addition to these e-readers given their compact, note-taking-friendly design.

Deep dive: More about the Boox e-readers

• 🟦 $100 PlayStation gift card for $88

  • Can be used on PS+ or PS5 digital games

• 🍄 $50 Nintendo Gift Card for $45

  • Use funds for Nintendo Online or digital eShop games

  • Can’t be used for Nintendo hardware, sorry

• ❎ $30 off Xbox Game Pass Core (3 months) for just $14

  • Converts 2:1 to Game Pass Ultimate, so it’ll cost $28 vs Microsoft’s $60

We’re expanding our discount codes for paid subscribers as a pack-in. It’s sort of like CD-ROM pack-ins for subscribers of 90s magazines.

😬 Can’t afford it? Totally fine. I’m opening up more ways to be a paid subscriber for people who can’t spare the $5/mo ($4.16/mo) to keep us going. Support us in other ways by referring your friends & family to The Shortcut. Help us grow!

Refer a friend

Here are the actual discount codes for paid subscribers ⤵️