Christmas Gift Guide 2019: 15 of the best subscription gift ideas
Periodic presents that keep the fun coming
There are two good things about buying somebody a subscription gift for Christmas: they last long after the turkey has run out and you can buy them at the last minute and stick an IOU in a card without worrying about looking stingy or forgetful.
What’s more, you can get subscription gifts to suit almost any taste nowadays, so as long as you’ve got a vague idea what somebody is into, you can let the experts pick the actual gifts out for you.
Here are 15 subscription gift ideas whether your recipient is into hot sauce, watches, retro games or anything in between.
More Christmas gift ideas
Looking for something different? Our full Christmas Gift Guide 2019 hub page has categories to suit every taste, budget and interest.
Gadget Discovery Club (from £12.49/month)
We like to think of Stuff as being your own personal gadget discovery club, but we’re not giving away any of the tech featured on these hallowed pages – we hoard it all for ourselves.
Gadget Discovery Club, however, is more than happy to share its goodies, with a gadget worth between £35 and £50, which isn’t bad considering you get the first one for £12.49 and then pay £24.99 for every subsequent box. Just don’t expect to find a Nest thermostat inside like the website suggests.
The Cheese Geek (from £27.50/month)
Are you buying for someone who definitely knows their Cambozola from their caciocavallo? Then they’re probably already known as a massive cheese geek, so you might as well make it official.
The Elvis is The Cheese Geek’s strangely named subscription service, which includes four or five cheeses per delivery, which they claim to be enough for between four and eight people – but it probably depends how much you like cheese. You can even specify only veggie cheese or not to get any blue cheese or goat’s cheese, which is fair enough, because it tastes like goats.
Wax and Stamp (£30/month)
When Spotify picks a whole 30-song playlist for every user each week it can be easy to take music recommendations for granted – but Wax and Stamp adds a more human touch.
Every month they send out an LP and a single or EP to every subscriber, with previous featured artists including Snail Mail, Better Oblivion Community Center and Fresh. This is one for your mate who likes to know about every new band first, not the one who just buys the latest Now album every year.
Shorebox (£54/3 months)
We all know we should be trying to use less plastic but it’s not easy switching all your products – so let Shorebox do it instead.
Every month a box full of eco-friendly bathroom, kitchen, travel and cosmetic stuff will arrive, meaning you can help someone gradually cut down on their plastic use. It’s like a Christmas present for the planet too.
Studifuel (from £14/box)
Got a fresher coming home for their first Christmas since leaving for uni? Chances are they haven’t had anything nutritious since September, so rather than packing them back off to campus with a bag full of carrots, sign them up for a few months of Studifuel.
Each box is packed with essential vitamins, detoxing teas and snacks that are a bit healthier than yet another multipack of Monster Munch – plus the whole lot is 100% vegan. They’ll thank you in the long run.
Mubi (£99/year)
Sure, Netflix is great, but does it really cater for those people who prefer their films to be black and white, subtitled and pretty much impenetrable? Stranger Things doesn’t really tick any of those boxes.
For less than 30p a day you can gift your pretentious pal with a Mubi subscription – a streaming site that adds a new film every day, with a rolling catalogue of 30, so they’ll always have plenty to choose from but not so much that they just scroll and scroll without ever picking something. Sound familiar?
BrickBox (from £21.50/month)
Everybody knows the real joy of Lego is in the building, so just buying one model for Christmas means all the fun is over before the Queen’s speech is finished.
Instead, get a box of different bricks delivered to your recipient’s door for up to a year after Christmas. They’re not the most complex kits, so probably better suited to younger builders, but nobody’s too old for Lego.
BOOKISHLY JAMES BOND VINTAGE BOOK & COFFEE SUBSCRIPTION (£23.95/3 months)
Bookishly’s literary subscription gifts cover a multitude of tastes but we’re particularly taken by the James Bond package.
As well as a packet of delicious Perk-U-Latte coffee to drink while you read, each month you’ll get sent a vintage copy of one of Ian Fleming’s 007 novels – perfect for anyone who’s already jazzed for the new film coming out next year.
Escape the Crate (from US$26.50/box)
Escape the Crate is like having an escape room delivered to your doorstep every other month, with a new set of puzzles each time. Think of it a bit like The Crystal Maze but without having to live with Richard O’Brien.
Every box has a different theme, with the Titanic, Alcatraz and Mardi Gras Murders already covered, and they should take around 90 mins to complete – if you’re up to it…
Flaming Licks (from £17.99/month)
People who like hot sauce usually really like hot sauce. They’re not happy unless it makes them feel like someone has lit a bonfire underneath their tonsils.
Flaming Licks will give them something to test out their taste buds, with three bottles of spicy sauce, one spicy snack and some serving suggestions included in each delivery. The first one even comes with a keyring-sized bottle of Sriracha – handy for spicing up any boring lunch.
Bokksu (from US$24.99/month)
Japan is famous for many things: anime, bullet trains, Nintendo and overengineered lavs to name just a few. But have you seen the crazy snacks they get there?
Treat the Japanophile in your life with a monthly delivery of snacks, sweets and teas tailored to the seasons. It’s pretty much worth it for the exotic Kit Kat flavours alone.
The Retro Gaming Box (from £12/month)
Know someone who still swears by their old Game Boy, Megadrive, N64 or other retro console? Choose their console of choice and The Retro will send them three games a month to play on it.
All the titles are sourced from indie game shops around the UK and if they own multiple consoles you can have a pick ‘n’ mix box shipped instead of just one format. Who needs a Mega Drive Mini now?
British Library membership (from £80/year)
Why would you pay for somebody to be a member of the library, you might wonder. But the British Library isn’t your average bibliotheque.
Members get free access to exhibitions and priority booking for talks and events, with four free tickets per year included, plus access to the daytime Members’ Room, which overlooks the King’s Library, so you can leave the usual British Library riff-raff behind.
Hoppist (from £32/month)
Beer nerds can be a tedious bunch but the best way to keep them quiet is to make sure they’ve always got something to drink.
Hoppist will send out 12 bottles or cans of beer from some of London’s best independent breweries, including the occasional limited edition brew or rarity. Just try not to be there when they crack them open or you’ll be stuck talking about hops all night.
Watch Gang (from US$30/month)
People who like watches often have a different one for every occasion. No self-respecting horologist would ever be caught wearing the same timekeeper to the bingo as they would down the tip, are you mad?
Watch Gang has varying subscription levels, so the more you spend per month (or quarter) the fancier the watches will be. It helps if you know what kind of thing your recipient is into so you can tailor the choices but if they don’t like one, it won’t be long before a new one turns up.
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