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Let’s cut to the chase… this post isn’t going to show off how great the new specs and features of the GoPro Hero 9 are. You already know how awesome the new features are like the removable lens, new sensor, horizon leveling, front facing screen, bigger battery, and better image quality. It’s going to speak about the 9 Things to Know Before Buying The GoPro Hero 9. But if you are looking for a side-by-side comparison post, check out this article on 9 Unadvertised Improvements In The New GoPro Hero 9 – a GoPro Hero 8 vs Hero 9 comparison post.
This post is not going to do a side-by-side comparison of previous models or other action camera brands. It is simply going to talk about the things no one is mentioning in all those GoPro Hero 9 tech review videos on YouTube and the internet. It is going to bring about the sneaky things GoPro is putting in their Terms and Conditions that you’re not really paying attention to. GoPro created a sneaky way to get all of us to sign up for their subscription-based program. BTW it failed them last year with the release of the Hero 8. We will see how they do on this release.
Don’t want to read the whole post? Watch the video instead!
In this blog post, I’m going to talk about 9 things you should know before buying (or upgrading) GoPro Hero 9 Black!
Diving Right In
GoPro is really trying to push its year subscription service which boasts unlimited cloud storage, total camera replacement, and up to 50% off at GoPro.com all for just $4.17/mo or $49.99 billed yearly! But is it really worth it? This is just one of the things to know before buying the GoPro Hero 9 Black edition!
1. GoPro Plus AKA Their Subscription Service
So the way GoPro is getting you to sign up for this service is by enticing you with a ridiculously good deal. They are taking the new Hero 9 Black, which is retailing at $449.99 and dropping the price to $299.99. Then making you buy the subscription for $49.99, which brings your grand total to $349.98. I think it’s a weird promotional gimmick. If it were up to me, I would have rather seen GoPro just knock off $100 bucks and say the first year’s subscription was free. People may be more on board with not wanting to prematurely cancel their subscription, but who am I to say?
2. You Can’t Just Cancel or Unsubscribe
What are most people thinking, oh, I’ll sign up for the subscription service then just cancel and get the camera still for an amazing price…WRONG! GoPro has obviously already thought ahead on this one. You can thank their legal team!
As stated in the terms and conditions, “If GoPro subscription is purchased as part of a bundled camera promotion, the customer may cancel the subscription portion of the bundle post-purchase and acknowledges they will be charged the full retail price of the camera.” And stated in a different location on their website, “…there will be no pro-rated refunds for canceled subscriptions.” So basically you are locked in on their subscription-based service for one year. They are just betting on you forgetting to cancel the service before it renews in a year.
Recommended: Best Accessories and Gear For GoPro
//Or need some accessories when diving with your GoPro, then head here!
Memory | current price
Make sure to get the right Card for your action camera as some cards don’t respond the same way. On my GoPro Hero 8, I had the 128 Samsung card it would randomly format on even though it was an approved card on GoPro’s website! This card I have used and have yet to have any issues on either the Hero8 or Hero9!
Check the SD Card Price. It’s been consistently cheaper on Amazon when compared to buying on GoPro.com.
Mount | current price here
This mini GoPro tripod extension pole is amazing! Definitely get yourself one of these as it can serve three purposes! The tripod, short selfy, and long selfie stick!
Check the pole’s price here as it too has been consistently cheaper on Amazon when compared to buying on GoPro.com.
Floaty | current price here
This floaty thing is magnificent especially if you want that peace of mind when using your camera in places other than the swimming pool!
Check the floaty’s price here for the cheapest current price!
Suction Cup | current price here
This suction cup mount is a must if you want to stick this and none of your other mounts can do the trick! Put it on a window, car, linoleum, or even a smooth wall!
Check the suction cup mount price here for its cheapest price.
Looking For GoPro Filters To Up Your Cinematography and Photography?
Then head on over to our post about the best GoPro filters for better videos and photos. And learn what the best ways are to set up your camera with your new filters!
Find The Best GoPro Products and Accessories at Amazon.com
3. Can’t Add More Promotional Discounts
If you have other promotional discounts or use that online service, Honey, don’t expect to get a better GoPro discount on your already super discounted Hero 9 Black GoPro. It’s annoying because GoPro asks you for your email when you visit their site, you know their email marketing campaigns to sell you more stuff, in exchange for a measly 10% off coupon. But then when you go to check out and input that 12-character long code, it doesn’t work.
In their terms and conditions, it says, “offer cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts or promo codes, or applied to previous purchases.” You can’t bundle up coupons and discounts when purchasing the new GoPro Hero 9 Black if you are choosing to sign up for the subscription plan. Plain and simple, other discounts can’t be added together!
Are You A First Time GoPro Buyer All Together? Find What Is The Cheapest GoPro Camera For You Below!
Most places in the USA are selling the Hero9 Black, but not nearly at as much of a discount as GoPro.com is and especially with their killer Holiday Bundle Sale. You will be saving upwards of $200! This deal includes the Floating Hand Grip, the Magnetic Swivel Clip, a Spare Battery, a 32GB SD Card, and last but not least the Camera Case!
4. Don’t Expect All The Mods
You know the tricked out GoPro modifications AKA “MODS” that are so nifty and quite essential to your new GoPro setup, well don’t expect them with your new purchase. Or at least right away! The reason being, not all of the media mods and even the new accessories (like the max lens mod) are available at the time of releasing the new GoPro.
Some products just aren’t available or have already sold out completely. Come on GoPro, why not expect a huge demand with this camera?!?! There is no indication of when these items will be available on the site. GoPro is just sort of leaving you hanging with no clue of when they will become live on the site.
//Care to check out our camera gear guide. Perfect if you’re buying for someone or for yourself. Free packing list as well 😉
5. Unlimited Storage, But Not for All…
No way!? Unlimited Cloud Storage! 100% of your GoPro footage at 100% quality, no reduced quality whatsoever! Wow, sounds great! However, there is one caveat. It can only be from approved GoPro files captured with a GoPro device. Don’t expect to be adding in your DJI drone or your Sony A7iii or your Canon EOS R files…Basically only count on being able to add anything that is a GoPro file that came from a GoPro-approved camera.
With that being said, the 360 degree GoPro Fusion camera that was released in January 2018 is the only GoPro camera that isn’t allowed on the GoPro Plus Subscription cloud-based storage service. GoPro will know and stop you in your tracks if you try a fast one on them!
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6. 50% Percent Discount* (Buyer Beware)
If you’re stoked on being able to buy products on GoPro.com at a 50% discount with your new subscription, beware… You can only purchase gear, mounts, & accessories that are made by GoPro, but you’re only allowed to purchase 10 eligible items per anniversary subscription year. What’s up with that? Also, it is only up to 50% off. In fact, most things are actually 30% off and non-GoPro made items are excluded in this offer. Like SD cards.
Are you looking for a comparison post discussing the GoPro Hero 8 vs Hero 9?
Then check out this post on 9 Unadvertised Improvements In The New GoPro Hero 9.
7. Get A NEW GoPro-No Questions Asked, But Should I Ask a Question?
Awesome, I can get a no questions asked exchange of my GoPro Hero 9 Black camera, oh you mean even if there is nothing wrong with it and I just want another one, YUP! With this awesome perk, you can only trade in your camera up to 2 times in a subscription year—and again, for any and no reason at all to replace it. But there is a “trade-in-fee”.
Of course, there is a trade-in fee, but how much is it? They obviously don’t plaster it right on the front page, they hide it somewhere…they have to…So, after clicking on this and clicking on that, I managed to find the breakdown of the fees for each of their cameras. Also, they must receive the camera you no longer want, first, before they send you the new one.
Ooops, did I forget to add-in the “trade-in fee”? See what I did there? Trying to be like GoPro.
It’s a $99 trade-in fee–each time you want/need a new GoPro Hero 9 Black camera and it has to be the same model as the one purchased. Here is a list of eligible items and their associated claim service fees.
8. Legal Stuff
Even with all the features that the subscription yields, GoPro can deactivate and postpone your account/subscription at any time. Lovely, huh? Something else to add, just like any other legally binding terms & conditions document out there, they “GoPro” reserve the right to change it at any time. So just stay up to date with their T’s & C’s and read it when they say they are notifying you of an update/change because everything I stated above could possibly be tossed out the window with one update to their terms & conditions.
Care to check out our recommended camera gear list. It’s everything we have and would only recommend things we use and truly love!
9. A Picture Is Not Worth a Thousand Amperes
If you are looking to be doing a lot with your camera while doing something crazy and adventurous or just being out and about. You may want to think about getting some extra batteries. Even with the 30% longer lasting bigger battery life claim, you will most likely still be needing more juice from your GoPro Hero 9 Black!
Fortunately, GoPro has released another charging system that will charge two batteries at once! Allowing you to get the most out of your new action camera while doing epic stuff!
However, buyer beware because a picture is obviously not worth a thousand amperes…to GoPro that is!
When doing my research, I was very optimistic to get the Hero 9 Black and the extra batteries to fuel my adventures all day long without needing to think about charging. So when I saw that GoPro was offering a dual charger, I instantly added it to the shopping cart solely based on photography advertising.
BIG MISTAKE!
I goofed up not looking at the finer text and even not looking at the product title clearly saying “HERO9 Black Dual Battery Charger + Spare Battery“. It doesn’t say spare batteries, it just says battery…
When the package arrived and I saw the packing picture, it was totally different from what it shows on the website. I instantly knew my dreadful mistake. Clearly, I only bought something that had one battery instead of two batteries.
I don’t know if this is GoPro’s way of tricking you into buying something that is 49.99 (34.99 after the discount with their subscription). Or if they truly made an advertising mistake and just hope that the buyer will read all the details. Who knows!
Just don’t make the same mistake I did, thinking you’re getting two extra batteries and a dual charger. Know what you are buying before hitting that confirmation button! Always double-check!
After reading about these 9 things to know before buying GoPro Hero 9 Black; should you still upgrade?
Well with the amazing technical specs, it’s a big no brainer in my opinion. But with GoPro’s fiendish manner of trying to lure us into their subscription plan by saving us a few bucks. I say I am a little more than skeptical of purchasing the new camera at the discounted rate.
I don’t want to get stuck in a subscription plan that I’ll forget to deactivate before it renews. Or deactivates it too quickly and be charged the full price of the camera. Also, I really do not want to pay a $99 “trade-in fee” if anything happens to my camera, but also, I don’t want to purchase a whole new camera outright for $449.99 if anything damaging does happen to it. I guess that it is just like your deductible with any other insurance. This is just now your GoPro insurance!!
The bottom line is, this is the best possible price out there. You can not get it any cheaper even without buying the subscription plan. The places that sell GoPros are Amazon, Best Buy, REI, Walmart, Target, Dick’s, and even Sportman’s Warehouse. Yet, no one else is going to offer you a cheaper price than at GoPro.com, even with having to spend the extra $49.99 on the one year automatically renewing subscription plan. And because I can resell my current GoPro Hero 8 Black with the extra accessories. For the exact same price of this new fully loaded upgraded GoPro Hero 9 Black Bundled with the added features of the GoPro Plus Subscription, then why the heck not?!
GoPro Hero 9 | current price
Not sure why, but as of right now, you can not buy just the Hero 9 on Amazon. You must get the combo bundle pack, which is a bit more!
Check the current price of the GoPro Hero 9 bundle on Amazon.
GoPro Hero 8 | current price
Check the current price of the Hero 8 on Amazon.
GoPro Hero 7 | check prices here
Check the current price of the Hero 7 on Amazon.
Don’t Forget About The Other Guys (i.e., Costco Selling GoPro at Cheapest Price Ever)
Unfortunately, this Costco Holiday Deal is over. However, if you are still looking for the best place to buy a GoPro Hero8 Black Edition Costco.com might still be your best bet! They were offering $100 off their online price of $339.99! That’s insane! But now they are offering their GoPro HERO8 Black Action Camera Bundle for a killer price of 289.99.
I mean that is $20 bucks cheaper than what Amazon is selling it for and you get the floaty handgrip, two batteries (like legit 2 batteries), an SD card, and a travel case! And only $60 more expensive than the Hero7! That’s still a pretty good deal!
Yet, if you buy directly from GoPro, they are selling the Hero8 for just $10 more (here) and that includes their subscription service. If you made it this far and are convinced the GoPro Subscription Plan is right for you but don’t need all the bells and whistles of the Hero 9 Black, then the Hero 8 might be your best bet!
If you are looking to find the Hero 9 GoPro Camera cost in USA, then going to the places mentioned above like Best Buy, REI, Amazon, and even places like Target or Walmart will have it. But again, you won’t find a better deal or price of GoPro camera anywhere else than what GoPro themselves is offering.
If you are truly looking for the GoPro cheapest model out there, you can find a GoPro Hero 3 model for literally $89.99 here if that’s your flavor or try looking for older models on Facebook marketplace or even ebay, craigslist, or letgo!
Unfortunately, the advertised Hero8 GoPro Action Camera Bundle has since ended with its sweet deal. However, Costco has FINALLY made the jump up to GoPro’s Newest flagship camera at their stores, the GoPro HERO9 Black Action Camera, and even better, they are offering as a bundle as well. Though not as good of a deal as the Hero 8, still a great deal nonetheless at a whopping $389.99 price point!
You can get these sweet action cameras in-store or online. Please note, you do need to have a membership in order to reap the member-only exclusive deals!!
Find The Best GoPro Products and Accessories at Amazon.com
Final Words
“Should I get a GoPro, Is GoPro worth it in the end, or should I buy a GoPro?” These are all valid questions you should have been asking yourself throughout this article. As you worked your way down the headings, were you able to answer your own question easier? Or did each point make it harder for you to make a decision? I hope you were able to narrow it down just a wee bit and find the answers to your questions.
Let us know if you found this article on 9 things to know before buying the GoPro Hero 9 Black helpful. Or what you decided to do in the end. Did you buy the GoPro Hero 9 outright, with the subscription plan, or did you decide to go with an older model or even a completely different brand of action camera like the Insta360 or Osmo Action by DJI?
