My Rent the Runway Unlimited experience
What should I wear today? This is often the first sentence that runs through my mind after waking up. It's probably one of the things you think of in the morning too! What if I told you I found a way to make the start to my day a lot easier and more stylish. Yep. Problem solved. Thanks to Rent the Runway Unlimited. Rent The Runway's monthly subscription program has become a game-changer for all my morning problems.
I first learned about Rent the Runway when they invited me to a blogger event in Atlanta several years ago. I immediately fell in love with the concept of renting designer clothing and returning it after you’ve worn it. I’ve used the subscription clothing service several times for vacations, weddings, and special events. It wasn’t until recently when I learned about Rent the Runway Unlimited, their monthly subscription service. I spotted a girl in my office building wearing a jacket that I loved and asked her where she got it. She responded to say that she rented in from Rent the Runway Unlimited and hadn’t returned it. I immediately was intrigued and went to Google this unlimited service which was new at the time.
What is Rent the Runway Unlimited?
With the Unlimited plan, you can select up to 4 pieces at a time. When you’re done wearing one of the pieces, send it back in the mail for free to exchange it for another item. Rental orders arrive in black garment bags within two to three business days via UPS or a local partner drop off location in your city. The dry cleaning and insurance are taken care of. They also have another plan that lets you select four pieces a month, which is a cheaper option that works the same way.
A benefit of being a WW (formerly Weight Watchers) member, is that you get reward points for hitting everyday milestones, like tracking food, walking 10k steps, or attending a local meeting. At the end of 2019, I had points I wanted to use and one of the rewards options was a free month of Rent the Runway Unlimited. In December, I started a new full-time job and wanted something new to wear without breaking my year without shopping. I took advantage of the free month of Rent the Unlimited to score a few work-appropriate pieces.
I loved the program so much, that I decided to try the monthly subscription service for a few more months. I’m two months into the paid service. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way.
Rent the Runway Unlimited subscription hacks
Browse Quick Picks
After a few rounds of rentals, I recommend browsing the “quick picks” section on the main dashboard. I found that Rent the Runway started to curate a personalized collection of recommended looks they thought I would like based on my style and what’s in season. There were a few pieces in the “quick picks” section that I loved but probably wouldn’t have searched for originally.
Check out the new arrivals section
Every Saturday, Rent the Runway release a new collection of clothing and accessories. I recommend hopping on early Saturday to see what new items have arrived. I logged in on a Thursday and there were barely any new arrivals left to rent.
Read the Reviews
My biggest piece of advice to anyone planning on getting a Rent the Runway Unlimited subscription is to read the reviews. I found this to be very beneficial since I am petite. The comments on the reviews are pretty authentic and I tried to take advantage of Rent the Runway’s photo reviews to see what each clothing item and accessory looked like on a real person. I also looked for other renters who had similar body types to mine.
Purchase something if you love it
Last month I rented a Donna Morgan jumpsuit and fell in love with it. It was only $35 to purchase the item from Rent the Runway, which was a steal in my mind. So I decided to buy it. The pants are a bit long, so I’ll have to get them altered to wear the jumpsuit long term.
Take a break from the service
Like a gym membership, Rent the Runway lets you pause your monthly subscription service or reduce the number of pieces you can rent in a month. I have a few large purchases to make in the next month or so, and my subscription will need to take a break in my budget.
Hold on to items for as long as you want
I just found out from a very helpful Rent the Runway customer service agent that you can keep items you’ve rented for as long as you wish. The kicker is you’ll continue to be billed for that item in your monthly subscription.
Rent items you usually wouldn’t wear
With any clothing subscription service, I always recommend taking a leap of faith by borrowing pieces that you usually wouldn’t have in your wardrobe. I needed a purple dress for a work function, so I rented it from Rent the Runway unlimited and returned it after I wore it.
If you are interested in trying Rent the Runway for yourself, click here to save $100 off your first month using my referral code.
