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For the past 16 years my Amazon Prime subscription has been a convenient, time saving tool for me and my family. In this post I’ll go through the 31 perks that make it worth it for me, so you can decide if it's the right fit for you.
How Much Does A Prime Membership Cost?
An annual Amazon Prime membership costs $14.99 per month, or $139 per year. New members receive a 30 day free trial with the yearly Prime membership.
Three Different Types Of Prime Memberships
There are three different types of Amazon Prime memberships. Some memberships are based on specific eligibility factors to qualify:
Perk #1 Amazon Prime (Annual):
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service that gives access to benefits such as discounted pricing, fast and free shipping, and early access to sales. The easiest way to know if it’s worth it is try an Amazon Prime 6 month trial for free.
Perk #2 Prime Access
Prime Access is half the price of regular Prime if you qualify for government assistance programs such as SNAP, and Medicaid. If you get social security and receive benefits you may also qualify for Prime Access. Plus, a thirty day free trial is available to try it out.
Perk #3 Prime Student (aka Young Adults) :
Prime Student is a membership program designed for college students aged 18 to 24. New members can enjoy a six-month trial period, courtesy of GrubHub, then pay $7.49 or $69.00 per year. Students benefit from free delivery, access to a wide range of entertainment options, discounts on textbooks, and exclusive Prime benefits.
Shipping Perks Of Amazon Prime
Perk #4 Fast and Free Delivery:
Amazon Prime’s fast, free and discounted shipping (for certain items) has always helped us in a pinch. From kid’s Cotillion dresses, jazz shoes, to printer ink and school supplies, speedy shipping 1. saves me trips to the store and 2. gives me my time back. Here’s other shipping options that you can enjoy with Prime.
Perk #5 Free Shipping:
Prime members can choose from Free Shipping on over 100 million eligible items, over the $25 threshold.
Perk #6 Prime Now Delivery:
With Prime Now you can get 2 hour delivery windows on all types of essentials. Choose from stores such as Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, Whole Foods Catering, Bristol Farms, and Rite Aid.
Prime members enjoy the added benefit of complimentary GrubHub delivery services. Note: this is a limited time deal. This includes unlimited $0 delivery fees and exclusive discounts on eligible orders. There’s such a ride range of restaurants on GrubHub making it a great choice for meals delivered directly to your doorstep.
Perk #7 Free Two-Day Shipping:
Two day shipping is the main reason my subscription is worth it for my family. For us, most of our deliveries arrive within 2 days. It’s important to remember weather, location, and eligibility and product availability all affect shipping speeds.
Perk #8 Same-Day Delivery:
Prime subscribers have access to tens of thousands of items available for free, Same Day Delivery. These items are conveniently categorized in the Same Day Store or noted on product and checkout pages.
Perk #9 Amazon Day Delivery:
This shipping method lets you choose a specific, weekly delivery day. This means fewer delivery trucks, and fewer boxes. Most importantly, you get what you need when it works best for your schedule.
Perk #10 Prime Pickup:
There’s a few options to pickup your Amazon orders in person.
Amazon Hub offers business locations like UPS Access, apartment complexes, and even university campuses to host a locker or counter for customers to securely pickup items.
Also known as Amazon Counter (inside Kohl’s and WholeFoods) or Amazon Locker (inside RiteAid) there’s a network of options in the U.S. for your pickup needs.
Perk #11 Free Release-Date Delivery:
Certain pre-order items are delivered straight to you on their release day. Think movie premieres, video games, collectibles and hard-cover books. Once the release day rolls around it automatically ships to you.
Perk #12 Free No Rush Shipping:
When you don’t need things right away you can earn a digital reward by selecting “No Rush Shipping”. It also helps out other customers because Amazon can prioritize urgent orders for those customer. Discounts are applied to your current order, or once your order is shipped.
Perk #13 No Rush Rewards:
By choosing No Rush Shipping you can earn No Rush Rewards, a digital discount or credit applied to your order or account. Keep in mind certain credits expire, so be sure to check your balance by clicking the “Check Your Prime No Rush Rewards Credit” button.
Perk #14 Prime Big Deal Days:
This 48 hour exclusive deals event is primarily for Amazon Prime members. This year it runs from October 8 - 9 with discounts up to 60% off top holiday gifts, electronics like Amazon devices, beauty and clothing. Because I’m a Prime members I’ve been able to shop early deals.
Perk #15 Subscribe and Save:
Subscriptions make my life so much easier. I can choose to get my family’s favorite items on a schedule so that we don’t run out. I can pick the quantity, and delivery frequency. Plus, it’s easy to modify or cancel any subscription.
Amazon Entertainment Perks
Perk #16 Prime Video:
Prime Video, a favorite perk for my family, offers every category you can imagine for video entertainment.
From documentaries to unscripted and original programming you’ll find something entertaining, educational or informational to enjoy.
Recently I watched the Amazon Original Series, “Outer Range”. Hooked by the first couple of suspenseful scenes, I watched the whole series (sometimes 2 episodes back to back).
My husband and I also love “Clarkson's Farm”. It's a delightful Amazon Originals show about Jeremy Clarkson, who's famous for hosting “The Grand Tour”, (also by Amazon) trying to run a farm in England. He's got his usual funny and blunt style, and it's our favorite show.
Besides original programming, you can add-on premium channel subscriptions to Prime Video, like MAX and Discovery+.
Perk #17 Prime Music:
With Prime Music you get access to ad-free songs, and podcasts. If you want offline and unlimited listening, also ad free, try Amazon Music Unlimited.
Perk #18 Prime Gaming:
Prime Gaming offers a rotating selection of free games. In addition you get a monthly Twitch channel sub, daily challenges and the access to play across devices.
Perk #19 Prime Early Access:
As a Prime member, you’re eligible for early access to Lightning Deals. These are limited discounts, typically lasting for 6 hours, only available to Prime members.
Perk #20 Prime Day Deals:
Prime members only get access to the annual shopping event, Amazon Prime Day. Whether it’s discounts, lightening deals or invite only deals (these are so fun to discover!) you can benefit from great only-for-you promotional codes.
Perk #21 Just For Prime:
Just For Prime are exclusive deals only for Prime members. From discounts to unique offers, having a Prime offers a different level shopping experience.
Perk #22 Prime Try Before You Buy:
Try Before You Buy lets you try out eligible clothes, accessories and shoes in the comfort of your home. With a 7-day trial period, you can see if clothes and shoes work for you before you commit to buying them.
Perk #23 Prime Photos:
Want to keep all your photo memories safe without worrying about running out of space? As a Prime Photos member, you get:
- unlimited storage
- full resolution photo storage
- 5 gigs of video storage
Perk #24 Prime Reading:
There’s no need to only have a Kindle device to enjoy Prime Reading. You can read books on your phone or tablet using the free Kindle apps for iOS and Android. Members have unlimited access to over 1000, books, comics, and magazines.
For example, I bought Stanley Tucci’s book, “Taste: My Life Through Food ” on Amazon. It is still one of my favorite books. Both autobiography with some family recipes sprinkled, there’s anecdotes related to wine, spirits and Italy. I find myself flipping though the pages often to revisit making those recipes.
Perk #25 First Reads:
Get a sneak peek at the best new books with Amazon First Reads. Prime members can read selected titles a month before they’re available to book stores. Every month choose one, featured book. Don’t have Prime? Then you’ll pay $1.99.
Amazon Prime Grocery Benefits:
Perk #26 Amazon Fresh:
For those moments when you need groceries but you’re so busy you don’t know how to fit in a shopping trip? Amazon Fresh helps by giving members unlimited grocery delivery for $9.99 per month. When your orders are over $100 you bypass a delivery fee. If you want to pickup your Fresh order it’s free, but additional charges occur for rush orders.
Perk #27 Amazon Go:
Grab a coffee, a bite to eat, or a snack at Amazon Go stores. Plus, with Just Walk Out, you can shop super fast and skip the checkout line. This feature links to your Amazon cart and payment method, so whatever you take off a shelf gets added to your cart, no scanning needed. When you walk out through an exit gate you’ll be charged for only the items you’ve taken off the shelf.
Amazon Prime Healthcare Benefits:
Perk #28 Amazon One Medical:
Amazon One Medical provides convenient access to primary care, with both virtual and in-person appointments. Prime members can enjoy discounted rates, too. With Amazon Clinic, you have access to virtual consultations for common health conditions.
Perk #29 Amazon Pharmacy:
Amazon Pharmacy offers a wide range of prescription medications for common conditions.
Prime members can access:
1. Exclusive discounts and savings
2. RXPass offers many medications at discounted rates
3. Automatically applied manufacturers coupons at checking out
Perk #30 Free Amazon Locker Pickup:
Amazon Locker is a convenient way for customers to pick up packages at secure locations instead of their home or office.
Perk #31 Buy With Prime:
Buy With Prime lets you shop on other websites using your Amazon account. Your payment and shipping info is already set up, so you can get your stuff fast and free, just like on Amazon. The list of stores keeps growing, so it’s always good to check back often to see what's new.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, Amazon Prime offers a wide range of benefits that cater to various interests and needs. From fast and free shipping to entertainment options and exclusive deals, there's a perk for every part of your lifestyle. The best way to find out if Amazon Prime is worthwhile is to sign up and test it out for yourself.
P.S. Are you interested in becoming an Amazon Associate? You can recommend products to your audience and earn a commission on every sale: Amazon Associate. It's a great way to monetize your blog or social media.
Xoxo,
Nicole
