What is Amazon Prime? Subscription gets you free deliveries, movies and more
Amazon Prime has more than 200 million members worldwide who can stream movies, TV and music and get free deliveries, discounts and shop special events such as Amazon Prime Day and Big Deal Days.
If you are a frequent shopper on Amazon, you might want to consider becoming an Amazon Prime member.
A subscription ($14.99 per month or $139 annually) gets shoppers many perks including free same-day, one-day, and two-day delivery on millions of items, plus grocery delivery, as well as 10% off some purchases at Amazon Fresh and sale items at Whole Foods Markets, a GrubHub+ subscription – and, most recently, a 10-cent discount on gasoline at about 7,000 Amoco, AM/PM and BP gas stations across the U.S.
Amazon Prime, which currently has more than 200 million members worldwide, has more than 300 million items available with free Prime shipping in the U.S. – 20 times the selection available for free shipping when Prime launched in 2005, Amazon Prime Vice President Jamil Ghani recently told Paste BN.
The Amazon Prime perks go beyond shopping, too. Prime members can stream Amazon Prime Video, which includes original series such as "Cross," "The Boys" and "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," plus Thursday Night Football, broadcasts of National Women's Soccer League matches – and next year, NBA games. Other Prime benefits include Amazon Music, Amazon Photos, and Amazon Prime Reading and GrubHub+.
Here's everything to know about Amazon Prime memberships as the holiday shopping season begins.
How much does Amazon Prime cost?
The standard price for Amazon Prime is $14.99 per month, or $139 annually after a 30-day free trial.
Students (ages 18-24) can get a six-month free trial and then pay a discounted rate of $7.49 monthly or $69 annually. Those receiving government assistance via programs such as SNAP, Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid can get a discounted Prime Access membership of $6.99 monthly.
Is Amazon Prime worth it?
If you make a lot of purchases on Amazon Prime, you can rack up shipping charges that surpass the $139 annual fee. That's because on most purchases you need to spend more than $35 for free delivery. And, if timeliness is important, Prime members typically get free deliveries faster than non-Prime members. "If you spent more than $139 in shipping fees last year and can get what you need on Amazon, Prime is probably worth it for you," according to Nerdwallet.
If you stream a lot of movies and TV series – and music – Amazon Prime may be a good deal just for the content.
A Prime Video standalone subscription is $8.99 monthly, that adds up to $107.88 for 12 months – approaching the cost of the entire annual Prime subscription.
When it comes to music, non-Prime members can listen to Amazon Music for free with advertisements, but Prime members get to listen without ads as part of their subscription. Prime members also get a discount of $1 monthly on Amazon Music Unlimited – ad-free high-def music on demand and playable when offline – which costs $10.99 monthly for non-members.
"The best way to figure out if an Amazon Prime membership is worthwhile: Sign up for the free trial," suggests Nerdwallet. "Then, you can decide whether to make the investment."
How to sign up for Amazon Prime
Want to sign up for Amazon Prime? You can go to the Amazon website at www.amazon.com/amazonprime. You can also sign up for Amazon Prime on a mobile browser (go to amazon.com/prime).
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