Is an Amazon Prime membership worth it? Here's what you need to know
Enjoy free shipping, exclusive deals, access to Prime Video streaming and more.
From scoping out the best deals and sales to taking advantage of coupons and promo codes, it isn't always easy to find ways to save while shopping. An Amazon Prime membership is arguably one of the most popular memberships because of the endless perks it comes with. Whether you’re shopping, streaming or traveling, Amazon Prime offers perks that make everyday life more convenient and cost-effective. Is a Prime membership worth it for you? Find out more about how much it costs, member-only discounts on gas, Prime Video and Kindle, how to access exclusive sales and deals.
Highlights about Amazon Prime
- How much does Amazon Prime cost?
- Does Amazon offer any discounted Prime memberships?
- What are the benefits of an Amazon Prime membership?
- What are the streaming and digital benefits included with a Prime membership?
- Is Amazon Prime worth it?
- How do I sign up for Amazon Prime?
What is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is a paid membership service that offers perks like free shipping and access to exclusive deals. The popular membership can be paid monthly or annually and users can cancel at any time within the billing window to avoid being penalized. That means there's no commitment, especially if you opt to pay month-to-month.
How much does Amazon Prime cost?
New members can try one week of Amazon Prime benefits for just $1.99. After that, Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year. The annual plan will save you about $40 total compared to paying monthly.
Are there discounted Amazon Prime memberships?
Yes! Amazon has two discounted Prime membership options:
1. Amazon Prime for Young Adults (previously Prime for Students) is a new membership that is focused on perks for young adults between the ages of 18 and 24.
Eligible young adults can get a six-month Amazon Prime membership at zero cost and pay a discounted fee of $7.49 per month or $69 annually after that. This is a 50% discount compared to the full price of Amazon Prime. You no longer need to verify that you're a student for this discount, as long as your age falls between 18 and 24, you qualify for Prime for Young Adults. In order to verify your age, you will need to provide a copy of your driver's license, passport or other official documentation.
2. Prime Access: If you receive SNAP, EBT, Medicaid or other qualifying government aid, you can save with a discounted Prime Access membership.
Prime Access costs $3.50 per month for the first three months for qualifying EBT and Medicaid recipients, and $6.99 per month after that.
What are the benefits of an Amazon Prime membership?
The biggest benefit for Amazon Prime members is same-day, one-day and two-day delivery options on millions of products. The free and fast delivery perk makes shopping more convenient than ever. The newest Prime benefit will come with the launch of Alexa+, Amazon's new virtual assistant. There will be a fee of $19.99 per month to utilize the new assistant, but that fee only applies to non-Prime members. Prime members will get Alexa+ for free. Other benefits include:
- Special access to sales and lightning deals: Members get early access to select sales and timed lightning deals throughout the year, including events like Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Big Deal Days, Amazon’s Beauty Haul and more.
- Discounts on groceries: Prime members can shop Amazon Fresh online or in-store and save 10% thanks to exclusive deals. Get unlimited free delivery on orders of $35 or more from Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh and local retailers for $9.99 per month.
- Free Grubhub+: Prime members get a free Grubhub+ membership with $0 delivery fees, discounted service fees and more.
- Prime Fuel savings: Save $0.10 a gallon at more than 7,000 participating gas stations across the country.
What are the streaming and digital benefits included with a Prime membership?
- Prime Video: Prime members have access to Prime Video's extensive selection of premium content accessible across multiple devices. Users can stream and watch movies, television series, documentaries and live sports, including productions from Amazon MGM Studios; licensed popular titles; and content from partners like Max, Crunchyroll, and MGM+ via Prime Video Channels add-on subscriptions.
- Free titles at Audible: Prime members can sign up for an Audible Premium Plus trial with two free included credits that can be used on any titles.
- Prime Reading: Members get unlimited access to thousands of eBooks, magazines, comics and audiobooks, including quick reads from Amazon Original Stories.
- Amazon First Reads: Get early access to new books a month before they release. Prime members can choose one free Kindle book each month; non-Prime members pay $1.99. Titles are yours to keep.
- Amazon Music for Prime members: This included music streaming service allows members to shuffle through all music in Amazon's impressive catalog of top podcasts without advertisements.
- Amazon Music Unlimited: Offering 100 million songs on-demand and the majority of top podcasts without ads, this upgraded music streaming service provides offline listening and HD audio quality starting at $10.99 per month for Prime members.
- Prime Gaming: Prime members get complimentary games, a free Twitch channel subscription and additional gaming benefits each month at no extra cost.
- Amazon Photos: Prime members benefit from unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5GB of video storage with Amazon Photos. You can order printed products or even personalize your Echo Show or FireTV using Amazon Photos.
Is Amazon Prime worth it?
An Amazon Prime membership gets you fast shipping, access to popular subscription services, gas discounts and thousands of deals. If you want convenient shopping perks, affordable products and exclusive discounts, an Amazon Prime membership is totally worth it.
How do I sign up for Amazon Prime?
It is so easy to sign up for an Amazon Prime membership. Visit this link and enter your information, select your preferred payment cadence (monthly or annual) and you're in! Start shopping and enjoy all the benefits!