(Credit: Bob Al-Greene)
What started in 2005 as a simple subscription for free shipping has evolved into a full-fledged membership program with over 200 million members. But what does an Amazon Prime membership get you in 2024? Subscribers receive shipping benefits, exclusive discounts, and access to multiple Amazon-owned services like Prime Video and Amazon Music, but there's a lot more to it.
If you're having trouble keeping track of everything included in the program, or are trying to determine if it's worth the money, here's what you need to know about Amazon Prime.
How Much Is Amazon Prime?
The cost of an Amazon Prime membership differs depending on how you want to pay. As of February 2022, it costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, so with the annual rate, you save $40. We've seen a few price hikes over the years as e-commerce exploded and Amazon added more perks: From $79 to $99 in 2014 and then to $119 in 2018, before reaching its current price. Prices across Europe have also increased by up to 43%.
If $139 is too much, there are ways to avoid paying full price for shipping. First-time subscribers can sign up for a free 30-day trial. Students can sign up for Prime Student, which costs $7.49 per month or $69 for the full year and offers exclusive discounts. Those who qualify for government assistance, such as EBT or Medicaid, can get Prime for $6.99 a month for up to four years.
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- Apple AirPods Pro 2 ANC Earbuds With USB-C Charging Case for $153.99 (List Price $249.00)
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- Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Device With Remote (2023 Model) for $21.99 (List Price $49.99)
- Blink Outdoor 4 1080p Security Camera (3-Pack) for $99.99 (List Price $259.99)
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If you want Prime just for the free shipping, you can get free delivery in 5-8 business days by spending $35 or more on eligible items. Or subscribe to specific items if you buy something regularly. This will knock 15% off the final price and qualify you for free delivery.
What Does a Prime Membership Include?
The biggest benefit of an Amazon Prime membership is free shipping, but you also get unlimited access to many Amazon-owned services, such as Prime Video and Amazon Music, and extras are added all the time. Here's a (non-exhaustive) list of what you get:
Free Delivery
Free two-day shipping on eligible items.
Free one-day shipping with no minimum purchase on select items.
Free same-day shipping on orders $25 and over in eligible ZIP codes (or a $2.99 fee for orders under the minimum).
Free release-date shipping for eligible pre-order items.
Free no-rush shipping.
Free Amazon Day Delivery, where all your weekly Amazon orders are delivered on the same day each week.
Free in-garage delivery through the Amazon Key service on your Amazon Day Delivery (a $1.99 fee on any other day), a great way to protect your front door deliveries.
Shopping Perks
Prime Day/Big Deal Days: Prime members get access to special deals on Prime Day and Big Deal Days events, as well as Black Friday.
Whole Foods: Prime members get exclusive discounts when shopping at Amazon-owned Whole Foods. Two-hour delivery is also available in select cities.
Amazon Fresh: Amazon Fresh offers 1-hour pickup or 2-hour delivery windows in more than 2,000 US cities and towns. Prime members can get free delivery on purchases over $100 and save 10% on eligible in-store purchases at physical Amazon Fresh stores. Or, for $9.99 per month extra, members in over 3,500 US cities and towns get unlimited grocery delivery on orders over $35 from Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, and other grocery and specialty retailers available on Amazon. You also get 1-hour delivery, unlimited 30-minute pickup, and priority access to Recurring Reservations.
Try Before You Buy: Prime members have access to the Try Before You Buy program that allows you to try on clothing at home before committing to a purchase.
Amazon Elements: Subscribers gain access to Amazon Elements, the company's line of everyday essentials, including vitamins and supplements.
Shopbop: Free shipping and free returns on all Shopbop orders.
Woot!: Free standard shipping on all Woot! orders and free express shipping on shirt orders.
Zappos: Link your Prime account with Zappos to get free upgraded shipping on all orders.
The Best Black Friday Deals on PCMag's "Best of the Year" Picks
Included Subscriptions and Services
Prime Video: Amazon's Prime Video service includes 4K and HDR streaming, original content, live sports, and offline downloading. The free offering was recently downgraded to an ad-supported tier, and features like Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision were removed. You need to pay an extra $2.99 per month to ditch ads and get those missing features back.
Music Prime: Amazon Music Prime lets subscribers stream more than 100 million songs from the company's music library, though you're limited to shuffle play. For on-demand music, you need Amazon Music Unlimited for $9.99 per month (or $5.99 per month for a single-device plan).
Prime Gaming: Each month, Prime Gaming gives subscribers free PC games and in-game loot to claim, as well as a selection of titles to play via Amazon Luna. Twitch benefits include one free channel sub, exclusive chat benefits, and extended storage for past broadcasts.
Prime Reading: Borrow thousands of books, magazines, and comics from Amazon's digital catalog for free with Prime Reading. You also get Amazon First Reads, which lets you pick one free ebook each month and get early access to select titles.
Amazon Photos: Prime includes unlimited full-resolution photo storage and up to 5GB of video storage through Amazon Photos. Here's how to get started.
Amazon Kids+: Members pay $5.99 per month ($48 per year) for access to age-appropriate content and parental control options on Amazon Kids devices. (Child-focused devices, like Echo Dot Kids and Amazon Fire tablet, come with a free year of Kids+.)
Grubhub+: Prime members get Grubhub+ for free, which normally costs $9.99 per month and gets you unlimited free delivery on orders of $12 or more (before tax and tip), exclusive in-app perks and rewards, and more.
Medical Care
Amazon Pharmacy: Get free two-day delivery and exclusive discounts on medication orders through Amazon Pharmacy. Free same-day delivery is available in select cities.
RX Savings: Prime members can also get an RX Savings card that can help you save up to 80% on prescriptions at physical pharmacies when paying without insurance.
RXPass: Prime-exclusive RXPass gets you all your eligible medication for $5 per month.
One Medical: For an extra $9 per month (or $99 per year), Prime members get access to One Medical's healthcare services. While you still need traditional health insurance, One Medical offers in-office doctor visits in eligible areas as well as 24/7 virtual on-demand care. Members can also add up to five family members for $6 per month (or $66 per year) each.
Is Amazon Prime Worth It?
When it comes to subscription services, worth all comes down to how often you use what you're paying for. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month, but that comes down to $11.58 with the $139 annual Prime plan. Are you getting that money back in value each month?
To answer that question, think about how often you make purchases on Amazon and get free shipping as a result of Prime. Or consider how much you're paying for shipping without a membership and see if that number is higher than what you'd pay for a membership.
Prime offers many perks that can make it feel worthwhile, but services like Prime Video and Music Prime sweeten the deal only as much as you watch movies and listen to music through those services. If you prefer Netflix, already pay for Spotify, and don't buy groceries online, a subscription may not be worth it to you.
How to Sign Up for Amazon Prime
Ready to become an Amazon Prime member? Head over to the Amazon Prime sign-up page and click Start your free 30-day trial. Sign in with your existing Amazon account, or click Create your Amazon account if you don't already have one. You then simply add a Prime membership on top of your free Amazon account.
How to Share an Amazon Prime Membership
You don't have to get Amazon Prime for everyone in your house. Instead, set up an Amazon Household to share your Prime account and all the benefits that come with it. Once set up, you can manage your Household to add new members, remove anyone you previously added, share digital content with them, and share payment methods.
You can add up to two adults (including yourself), four teenagers, and four children to a household, which comes in handy when adding multiple users to the same Echo device.
How to Cancel Amazon Prime
If you need to cancel Amazon Prime, open Account & Lists > Account > Prime and click Update, cancel, and more under the Manage Membership section. Select End membership at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Amazon will try to convince you to stay, so click Cancel My Benefits > Continue to Cancel to follow through.
Living overseas? EU regulators think this process has too many steps, so Amazon is making it even easier to cancel your membership.
How to Make Amazon Returns and Contact Customer Service (PCMag)
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