What started in 2005 as a simple subscription for free two-day shipping has evolved into a full-fledged membership program with over 200 million members. But what does an Amazon Prime membership get you in 2023?
Subscribers receive shipping benefits, exclusive discounts, and access to multiple Amazon-owned services like Prime Video and Amazon Music. During the upcoming Prime Big Deal Days on Oct. 10-11, Prime members also get access to exclusive deals. However, 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 everything you need to know about Amazon Prime.
How Much is Amazon Prime?
(Credit: Vicky Leta)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. Those who qualify for government assistance, such as EBT or Medicaid, can get Prime for $6.99 a month for up to four years.
If you want Prime just for the free shipping, you can qualify for 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 off 15% of the final price and qualify you for free delivery.
Amazon Prime
What Does a Prime Membership Include?
(Credit: Bob Al-Greene/PCMag)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.
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 great way to protect your front door deliveries.)
Shopping Perks
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 $150 and save 10% on eligible in-store purchases at a physical Amazon Fresh store.
Prime RX: Save up to 80% on prescriptions at over 60,000 pharmacies. Get free two-day delivery and exclusive discounts when placing orders through Amazon Pharmacy. Prime-exclusive RXPass gets you all your eligible medication for $5 per month.
Try Before You Buy: Prime members have access to a program that allows them to try on clothing at home before committing to a purchase.
Amazon Elements: Subscribers gain access to Amazon's line of everyday essentials, including vitamins and supplements.
Shopbop: Free shipping and free returns on all 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.
Included Subscriptions and Services
Prime Video: Amazon's video streaming service includes 4K and HDR streaming, original content, live sports, and offline downloading. Prime Video costs $8.99 per month as a standalone service.
Music Prime: Amazon Music Prime lets subscribers stream more than 100 million songs from the company's robust music library, though you're limited to shuffled tunes. (For on-demand music, you need Amazon Music Unlimited for $9.99 per month (or $4.99 per month for a single-device plan).
Prime Gaming: Each month, subscribers get free PC games and in-game loot to claim, as well as a small selection of titles to play via Amazon Luna. Twitch benefits, include one free channel subscription, exclusive chat-based benefits, and extended storage for past broadcasts.
Prime Reading: Borrow thousands of books, magazines, and comics from Amazon's digital catalog for free. 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. (A file storage service called Amazon Drive was also included with Prime, but it will be shut down at the end of 2023.)
Amazon Kids+: Subscribers pay $4.99 per month ($48 per year), while non-members pay $7.99 per month ($79 per year). A subscription grants children access to age-appropriate content along with the ability to set up parental controls on their devices.
Grubhub+: A new perk for Prime members is a free year of Grubhub+, which would normally cost $9.99 per month. The membership gets you unlimited free delivery on orders of $12 or more (before tax and tip), exclusive in-app perks and rewards, and more.
Is Amazon Prime Worth It?
(Credit: Vicky Leta)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; $11.58 if you pay for 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.
How to Sign Up for Amazon Prime
(Credit: PCMag)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
(Credit: PCMag)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 your household, which comes in handy when adding multiple users to the same Echo device.
How to Cancel Amazon Prime
(Credit: PCMag)If you need to cancel Amazon Prime, you can do it from Account & Lists > Account > Prime. Click Update, cancel, and more under the Manage Membership section, then select End membership at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Amazon will try to convince you to stay, but you can click Cancel My Benefits, then the Continue to Cancel button 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.
Amazon Prime Early Access SaleYou can get great deals, but only if you know where to look and how to compare prices.
