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Thinking about trying out Amazon Prime, but not sure if the Amazon Prime benefits are worth it? You can get a one month free trial with all the Prime perks, so you can try it out first!
Amazon Prime Benefits – Is It Worth It?
Score a FREE 30-day trial to Amazon Prime HERE! This is a great time to grab this free trial and get some spring shopping with free shipping DONE 🙂
Is Amazon Prime worth it? There are a TON of benefits, but it's good to take a look and see if it makes sense for your family to have this service.
Also – The mega online retailer just recently increased the price of Prime memberships due to the continued expansion of member benefits and the rise in wages and transportation costs. Sadly, the cost will increase an additional $2 per month or $20 per year. This is something to consider as you think about adding Amazon Prime for your household.
Here is the updated Amazon Prime pricing:
- Monthly fee – from $12.99 to $14.99 ($2 increase)
- Annual membership – from $119 to $139 ($20 increase)
For new Prime members, this price change went into effect on February 18, 2022, and for current Prime members, the new price started after March 25, 2022, on the date of your next renewal.
This is the first time that Amazon has raised the price of Prime since 2018. 🙁 Good news is that if you want to try it out, you can still score a free 30-day trial here.
Note from Laurie –
I've had an Amazon Prime membership for YEARS, and people ask me all the time if I think it's worth it. As a busy work-at-home mom I really do love the convenience of Amazon Prime and will continue to use it after the price increase, but it may not be for everyone – and that's totally OK.
You may be wondering with the new price change and competitive Walmart Plus Membership program available, is a Prime Membership still really worth it? Keep reading…
Here are the Amazon Prime benefits laid out for you, so you can make an educated decision yourself!
Top 10 Amazon Prime Benefits
1. Get TONS of items to your home, with no shipping fees.
I love that I don't have to worry over the cost of shipping items to my home on most items at Amazon. If there's something I need that I would normally get at Walmart (ie. – office supplies, facial care products, random school supplies, etc), I look for it on Amazon.
If it's a reasonable price, I love having it delivered rather than heading out to the store! 🙂
More Delivery Options for Prime Members:
- FREE 2-Day Delivery: Millions of items delivered fast and free.
- FREE 1-Day Delivery: Available on more than 10 million items with no minimum purchase.
- FREE Same-Day Delivery: Available on over 3 million items on qualifying orders over $35. Order in the morning, typically before noon, and get your items by 9 p.m.
- FREE Ultrafast Grocery Delivery: Get free two-hour delivery on groceries, including quality fresh food and produce (in select cities).
- FREE Release-Date Delivery: Be among the first to get new video games, books, music, movies and more. Choose Release-Date Delivery on qualified items and receive your package by 7 p.m. on that date.
- FREE No-Rush Shipping: Don't need your Prime order right away? Select No-Rush Shipping and earn rewards for future purchases.
Note – To make sure I'm never paying more than the price at Walmart, I always check the Walmart.com price and make sure the Amazon price really is a good deal. You can also compare the prices at Sam's Club online and Costco to do a little research before purchasing!
2. Shop the hottest sales before everyone else.
Amazon Prime members get to shop the hottest Lightning Deals 30 minutes before everyone else (I love snagging super cheap clothing during these sales!). These deals usually don't last long, so if you see one you might like, grab it fast!
(And speaking of the hottest sales, Amazon Prime Day deals are often better than Black Friday, so you'll definitely want to watch for those deals!)
3. Enjoy Free movie and TV streaming with Amazon Prime Video.
I stream a ton of Amazon Prime movies and shows through Prime Video, especially to watch on the treadmill in the morning. My kids watch movies on the app as well, and even though Amazon Prime doesn't offer all of their movies for free, there are a lot to choose from!
Prime Streaming Options:
- Prime Video: Stream thousands of movies and TV shows, including exclusive Amazon Originals. Learn more about Prime Video.
- Prime Video Channels: $4.99–$14.99/month for Prime members. Watch your favorite shows and movies from HBO, SHOWTIME and STARZ channels — no cable required, cancel anytime and no additional apps to download. Try it free HERE!
Note – Netflix has more movies included with their basic package than Amazon Prime does, so factor that into your decision making process. Also, there are lots of other cheap options out there if you're considering cutting cable.
4. Read completely Free Kindle eBooks.
Every month, Amazon Prime Members can enjoy a selection of more than 1,000 books and magazines for free! It's basically like a private library that lets Prime members read for free! I love that you can share this perk and many other benefits with other household members at no additional cost!
Other Prime Reading Benefits:
- Prime Reading: Prime Reading gives you unlimited access on any device to more than a thousand eBooks, popular magazines, comics, books with Audible narration, and more.
- Amazon First Reads: Prime members get to choose one free Kindle book each month!
- Prime Print Magazines: Prime members can score great magazine deals!
- Prime Book Box: Subscription program that delivers hand-picked children's books every 1, 2 or 3 months. Each box costs $19.99 ($16.99 for your first box!), saving Prime members over 40% off the list price!
Prefer listening to books? Try Audible for free and get 2 free audiobooks!
5. Get unlimited, full-resolution photo storage.
Don't you hate it when your cloud storage fills up and you have to delete some photos off your phone to make space? Prime members get free unlimited full-resolution photo storage, custom print options, and the ability to share pics with friends and family.
6. Take advantage of Grocery savings.
Amazon's Grocery program allows you to order groceries delivered to your door! These items do take a little longer to ship (typically 4 days because they have to be shipped by ground, but you can score some nice saving!). Occasionally Amazon offers special free coupons or free shipping on these items, so you can really stock up!
7. Listen to millions of songs for free, without ads.
I love using Prime Music while exercising or doing chores! Amazon Prime Music is a streaming service that's included with your Prime membership at no extra charge. It features more than 2 million songs — including thousands of stations and top playlists — all ad-free.
Prime Members also get a 20% discount on Music Unlimited, which gives you access to tens of millions of songs, the ability to download music for offline listening, and the option to listen ad-free with unlimited skips. Amazon Prime Members pay just $7.99/month (regularly $9.99/month). Start a 30-day free trial HERE.
8. Students get Amazon Prime for free for 6 months.
If you're a student or know someone who is (or have an .edu account), it's definitely worth signing up for a free 6 months of Amazon Prime Student (and other student discounts here!). Just be sure to cancel your trial before your six months is up.
And, if you have a video game playing kiddo or college student, they'll love getting free game content every month and a Twitch Channel Subscription for free with Prime Gaming!
9. Save 20% on diapers & wipes with Amazon Family.
If you have young children at home, it is definitely worth trying out Amazon Family. You'll get up to 20% off diapers & wipes when you subscribe, and 15% off eligible products from your baby registry (not to mention a free Welcome Box filled with goodies!). Plus, there are often clippable coupons, making these baby staples even cheaper!
You'll definitely save a bundle on diapers and wipes, all conveniently delivered to your door (which is so worth it when your kids are tiny!).
*Note – Go here to see how Amazon's diaper prices compared to Costco and Sam's Club! You might be surprised!
10. Get exclusive savings at Whole Foods Market.
Have a Whole Foods store nearby? Amazon Prime Members get exclusive savings at Whole Foods Market in-store, including 10% off Sale Items (look for the yellow signs), exclusive Prime Member deals, and more! There are also lots of great deals online, too!
Amazon Prime Discount for SNAP/EBT Holders
In addition to all of these discounts and features – did you know that if you have a EBT or Medicaid card, you can get an Amazon Prime Membership for 50% OFF the normal price?
SNAP EBT or Medicaid Cardholders can pay just $5.99/month for the full gamut of Prime benefits – including FREE Shipping, Prime Member Deals, Discounted Groceries (Using Subscribe & Save) and Award-Winning TV and Movies.
EBT cardholders can also use their EBT card to buy groceries – which is a great benefit for those trying to stay home more.
Sign up for your $5.99 monthly discounted rate here to start enjoying the benefits of Amazon Prime!
SO, is there a downside to Amazon?
Well, sort of. I love Amazon Prime and pay for it in part because it's just convenient, but the $119 $139 annual price tag really isn't necessary for many of the deals on Amazon. Many items ship free when you spend $25 or more without Prime.
If you can keep a running list of things you need and wait until you've reached the $25 threshold, you can skip that extra annual fee. Plus, there are several ways to try it free or score a discounted Prime membership:
- Students get a free 6-month Amazon Prime Trial with an .edu account.
- Prime is just $5.99/month for qualifying customers in select U.S. government assistance programs such as holders of the EBT card.
- Everyone can try one month of Amazon Prime for free – go HERE to check it out and see what you think!
So, what do you think? Do you have an Amazon Prime membership and is it worth it for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts ~ leave a comment to share!
Love Amazon? Don't miss my list of 16 items you should be buying on Amazon.
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I really enjoy the free shipping but I’m going to research my previous ordering history and see if it’s really worth the new price increase.
I would be concerned about relying on Amazon Prime to store my photos. I don’t feel like there’s a clear answer as to what happens if I were to cancel my prime membership.
We watch some Prime videos and TV but I’m not sure that’s a valid value. I refuse to pay for the trash available on Netflix.
This was good information to consider.
I don’t think we can really advertise their one/two/any commitment at all- day shipping. They so frequently take a week to deliver items marked one and two day shipping and they don’t care at all. There is no holding them accountable. I ordered a bunch of things with “2 day shipping” for my son’s birthday party and they didn’t arrive until 6 business days later- after the party the was over. Then it was a hassle to return the items since I couldn’t even use them (but some were “nonrefundable”). It happens all the time. They shouldn’t even put a date of arrival for the items to be delivered, it just gives me false hope every time.
Amazon is full of it!!!! they canceled my account for NO VALID REASON and will NOT give me any resolution in getting this sorted out!!! I’m disabled and relied on their services as it can be hard for me to get out to buy things but they keep saying “they previously closed an account for violating their TOS” yet I have never had other accounts or violated any TOS. Additionally, they refuse to provide ANY documentation of anything which supports their claims. I have verifiable identity theft and have reported it to them but they are still not responsive. Additionally, they have canceled my Audible which had 4 credits I had paid for but haven’t used. They still haven’t returned my money or my credits. I have done additionally research and it seems they do this to a lot of people canceling accounts for NO VALID REASON and refusing to provide any documentation or resolution to their illegal actions.
You dont need Prime to get free shipping. Scroll down before finalizing the order. Make sure each item has FREE SHIPPING checked – usually just a day or two later. You save on taxes that way too because Amazon includes tax on shipping plus the order. Honestly I havent found a necessity for Prime on much else – at least for anything I have seen them offer.
I’ve tried this and hope it works. I haven’t gotten the link yet to enter. Hope I didn’t do it wrong followed steps above to the T.
My prime membership just renewed in January. So, if I go ahead and buy the gift membership, turn off auto renew, and then cancel my membership next January before it expires, will that work? Do the membership gift have an expiration date?
Does anyone know if Amazon offers a senior discount?
Hi Carol ~ at this time there isn’t a discount specifically for seniors, but they do offer a 50% discount for those with an EBT card or who are on Medicaid! Hope that helps! –> https://amzn.to/3rq6BI8
With this tip to gift yourself a year of membership to save $20 the first year of the increase- I’m concerned about what happens to my photo storage if I let my membership expire and renew the next day with the gift subscription. Will that cause me to lose my stored photos/media when my membership ends and renews hours later?
Hi Missy! I spoke with a customer service rep and we updated the post with that information. Hope that helps! 🙂
Missy – you can save all photos and docs to the cloud too. You probably have been but didn’t realize it.
I recently ended my amazon subscription. I am disappointed that so many of their products are “brands” I’ve never heard of from China and some things they claim to be name brand are knock offs. Their delivery times have been terribly unreliable lately and so much of what I’ve price-compared is significantly more expensive than if I purchased the items in my Walmart grocery pick up or target two hour pick up (both of which are free services). No thanks, Amazon! Also, prices regularly change with their subscribe and save and they never seem to decrease.
If I pre buy the Amazon prime code, will my picture storage and shows I have watched be erased and reset since it has to end before restarting the account the next day?
I just turned off autorenew. It’s getting too expensive now and the benefits get worse every year.
Thinking of subscribing to Walmart and canceling Prime…..
I switched my account to a student account when my daughter went to college. Saves a lot.