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If you’re going to commit to an Amazon Prime membership, you might as well squeeze as much as you can out of the deal. And there’s a good amount of juice to squeeze there. The price you pay for Amazon depends on many factors, but regardless of how much you’re paying, it’s worth it for most people (we did the math). If you’re on the fence about signing up, Prime Day, Amazon’s biggest sale of the year, is just around the corner. It’s a great time to sell your soul—or take advantage of the 30-day free trial.
How much does Amazon Prime Cost
The standard Prime membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year, but there are other tiers that some people might qualify for. For example, the new Amazon Prime Student program allows young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 to get all of the Prime perks for half the cost—$7.49 per month or $69 annually.
The benefits of Amazon Prime
I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t know all of the benefits that Amazon Prime offers to its members. There are a lot more perks than people think. Here are the most impressive ones (and here is the full list):
Fast and free shipping
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Fast free shipping on millions of items: Depending on where you live, shipping can take one or two days, and some even come on the same day—and it’s always free (if being shipped by the Amazon store).
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Pre-ordered items can be delivered on their release date for free.
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The option to have items delivered inside your garage with a smart garage device (depending on where you live).
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Earn rewards for future purchases when you select free no-rush shipping.
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The option to have all your weekly orders delivered on a specific day, to reduce waste from boxes.
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The ability to try before you buy when you order clothes or shoes, meaning you have seven days before you get charged for the items you decide to keep.
Deals, savings, and sales
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Subscribe & Save deals that allow you to place recurring orders and save money when you do so.
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Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card: Cardholders get 5% back on Amazon/Whole Foods purchases. So Prime members who use this card extensively can earn rewards that offset the annual fee.
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A free year of Grubhub+, normally $9.99 per month, which gets you free delivery on eligible orders, lower service fees, exclusive deals, and other perks.
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Sharing with family or friends: Prime benefits can be shared with other members of your household. The more users, the more value per person.
Medical care
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Amazon Health: Prime users get One Medical access for an additional $9 per month. Through your devices, you’ll have 24/7 access to on-demand virtual care, plus real-life access to primary care offices in a number of U.S. cities. It accepts most major health insurance plans, too.
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Amazon Pharmacy: Access to free two-day delivery and other savings on medications.
Streaming and digital perks
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Prime Video: Prime includes unlimited streaming of movies, TV shows, and Amazon Originals, which normally costs $9 per month.
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Amazon Music Prime: A music streaming service (which is different from the other three music streaming subscriptions) like Spotify.
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Prime Gaming: A perk that offers free video games, content, and a free channel subscription on Twitch each month.
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Amazon Luna: A cloud gaming platform that offers new free games every month for Prime Members.
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Amazon Photos: A storage solution on Amazon Drive (which extends to members of your Family Vault).
E-books and audiobooks
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Prime Reading: Free access to over 1,000 books and magazines for Kindle or Fire tablets and Kindle apps.
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Amazon’s First Reads: You get up to three free e-books every month from a curated list of books handpicked by editors.