The Amazon Prime Membership: Is the Amazon Prime Cost Worth It? 

If you’ve shopped at Amazon, you’ve likely encountered an offer to sign up for Amazon Prime. It’s a paid membership program that provides exclusive benefits including free two-day shipping, exclusive shopping deals, and other benefits. The program has been incredibly successful – there are now over 100 million Amazon Prime members worldwide. Despite the popularity of the program, there are still many people who are unsure about whether or not it’s worth signing up for. And if you’re reading this, you’re likely one of them.

Here’s a look at some of the key benefits of being an Amazon Prime member, as well as some considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to sign up.

Benefits of Amazon Prime Membership

Free Two-Day Shipping

One of the most popular benefits of Amazon Prime is free two-day shipping on eligible items. This can be a huge time-saver, especially around the holidays when everyone is trying to get their shopping done. With Amazon Prime, you no longer have to wait for the standard 8-day delivery window for your shopping haul to arrive.

Access to Prime Video and Prime Music

Another perk of Amazon Prime is access to the company’s streaming services, Prime Video and Prime Music. With Prime Video, you can stream popular movies and TV shows, including exclusive Amazon Originals. And with Prime Music, you can listen to ad-free music from popular artists.

Unlimited Photo Storage with Amazon Cloud Drive 

As an Amazon Prime customer, you’ll have access to unlimited photo storage with Amazon Cloud Drive. This means that you can upload as many photos as you want and never have to worry about running out of space. 

Exclusive Discount Codes and Special Offers

Your membership to Amazon Prime gives you access to exclusive discount codes and special offers that are not available to the general shopping public. These include thousands of eligible items tagged with Amazon Prime. You could also save on prescriptions at 60,000 pharmacies, including Walgreens, CVS, and Amazon Pharmacy.

Free Returns

If you’re not satisfied with an item you purchase from Amazon, you can return it within 30 days of receipt (some items have different return policies). However, if you’re an Amazon Prime member, you may be eligible for free returns on some items.

Considerations When Deciding if Amazon Prime is Worth It

Cost

Of course, one of the main considerations when deciding if Amazon Prime is worth it is the cost of the membership. Currently, an Amazon Prime membership costs $139 per year, or you can opt for a monthly subscription of $14.99 per month. 

If you’re a frequent Amazon shopper who wants to get your items delivered a lot earlier, you’d  love the free and fast shipping perk. The free, expedited shipping alone justifies the Amazon Prime membership cost considering that you have to pay an additional fee of around $5.99 per expedited shipment. So if you ship items from Amazon on a weekly basis, then you’ve already recovered the subscription cost.

Eligibility for Free Shipping

Another deal breaker is that not every item on Amazon.com is eligible for free two-day shipping. This is something you’d want to consider if you’re a frequent Amazon shopper but most of the items you buy aren’t covered by Amazon Prime. This can happen when you buy from merchants who are not using Amazon fulfillment services or who do their own shipping.

To see if an item is eligible, just look for the Prime logo next to it. If you’re a Prime member and the item isn’t eligible for free shipping, you’ll still get it shipped for free in 5-8 days. 

How Amazon Prime Works

Becoming an Amazon Prime member is as easy as signing up for the program. Often, Amazon will give you a 30-day free trial so you can experience the Prime membership. You enjoy the full benefits of the program even on the trial period, including free shipping and access to Prime Video, the Kindle library, and exclusive discounts.

You can discontinue your free trial at any time so you won’t get charged. But once the free trial period is over and you haven’t canceled your membership, Amazon will automatically charge you either the monthly or annual fee depending on what you initially chose. Your subscription will remain active for as long as you don’t cancel it.

Discounted Amazon Prime 

Now, if $14.99 monthly or $139 in annual fee feels a bit out of your budget, you might want to explore whether you qualify for discounted rates. 

There are two instances where you can get a discounted Amazon Prime membership. The first is when you’re a student, and the second is when you’re receiving government benefits. 

If you’re a student, all you need to do is go to Amazon Student and sign up with your .edu email address. Once you verify your student status, you’ll be able to choose from one of two Prime membership options: a 6-month trial or a paid annual membership. If you choose the trial, you’ll be automatically upgraded to a paid membership after the trial period ends. If you choose the paid membership, you’ll be charged $69 per year (instead of the usual $139).

If you have an EBT or Medicaid card, you can get Amazon Prime for just $7.49 per month. That’s over 50% off the regular price of $14.99 per month! Just enter your EBT or Medicaid number when signing up for a new Prime account and the discount will be applied automatically.

Either way, you’ll enjoy all the same benefits as regular Amazon Prime members, including free 2-day shipping, exclusive deals and discounts, and unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows.

Bottom Line

Whether or not an Amazon Prime membership is worth it really depends on your individual needs and shopping habits. If you do a lot of online shopping and you value convenience and fast shipping, then Prime could be a good choice for you. However, if you’re not a frequent Amazon shopper or you don’t mind waiting a few extra days for your items to arrive, you might want to skip the Prime membership.