Why Get Amazon Prime? 15 Reasons Why It's Worth the Cost
There are over 100 million Amazon Prime users in the world today. If you’re not a member yourself, you might be asking what the hype is all about? Is Prime worth it? For many people the answer is yes, and we've rounded up a list of 15 perks you can access as a Prime member. In addition to the famous free two-day shipping on all Prime-eligible purchases (in some cases your orders can get to you in as little as 24 hours), you also get access to discounted cell phones, video game preorder discounts and lightning deals so you can save big year-round. And of course, members can access the highly anticipated and highly discounted Prime Day deals, which will be here on Monday, July 16th at 3:00 ET. Prime memberships are $12.99 a month or $119.00 per year. The yearly membership saves you roughly $35, which is a little under the cost of a three-month subscription. If you’re unsure about using Prime, check out the 30-day free trial period.
Check out our list of Amazon Prime Day deals or look specifically at deals for Amazon Branded products like the Amazon Echo and the Echo Show.
Amazon Household
You don’t technically need a Prime account to set up Amazon Household. However, if you do have Prime, you’ll be able to share your membership benefits with your family. You can link two adult profiles, up to four teenager profiles and up to four child profiles together to access Amazon’s Prime benefits and digital content. Child profiles can be managed with parental controls on Amazon devices like Fire tablets and Kindles. While child profiles can view kid-friendly TV shows, books and educational apps they cannot make purchases. In addition to digital content, teenage profiles have some access to Prime member benefits. For instance, if a teen wanted to buy something on Amazon, a text would be sent to the parent to either approve or deny the purchase. This allows you to share all of your Prime benefits without worrying about your children spending money without you knowing.
Prime Reading
You’ll find popular children’s books, young adult novels, magazines, comics, newspapers, fiction, non-fiction and anything else you might want to read with Prime Reading. This also includes audible books so you or your kids can be read favorite stories like Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl. In fact, many people like to use audible books for story time before putting their children to bed. You can view this content on your smartphone using the Kindle app, which means you’ll have access to it anytime and anywhere. If you happen to have a Kindle or Fire tablet, you can also access Prime Reading on those devices.
Prime Pantry
Prime members have access to low-priced household goods, and nonperishable foods if they choose to pay an additional subscription of $4.99 a month. Shipping costs $7.99 each time you order, unless you spend $40 or more, then shipping is free. It gives you access to large and heavy items like a pack of water bottles, so they can be shipped to your door instead of having you haul them home from the local store. Note that Prime Pantry only ships to the contiguous United States so it won’t go to Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico. You can send Pantry orders to yourself or you can send them to others as gifts; something any starving college student would appreciate.
Prime Photos
Photo enthusiasts will love the Unlimited free photo storage included with any Prime membership. You can install the Prime Photos app on your smartphone and upload videos and images on the go. This app also lets you share and pool your photos with friends and family members in a safe and private space. Prime Photos links to Amazon Prints a photo gift service where you can print photo books, wall décor, photo cards, calendars, photo blankets, photo ornaments and more. Prime members receive free standard shipping on orders of $19 or less and free expedited shipping on Amazon Prints orders over $20. We were surprised by the beautiful print quality of the photo books we ordered in our Amazon Prints testing.
Twitch Prime
Twitch is the most popular service for watching and streaming video games, with over 2 million broadcasters and over 100 million viewers a month. You can watch and comment on your favorite gamers, stream your own gameplay or purchase Twitch merchandise. Twitch happens to be owned by Amazon, so if you have a Prime account you get the added perk of watching your favorite game-streams ad-free. Prime members receive monthly in-game bonus as well as access to the newly added “Free Games With Prime,” which cycles through a new group of titles each month. Prime members can also receive exclusive emotes and badges for games. For example, linking your Fortnite account to your Twitch Prime account gives you a free skin, pickaxe, dance emote, and backpack. If you’re an aspiring gamer, check out our tips on how to be a successful Twitch streamer.
Prime Credit Card
Amazon offers two Prime Credit Cards for all users, even non-Prime members. However, Prime members get additional savings when using it. The Amazon Prime Store Card, which only works on Amazon.com gives Prime members 5% back on purchases while giving non-Prime members only 3% back. That makes a huge difference when buying that Samsung 4K Ultra TV or that gorgeous Altra Furniture entertainment center. The second card is the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card, which gives 5% back when you shop at Whole Foods Market grocery stores in addition to the 5% back when shopping on Amazon.com. You’ll also receive 2% back from restaurants, gas stations, drug stores and 1% back on all other purchases. There is no annual fee for either card. If you cancel your Prime membership you can still use your Prime Credit Cards to receive some, but not all, benefits.
Prime Video
With a Prime membership you gain access to unlimited streaming from Amazon’s library of TV shows and movies. Amazon also provides original content like The Man in the High Castle and The Grand Tour. You can subscribe to Starz, HBO, Showtime and other entertainment channels through Prime Video. This means that all of your favorite shows can be steamed through one service. No matter where you are you can access your favorite shows on tablets, smartphones or other devices that support Amazon video. If you purchase the new Fire TV cube or Fire TV Stick you can easily access your favorite services on your home TV.
Prime Music
Prime members get access to over 2 million songs with a library that is constantly growing. Your que plays ad free so you won’t have to suffer through commercials when you want to jam to your favorite tunes. You can also create custom playlists. Prime members also get an exclusive $2 discount to Amazon Music Unlimited for $7.99 a month, providing you with even more songs and ways to control your music. It isn’t the best discount in the world, but it will save you $24 a year. You can cancel this subscription at any time. If you want to see more in-depth information check out our comparison of Prime Music vs Music Unlimited.
Whole Foods Discounts
Amazon acquired Whole Foods on August 28, 2017 and since then the grocery store has offered deeper discounts, with Prime members receiving an additional 10 percent off their bill when shopping at Whole Foods locations. These stores often have Amazon Lockers where Prime members can pick up their Amazon.com purchases or make returns. Some Whole Foods label products like Whole Paws and 365 Everyday Value, are also available for purchase in Prime Pantry and Prime Now. This means you can have anything from the grocery stores’ line of products shipped to your home, from cat food to their Strawberry cereal bars.
Image Credits: Amazon
