Is Amazon Prime worth it and why would one subscribe for a membership?
Amazon Prime debuted as a one-month trial for free and continues to be available as a standalone service. It’s Amazon’s most powerful offering, a monthly subscription that comes with a trove of extras.
Basically, Amazon Prime removes a lot of the more time-consuming tasks and gives you free 2-day shipping on eligible products, access to streaming video and audio in the U.S. with Prime Video, access to music from Prime Music, and access to free photo storage with Prime Photos.
Amazon has experimented with giving some of its other services away for a price, like with Twitch Prime — Amazon’s version of Spotify Premium.
Each subscription tier has its own perks, and Amazon offers discounts on Prime Video and Prime Music subscriptions. But if you want the whole enchilada, Prime members get the biggest discounts. Check out the review below to know everything about the membership.
What is Amazon Prime?
First, let’s understand what is Amazon Prime.
Amazon Prime is a premium membership Amazon.com offers anyone who uses Amazon.com in the United States.
Priced at $15 per month or $139 per year (Prime Video membership is $8.99 per month).
Amazon Prime has a one-month free no-obligation trial. Currently Amazon Prime is only available to customers in the United States.
For customers ordering products from Amazon.com, it offers free 2-day shipping on millions of products.
Another great membership you can subscribe to with your Kindle device is the Kindle Unlimited.
What does Amazon Prime get me?
- free two-day shipping on millions of products.
- eligible for Amazon’s Free Super Saver Shipping on orders over $35, and Free Two-Day Shipping on orders over $25.
- members get exclusive, non-repeating special offers on all items in Prime’s free shipping program.
That’s the gist. This is what you should know.
Why should I use Amazon Prime?
On top of the free perks, it just makes good financial sense to be a part of the program. One day of shipping and you’ve already saved 20% over non-Prime shipping costs, and once a year you’ve saved more than a month’s worth of shipping for two kids, two parents, a sofa, two cars and a vacation home.
You may also like to read about Audible membership.
How much does Amazon Prime cost per month in USA?
For basic Amazon Prime, your membership will be $7.99 per month. For Amazon Prime original (Prime for kids, preschoolers, and families), you will be paying $8.99 per month, and for Special Offers (toys, home, fashion, electronics, sports, and kids) you will pay $10.99 per month.
The other freebie you will receive is your one-year-of-free Netflix. This only applies if you are signed up to an Amazon Prime membership (at any price), or are already a Netflix member. (Note that Amazon Prime members get free standard shipping on orders $35+ from Amazon.com.)
Other Amazon Prime costs:
- Prime Video: $8.99 per month. …
- Prime: $12.99 per month / 119 per year
Please check Amazon.com for the prices.
Also check the comparison between Audible and Kindle Unlimited.
Why get a Prime membership on Kindle?
For Kindle E-ink owners you also have the benefit of borrowing free one book a month from the Kindle owners’ lending library.
The Kindle owners’ lending library has over 100,000 books to choose from, with more than 100 current and past New York Times bestsellers.
On the Kindle Fire Tablet, Amazon Prime offers another great entertainment advantage.
Just like the Kindle E-ink models you can borrow one book per month from the Kindle owners’ library.
But, on the Kindle Fire, you will enjoy unlimited streaming of over 10,000 movies and television shows available from Amazon streaming videos.
PROS OF AMAZON PRIME PROGRAM
The next question that everyone seems to ask is “What are the pros and cons of Amazon Prime?”
The answer is much simpler than you might think. It is a combination of the pros of having a membership to the Amazon Prime program and the convenience of being able to order your products from Amazon while shopping online.
Easy to use
If you are a prime member, you will not have to sign up to Amazon or provide a credit card to make an online purchase, since all your credit card information will be saved to your Amazon account once you are a member. After you make your purchase, all the payment details can be saved to your Amazon account as well. You can use the “simple checkout” for most of your purchases that do not require a credit card, for the entire process is pretty easy and you do not have to worry about handling the money or dealing with any cards. The other convenient feature is that Amazon Prime is free if you are willing to purchase products in the Amazon Marketplace. (My favorite items are my toys, e-book, and appliances.)
Access to “Amazon First”
For every Prime membership you have, you will receive three “firsts” every year, that will allow you to access the Amazon “First” areas for your consideration.
Instant delivery
If you have signed up for the free one-year subscription, you can expect Amazon to send your package to your house on the same day or the next day. You can also pay extra to have the delivery arrive in two business days.
Exclusive access to the Amazon.com store
When you are a member of Amazon Prime, you will have access to the Amazon.com store 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. No longer will you have to keep checking back to the online store to see if there are any new products that you are interested in. The entire catalog of products in the Amazon.com store is updated every hour so there is a constantly updated store of information and products that you are able to shop online through Amazon without needing to leave your house to make purchases.
Anytime access to your Amazon account
Just like with your Amazon.com account, you have any time access to your Amazon Prime account online or even on your Amazon device. You will have access to your information such as your history of online transactions, your shopping basket, etc. This is useful if you want to access all the items in your Amazon “Cart” that are waiting for you to complete your purchase. This is one of the main benefits that made me consider getting this program when I saw that my membership costs were free if I purchased from Amazon’s Marketplace.
Kindle Owners club
For Kindle owners, you have access to the Kindle Owners club for certain books or other Kindle products that you are interested in. If you are a Prime member, you will receive even more discounts on Kindle books and other products.
Giveaways
If you are a prime member, you will receive Amazon gifts.
Additional benefits
Not all Prime members get all the benefits. You will have to check with Amazon for more details. (Note: some of the additional benefits I listed here might be offered to only certain Prime members or for other membersship. But if you do not receive these benefits, please do not worry, as Amazon may compensate you for the benefits that are not available to you. Also, this may vary depending on the membership tier you sign up for.)
CONS OF AMAZON PRIME PROGRAM
What are the cons of Amazon Prime?
No freebies
If you are a Prime member, the only thing you will receive is the savings of Amazon.com products, or a Kindle, or a $50 Amazon credit to make your purchases. When you sign up for the membership, you will not receive any free benefits unless you purchase at least $40 worth of merchandise from Amazon.com. If you are not sure what Amazon products you should buy, you can use the filters on Amazon.com to help you find items that will work for you.
No same-day delivery
If you are looking for a same-day delivery service for your items, Amazon Prime will be of no use. If you want Amazon to bring your package to your house within 24 hours, then you will have to pay for that service. This might be the main reason why some people consider paying for Prime instead of signing up for the membership program itself.
Small selection of products
If you have no idea what to buy, you may not be able to find the products that you are interested in. You will not be able to select your “first,” “most popular,” or “bestsellers” categories. There will be a small selection of products that you can buy online through Amazon, so you may be able to find the products that you want to buy if you look hard enough.
No extended warranty
If you are looking for an extended warranty, that is not available for Amazon Prime. You can use the other Amazon service to ensure your items.
Still less variety of items to choose from
If you want to choose from a wide variety of items, you will not be able to find that from Amazon Prime. You can shop Amazon.com through the Amazon Prime program and find products from a selection of items that Amazon offers, but you will not have the variety of products to choose from like if you go through Amazon.com.
Does not offer the best prices for some products
Amazon is better for some products than it is for other products. When you compare the prices of a certain product between Amazon and another site, you may be able to find better prices from Amazon. This is true if you look through the product list in Amazon Prime.
Non-Amazon-only purchases do not qualify for discounts
If you are a Prime member, the only products that you will be able to qualify for the discounts are the products that you buy through Amazon’s Marketplace. If you are interested in buying something from other sites, such as the Walmart.com website, you will not be able to get discounts from Amazon.
Is Amazon Prime worth it? Verdict
In a short answer, DEFINITELY YES!
In a long answer: If you are going to purchase products online from Amazon, then sign up for the Amazon Prime program right away. If you are not going to buy from Amazon anytime soon, then I suggest that you still do not have to sign up for the Amazon Prime program because you may just be saving money from discounts, freebies, and other benefits.
However, if you want to buy some items through Amazon.com, be sure to make sure that you know what the pros and cons are of having a Prime membership.
