Admit it. You don’t really know what you get with Amazon Prime. Nobody does. I mean, the shipping is great, and there are some TV shows on there, but that’s about it, right?
Well, you might want to sit down for this one because there’s a lot more to it than that. Prime benefits vary depending on the part of the world you live in, but if you live in the USA, this is what you get.
1. Faster Shipping
This one is kind of a given. It’s the reason that 90% of us have Amazon Prime in the first place. Two-day delivery helped sell millions of Prime accounts, and it continues to be an important factor today.
However, I have to say that I rarely get two-day delivery on my Prime orders anymore. Since the pandemic started, it has been more like four or five days for me, so your mileage may vary on this one.
That said, I know people who live close to an Amazon distribution center. Those people get their packages delivered the same day, so I either need to move house or just stop complaining.
2. Prime Video
I never used to like Prime Video. I found it hard to find anything that I actually wanted to watch. However, that has changed recently. Amazon Originals like Jack Ryan, The Rings of Power, Reacher, and Bosch are all worth a watch.
Prime Video also gets its fair share of free movies. Our family watched Jurassic Park: World Dominion over the weekend. Sonic the Hedgehog 2, The Northman, Downtown Abbey, and No Time to Die are also available.
Prime members also get access to Amazon Channels. This gives you the ability to watch TV shows and movies from services like HBO, SHOWTIME, Discovery, and STARZ. There are no additional apps to download, and you can cancel anytime. The cost is $4.99–$14.99 per month, depending on the service you sign up for.
➡️ Learn more here: Amazon Prime Video
3. Prime Music
Amazon’s Prime Music service got a considerable upgrade recently. It used to include a few thousand free songs for you to listen to, but the latest update gives you ad-free access to 100 million tracks.
As you might expect, there is a small catch. This isn’t a fully on-demand service. You have to shuffle an artist, album, or playlist to get the music you want to listen to. I use Prime Music at work when I just want some background music. It’s well-suited for that.
If you would like to listen to any track at any time, you need to upgrade to an Amazon Music Unlimited plan. There are plans for individuals, students, families, and even single Echo devices. Prime members actually get discounts on paid plans, and free trials are available.
➡️ Learn more here: Amazon Prime Music
4. Prime Gaming
Ever since Amazon bought Twitch, its interest in gaming has been obvious. Prime Gaming is a good example of that. You get free games, in-game content, and a free channel subscription on Twitch.tv every month.
Game offers come and go, so you need to check back monthly to see what is new and what is going away. But, there is a decent selection of games, and the in-game content is for premium titles like FIFA 23, League of Legends, GTA Online, and Madden 23.
You can also play a handful of games online with Amazon Luna. That selection isn’t enormous, but it’s worth knowing about.
➡️ Learn more here: Amazon Prime Gaming
5. Whole Foods Deals and Discounts
Whole Foods was acquired by Amazon in the summer of 2017. Since then, Amazon has been quick to lure their Prime members to Whole Foods locations with a number of perks and discounts.
Whole Foods Market provides exclusive savings for Prime members, like an extra 10% off sale prices, plus deals on seasonal favorites. You can also earn 5% back with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card. Two-hour delivery is available in select cities.
➡️ Learn more here: Prime at Whole Foods Markets
6. Amazon Fresh
If you live in an area that is served by Amazon Fresh, you can get fast and free grocery delivery on a wide selection of items like meat, seafood, produce, snacks, and household essentials.
Unfortunately, I live in a rural area where I can’t take advantage of that. The closest I can get to a service like this is curbside pickup at Walmart and Target. However, I would absolutely try Amazon Fresh if I could. It’s a free service for Prime members, so you don’t have anything to lose.
➡️ Learn more here: Amazon Fresh
7. Free Grubhub+ Account
This one was new to me, but I was glad to find it when I was pulling together my notes for this article. Amazon offers a free, one-year subscription to the meal delivery service, Grubhub+.
All you have to do is visit this link, and activate your account. Grubhub+ offers unlimited $0 delivery fees on orders of $12+. It also gives you access to exclusive member perks like free food and order discounts.
Grubhub+ is normally $9.99 a month and will auto-renew at that price unless you contact Grubhub support at the end of your free one-year trial. So, you might want to add a reminder to your calendar.
➡️ Learn more here: Grubhub+ on Prime
8. Amazon Credit Cards
Amazon has two credit cards that you can apply for if you want to save money while shopping on Amazon.com.
The first is the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature credit card. It gives you 5% cash back on all purchases at Amazon.com and at Whole Foods Markets. You also get 2% cash back on restaurants and gas stations and 1% cash back on utilities, ride-shares, and most other purchases.
The second option for Prime members is the Amazon Prime Store Card. I have this card myself and find it very handy. You get 5% cash back on all Amazon.com purchases, so that mostly pays for my sales tax. There is no annual fee, and there are 0% financing options for larger purchases. However, this card only works for purchases at Amazon.com.
9. Prime Try Before You Buy
Amazon’s Try Before You Buy program lets you try up to six items at home and pay for only what you keep. It is good for women’s, men’s, kid’s, and baby’s clothing, shoes, and accessories.
I use this a lot because I’m an impatient shopper. I don’t like the time it takes to drive to the mall, try on clothes, find my size, fight the crowds, and so forth. It’s exhausting. I much prefer to jump on Amazon and order a bunch of things and wait for those to arrive at my doorstep.
It’s worth noting that not all products are part of the “Try Before You Buy” program, so make sure to check that box to filter your results when you are shopping. That said, the selection is still very good, and I have no qualms about sending it all back if nothing fits the way I want.
➡️ Learn more here: Prime Try Before You Buy
10. Prime Early Access
Every so often, you will also see products listed as a Prime Exclusive Deal. This is different from a Lightning Deal because it typically has no countdown timer. However, it is only available to Prime users.
I like finding deals like this, but they are frequently hard to find. Occasionally, I stumble across them on the Amazon homepage, but I am more likely to find them on deal sites like Slickdeals.
➡️ Learn more here: Prime Early Access & Exclusive Deals
11. Prime Reading
This handy Prime benefit lets you borrow books, magazines, and more from the Prime Reading catalog. There are thousands of titles to choose from. You can read them on your Fire tablet, Kindle e-reader, or the Kindle reading apps for iOS and Android. See the selection here.
Prime Reading also includes a program called Amazon First Reads. It gives you early access to a variety of books that span different genres. Each month, Prime users can pick two free Kindle books to read.
And finally, while we are on the subject of reading, Prime members get two free audiobook credits if they sign up for a new Audible Premium Plus membership. Learn more here.
12. Amazon Photos
Amazon Photos is a cloud storage service that lets you upload an unlimited number of full-resolution photos to your Amazon account for free. You can view the photos online, and on Amazon devices like the Fire TV, Echo Show, or Fire tablets.
This is a great deal unless you also want to store your videos in Amazon Photos because you get just 5Gb of video uploads for free. After that, you have to pay extra for more storage space. Plans start at $1.99 a month.
➡️ Learn more here: Amazon Photos
13. RxPass
Amazon’s newest Prime benefit is called RxPass. It’s part of the Amazon Pharmacy, and it gives subscribers access to the most common generic medications for a flat fee of $5 a month.
RxPass isn’t insurance, but it can be helpful for those without insurance or for occasions when insurance doesn’t cover certain medications. People with diabetes, high blood pressure, and anxiety may find their medications are eligible to be fulfilled with RxPass, and you can see the full list of eligible medications here.
So, if you are paying more than $5 a month for medications, RxPass is worth a look. It could save you money now and in the future.
➡️ Learn more here: RxPass
14. Amazon Household
Amazon Household allows you to share Amazon benefits with another adult or children in your household. A household can consist of two adults, four teenagers, and four children.
You can link two adult Amazon accounts to share e-books, audiobooks, apps, and games. The adults can share Prime Video, Amazon Music, and Twitch Prime with their teenagers and can set viewing restrictions. Teenagers can also have their own Amazon login and make (parent-approved) purchases.
Adults can share e-books, apps, and games with children. They can control and personalize each child’s experience by selecting what content they can see, and setting educational goals and time limits.
We have this set up for our family, and it works really well, especially for our teenager. When she buys something on Amazon, I get a text message asking me to approve or decline the purchase.
➡️ Learn more here: Amazon Household
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