10 Best Perks of an Amazon Prime Membership
Laura reviews 10 of the best benefits of being an Amazon Prime member. Find out if a membership is right for you and how to take full advantage of everything Prime has to offer.
I’ve been an Amazon Prime member for years and it has completely revolutionized the way I shop online. Although Amazon recently increased the cost to $119 per year or $12.99 per month, their customer service and variety of perks keep me hooked.
At first, I signed up just for free shipping, but now the service offers so much more, it’s hard to keep track. There are loads of free benefits for Prime members—plus, even more add-on subscriptions that cost less.
In this post, I’ll review 10 of the best benefits of Amazon Prime so you can decide if a membership is right for you. And if you already signed up, this is a good reminder to take full advantage of everything your Prime subscription has to offer.
10 Money-Saving Benefits of Amazon Prime
- Prime Delivery
- Prime Now
- Whole Foods Market discounts
- Prime Video
- Prime Music
- Audible Channels
- Prime Reading
- Alexa Voice Shopping
- Prime Rewards
- Amazon Photos
Here are 10 of the best benefits of an Amazon Prime membership that make it well worth the cost.
1. Prime Delivery
If all you got from being a Prime member was unlimited free two-day Prime Delivery with no minimum order threshold, it’d be worth it in my book. I make enough orders that my shipping costs would easily exceed the $119 annual membership fee.
Instead of having to wait until I have multiple items to buy, I can submit an order for a single item knowing there’s no additional delivery cost. I just open the Amazon app, add what I need to the cart, and place my order.
Some types of items don’t qualify for free two-day shipping, such as certain items shipped from Amazon Marketplace sellers, magazine subscriptions, and goods sent outside of the US. But depending on where you live, qualifying orders of at least $35 in certain cities can even be delivered the same day for free.
Another perk that I’ve started using more frequently is choosing “no-rush” shipping at checkout. This is a great option if you’re willing to wait a little longer to receive an item because your patience is rewarded. You receive promotional credits that get applied to your next qualifying Prime Now order, which we’ll cover next.
2. Prime Now
If you live in one of 40 major markets, Prime Now delivers thousands of items in as little as an hour to your doorstep. You can shop for food and products from Whole Foods, which Amazon owns, from other local stores, or restaurants.
Just visit Prime Now and enter your ZIP code to see what local stores are available and add items to your cart. Many restaurants only have a $10 minimum order and delivery costs are typically under $4 or $5.
A local courier will be on the way to bring items to your home, office, or hotel in the delivery window you choose, seven days a week. You can even track and communicate with the driver in real time.
3. Whole Foods Market discounts
Thanks to Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods, Prime members get 10% off sale items and more discounts on select items and best-sellers at markets nationwide. Plus, Whole Foods stores are now Amazon lockers where members can pick up deliveries.
Bonus Tip from The Penny Hoarder
Here are three ways to save on your favorite drink, the pumpkin spice latte. And if you’re looking for more cafe perks, Penny Hoarder has a handful of Starbucks savings hacks.
1. Join Starbucks Rewards.
You’ll earn two stars for every $1 spent and automatically receive free in-store refills on brewed coffee and tea. If you earn 300 stars in 12 months, you’ll reach gold level, which will earn you additional benefits—including monthly bonus days and a free beverage or food item for every 125 stars you earn.
2. Buy a Discounted Gift Card at Starbucks.
Use a site like Gift Card Granny for a discounted gift card. Just buy a gift card for less than its face value, and you’ll get more for your money at Starbucks.
3. Join My Panera.
Starbucks isn’t the only chain offering up a pumpkin spice latte. Panera Bread stores offer a similar concoction each fall. To save on its version of the PSL, join the My Panera program for discounts and freebies.
4. Prime Video
Another service that really makes the membership worthwhile for me is Prime Video. You get unlimited streaming of TV shows and movies in the Amazon library at no extra cost. There are many award-winning original series, such as “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” one of my favorites. You can stream them online or download to watch offline.
Prime members can also subscribe to more than 100 premium channels, such as HBO and SHOWTIME, without having cable. You just pay for the channels you want and can cancel them at any time.
5. Prime Music
If you’re a music fan, Prime Music won’t disappoint with over 2 million songs. If that’s not enough, your membership entitles you to a 20% discount on an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription, which gives you unlimited streaming for tens of millions of songs and new releases. You can give it a try with a 30-day free trial and then pay $7.99 per month as a member, or $9.99 as a non-member.
6. Audible Channels
I love listening to audio to learn, get news, and entertainment. Amazon owns the audiobook provider, Audible, and offers Audible Channels as an added free benefit for Prime members.
You can listen to a selection of audiobooks, original audio series, and playlists, such as for comedy, history, or documentary-style storytelling. Channels can be streamed or downloaded using the free Audible app and select Fire Tablets.
7. Prime Reading
Members can now read more than a thousand books, magazines, comics, and other content for free with Prime Reading. This service includes e-books with Audible Narration, so you can switch seamlessly between reading and listening without losing your place.
You don’t even need a Kindle device to use Prime Reading because the Kindle app is free to use on any device. But if you do have a Kindle or Fire Tablet, you get access to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, with hundreds of thousands of titles that you can download and keep indefinitely.
8. Alexa Voice Shopping
Amazon’s virtual personal assistant is called Alexa. When Prime members activate Alexa on products, such as the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, you can ask the assistant to make Amazon purchases, give you product recommendations, and let you know when a delivery has been made. You even get access to exclusive Alexa deals by just saying, “Alexa, what are my deals?”
9. Prime Rewards
On top of the convenience and savings you get by joining Prime, eligible members can get Prime Rewards with an Amazon credit card that pays up to 5% cash back. I love using the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card because there’s no annual fee or earning cap on how much you can save.
The Visa card gives you 5% back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market, 2% back at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1% back on all other purchases. Also, there are no foreign transaction fees.
So this is the only card I use when making Amazon-related purchases. If you’re not a Prime member you can still get an Amazon card, but the benefits aren’t as rich.
10. Prime Photos
A Prime perk I keep forgetting to use is access to Prime Photos, Amazon’s cloud storage feature. Members get unlimited storage for photos, plus 5 GB for videos and documents. You can upload photos from any device to Amazon’s cloud and download it to any device you like.
Believe it or not, this isn’t a complete list of all the Prime benefits, just some of my favorites. Another interesting service is Amazon Dash buttons, which connect to a smart home service that automatically reorders your favorite products, such as laundry detergent and beverages, before you even know you’re running out. Each button costs $4.99, but Amazon credits it back with your first order.
There’s also Prime Pantry for when you want lower-priced grocery items shipped for a flat fee of $5.99 per box or sent for free when you have five or more qualifying items. And if you’re in school, check out Prime Student, which gives you several of the best benefits I’ve covered for just $59 a year or $6.49 a month.
Amazon keeps adding benefits to the Prime membership, so stay up-to-date on the full list of perks.
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Amazon Packages image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Laura Adams received an MBA from the University of Florida. She’s an award-winning personal finance author, speaker, and consumer advocate who is a frequent, trusted source for the national media. Money-Smart Solopreneur: A Personal Finance System for Freelancers, Entrepreneurs, and Side-Hustlers is her newest title. Laura’s previous book, Debt-Free Blueprint: How to Get Out of Debt and Build a Financial Life You Love, was an Amazon #1 New Release. Do you have a money question? Call the Money Girl listener line at 302-364-0308. Your question could be featured on the show.
