It’s common knowledge that an Amazon Prime membership nets you free two-day shipping. But there are additional benefits that make the service more worthwhile, and considering the cost of a yearly membership, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you aren’t taking advantage of all of them. Below, we’ve listed some of the benefits you should be reaping as an Amazon Prime member.
It’s worth noting that Amazon has had more than its fair share of debacles over the years. However, as of December 2019, there were over 112 million Prime members in the US. If you’re one of them, these perks are worth checking out.
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What’s Amazon Prime, and How Much Does it Cost?
Amazon Prime is a premium membership to Amazon.com. If you’re a brand-new member, you can try it free for 30 days. This trial automatically renews, so set a reminder on your phone to reassess and make sure you cancel, if you want to, on time.
Amazon Prime costs $119 per year. You can pay $13 per month instead, but that raises the cost of the membership to $156 per year, so you’ll be paying for the convenience.
Students with a valid .edu email address can get Prime Student. Prime Student costs $59 annually or $6 per month. Students can also get a free six-month trial of Amazon Prime.
Finally, some customers are eligible for discounted Prime memberships. If you register a valid EBT card or Medicaid card, you can get Amazon Prime for $6 per month.
Basic Benefits
There are some perks you probably know about already, but the Covid-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench in supply chains everywhere, including at Amazon. While guaranteed shipping speeds may have slowed down a bit these days, usually Prime members are still eligible for free next-day shipping on millions of items and free two-day shipping on millions more. Depending on where you live, you may also be eligible for free same-day delivery. Other Amazon-owned stores also offer free shipping to Prime members, including ShopBop, Woot!, and East Dane.
Prime members get free (and commercial-free) Prime Music Streaming from a selection of 2 million songs. Members are also eligible for discounted subscriptions to Amazon Music Unlimited, a separate service that offers access to 60 million songs. Normally it costs $10 per month, but Prime members get it for $8 monthly.
Prime Video is also included with your membership. There are some killer originals, like Homecoming and Fleabag, in addition to other movies and shows.
Finally, we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about Amazon’s members-only event, Prime Day. The annual “holiday” has outperformed both Black Friday and Cyber Monday in years past, but not every Prime Day deal is actually a bargain. The WIRED Gear team always covers the event to make your shopping easier. Typically, Prime Day is held in summer, but due to the ongoing pandemic, we have a feeling we won’t see Prime Day 2020 until autumn (if it makes an appearance at all.)
Amazon Day
Overwhelmed by the sheer amount of boxes at your door? (Honestly, as a product writer, same.)
Amazon Day lets you schedule all of your deliveries to arrive on a certain day of the week. Rather than dealing with a box or two at a time on multiple days, you can get one package with all of your orders on whichever day you prefer. If you use Amazon Day, you aren’t locked in. That means if you’re ordering something you need quickly, you can still opt for the fastest shipping method. Amazon Day is a good way to cut back on the cardboard (and the carbon footprint).
Prime Now
This benefit isn’t available everywhere, but it’s convenient if you have access. Prime Now is a separate website or app that lets
