15 Amazon Prime Benefits You Might Not Know About
Updated: Jan. 03, 2023
An Amazon Prime subscription gives you a lot more than just unlimited free two-day shipping!
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Hidden benefits
How much is Amazon Prime a month?
There are two payment options to access Amazon Prime: a monthly payment of $14.99, or a yearly payment of $139. If you know for sure that you will want 12 months of Prime, the yearly subscription will help you save money on streaming and all the other Amazon Prime benefits you’ll receive. But if you aren’t likely to do a lot of shipping or streaming every month, it probably makes more sense just to subscribe for a month or two at a time.
For lower-cost options, it’s possible to purchase a Prime Video membership only. This will give you access to Prime’s video streaming but will not get you free shipping. Students also get special Prime offers, paying only $7.49 per month or $69 per year. Last, there are usually free trials that will get you a free month of Prime before charging you for the service.
Read books for free
One of the best Amazon Prime benefits for big-time book readers is two free reading products: Prime Reading and Kindle First. Prime Reading gives Prime members open access to thousands of free books and magazines each month, from Harry Potter to InStyle magazine. You can even browse these titles and download them to your device for long flights or Internet-free zones.
Kindle First is a program that offers Prime members exclusive first access to pre-released books. Every month there are six editor’s picks selected, which Prime members can purchase for only $1.99 each.
Prime Reading is available on any device, but Kindle First is only available on Kindle, Fire tablet and Fire phone. Find out more ways to read books online for free.
Download videos for offline viewing
For movie buffs, downloading for offline viewing is one of the best Amazon Prime benefits. Prime members on Fire tablets, Fire phones, Android phones or tablets, and iOS devices can download specially marked Amazon Prime videos (current options include The Hunger Games and more) to their device and watch them later. The time period you have to view a download varies by title, and not all Prime videos or shows can be downloaded.
Long flight ahead? You can download multiple titles. When you reach your account’s maximum, just delete something you’ve already seen and you’ll have room for the new flick. Don’t miss these Amazon hacks to save money while shopping online.
Enjoy Prime Music and Prime Video subscriptions
Like Spotify, Prime Music is an ad-free and on-demand music streaming service, included in your Prime membership. The more music you play, the better Prime Music will be at selecting your preferences and building playlists that might interest you. For an additional $8.99 per month ($89 annually), Prime members can also subscribe to Amazon Music Unlimited and gain access to more than 100 million songs. Without a Prime membership, you could expect to pay $9.99 per month for access to Amazon Music Unlimited. You can also stream this service on the Amazon Echo, Echo Plus and Echo Dot for in-home entertainment.
Likewise, Prime Video is a virtual warehouse of great TV shows, movies and award-winning original Amazon Studios content. With Prime Video, you can stream shows or movies to your Kindle, Fire TV, laptop and more. Too many options and not sure what to watch? Here’s a list of good movies to look for.
Store photos for free
If you’ve ever experienced a computer or phone crash that wiped out years of photos you had meant to back up, you already know the importance of a cloud-based storage option where you can safely stash your treasured files. Amazon Prime members receive unlimited photo storage with up to 5GB of storage for videos and other files in Prime Photos. You can also invite up to five friends and family members to share storage in your Family Vault, and anyone in the group can order prints directly from your digital photo albums. Don’t forget to take these photos you should always carry with you.
Have access to premium streaming channels
Amazon Prime benefits continue in the TV and movie entertainment division: Prime members can connect to third-party stand-alone streaming subscriptions for premium services, such as Showtime, CBS All Access, Cinemax and Hallmark Movies, on Amazon Channels. Prices vary per channel. If you need a recommendation, these are the best TV shows to watch!
Get same-day grocery delivery
As if free two-day shipping wasn’t good enough, Amazon Prime benefits are even sweeter for people living in cities serviced by Amazon’s grocery delivery option. This service offers free two-hour delivery from Whole Foods or Amazon Fresh, as long as your order meets the qualifying minimum of $35. If your order is under the minimum, or if you want one-hour delivery, there is a delivery charge. Also expect to pay a service fee, taxes and tip, although Prime members can save an additional 10% on sale items. Check out the weird story behind Amazon’s name.
Get better deals with Subscribe & Save
If you’d like to turn your favorite orders into automatic deliveries, Amazon offers Subscribe & Save, a subscription service for all sorts of home goods, from toiletries and cleaning products to snacks and beverages. Save 15% when you select five or more products for scheduled auto-deliveries. You select the frequency of your orders, and each month Amazon sends you a reminder email so you can choose to cancel or skip that month’s shipment. Check out these things you should always order from Amazon.
Jump-start savings with Prime Day
One of the best Amazon Prime benefits is Prime Day, an entire day of big savings exclusively for Prime members. These Prime Day deals are a chance to score big savings on books, electronics and more. Most Prime Days occur in the summer, but keep an eye on the Prime Day homepage for the next event. Don’t miss these really strange things you can buy on Amazon, by the way.
Get release-date deliveries
Starving for the next book in your favorite series? Eager to get your hands on a brand-new DVD? Amazon’s Release-Date Delivery program allows you to pre-order items, from books to electronics, and receive the shipment the same day the item is released for sale. Simply select the Prime free two-day shipping option at checkout, and the hot new item will be delivered to your doorstep while everyone else is standing in line. Beyond your new release, check out these Amazon products you’ll use every day.
Get deals on diapers
The Amazon Prime benefits for parents are plentiful, especially for parents of young babies and infants. With an Amazon Family subscription, you can save up to 20% on subscriptions for diapers, baby food (excluding formula), thousands of ebooks and more. You’ll also receive a newsletter with details of special discounts, coupons, sales and more. When you sign up, Amazon sends you a Welcome Box with a surprise selection of products for you to test and try. Plus, did you hear about Amazon’s new health-care service?
Earn discounts with No-Rush Shipping
If you decide you don’t need those envelopes, rain boots or what have you the day after tomorrow, you can select free No-Rush Shipping at checkout, and Amazon will reward you with a promotional reward or instant discount. Those discounts or rewards may be used for a variety of items in several categories, including ebooks, Amazon Instant videos, Prime Pantry and more. There’s no limit to how much you can earn, so select the slower delivery option whenever possible for big rewards. Find out the items you should never buy online.
Reload gift cards
The Amazon Reload program lets you reload your Amazon gift card with funds from your checking account. While Amazon has ended the program that used to give a 2% benefit for reloads, reloadable Amazon gift cards are still a great way to offer a surprise for a friend, deliver a monthly allowance to a kid or help yourself stick to a budget. While shopping with your gift card, don’t miss these hidden gems on Amazon!
Share your membership
If you’re moving into a new home with another Prime member, you two can share one Prime account and split the cost with Amazon Household. One thing to note: You both must agree to let the other account member see your payment information, so if you’re not keen for your roommate to see your private information, this may not be the agreement for you. For families, however, it’s a great way to stay efficient with purchases and keep the Amazon orders coming. Next, check out these funny things you can ask your Amazon Alexa to do.
Download games
Amazon Prime also comes with Prime gaming, which offers perks for gaming enthusiasts. Benefits include extra in-game content for popular games, free downloadable games and a monthly channel subscription on Twitch. Prime gaming also offers perks like exclusive emoticons, expanded chat color options, extended storage of Twitch broadcasts and a member-only Prime chat badge that looks like a crown next to your username. Now that you know what you can do on your gaming devices, find out what Alexa can do.
Try on clothes
Amazon Prime’s try-before-you-buy program is exactly what it sounds like. It lets you pick up to six eligible items (which can be clothing, jewelry, accessories or shoes) and ships them to your home, without you actually paying for them. You then have seven days to try on the clothes and decide if you want to initiate a return. You won’t get charged until the end of the seven-day period, but be sure to mark what you want to return by then, or else you will pay for the entire order! Next, check out these Amazon Prime gifts
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