7 Big Perks of an Amazon Prime Membership

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So many perks, so little time to investigate.  

I’ve been an Amazon Prime member for years and have never paid much attention to membership perks beyond free shipping and access to TV shows and movies. It turns out there are other, lesser-known perks associated with an Amazon Prime membership that I’ve never taken advantage of. If you’re busy like me and don’t take time to keep up with membership perks, you may be as surprised as I was by these easy ways to save money.

1. Unlimited photo storage

Every month, $1.99 is debited from my bank account to pay for extra photo storage. It may only be a couple of dollars, but I now know I can cut that expense from my budget. Unlimited cloud-based photo storage is available for free to Prime members. If you’re paying another service like Apple, Dropbox, or iCloud to back up your photos, it’s one small bill you can do away with.

2. Super-fast shipping

If you’ve been a Prime member, you’re probably familiar with Amazon’s famous two-day shipping. But were you aware that millions of Amazon items are eligible for free one-day shipping? What’s more, in select areas of the country, Prime members can get free same-day delivery on orders of $35 or more.

3. Amazon Key

Let’s say you work away from home but regularly order from Amazon. Amazon Key allows Prime members to set up a secure method for packages to be delivered inside their garages. This can save you the hassle of stolen packages.

4. Music

This is one of the few perks I found early on and have integrated into my life. Prime Music allows you to ditch your Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora subscription by offering members a free streaming music service. This is another monthly subscription cost you can save on.

5. Gaming

I am not a gamer, but I know many people who are. If someone in your household enjoys gaming, it may interest you to know that Prime members can get free games each month. There are also free in-game upgrades that allow the player to customize their characters.

6. Reading

Through Prime Reading, members can access more than 1,000 audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, and comics. Members can also pick a free Amazon First Reads book each month and access the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. If you don’t have a Kindle, that’s okay. Simply install the Kindle app on one of your existing devices.

7. Try Before You Buy

Previously called Prime Wardrobe, Try Before You Buy allows members to order clothes, shoes, and jewelry. Once they’ve tried them on at home, the member returns anything they don’t want and is only charged for the items they kept. It’s an easy way to keep charges off your credit card until you’re ready to commit.

Membership cost

Prime membership is not for everyone, but if you believe the perks outweigh the membership cost, it’s worth consideration. Here’s a quick breakdown of 2023 Prime membership costs:

$14.99 per month or $139 per year if you pay annually.Prime Access for $6.99 monthly for qualifying government assistance recipients. Government assistance includes SNAP, EBT, and Medicaid.Prime Student for $7.49 per month or $69 per year for students enrolled in two or four-year colleges.

If you haven’t yet, you can take a membership for a free 30-day test run to see if it works for you. It’s a risk-free way to decide if Prime is worth the cost of admission.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Dana George has positions in Amazon.com and Apple. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com and Apple. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long March 2023 $120 calls on Apple and short March 2023 $130 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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