You may have first signed up for your Amazon Prime membership back in simpler days, when the membership benefits mainly included free two-day shipping. With Amazon’s recent announcement that its Prime membership fee would be jumping from $99 to $119 for everyone (even existing members) by June 15, and you might be wondering if the membership benefits are still worth it.
The answer will be different for everyone, but today let’s take a look at the Amazon Prime membership benefits – including some you may have overlooked.
Deliveries Made Easy – And Often Free!
- Free two-day shipping on many items to addresses in the continental U.S. – with no minimum purchase amount. You’ll also get free no-rush shipping (which sometimes offers its own rewards) and standard shipping, too.
- For orders over $35, your membership benefits include free same-day delivery by 9 p.m. (Some items are excluded.)
- The Prime Now services offers free 2-hour delivery for tens of thousands of items to 30 cities, including Denver.
- Free release-date delivery. You can pre-order items for delivery by 7 p.m. on the same day the items hit shelves.
- Whole Foods delivery.
- Amazon Key makes deliveries to your car. Millions of items can be delivered to 2015 model year or newer Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and Volvo models. It’s available in several cities, including Denver.
Shopping Perks
Did you know Amazon has physical locations like book stores (which your membership benefits give you discounts on) and 2,000 lockers in more than 50 cities?
Here are some other membership benefits that come with Prime:
- Amazon payment cards
- The Visa signature card, offers 5 percent back on Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, 2 percent back at restaurants and 1 percent back on other purchases.
- The Synchrony Bank card includes 5 percent back on Amazon purchases, and great financing and interest rates.
- Dash buttons. With both physical or virtual versions of this button, you simply push it whenever you’d like to reorder a certain product.
- Discounts on baby products. Prime membership benefits include 15% off items on a baby registry, 20% off several different types of diapers, baby food subscriptions, and more.
- Access Amazon’s daily deals 30 minutes early.
- More Prime-exclusive membership benefits:
- Amazon fashion brands.
- Exclusive household brands.
- Gourmet food brands.
Streaming Benefits
Since Amazon Prime Video was launched in 2011, Amazon has elevated streaming to a central part of its business model. Here are some membership benefits Prime members enjoy.
Prime Video. You’ll get unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes, including Thursday Night Football for the next two seasons. Prime Video also lets you download videos, and this service can also be purchased on its own.
Prime Music. Ad-free access to more than a million songs, playlists, and personalized stations. With Amazon’s app, you can play the music offline, too.
Twitch Prime. Through this video live game streaming service, Prime members get discounts on games, pre-orders and new releases, ad-free viewing, free exclusive content, and a free Twitch monthly channel subscription.
Reading Bonuses
Prime member benefits offer reading perks. If you own a Kindle e-reader you can even create a lending library.
- Prime Reading. You can borrow up to 10 digital books at a time. Choose from more than 1,000 books, magazines and comics. This doesn’t require a Kindle, just the Kindle app.
- Washington Post free trial. Skip the paywall and enjoy a six-month free trial of The Washington Post.
- Amazon First Reads. This program’s membership benefits include a new book every month, based on what Amazon’s early-access picks. You’ll also get discounts on hardcover books.
But Wait, There’s More Membership Benefits
- Concerts. Amazon prime membership benefits include Prime Live Events, which kicked off in 2017 with a U.K. Blondie concert.
- Prime Photos. Get unlimited photo storage and 5 GB of storage for other files for you and 5 people.
- Amazon Channels. Stream HBO, Showtime and Starz for $4.99-$14.99 a month.
- Prime Pantry. A great way to order small, lighter objects like groceries and household items, a single order is available to any Prime member for $7.99 shipping. Or, pay $4.99/month for free shipping on orders over $40.
- Audible. For $14.95/month, Amazon Prime membership benefits certain playlists or “channels” for free on the Audible app. You’ll also get 3 free audio books when you sign up for an Audible trial.
- Amazon Music Unlimited. It features tens of millions of songs, downloads, and unlimited skips for an extra $7.99/month. Family plans are $14.99/month, and the Echo plan streams to one Alexa device for $3.99/month.
- Membership sharing. No more sneaking around sharing your password! You can share certain aspects of your Prime membership with up to 10 people: two adults, four teens and four children.
- Do you love being in-the-know about the latest offerings? Amazon Prime membership benefits include being the first to try new services and programs before they’re open to the public.
What do you think, will you keep your Prime Membership active, even with the price jump? With all these amazing membership benefits available, we’ll definitely be keeping ours.
*Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. Citywide Home Loans does not provide any other service apart from lending. You should always consult with your legal, tax and financial advisors to determine which strategy is the most suitable for your specific circumstances.
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