Unless you’re one of the few still holding onto the “joy” that is in-store shopping, chances are good you’ve used Amazon from time-to-time…heh or if you’re like me “time-to-time” means “on a near-daily basis.” But are you an Amazon Prime subscriber?
Is Amazon Prime Worth It?
I’ve written about online shopping before, but today I want to talk to you about Amazon Prime and just why I feel it’s earned a place in my annual budget. Disclosure: links below may be affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) should you choose to make a purchase. This in no way impacts my recommendations, but it does help keep the cat full of Friskies and the mama full of coffee.
Even if you’re already an Amazon Prime member, I can almost guarantee you don’t know just how many benefits are available to you through your membership!
What is Amazon Prime?
I’m sure you’ve heard of Amazon Prime
before, but it’s SO much more than just “free 2-day” shipping. Amazon Prime is a membership program that gives customers access to over a dozen different Amazon-related perks, including streaming movies, same-day delivery, and early access to lightning deals. It’s only $99/year (plus a free 30-day trial!) or $10.99/month. One thing I really love about Amazon is that their trials are INSANELY easy to cancel. I know I’m always hesitant to try something out because really – who has the time to get on the phone and actually talk to someone? Ugh. Heh but to cancel Amazon trials, all you do is visit your profile and click cancel. That’s IT! No trying to convince you to stay, no 10-minute wait on the phone, none of that. Amazing, isn’t it?
Is it worth it?
As I mentioned above, Amazon Prime is so much more than free 2-day shipping, though that alone is worth it in my opinion! There are over 20 different benefits to subscribing to Amazon Prime, including….
Amazon Prime Photos
Given that I run my own online business without outsourcing and I also have two seriously cute kids, photo space on my phone is INCREDIBLY limited. Thanks to Amazon Prime, though, I don’t have to stress. Prime Photos gives you secure and unlimited photo storage via the Amazon Cloud Drive. So not only can you free up space on your phone, but you can also access your photos from anywhere you can access Amazon!
Seriously, I can’t not take photos of them!
Amazon Family
One of the most outstanding options that come with Amazon Prime is Amazon Family. You get a discount of up to 20% on diapers that you purchase on Amazon if you are a member of the package. It will seem as if you have bought them from the store if you combine this with the same-day delivery service. Buying diapers online is convenient because you do not have to worry about them running out. It is also likely that they will be delivered within two hours if you are near a metro area.
Kindle Owners Lending Library
Amazon is known for its bookstore services. Members get extra services. The Kindle Owners’ Lending Library gives you access to a million e-books that you can borrow. You can borrow only one book each month. The books do not have any due dates. This means that you can read the books that you wanted to read without buying them. You get to view one pre-released book each month. Amazon rewards members with hundreds of exclusive deals for one day each year.
Amazon Video
If you haven’t cut the cord on cable yet, Amazon Video may be able to persuade you to finally do so. When you have an Amazon Prime membership, you can instantly stream thousands of different episodes and movies – including PBS (and family) favorites, like Daniel Tiger!
Amazon Prime Wardrobe
This is the latest to come from Amazon Prime – Prime Wardrobe! Now as someone who has done the whole wardrobe subscription thing, I’m pretty excited about this is latest release. Much like Gwynnie Bee or StitchFix, this feature allows Amazon Prime members to order clothes to try on and then buy if they like them. The difference with Prime Wardrobe, though, is that they allow YOU to choose your styles and there’s no additional fees to ship, regardless of whether you like any of the clothing you pick or not.
Amazon Household
Amazon Household allows you to share Amazon Prime benefits with others, such as your spouse or children. You can set up Amazon Household for up to six members – two adults and up to four children. Your children can’t shop on Amazon through their profile (yay!) but they can partake in the other benefits, such as games and ebooks. Plus each adult can keep his/her personal account while sharing in the benefits at no additional cost.
How else can I save with Amazon?
Use the Amazon Discount Search
Let’s try something fun here:
Go to Amazon and type in the search box a product you’ve been looking for.
For my example, you can see I’ve searched for fun dinosaur-related goodies for my toddler –
When you do a normal search, you’ll usually see sponsored posts first (paid placements) and then whatever related products Amazon feels are “best sellers.”
Prices are always shifting and changing on Amazon, though, so if you want to find a highly-rated but lower-priced product, add: &pct-off=50-60 at the end of your URL – it’ll pull up all the products that are currently 50%-60% off.
Want to push it a bit higher? Add: &pct-off=75- at the end. You can change the number to whatever you wish and doing this will better ensure you’re finding lower priced products that are still related to exactly what you’re looking for.
Get Cash Back with Rakuten
If you’re not familiar with Rakuten, NOW is the time to cozy up and get to know all about how to make money with Rakuten. Formerly Ebates, Rakuten is an amazing way to earn cash back on almost anything you’re buying online – including Amazon goodies! Plus if you sign up through this link, you’ll get an extra $10 back on your first purchase!
Score Two Free Audio Books
Did you know that Amazon also offers a free opportunity to try Audible? I love listening to books while I’m cooking dinner or folding laundry, so being able to get two FREE was a no-brainer for me. If you choose to subscribe, it’s only $14.95/month and totally worth it!
Choose No-Rush Shipping
If you’re willing to wait a few extra days on your order, choose “no rush” at checkout and you’ll often earn free credits toward movies, home services, ebooks, and Prime Pantry (anywhere from $1-$30!)
Save Time with Deliveries
Not only do I love Amazon Prime because of the two-day delivery on most items, but did you know they take things even further? First, there’s Amazon Restaurants, quick delivery of food from your favorite restaurants and it’s completely FREE if you spend $35+ (or only $4.95 for delivery if you spend less). This is PERFECT for those days when the kids are driving you nuts, you forgot to plan out lunch, and you just need a few minutes of relief. Then there’s SAME DAY delivery – yes, SAME DAY! It’s only for eligible zip codes (i.e. bigger cities right now) but I imagine they’ll continue branching that out across the country. Ahhh, the bliss of instant gratification… 😉
Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards
Both InboxDollars and SlideJoy give you opportunities to earn free Amazon Gift Cards – and SlideJoy requires literally NO extra effort! You can read more on that one in my Money-Making Apps article, but basically SlideJoy pays to show you ads on your lock screen. So with the usual every day swipes, you can earn $10+/month and redeem that in the form of Amazon credits!
Pay Attention to Your Delivery Dates
Amazon has some amazing customer service, and one thing I really love is that if you don’t get your order within their guaranteed delivery date, you can extend your Amazon Prime membership for free for an extra month:
If you received free shipping with a guaranteed delivery date through Amazon Prime, you may be eligible for a free one-month extension if the delivery date isn’t met. Prime extensions are limited to one per free trial, one per month for monthly members, and 12 for an annual membership. Free Amazon Student Memberships do not qualify for this extension. (Read more on this policy here)
So…are you convinced yet? Or maybe you’re already an Amazon Prime member?
I love Amazon but am not a prime member. I have thought about it and I could see it at some point and different times though. I don’t have a need at this instant but my daughter lives out in the country and uses her prime membership all the time to save on shopping trips. A few years back, I had an accident that left me pretty incapacitated for a couple years. Shopping was a nightmare and Amazon Prime would have been a godsend at that point in my life.
Is this the U.S. Prime? It sounds way better than the Canadian version. We don’t get Kindle Unlimited, the restaurants stuff, the No-Rush options, etc.
Sounds interesting, especially the way you wrote about it.
Hope this week treats you kindly. ?
Thank you very much for this well-researched post, Amber. I have been dithering about Amazon Prime, now I can make an informed decision.
We were just complaining about our lack of storage on our phones! We will be looking into the cloud storage, thanks!!
I think Amazon Prime is such a deal! Thanks for all the deets.
I did the free trial at a time when I was ordering lots of things I needed express delivery on, then cancelled it. If I ordered more regularly than I do & had a bit more free money, I think I would keep it.