15 Amazon Prime Benefits You Might Not Know About
Updated: Jun. 11, 2024
Learn more about Amazon Prime benefits, especially if you're interested in reading, watching movies and ordering household goods
Hidden Amazon Prime benefits
Everyone knows that being an Amazon Prime member means getting free two-day shipping. But not everybody knows that Amazon Prime benefits also include music, video and more. With so many subscription services available for everything from streaming to shopping, it’s important to compare offers (weighing an Amazon Prime subscription against Walmart Plus, for instance), select the best service for your needs and then make sure you’re using all of the offered benefits.
So why try Amazon Prime? One of the most popular retail sites across the globe, Amazon boasts over 300 million active customer accounts and delivers to more than 100 countries worldwide. In 2023 alone, the company’s net sales exceeded $500 billion, solidifying its position as a leader in e-commerce. To help you get the most bang for your buck, we’ve rounded up the lesser-known perks of being a Prime member. From Amazon Music to books and more, these are all the Amazon Prime benefits that come with your subscription.
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, shipping and all the other Amazon Prime benefits you’ll receive. But if you aren’t likely to do a lot of shopping or streaming every month, it probably makes more sense just to subscribe for a month or two at a time.
For lower-cost options, 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. Lastly, there are usually free trials that will get you a free month of Amazon Prime benefits 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 prerelease books. Every month, Amazon editors select six books that Prime members can purchase for $1.99 each.
Prime Reading is available on any device, but Kindle First is available only on Kindle, Fire tablet and Fire phone.
Download videos for offline viewing
For movie buffs, downloading for offline viewing is one of the best Amazon Prime benefits. Prime members using Fire tablets, Fire phones, Android phones or tablets, and iOS devices can download specially marked Amazon Prime videos (current options include Skyfall, The Boys in the Boat and Mean Girls) to their device and watch them later. The amount of time you have to view a download varies by title, and not all Amazon Prime TV shows or videos 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.
Enjoy Prime Music and Prime Video subscriptions
Like Spotify, Prime Music is an on-demand music streaming service—it’s ad-free and 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 $9.99 per month ($99 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 $10.99 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 movies, TV shows and award-winning original Amazon Studios content. With Prime Video, you can stream shows or movies to your Kindle, Fire TV, laptop and more.
Access premium streaming channels
That’s right: There are even more Amazon Prime benefits in the entertainment space. Amazon Channels connect Prime members to third-party, stand-alone streaming subscriptions for premium services, such as Showtime, CBS All Access, Cinemax and Hallmark Movies. Prices vary per channel. If you need a recommendation, these are the best TV shows to watch.
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 5 GB 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.
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.
Get better deals with Subscribe & Save
If you’d like to turn your favorite orders into automatic deliveries, you can take advantage of Amazon’s 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.
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.
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 preorder 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.
Get deals on diapers
The Amazon Prime benefits for parents are plentiful, especially for parents of young children and infants. With an Amazon Family subscription, you can save up to 20% on diapers, baby food (excluding formula), thousands of e-books and more. You’ll also receive a newsletter with details of special discounts, coupons, sales and more. When you sign up, Amazon will send you a welcome box with a surprise selection of products for you to test and try. This is probably a good time to remind you about Amazon’s health-care service too.
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 give you a promotional reward or instant discount. You can use those discounts or rewards on a variety of items in several categories, including e-books, 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 savings.
Reload gift cards
The Amazon Reload program lets you reload your Amazon gift card with funds from your checking account. While Amazon ended its program that offered a 2% benefit for reloads, reloadable Amazon gift cards are still a great way to surprise a friend, deliver a monthly allowance to a kid or help yourself stick to a budget.
Share your membership
If you’re moving into a new home with another Amazon 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 on revealing your private information to your roommate, this may not be the perk for you. For families, however, it’s a great way to stay efficient with purchases and keep the Amazon orders coming.
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 members-only Prime chat badge that looks like a crown next to your username.
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—no payment required. 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.
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Sources:
- About Amazon: “Amazon.com Announces Fourth Quarter Results”
- Amazon: “Amazon Prime Benefits”
- Amazon: “No Rush Shipping”
- Amazon Prime Day
- Amazon Subscribe & Save
- Amazon Grocery Delivery
