You might have heard of Amazon Prime or maybe not. But if you’ve ever wondered or wondering what is Amazon Prime – actually the answer is a little complicated. Most people who have heard of Amazon Prime only relates it to it’s fast shipping benefits – actually it’s way more than that.

Amazon Prime is a subscription services that gives its members access to a variety of Amazon services. These benefits include 1-2 day shipping, access to Amazon Prime Day deals, lots of online videos and music, games and many other Amazon-centric benefits. 

Read Also: How to Save Money Shopping on Amazon

As a paid subscription service, the price to be come a Prime member on Amazon is $199 yearly ($12.99/ monthly). Looking at the price might make you actually think if its worth it or just stick to been a regular shopper on Amazon.

Well, maybe down what Amazon Prime is will help you make a good decision. If you have ever wondered what Amazon Prime really is about, from fast shipping to free streaming services, here is everything you need to know.

What is Amazon Prime?

What is Amazon Prime? Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service — $119 yearly or $12.99 monthly — that gives Amazon shoppers a variety of interesting features. One of the biggest benefits, however, is free one- or two-day shipping on most items sold by Amazon.

There ae currently over 150 Million paid prime members on Amazon globally. So should you decide to join, know that you’re not alone. If you’re a prime member on Amazon, you also get access to Amazon Prime Gaming services and Amazon Prime Videos.

See Also: Amazon Prime Student: What it is, its benefits and how to Join

What are the Benefits of Amazon Prime

1. Up to 30% discount on selected Whole Foods purchases

To be honest, the cost of becoming a Prime member isn’t cheap. But there are many interesting benefits associated with an Amazon Prime membership. Take for instance, Prime members get 10% off on selected Whole Foods purchases.

Amazon has been putting more efforts on Whole Foods discounts with new weekly price cuts that save shoppers about 20% on in-season produce, meat, seafood, and other related products. 

Amazon announced last October that Prime members will be getting free Amazon fresh deliveries when they place orders of $35 or more.

See Also: Amazon Prime Gaming: What it is and its benefits

2. Free Amazon fresh services

The Amazon Fresh that previously costs an extra $14.99 monthly will now be free for Prime members who have previously used the paid Amazon Fresh service. (Members who haven’t used the service must ask to be invited to Amazon Fresh before taking advantage of the free delivery).

3. Discount on other digital services

Prime members also get discounts on digital services such as FreeTime Unlimited, which usually costs $2.99 monthly for Prime members or $4.99/month for non-members. And should members receive an Amazon Prime delivery late, Amazon will try to rectify its mistake.

Students are not also left out as they can also benefit from Amazon Prime. If you’re a two- or four-year college student with a valid .edu email, you can get a free six-month trial of Amazon Prime Student, which gets you all of the benefits of Prime in addition to special student-specific deals and coupons. After your trial ends, Prime Student will cost you $59 yearly or 6.49 monthly.

Prime Student membership now comes with a deal on Music Unlimited, which is a paid streaming service that usually costs $7.99 per month for Prime members. There is option for college students to add the 50-million track library of Unlimited (which beats Prime Music’s 2 million count) for $0.99 extra.

The above are just a few of the many benefits of Amazon Prime. Below are the answers to all/most of your questions concerning Prime membership.  

Why should I subscribe to Amazon Prime?

We can think of at the least twenty reasons why customers who frequent the Amazon website may want a Prime subscription. Below you’ll find a few. 

Shipping

• Free two-day shipping on eligible items to addresses in the contiguous U.S. and other shipping benefits. For more information, go to Amazon Prime Shipping Benefits.
• Same-day delivery in eligible ZIP codes for free. For more information, go to Order with Prime Free Same-Day Delivery.
• Prime Pantry: Prime Pantry gives members access to low-priced groceries as well as household and pet care items. In addition to your Prime membership, Prime Pantry costs $4.99/month. The service includes unlimited free shipping on Pantry orders above $40. While Pantry orders below $40 incur a $7.99 shipping fee. Prime Pantry orders cannot be shipped to addresses in Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico.
• Prime Now: In selected cities, Amazon offers one-hour delivery on tens of thousands of products from local stores. Take New York City for instance, you can get delivery of beer, wine and spirits from Westside Market, Union Square Wines, or Vintage Grape.

Amazon Prime savings

• Deals and Discounts, Compliments of Amazon Family: These include 20 percent off diapers through Subscribe & Save and 15 percent off eligible products from your baby registry. For more information, go to Get 20% off Diaper Subscriptions or About the Completion Discount.
• Early Access: Get 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon.com and new events on MyHabit.com. For more information, go to About Prime Early Access.
• Video Games: Amazon now gives members $10 credits on pre-orders of select video games. Previously, Amazon offered 20 percent off new, physical video games during pre-order stages.
• Kindle First: Early access for members in the U.S. to download a new book for free every month from the Kindle First picks. For more information, go to Kindle First.
• FreeTime Unlimited: Parents will enjoy savings on FreeTime Unlimited, which brings tons of kid-friendly content to your account. Prime members pay $2.99 per month, while non-Prime members pay $4.99.
• Whole Foods: Prime members can enjoy exclusive savings at Whole Foods locations nationwide. Prime members also get free 2-hour Whole Foods deliveries via the company’s Prime Now service. Deliveries are available in select cities only
• Amazon Rewards Visa Card: Members with an Amazon Rewards Visa Card can earn 5 percent on Amazon.com purchases, 2 percent at restaurants, gas stations, and drugstores, and 1 percent back on all other purchases. Plus, you can get 5 percent back on your Whole Foods purchases. (Non-Prime members will get 3 percent back). Amazon card holders can also get up to 20% back on select purchases. For instance, the retailer is currently offering 10% off select Sony TVs. 
• Just for Prime: Amazon has a special section on its website called Just for Prime. Here you’ll find exclusive deals that only Prime member can enjoy. The deals range from electronics to home and kitchen devices.  

Entertainment: Prime Video, Music and Photos and more

• Prime Video: Streaming of unlimited movies and TV episodes for paid or free trial members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. .
• Prime Music: Unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of Prime Playlists and more than a million songs for members in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to About Prime Music.
• Prime Photos: Secure unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive. For more information, go to About Prime Photos.
• Kindle Owners’ Lending Library: Accessible to members in the U.S. For more information, go to Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.
• Video Add-On Subscriptions: You can order third-party streaming apps through Amazon Prime to keep all your video content in one place. For instance, you can add Showtime Anytime and HBO Go to your account.
• Free Games with Twitch Prime: Amazon offers a selection of free games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime. In September, Amazon announced that members would also begin to get free in-game content for select mobile games like PUBG Mobile.  

Other Prime member bonuses

• Amazon Elements: Access to Amazon Elements products, Amazon’s own line of everyday essentials.
• Membership Sharing: Two adults living in the same household can create an Amazon Household to share certain benefits. For more information, go to About Amazon Households.

Do I get exclusive access to deals?

Yes. Amazon makes deals available for members frequently. Throwback to few years back when Amazon restocked its Nintendo Switch inventory, the console was only available for members.

Likewise, Amazon’s Elements line of products are only available to Prime members. The product line ranges from baby wipes to vitamins. The idea is that Amazon goes the extra mile of telling you exactly where the product came from. (In the case of those wipes, I can tell you liquid inside is 97.9 percent pharmaceutical-grade purified water from the White Lick Creek Aquifer in Mooresville, Indiana).

How much does Amazon Prime cost?

The membership fee for Amazon Prime is $119 per year or $12.99 per month. The first 30 days of the annual subscription are free, and you can cancel anytime.

Can I give Amazon Prime as a gift?

Yes. Just visit Amazon Prime’s gifting page, add it to your cart and follow the instructions to find out how you can give a yearlong subscription to a friend or family member. In your cart, before you check out, just make sure that the box reading “This item is a gift” is checked off, and you can fill in the rest of the information when you pay.

What is Prime Day?

Prime Day began in 2015 as a way for the company to celebrate its 20th anniversary. The sale was such a success, that it became an annual summer event for Amazon. In 2018, the company extended the sale to a full 36 hours, making it the longest Prime Day ever.

In 2019 Prime Day lasted 48 hours and the company said it sold more than 175 million items globally. This surpasses Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales combined.

What are Amazon Households?

Amazon Households allow two adults and up to four children to share digital Amazon content. Two adults in the same household can share a number of Amazon Prime benefits, including two-day shipping, streaming video and access to the Kindle Lending Library. To add yourself to — or remove yourself from — a household, follow the instructions on the Amazon help website.

Amazon Prime members are ahead of regular shoppers on the platform. They get faster shipments, better discounts, access to early discounts and many more. If you think it’ll be good for you, you can Sign Up for a free 30 day trial now.