How Much Is Amazon Prime and Is It Really Worth It? We Break Down All the Benefits Ahead of Their First-Ever Early Access Sale
In this day and age, Amazon is a household name. Whether you've got an Amazon Alexa, you read on a Kindle or score big deals on Amazon Prime Day, almost everyone knows—and uses—Amazon on the daily. But what about the Amazon Prime membership? How much is Amazon Prime, and do the benefits make it worth it?
Keep reading for a comprehensive breakdown of Amazon Prime—how much it costs, what you get with it, huge sales that are offered with a membership (like Amazon Prime Day and their first-ever Early Access Sale on Oct. 11 and 12), potential benefits for students and more. We cover it all!
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What Is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is a membership that grants users a step up from the standard delivery Amazon.com shoppers typically receive. By paying either a monthly or annual fee, Amazon Prime members unlock access to either expedited two-day delivery or standard shipping—both free.
A Prime membership also includes a few other perks worth noting—unlimited photo storage (with full-resolution) and 5 GB video storage with the Amazon Photos app, unlimited music streaming with Amazon Music Prime, access to thousands of books, comics and magazines on the Kindle app, Kindle or Fire tablets, 10% off eligible items at Whole Foods, Prime Gaming and a monthly Twitch channel subscription, early access to Amazon Prime Day deals, free access to Amazon Family, and to Amazon's consumer-first line of items.
How much is Amazon Prime a month?
As of February 18, 2022, monthly fees for the Amazon Prime membership increased to the following:
$14.99 per month
$139 per year
$8.99 per month for a Prime Video membership
Amazon Prime also offers discounted pricing to students (but more on that below).
$7.49 per month for students
$69 per year for students
Recipients of EBT, Medicaid and other select government assistance programs may qualify for Prime Access. Prime Access costs $6.99 per month.
These prices do not reflect the cost after sales taxes, which some states may be subject to.
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What's included with Amazon Prime Student?
Students with a valid school email address are eligible for a discounted version of the traditional Prime membership called Amazon Prime Student. When students sign up, they unlock a free six-month trial, then prices switch to the following:
$7.49 per month
$69 per year
So, what's included? Amazon Prime Student comes with:
Six months free of LinkedIn Premium
Free food delivery with GrubHub
10% off select flights and hotels
One month free of homework help at Course Hero
Three months free, then $8.99 per year for the Calm app
$5 off your first purchase from Amazon Warehouse with code '5OFFUSED'
Miscellaneous Prime Video channels for 99¢ cents per month for one year (individual channels include AcornTV, Allblck, Epix, The Coda Collection, History Channel Vault, Lifetime Movie Club, Motortrend, Pantaya, Showtime, Shudder and Sundance Now)
Amazon Music Unlimited for 99¢ cents per month for up to four years
Two months free of Kindle Unlimited
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Is Amazon Music free with Prime?
Yes, Amazon Music Prime is free with an Amazon Prime membership. Amazon Music Prime features two million songs, more than a thousand playlists and programmed stations made by music experts.
There's also Amazon Music Unlimited, which has everything Amazon Music Prime has, but with more options and a lot better quality. Amazon Music Unlimited features 90 million songs in HD quality, millions of tracks in Ultra HD, and even more curated stations and playlists.
This unlimited version of the service costs $8.99 per month or $89 per year for Prime members and $9.99 per month for non-Prime members.
With Amazon Prime Student, students get access to Amazon Music Unlimited for just 99¢ cents per month for a max of four years.
Is Audible free with Prime?
Unfortunately, Audible does not come free with a Prime membership. (Although a Prime membership does get you access to thousands of books, comics and magazines to read for free in the Kindle app, Kindle or Fire tablet.)
An Audible Premium Plus membership comes with a 30-Day Free Trial and one free credit (although Prime members who sign up unlock two credits). You'll also unlock access to the Audible Premium Plus' Catalog.
What are the Amazon credit card benefits?
Amazon has two different credit cards: the Amazon Rewards Visa Card and the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card. Both credit cards offer benefits, but it just depends on what you're looking to use them for.
The Amazon Rewards Visa Card gets you a $50 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval, 3% back in rewards on Amazon.com, 3% back in rewards at Whole Foods, 2% back rewards at restaurants, gas stations and drug stores, and 1% back rewards on all other purchases.
Then there's the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card, which, unlike the Amazon Rewards Visa, gives 10% back or more on a rotating selection of Amazon products and categories. This card also gets you a $100 Amazon gift card instantly upon approval, 5% back in rewards on Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership, 5% back in rewards at Whole Foods with an eligible Prime membership, 2% back rewards at restaurants, gas stations and drug stores, and 1% back rewards on all other purchases.
Both cards have no annual credit card fee and no foreign transaction fees.
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What Is Prime Video?
Prime Video comes free with a Prime membership, granting you free access to unlimited TV shows and movie streaming. On its own, a video membership (without all the other benefits of an Amazon Prime account, that is)—costs $8.99 per month. But by paying for a Prime membership, you get the perks of Prime Video for free.
With Prime Video, you'll be able to access Prime Originals, a diverse movie collection, and other TV series that are currently available only on Prime.
What Is Amazon Prime Day and Amazon Prime's Early Access Sale?
While almost everyone has heard of Amazon Prime Day and its lightning deals, heavy discounts and more, only Amazon Prime members have exclusive access to these Amazon sales (including the new Early Access Sale). During these events, Amazon offers major discounts on anything ranging from tech to baby gear, fitness to fashion and so much more.
Is Amazon Prime worth it?
Now, you may be wondering: Is Amazon Prime worth it? Is it actually time to upgrade to a Prime membership? The answer really is situational because it all depends on what you use Amazon for and how much you already spend on their services.
Since a Prime annual membership costs $139 per year, Prime becomes worth it for anyone who would likely spend $139 in shipping costs in one year. Don't forget—you're also getting expedited shipping options with Prime, so the convenience factor is hard to ignore. After all, it's the difference of getting your packages within days versus weeks.
Amazon Prime could also be especially worth it if there are a couple of higher price point items you need to purchase, and you know they'll likely be discounted on Prime Day or their Early Access Sale.
A Prime membership comes with access to Prime Video, which currently features originals like Hunters, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Good Omens. Prime Video also features a robust movie selection. And Amazon Prime TV is included in the $139 per year cost of a Prime membership. So when you do the math, that pans out to be less than a yearly Hulu subscription or even the lowest-tier Netflix plan. As long as you plan to make the most of your TV benefits, you will likely recover what you paid for the membership in just a few binge-watches.
So, when is Amazon Prime not worth it? It's not worth it for anyone who doesn't usually pay as much as $139 in shipping per year. It's also not worth it if two-day shipping is not a big draw for you. If you're already paying for music or other TV streaming services, then you may not want to take the leap and pay the extra $139.
At the end of the day, it's all about how much you'll use each perk and so long as you make the most of your membership, then Amazon Prime truly is worth the money.
