Reading Time: 11 minutes How To Save On Amazon Prime Membership + Prime Benefits
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With the perks and discounts on Amazon Prime mentioned in this article, we think Amazon Prime is worth the cost of a membership. Read on for an overview of the benefits of Amazon Prime and discover ways to lower the annual membership cost.
Our biggest knock on Amazon Prime is that its annual price keeps getting more expensive. The good news is you don’t need to pay full price on an Amazon account.
There are ways to get a discounted rate on the annual fee. We share those ideas below. But first, we will share prime benefits.
If you already are a Prime Member then be sure to head over to My Secrets: How To Get Amazon Coupons, Codes, Free Stuff, and Deals. There we share many ideas on how to save on your purchases.
Table of Contents
What Is Amazon Prime?
Prime is an Amazon membership program that offers a greater variety of products at Amazon, quicker shipping, and access to digital content like music and video. Amazon Price gives members access to the best deals.
Sign up for Amazon Prime Free 30 Day Trial.
What Are The Benefits Of Prime Membership?
Everyone knows Amazon Prime Membership offers free 2-Day Delivery, but there are other prime benefits as well.
1) Faster Than 2 Day Shipping
Depending on where you live there are some products Prime Members can buy with one day shipping or even same day delivery.
2) You Can Schedule a convenient delivery date for your package
You can also pick the delivery day when you check out. Picking a day is helpful if there is a certain day you know you can be around instead of leaving the package unattended. If you order several items in a single day it will be delivered the same day for you.
Amazon is getting faster too. In addition to free two day shipping, some products have free same day delivery. If you live by a Whole Foods you may also be able to get two hour grocery delivery on eligible groceries.
3) Amazon Deals
By being a Prime member you have access to Lightning Deals and exclusive deals. Gold Box Deals are also available to Prime Members. With Prime membership, you have access to the retailer’s exclusive line of “Everyday Essentials”.
4) Shop Early Access deals before non-Prime members
Some items have the label “Prime Early Access”. These early access deals go fast, as you will be competing to get a product before it sells.
5) Amazon Alexa
We are power users of Alexa. We love Amazon Music. Our kids are constantly listening to their favorite music. When our son was two we actually put an Alexa in his room so he could practice saying his “L” sounds. There is so much music available that we don’t pay for unlimited streaming.
We also use many of Alexa’s other features like intercom, controlling lights, controlling ceiling fans, checking the weather, defining words (our kids ask us so many definitions), and so forth.
Amazon Alexa also offers access to great deals. But we have turned off the ability to buy on Alexa (because we have kids that use it!)
6) Amazon Prime Video And Prime Music
With Amazon Prime video you have access to many TV shows, original content, and movies. We haven’t had to pay for cable or satellite TV in many years and one of the reasons is Prime.
You also have access to a very large music library. We use this service nearly around the clock on numerous Alexa devices throughout our house. At nap time and bedtime, you can hear a variety of white noise sounds. During waking hours it seems at least 1-3 Alexa devices are playing music.
You can pay extra to upgrade to more videos or Amazon Music Unlimited.
7) Prime Members Can Make Returns Easier
Products marked as Prime are eligible for Free Shipping on returns. Making returns is actually incredibly easy. There are several ways to make a return, and several do not even require repackaging.
If you are a prime member, you just drop it off at a USPS or Kohl’s, show them your bar code, and they box it up for you for free.
8) Unlimited Photo Storage
As a Prime member, you can save an unlimited number of pictures through their Amazon Photos service. The images on Amazon Photos are actually saved at full resolution. Prime members can back up the pics already on their phones. Sharing and printing are also easy.
While Prime members do get unlimited photo storage, video storage is not unlimited and has a 5 GB limit unless upgraded for an additional fee.
We haven’t tried this particular service, but it’s worth considering. We mostly use Google Photos to store our pics and we are running out of space.
9) Send A Gift To Someone Without Knowing Their Address
How many times have you wanted to send someone a gift but had to scramble to find their address? Amazon Prime’s new feature gives you the ability to buy gifts without knowing their address.
You could also send your coworkers a gift during a birthday party but you didn’t remember their address.
There are other restrictions: They need to be Prime users, and you have to provide their phone or e-mail address. Please keep in mind that not all the items are available at Amazon.com.
10) Have Packages And Groceries Delivered Inside Your Garage
Pirates who threw packages from houses are not a joke. There are reports that more than 200 million packages have been taken out of the exterior of homes by 2021. This service helps prevent porch theft completely.
You will have to connect a MyQ Smart Garage, but if Amazon is connected to your house via MyQ app it allows you for your package to be delivered to your garage when your package is delivered.
11) Amazon Try Before You Buy
Amazon Prime members have access to try clothing before they buy it. We all like to see things we wear before we buy them. Shopping online makes that nearly impossible. Amazon tries to address this by allowing you to try certain brands of men’s, women’s, baby’s, and kid’s clothing before you buy it.
With Try Before You Buy, you choose up to 6 items to try in a seven-day window. Keep what you want, and send back what you don’t. You will only be charged for what you keep. Shipping in returns is free. Sign up for Try Before You Buy.
12) Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals
Amazon Warehouse offers products at a discount that have been returned. Amazon Warehouse items are graded in order of quality: “Like New/Open Box,” “Very Good,” “Good,” and “Acceptable”. Check out the different Amazon Warehouse Categories.
- Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals – Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used PCs
- Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals – Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used Sports Equipment
- Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals – Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used Kitchen Gadgets
- Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals – Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used Tools
- Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals – Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used Electronics
- Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals – Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used Products
- Shop Amazon Warehouse Deals – Deep Discounts on Open-box and Used Camera
What Does Amazon Prime Membership Cost?
A Prime membership costs $14.99 for a month or $139 for an annual Prime membership. Prime Video membership is $8.99 a month.
How To Save On Amazon Prime Membership
Are you looking for an Amazon Prime membership discount? We share all of the ways that we found to have a discount on Amazon Prime Membership.
1) Earn Cashback with Amazon Card
If you’re an avid Amazon shopper, consider getting an Amazon Prime Rewards Visa credit card. You can earn 5% cash back on any product purchased at Amazon.
Sometimes they are promotions that include free membership. Unfortunately, at present, the company doesn’t offer free memberships to Amazon Prime.
Amazon offers its Prime Rewards cards at Amazon stores. The cards give you 5% cash back for purchases from Amazon. The card is not billed every two to three weeks and does not contain caps or limits on points. This program can be used to buy items on Amazon.
We personally don’t have an Amazon Prime Credit Card despite making most of our purchases through Amazon. Why? We try to keep the number of credit cards we have to a minimum.
2) Amazon Prime Student Membership Trial
Amazon Prime members can join in six-week memberships totally free. After completing a six-month trial period the fee can be significantly reduced.
The best thing about the Amazon Prime student membership program is that Prime program has all the benefits but at a discounted rate for students. You can also enjoy free delivery on 2-days of purchases, free photo data storage, and all of the other benefits mentioned above.
The student membership is perhaps the best deal on Amazon Prime. Plus students get discounted memberships. A prime account for a student is $7.49 per month or $69 per year. So students get 50% off an Amazon Prime subscription.
To be eligible for Amazon Prime Student Membership you need any of these:
- An .edu email address
- A student ID (with an expiration date or current term)
- A class list showing the student’s name, school, and current term.
- A tuition bill
- An official acceptance letter
Start your free six-month trial now.
Are you a student? Check out How to Get Free Amazon Prime Students Membership and Make Money on Referrals.
Students can also save up to 90% buying Used Textbooks on Amazon.
3) Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
The Prime service is free to use for 30 days with Amazon. Amazon gave me the chance about 5 years ago. This membership saved me time not visiting random shops with free returns and quick delivery options.
Simply join Amazon Prime and start your 30 day free trial. Once the free trial has ended you can cancel or renew. Fees are available in monthly and annual installment amounts.
4) Wait For the Amazon Prime Membership Sale
Although this rarely happens, Amazon can offer a highly discounted membership program. Although these may not always be predictable they can be incredibly valuable for a discounted Prime membership.
5) How much is Amazon Prime for seniors?
There is no specific Amazon Prime discount exclusively for seniors. However, seniors who qualify for certain government assistance programs can get a discount on Amazon Prime.
Individuals who receive benefits from programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid can qualify for a discounted Prime membership. The cost is $6.99 per month (50% off the regular monthly price).
While there is no dedicated senior discount for Amazon Prime, seniors who are part of eligible government assistance programs can take advantage of the discounted rate.
7) What day does Amazon Prime go on sale?
Historically Amazon holds its Prime Day events between mid-July and early September. This is a great time for nonprime members to become Amazon Prime Members.
8) Does Amazon Prime Have Discounts For Government Assistance?
Amazon offers discounts to those on government assistance programs. EBT card holders, those enrolled in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (aka TANF), or Medicaid card holders can get up to 50% discount from the Amazon Prime program.
Prime members on government assistance programs who qualify pay only $6.99 monthly.
If you qualify, then the discount is good for up to four years, but you need to re-verify eligibility annually.
You can also pay for eligible items like baby food with an EBT card, but you can not pay for the membership with the card.
9) Amazon Household: Free Prime Membership, With a Catch
If you are looking for free Amazon Prime membership then explore Amazon Household. If someone else in your house has Amazon Prime, then you can receive the same benefits for free by joining Amazon Household.
This allows Prime Members to add another adult account, teen, or their kids onto their account for free. From Amazon’s policy an Amazon Household can contain the following members:
Up to two adults (aged 18 and over), each with their own Amazon account.
Up to four teens (ages 13 through 17). Teens can have their own Amazon login to shop or stream content while still keeping their parents informed.
Up to four children (children can’t shop on Amazon).
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GXULX24SE2RD7EXS
Does Amazon Prime have a discount for nurses?
Unfortunately, we have not been able to find any Amazon Prime Membership discount for military, first responders, nurses, or teachers.
Take advantage of Amazon Prime Day
Each year Amazon celebrated Prime Day. Prime Day for Amazon has a similarity to Black Friday and offers a huge selection of products. These days there are quite amazing deals on TVs, tablets, laptops, and other Amazon products.
While Amazon Prime is not free of charge during Prime Day, you can take advantage by using the 30-day trial and receive free, two-day shipping and access to Prime Day deals.
Amazon Prime And Alexa
Prime members also have access to Amazon Alexa on supported devices. Alexa is basically a digital assistant that is voice-activated. It’s triggered by mentioning a wake-up word.
As an aside: There is a lot of skepticism around Alexa, but it’s a simpler device than people realize. When you mention the trigger word it essentially opens up an app. It’s like any app on your phone. You can’t do anything with it until you open it.
Of course, Amazon could be secretly allowing other trigger words so they can secretly record everything in our house. But we’re not worried about that. We don’t think they are doing that, and our house is boring anyway. If they want to hear kids crying because a balloon accidentally popped or any of the other equivalently boring chaos in our house then so be it.
Use your Amazon Echo to help track packages
When you have an Echo, it will track your orders. Tell us the name of your shipment and your Echo can tell you how it came and how it will arrive. Once your order is received the Echo light will light up yellow when your Echo show is activated. Make a phone app that tracks packages.
Get extra discounts by shopping with Alexa
The Amazon Echo will ask Alexa, what is the best offer? Alexa shares Prime-exclusive deals, and you have a choice of adding the goods to your cart or purchasing them immediately.
In Conclusion
So is Amazon Prime worth it? Amazon Prime is getting more expensive. But with all of the prime member perks (and the tips we shared for the Amazon Prime Membership discount), we think it’s worth it.
We love our free shipping, Amazon Prime Video, exclusive discounts, our near hourly use of Alexa, and all the other perks.