Are you on the fence about a Prime membership? At $139 per year, the membership is expensive if all you get is free two-day shipping and access to Prime Video. However, other perks, from free books you can read on your Kindle and Fire devices to savings on medication and gas, make the membership worth having. We cover the lesser-known perks to help you decide whether to subscribe to Prime.
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What is Amazon Prime and should you subscribe?
Frequent Amazon shoppers can take advantage of Prime’s free shipping and exclusive deals
9 Free Kindle books
If you don’t want to pay for Kindle Unlimited, take advantage of Prime Reading to access free Kindle e-books for no additional cost. This service is available on Kindle devices and through the Kindle app.
While you can’t purchase Kindle e-books through Prime Reading, you can borrow as many as 10 books at a time. Titles are available across genres, including literature, romance, fiction, self-help, and more. This means there’s something for everyone.
There’s also Amazon First Reads, which lets Prime members access pre-release titles picked by Amazon’s editors for free. These books are yours to keep, so you don’t have to return them.
8 Free food delivery with Grubhub+
Prime members get a Grubhub+ membership, which costs $9.99, for free. The perks of this membership include an unlimited $0 delivery fee on all orders above $12, exclusive offers from partner restaurants, reduced service fees, and a certain percentage of the credit back for select orders.
If you’re on a Grubhub+ paid plan, link your Amazon account with Grubhub to cancel the paid plan. You can also place your order through Amazon’s website or app, meaning that’s one less app you need to keep on your smartphone.
7 Savings on gas
Another perk that Prime members enjoy is discounts at select gas stations across the country. This is helpful if you commute long distances to and from work.
You can save 10 cents per gallon at Amoco, BP, and Ampm gas stations. These savings apply to all fuel grades without caps on minimum and maximum purchases. Prime members must link their Amazon account with earnifyTM to take advantage of this. Amazon estimates you can save an average of $70 per year at gas stations. You can save more if you drive frequently.
6 Unlimited photo storage
Google One’s best feature is that it gives you more storage space to back up photos and videos. If you’re a Prime member, you can stop paying for this and use Amazon Photos, which you get for free.
This Prime perk allows you to back up full-resolution photos and videos to the cloud. You get unlimited photo storage and up to 5GB of video storage. After you complete the upload, use the Amazon Photos app to view your photos on your Fire TV, Amazon Fire tablet, or Echo Show. Delete your photos and videos from your device to make space.
5 Full game downloads
Prime Gaming is another great perk included with your Prime membership at no added cost. Eligible subscribers can access free games, a free monthly Twitch channel subscription, and more.
Signing up for Prime Gaming and getting Twitch access is straightforward. The platform offers a vast selection of free games that rotate regularly, so you can access new content every month.
4 Discounts on grocery
You can also save money at Whole Foods, thanks to your Amazon Prime membership. Prime members get an additional 10% discount on sale items (excluding alcohol) in-store and online by scanning the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app. There are also exclusive discounts that you can take advantage of throughout the year.
Prime members can use Amazon Fresh, which has a larger inventory than Whole Foods and lower prices. As a Prime member, you get free same-day delivery when you use Amazon Fresh, which is a huge perk.
3 Try before you buy for free
Shopping online for clothes, footwear, and accessories is convenient, but you can never be sure how a product fits or feels until you try it on. With the Prime Try Before You Buy service, you no longer have to take a chance on the products you purchase.
To take advantage of this perk, add Prime Try Before You Buy items to your cart and place the order. After the order arrives, you have seven days to try the items at home. You only have to pay for the items you keep and can return what you don’t want. This takes much of the guesswork out of online shopping and makes for a more enjoyable shopping experience.
2 Free music and podcast streaming
Prime members get ad-free access to music, playlists, and podcasts through the Amazon Music app. If you subscribe to YouTube Music or Spotify, you can save money using Amazon Music.
Amazon has an extensive music catalog of over 100 million songs. Your experience with it will be similar to other popular music streaming apps.
1 Save on prescription medication
Nearly 60,000 pharmacies, including CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid, participate in the Prime Rx program. Amazon claims the program helps members save up to 80% on common prescription drugs. Another perk of this program is that your medications can be delivered to your doorstep. This is more convenient from a time standpoint and maintains your privacy.
Amazon’s Prime Rx program doesn’t work with health insurance. Still, if your co-pay or deductible is high or your insurance doesn’t cover certain medications, Prime Rx could save you money.
Share your Prime membership benefits with your friends and family
These are some of the fun perks you can access with your Prime membership. The best part is that you can share your Prime membership and its benefits with those living in your home using Amazon Household. Up to two adults and four children under 13 can share the benefits. This makes Prime membership worth the money spent.
