Everything you need to know about what you get with Amazon Prime, from free delivery to streaming.
(Image credit: Amazon)
What do you get with Amazon Prime? This is a question that might well be on your mind if you've heard the news about Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale coming up this month. For the first time, Amazon will be holding a second members-only Prime sale event in one year, and that makes becoming an Amazon Prime member more tempting than ever.
But what do you get with Amazon Prime other than access to a members-only sale once – or now twice – a year? Well, read on to discover all of the Amazon Prime benefits as well as how much Amazon Prime costs. Once you're set, make sure you're following our full guide to the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale if you're hoping to find a bargain. And remember that you can sign up for a free Amazon Prime trial and always cancel afterwards if you decide the other Amazon Prime benefits below aren't for you.
What is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service that offers a wide range of perks – enough to have convinced an incredible 200 million Prime members, according to Amazon. The biggest perk is one- or two-day shipping on most items sold by Amazon, but there's a range of other Prime benefits, as we'll see below.
Although the cost of a subscription isn't cheap, Prime membership offers quite a lot of benefits. The exact benefits depend on your country of residence, but they include access to Amazon streaming services, discounts on delivery – or free delivery – and even discounts on purchases from other brands.
Two big Amazon Prime benefits are access to the streaming services Prime Video, which offers unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes, and Amazon Music. You also get free monthly PC games and a Twitch channel subscription through Prime Gaming,you can borrow books from the Kindle Lending Library and you get unlimited photo storage with Prime Photos.
Prime members can also get discounts on products from other brands, including 10 per cent off on select Whole Foods purchases and a discount on FreeTime Unlimited and other subscription services in the US. And if you have a smart device like an Echo smart speaker or smart display you can use Alexa voice shopping and get notifications of upcoming deals on products you want to track.
What are all the benefits of Amazon Prime in the US?
(Image credit: Amazon)
Free two-day shipping on eligible items and free same-day delivery in eligible ZIP codes. Amazon Day: add items for delivery on the day that works best for you.
Free Amazon Fresh delivery in select cities.
FREE Release-Date Delivery on eligible preorder items delivered on their release date to ZIP codes in the continental US
FREE No-Rush Shipping to earn rewards for future purchases.
Prime Video: unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes. You can also add subscriptions to Showtime, Starz, A&E, AMC and other streaming channels.
Amazon Music: unlimited, ad-free access to hundreds of Prime Playlists and more than a million songs.
Free Games with Prime Gaming (formerly Twitch Prime).
Prime Photos: unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive.
Prime Try Before You Buy: order up to six items of clothing, shoes and accessories categories without paying first.
Prime Reading: borrow books, magazines, and more from the Prime Reading catalogue. You can read them on a Fire tablet, Kindle e-reader or Kindle reading apps for iOS and Android.
Amazon First Reads: early access to download a new book for free every month from the Amazon First Reads picks. You can also purchase hardcover titles at exclusive prices.
Early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon.com
What are all the benefits of Amazon Prime in the UK?
Unlimited One-Day Delivery on millions of items available. Unlimited Same-Day Delivery in select residential postcodes. Amazon Day: add items for delivery on the day that works best for you.
Grocery delivery: Same-day grocery delivery from Amazon Fresh and Morrisons.
Prime Video: stream thousands of movies and TV shows, including exclusive Amazon Originals. You can also pay to subscribe to third-party channels like Discovery, Eurosport Player, ITV Hub.
Amazon Music: 2 million songs, ad-free.
Prime Gaming: bonus game content and a Twitch Channel Subscription every month.
Early access to deals: 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon.co.uk.
Alexa Voice Shopping: shop for millions of items with Alexa and reorder the things you use most.
Prime Try Before You Buy: order up to six items of clothing, shoes and accessories categories without paying first.
Prime Reading: unlimited access to more than a thousand eBooks, magazines, comics and more on any device.
Amazon First Reads: early access to one of next month's new Kindle book releases.
Prime Photos: Secure unlimited photo storage. Access your photos anywhere; view and share photos from your phone, tablet or computer.
How much does Amazon Prime cost?
An Amazon Prime subscription costs $139 / £95 per year or $14.99 / £8.99 per month. There's also a Prime Student subscription that costs $69 / £47.49 per year or $7.49 / £4.49 per month for students with a valid .edu email address. We'd recommend starting with a free one-month trial.
What are Amazon Households?
Amazon Prime members can use Amazon Households, which allows two adults and up to four children to share Amazon content. Two adults in the same household can share several Amazon Prime benefits, including two-day shipping, streaming video and access to the Kindle Lending Library.
Which products qualify for free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime?
The majority of products that Amazon sells qualify for free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime, but very large items get free standard shipping instead. Items sold by third parties via Amazon Marketplace don't qualify unless the seller has chosen to offer it.
Can I give Amazon Prime as a gift?
You can. You can go Give the Gift of Prime on the Amazon website and add it to your cart to give a year's Prime subscription to a friend or family member. Make sure that the "This item is a gift" box is checked. You can complete the rest of the information when you pay.
Which Kindle books can I borrow?
Amazon says there are more than 1 million books available in the Kindle Lending Library. To see if a book you want to read qualifies, simply search for it on your Kindle device, Kindle app or the Amazon website, and see if the Prime logo appears next to it. If it does, that means that a Prime subscription lets you borrow the book for one month.
(Image credit: Amazon)
What is Prime Video?
Amazon Prime Video is the streaming-video component of Amazon Prime. Like services such as Netflix and Hulu, Amazon Prime offers unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV shows, including some exclusives. But it also allows à la carte rentals and purchases, including Amazon Channels subscriptions, such as HBO, Starz, Showtime, PSS Masterpiece, Magnolia Selects, Britbox and Acorn TV. You can subscribe to Prime Video without being an Amazon Prime member.
How do I sign up for Amazon Prime?
To sign up for Amazon Prime, just visit the Amazon Prime web page, and follow the instructions. If you later decide you want to cancel the subscription, go to your account and select Manage Prime Membership. Click End Membership if you're currently subscribed, or Do Not Continue if you're on a free trial and don't want to transition to a paid subscription.
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Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.
