Amazon Prime remains a fantastic service to subscribe to, offering you free two-day (or quicker) shipping on a huge variety of products, plus access to the Amazon Prime Video streaming service and access to exclusive deals, which is particularly important with Amazon Prime Day coming up fast.
On February 18, 2022, Amazon raised the price of the subscription, so now Amazon Prime is $139 a year or $14.99 if you'd prefer to pay month by month.
If you're a student you can get Amazon Prime Student membership for a reduced $7.49 per month, or $69 per year, which is a big saving.
In the UK, Amazon Prime membership is £79 per year, or £7.99 a month. Amazon Prime Student membership is £39 per year, and £3.99 per month.
To help you decide if this is the right membership for you, we've put together this guide to answer the question, what is Amazon Prime? We'll tell you everything you need to know, such as benefits, fees, shipping, and if it's worth the money.
Perhaps the best perk of the membership program is that you can sign up for an Amazon Prime free trial. This allows you to try out the service for 30 days and enjoy all the benefits with access to free two-day shipping. You can cancel at any time, or you'll be automatically upgraded to a paid membership plan at the end of the trial period.
What is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is a paid membership subscription that gives you access to free two-day shipping in the US, and free one-day shipping in the UK on millions of products. Your Prime membership also allows you to enjoy Amazon's entertainment services, which include Prime Video and Photos. Subscribers in the US also get access to Amazon Music Unlimited. If you own a kindle, you'll also get access to thousands of e-books and early access to a free monthly book from the Kindle First selections.
Your Amazon Prime membership will also get you access to perhaps the biggest sale event of the year, Amazon Prime Day. Exclusive to Prime members, the sale event is typically held in July and includes sitewide discounts on everything from TVs and laptops to vacuums and kitchen appliances.
You'll see the biggest savings on Amazon's own devices which include smart speakers, streaming devices, tablets, and more. This year, Amazon Prime Day runs on July 12 and July 13 (so, it's really Amazon Prime Days), so if you want to take part, you'll need to sign up for Amazon Prime ASAP.
How much does Amazon Prime cost?
An Amazon Prime annual membership costs $139 per year. This is $20 more than what people paid before the price increase in February 2022, and follows a similar price bump back in 2018. If you'd prefer to pay month by month, it will cost you $14.99, which is $40.88 more than the annual membership amount.
If you're a student you can get Amazon Prime Student membership for just $7.49 per month, or $69 per year.
In the UK, Amazon Prime membership is £79 per year, or £7.99 a month, and Amazon Prime Student membership is £39 per year, and £3.99 per month.
Amazon Prime shipping
As we've mentioned, as an Amazon Prime member you'll receive free two-day shipping on millions of eligible items. You'll even get access to free one-day shipping and same-day shipping depending on your location.
For most people, the free two-day shipping is the most significant benefit of your Prime membership because of the money you're saving on shipping costs. You're also saving on time because while Amazon offers free shipping on orders of $25 or more for nonmembers, you still have to wait five to eight business days for your purchase to arrive.
Is Amazon Prime worth it?
To decide if Amazon Prime is worth the cost, you should first weigh the benefits of its biggest perk - free two-day shipping. If you place orders from Amazon frequently and care about getting your things in a timely manner, then the $139 fee is well worth it. For nonmembers, standard shipping for orders under $25 is $5.99 and if you select two-day shipping it will cost you $9.99. If you place a lot of orders a year, the standard shipping fees could equal the Prime Membership cost.
The entertainment benefits that come along with your Prime membership are also worth considering. Perhaps the most popular service, Prime Video, allows you access to thousands of movies and TV shows at no additional cost. You'll also get access to Amazon Music, Photos, and Kindle First Selections.
Last but certainly not least, your Prime membership gets you access to exclusive deals and the biggest shopping event of the year, Amazon Prime Day. If you're a bargain shopper, this might be your biggest draw considering the discounts alone could cover your membership fee.
How do you cancel Amazon Prime?
During your 30-day free trial, you can cancel your Amazon Prime membership at any time. If you don't cancel within the 30 days, you'll be automatically upgraded to a paid membership plan at the end of the trial period.
To cancel your Prime membership, you'll need to log in to your account and select "Your Prime Membership" from the "Account and Lists" drop-down menu. You'll be redirected to an overview of your membership and benefits where you'll select "Manage Membership" on the top right-hand side to cancel your account.
You can also learn about Prime Day's rival membership, Walmart Plus, including price, benefits, and how it compares.
Learn how you can get an Audible free trial: what's included and how to get Audible free.
