Amazon Prime was best known for two things: free two-day shipping and video streaming. Those were the most worth perks, especially considering the $99 annual subscription fee. But a continuous introduction of new services to the Prime membership have made the subscription much more useful. If you don’t have, opt for a 30-day free trial here.
For housewives and working moms, for instance, Amazon Prime has become a must-have not only in the United States. Online shopping easies the daily routine. It saves a lot of time and often comes cheaper. You may not believe, but many products cost far less online than in the Dubai Mall, even with the added shipping charges from US to UAE.
For people who enjoy reading and have time for it, Amazon Prime is also a must-have as it offers free books and magazines, and even audiobooks read by Alexa.
Here’s a look at every single benefit included with Prime, along with a few Amazon services you might think are included, but actually cost extra.
The complete list of Prime perks is surprisingly long, starting with everyone’s favorite:
Free two-day shipping
Many, if not most, of Amazon’s physical goods will be shipped to your door in two days if you live in the United States. What’s especially remarkable about this is there’s no minimum order: Even if you buy something worth only $5, it’ll arrive in 48 hours. In fact, shoppers in some cities can even enjoy same-day delivery at no extra charge, so as long as the order totals at least $35.
Not in a rush? Very often you can opt to forgo two-day delivery in exchange for credit that can be applied to digital purchases (ebooks, movie rentals, etc.). Look for this option on the checkout page where you select your shipping option.
Free release-date delivery
Suppose you preorder a new book from your favorite author or a hot new tech product. As a Prime subscriber, you’ll receive that item on the exact day it is released, but not two days later.
Free or flat-rate grocery and household item delivery
Toilet paper, dog food, shampoo, your favorite cereal – Prime Pantry will deliver these and other goods (pretty much anything that doesn’t require refrigeration) for free. However, you need to order a minimum of five “qualifying” items, otherwise there’s a flat $5.99 delivery charge.
Unlimited video streaming
Prime Video is akin to Netflix, offering movies, TV shows and original content. It’s accessible on virtually all mobile devices and most streaming sticks and boxes. However, Prime has one huge advantage: many TV shows, and some movies, can be downloaded to your phone or tablet for offline viewing.
Limited music streaming
Amazon Prime Music affords unlimited, ad-free access to a song library stocked with over 2 million tracks. You can stream them to various devices, but songs can also be downloaded to your phone or tablet for offline listening.
Unlimited photo storage
Much like Google, Amazon Prime offers subscribers unlimited cloud storage for photos. For most users that means using the Amazon Drive app to upload pictures from phones and tablets, but there’s also a desktop app (for Windows and Mac) that can archive photos from your hard drive.
Access to Amazon Dash
You’ve probably seen Amazon’s little product-branded buttons, which let you reorder various consumables (paper towel, laundry detergent and so on) with just one press. Each button costs $4.99, and each product order costs whatever it costs, but you need to be Prime subscriber if you want to use Dash at all.
Early access to Lightning deals
Amazon’s Lightning deals run for limited time and/or while supplies last. If you’re a Prime subscriber, you get access to those deals 30 minutes ahead of non-subscribers. And this is a thing for online shoppers!
One free e-book per month
As part of your Prime subscription, you get access to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, which lets you check out one e-book per month and read that book on any Kindle e-reader or Fire tablet. The catch: This particular library offers a relatively small selection; don’t expect a lot of new titles or bestsellers.
One free e-book per month, part 2
It’s called Kindle First, and it works like this: Each month, Amazon editors curate six new, yet-to-be-released books and give Prime subscribers the chance to pick one of them — for free. And it’s for keeps, too; you’re not just borrowing the book.
Free books and magazines
Amazon’s new Prime Reading feature differs from the Lending Library in a few key ways. First, it’s not limited to Kindles: You can access the catalog of free e-books on phones, tablets and anything else capable of running a Kindle app. Second, the selection includes not only books, but also a rotating selection of magazines, comics, travel guides, Kindle Singles and more.
Free audiobooks
Kind of like Prime Reading for audiobooks, Audible Channels for Prime gives you unlimited access to a selection of original audio series and select audiobooks. And these are not limited to streaming; you can download them for offline listening. If this is not your thing, you can subscribe to a 30-day free trial of Audible here and download 2 audiobooks free of charge.
Ad-free Twitch
Hardcore gamers know all about Twitch, which lets users watch and share game videos. If you link your Prime subscription to your Twitch account, you get an ad-free viewing experience, along with one free Twitch channel per month and exclusive discounts on game purchases.
Odds and ends
Amazon Prime lets you add premium video subscriptions — Starz, Showtime, and so on — to your Prime Video viewing umbrella. And as part of Amazon Family, you can score 20 percent of diaper purchases via Subscribe & Save and 15 percent of eligible products in your baby registry.
Altogether, there are quite a few benefits Amazon Prime offers that offer convenience and savings all year round.
