Are you wondering if an Amazon Prime membership is worth it? In this post, we break down the key benefits of Amazon Prime — from fast, free shipping and easy access to Amazon deals to streaming and storage — to help you decide if Prime delivers real value for your money.
I polled my audience and asked them this question. As you can imagine, I got a wide variety of responses — some from diehard Amazon Prime fans, some from those who think it is a complete waste of money, and some from people who are smack dab in the middle and think it can be a money-saving option or it could be something that’s not worth the expense.
In this article, I’ll share some of the responses I heard over and over to help you decide whether or not Amazon Prime is worth the cost for you.
What is the Cost of Amazon Prime?
First off, let’s talk numbers. A regular Amazon Prime subscription is $14.99 per month (plus taxes) or $139 per year (plus taxes). Every once in a while, they have offered a discounted rate for a few days, but I’ve not seen a discount for a while.
If you are a college student, you can get a Student Prime Membership which gives you the first 6 months for free and then it’s $7.49/month after that. If you are a qualifying government assistance recipient, you might also qualify for a reduced rate of $6.99 per month for Amazon Prime. (Foster families: If you have a child who is on WIC, you will qualify as well!)
What are the Benefits of Amazon Prime?
For a long time, many people thought of Amazon Prime as “free two-day shipping.” Which could be a great benefit if you order a lot from Amazon. However, in the past year, some items are no longer being shipped in two days or less (though some of that depends upon what you order and how close you live to an Amazon warehouse) BUT they offer so many other perks for those who are Amazon Prime members.
Are you interested in trying Amazon Prime? You can get a free 30-day trial here.
Here are some of the perks you all mentioned loving the most:
1. Amazon Prime Membership Fee – Under $12 a Month for Free Shipping
“Prime is only $139 for the year, which comes out to less than $12 per month for free shipping (no matter how much you spend, and most of the time it’s here the next day!), Amazon Prime TV, and Amazon music. Totally worth it!” -Vanessa
Speaking of free shipping, Joy says, “For our family, shipping alone makes Prime worth it. Plus sometimes they offer digital credits for slow shipping that we use to rent or buy movies.”
There is also the convenience factor to consider, as Erin wrote: “I live in the middle of nowhere and can get a ton of things I cannot get easily. I can do a big order of those things and also get Amazon online. Is it perfect? No, but for my family it works.”
2. Benefits of Amazon Prime: Easily Get Amazon Deals
Tracy said: “If I get a deal for something that is $5, I can take advantage of the free shipping and catch the deal and get free shipping and have it delivered in two days. This also cuts down on gas as I can order knowing right when my order will arrive! Amazon Prime pays for itself multiple times over annually!”
(Note: While this can be a plus, it could also be a downside — because Amazon makes it SO easy to spend money!)
An Amazon Prime membership also allows you to more easily use Subscribe & Save, which can save you even more on items you’ll buy regularly, since you won’t have to meet the $35 threshold for free shipping.
3. Prime Music
Katie says: “We like it for the free shipping, the Prime Music, and the Prime Video options. Prime Music gives you access to around 2 million songs that you can listen to ad-free, plus thousands of playlists and stations. I also use the prime reading options with my Kindle app. My kids love prime music. They all have a playlist of their favorite songs.”
(Note: You can also get lots of free streaming music on Spotify, Pandora, YouTube, or other places. Yes, you might have to deal with some commercials if you don’t have a paid account, but there are many ways to access free music online.)
4. Free Kindle Books
If you are a reader, access to free Kindle books could be a huge plus. As Sharon posted, “The big thing for me though is my Kindle books. I read 5-6 books a week and would run out of reading material if I didn’t have Prime.”
This is one of the most underrated perks, especially if you love books or have kids who devour chapter books. With Prime Reading, you get access to a rotating library of ebooks, magazines, short reads, and even some audiobooks at no extra cost. You don’t need a Kindle device to use it since you can read everything right in the free Kindle app on your phone or tablet. Many moms in our community say this helps them save money on books and keeps their kids stocked with fresh reading material during school breaks or long car rides.
(Note: You can get many of the Kindle books for free even without having a Prime membership. Also, check your local library to see if they offer ebooks and audiobooks for free from the Hoopla or Libby app.)
5. Unlimited Photo Storage
With an Amazon Prime subscription, you’ll get unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5 GB for video. Jessica said this: “For us, it is worth it for the photo storage. It is a very economical way to store full-size photo files for backup purposes for someone who is into photography.”
6. Amazon Household
Amazon Household is one of the easiest ways to stretch the value of your Prime membership, especially if you share a home with a spouse, partner, or kids. It allows you to share many Prime benefits with one other adult and up to four teens (who were added before April 7, 2025) and four child profiles at no extra cost.
Each person keeps their own Amazon login, personal recommendations, and browsing history, but everyone gets access to Prime perks like free delivery, Prime Video, Prime Reading, and eligible digital content through the Family Library. This means you can share the benefits without sharing passwords or mixing up your shopping carts and watch lists.
7. It Could Save You Time
If you have a really full life, being able to easily order online could be really helpful! As Danae wrote in, “For me, it’s a quality of life thing… it saves me a huge amount of time to be able to order something small that I need and get it in a few days without making a trip to the store, which means I can use that time for my family or my house or work.”
8. Provides an Alternative to Cable
When you have an Amazon Prime account, you’ll have access to lots of movies and shows for free. (Many aren’t free, but there are a lot that are free with your Amazon Prime subscription.) Reader Jennifer said, “We don’t pay a monthly cable or satellite bill so we’re saving a ton of money on entertainment, even though we pay for subscriptions to Prime, Netflix, and Frndly.”
By the way, Prime Video is cheaper than Netflix. So if you have Netflix, it might be worth checking into whether switching to Amazon Prime might be a better option — since you get a lot more than just streaming!
Clare said: “Not sure it’s worth it just for shipping but Prime Video is cheaper than Netflix (and seems cleaner). As a homeschooling mom, I have found so many documentaries for my kids on that platform. It’s also fantastic for downloading movies onto phones or tablets for the toddler in the car.”
9. Ability to Download Shows and Movies to your Device
When you have an Amazon Prime subscription, you are able to download shows and movies off of Prime and watch them later. Deidre shared how this has been such a help to their family: “You can download shows and movies off Prime and watch them on a tablet or phone without having internet service. We use this for car rides, flights, when the power goes out and I have scared restless toddlers, and when I know we will have lots of waiting at the dentist, doctor, etc.”
Does Amazon Prime really save you money?
While there are many benefits to having an Amazon Prime subscription, a number of people told me that they felt it actually encouraged them to spend more money and that they found that they could easily wait until they had $35 in their cart to get free shipping.
Like Nicole says: “I had Prime for YEARS, and gave it up a couple of years ago. And go figure… I don’t miss it! Not worth the subscription to me. I can wait for $35 to get free shipping. I also don’t impulse buy tiny things. And I used to watch Prime videos all the time – don’t miss it at all. I easily fill that time with other things.”
Benefits of Amazon Prime FAQs
The current membership price is $14.99 per month or $139 per year.
Yes, you can get a 30-day free trial before payment is due. If you are a college student, you can get 6 months free!
Amazon is the parent company; Amazon Prime is a service it offers. Amazon is an online shopping opportunity for anyone — offering standard delivery for items ordered through its website. Amazon Prime is a subscription with the benefit of free, standard, or 2-day delivery, as well as additional benefits like Prime Video, Prime TV, Prime Music, Kindle eBooks, etc.
No, Netflix is not associated with Amazon Prime — but Prime Video and Prime TV are included with Amazon Prime.
Related Links:
Making the Most of Amazon Subscribe & Save: Tips and Tricks to Maximize Your Savings
Amazon Prime Student | FREE 6-Month Trial for 18-24 Year Olds + New Perks!!
Kindle Unlimited Trial Membership Deal: One Free Month!
Amazon Music Unlimited Deal | One Free Month! (Includes A Free Audiobook Each Month!)
Can a Warehouse Membership Save You Money?
25 Benefits of Costco Membership
Benefits of a Walmart+ Membership (+ Free 30 Day Trial!)
25 Outside-the-Box Places to Buy Groceries for Less
And check out our latest Amazon deals here!
I’d love to hear from you: Is Amazon Prime worth the cost? Why or why not?
