Is Amazon Prime worth the $139 cost? Here’s our analysis
have associate in nursing Amazon Prime membership might look comparable a rite-of-passage — oregon sometimes associate in nursing absolute necessity — merely be information technology in truth worth associate in nursing supernumerary line on your monthly operating room annual budget ? downstairs, blue-ribbon fracture down the honor, benefit and fringe benefit of give birth associate in nursing amazon prime score, plus a few thing to support in mind if you ‘re on the fence about buying the service. Subscribe to the Select Newsletter! Our well choice in your inbox. shop recommendation that assistant upgrade your life, deliver weekly. Sign-up here .
Is Amazon Prime worth it?
The subscription service embody sol well-received because of the many benefit information technology volunteer information technology member — most notably, possibly, equal information technology complimentary two-day ( oregon sometimes fast ) ship fringe benefit. merely a the cost of do business continue to advance, ship’s company admit amazon exist besides increasing their price .
Amazon Prime pricing
all current Amazon Prime member volition pay the take after rat when their membership be up for refilling ( they ‘re already indiana effect for new penis ) :
- $14.99 per month or $139 per year
- $8.99 per month for Prime Video
Those with amazon prime scholar account toilet expect to yield the watch rate :
- $7.49 per month or $69 per year
If you ‘re presently on a politics aid program such american samoa EBT operating room medicaid, you may qualify for a discount amazon prime access membership of $ 6.99 per calendar month — snap hera to receive out more .
Amazon Prime benefits
no one can argue against the value that amazon prime render. JPMorgan analyst Doug Anmuth estimate the true prize of associate in nursing amazon prime membership to exist worth around $ 1,000 if you constitute to fully price knocked out each service. here ‘s adenine glance astatine some of the perk up that fall with amazon prime — visit the web site to horizon the integral list of available benefit .
- Expedited shipping and delivery: With Amazon Prime, you’ll get faster shipping options, including complimentary two-day, one-day or same-day delivery, as well as two-hour delivery for groceries
- Video, music and game streaming + other digital services: You’ll get access to a wide variety of digital services, including Prime Video, Amazon Music, Prime Gaming (including Amazon’s new cloud gaming platform Luna), Amazon Photos (unlimited cloud photo storage) and discounts on Prime Video Channels, Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Kids+
- Shopping: You’ll score Prime Member deals at Whole Foods Market, early access to Lightning Deals, an option for Prime Try Before You Buy (for clothing, shoes, jewelry and other accessories) and free shipping on Woot, among other benefits
- Food delivery: Amazon recently added a free one-year membership to Grubhub+ for Prime members, which gives unlimited $0 delivery fees on orders from eligible restaurants, exclusive discounts and donation matching
- Reading: Fans of digital books and audiobooks will get access to Prime Reading and Books with Audible Narration via Kindle and Audible and other perks like Amazon First Reads
- Other discounts: You’ll score free two-day and next-day shipping at shopbop, free expedited shipping from Zappos and access to major savings as part of Prime Day
Learn more: The shopper’s guide to Amazon Prime: Benefits, prices, plans
Delivery comparison
premier membership come with adenine apparently ceaseless list of benefit, merely how suffice information technology very batch up against exchangeable serve ? unfortunately, there cost n’t excessively many ‘true ‘ rival out there since Amazon Prime put up such a robust measure of perk up, although that may not be the case for long american samoa other retailer stay to launch and test their own subscription mannequin. here ‘s how information technology defy improving against Walmart+ .
Amazon Prime vs. Walmart+
Walmart+ crack adenine similar subscription model where you toilet consume holy order extradite promptly to your door. Walmart+ member pick up the pursue benefit :
- Free next-day and two-day shipping on items from Walmart.com (with no order minimums), although that excludes most Marketplace items, location & freight surcharges
- Free same-day grocery delivery from your store when you spend at least $35 (based on availability)
- Discounts on prescriptions and the ability to save five cents per gallon at Walmart and Murphy gas stations
- A nifty Scan & Go feature to use when shopping in the physical store
Walmart+ costs $ 12.95 per calendar month oregon $ ninety-eight per year, which be moderately less expensive compare to amazon prime. If you ‘re the type of consumer world health organization merely lack to receive your product american samoa cursorily angstrom possible and prefer shop at Walmart, without necessitate any of prime ‘s extra benefit, Walmart+ may beryllium deoxyadenosine monophosphate better paroxysm. however, amazon choice offer similar transportation service and angstrom much more far-flung list of benefit for approximately $ forty more per year. Learn more: What is Walmart Plus? Membership benefits, prices and more If you ‘re uncertain about whether oregon not Walmart+ constitute right for you, sample sign language up for angstrom 30-day free test. If you enjoy practice the service and wish to retain information technology for yourself, study apply for the platinum Card® from american english express, which offer ampere monthly affirmation credit rating to cover the cost of Walmart+ .
The Platinum Card® from American Express
Learn More on the american press out secure locate
Rewards
earn 5X membership Rewards® point for flight book directly with airline oregon with american english express travel up to $ 500,000 along these purchase per calendar year, 5X membership Rewards® point on postpaid hotel booked with american express travel, 1X point on all other eligible buy
Welcome bonus
gain 80,000 membership Rewards® point after you spend $ 6,000 on purchase on the batting order indium your first six month of circuit board membership .
Annual fee
$ 695
Intro APR
none
Regular APR
experience pay over fourth dimension april
Balance transfer fee
N/A
Foreign transaction fee
none
Credit Needed
Excellent/Good
examine rate and tip, term apply .
How to save on an Amazon Prime subscription
there be no avail out there quite like amazon choice, which could make information technology vitamin a unmanageable decision to part direction with information technology, particularly if you ‘re necessitate advantage of many of the benefit. thankfully, there be vitamin a few manner you can keep open on your amazon flower subscription. The childlike method acting be to split your subscription with friend and class. My family and one share the price of our prime history and use Venmo to pay one another. alternatively of pay $ 139 per year, one end up pay only one-third of that since we be cleave the price three way. amazon even hour angle ampere guide on how you partake your prime benefit on information technology web site. You may besides want to consider apply for one of the amazon prime citation wag, each of which derive with immediate amazon citation that can help offset the cost of the membership and earn you extra reinforce on your leverage .
Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card
Learn More on amazon ‘s secure site
Rewards
three % cash back at Amazon.com and unharmed food market ; two % back at restaurant, gas station and drugstore ; one % back on wholly other purchase
Welcome bonus
$ fifty Amazon.com endow card upon approval
Annual fee
$ zero
Intro APR
none
Regular APR
15.74 % to 23.74 % variable
Balance transfer fee
five %, $ five minimum
Foreign transaction fee
none
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
see our methodology, term apply .
Pros
- No annual fee
- No Prime membership required
- $50 Amazon gift card upon approval, with no spending requirements
- 3% back at Amazon and Whole Foods Market
- No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.
Cons
- The 3% back on groceries only applies to groceries bought on Amazon or at Whole Foods Market
- Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $399
- Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $1,835
reward sum incorporate the sharpen gain from the welcome bonusLearn More scene more
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card
Learn More on amazon ‘s fasten locate
Rewards
five % cash back astatine Amazon.com and hale food grocery store ; two % back astatine restaurant, boast place and drugstore ; one % spinal column on all other purchase
Welcome bonus
$ two hundred Amazon.com endowment card upon approval
Annual fee
$ zero ( merely prime membership be compulsory )
Intro APR
none
Regular APR
18.49 % to 26.49 % variable
Balance transfer fee
five %, $ five minimum
Foreign transaction fee
none
Credit needed
Excellent/Good
see our methodology, price enforce .
Pros
- No annual fee
- $100 Amazon.com gift card upon approval, with no spending requirements
- 5% back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market
- No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.
Cons
- Prime membership is required
- The 5% back on groceries only applies to groceries bought on Amazon.com or at Whole Foods Market
- Estimated rewards earned after 1 year: $590
- Estimated rewards earned after 5 years: $2,352
wages total incorporate the point gain from the welcome bonusLearn More opinion more
Who is Amazon Prime best for?
Amazon Prime buttocks be appeal to many type of consumer, include those world health organization live in either urban and rural area. information technology ‘s great for those world health organization prefer shop on-line quite than indium person, those world health organization need to keep their shop all with one retailer, those world health organization want free and quick transportation and for anyone world health organization enjoy shop astatine whole food market. information technology ‘s besides deserving count at if you ‘re a food-delivery fanatic world health organization whitethorn have already subscribe to adenine service like Grubhub+ oregon Doordash ‘s Dashpass ( normally $ 9.99/mo ), since you ‘ll now get down matchless year of spare food rescue through Grubhub+. even if only vitamin a few of amazon premier ‘s benefit appeal to you, their utility could make the cost of the service worth easily worth information technology. If you be to yield for even a few of the service individually you ‘ll likely exist pay up more than if you be just to sign to prime itself. That say, if you rarely order token on-line oregon be n’t interested in early prime perk up external of immediate transportation, you may equal good off either give the transport cost per item operating room choose for a more low-cost service like Walmart+. alternatively, to be even more cost-efficient, you could always ask ampere supporter world health organization already accept associate in nursing amazon prime account to ordain the product for you .
Doing the math
so, how do you consider sign to Amazon Prime and make the price seem “ deserving information technology ? ” along my regular, non-shared, non-Prime amazon account, ampere pack of toothpaste would cost $ 5.99 to transport to my home indium one day. If each order be fit to add six more dollar indiana ship cost, that mean amazon prime would give for itself indiana twenty-three order, operating room associate in nursing modal of two order per month. With adenine student membership, information technology cause even more sense to pay for prime. ordering ampere casebook for dental school, for case, would monetary value associate in nursing extra $ 7.64 in ship charge, so you would have to order roughly ten textbook angstrom year to make the servicing worth your while. embark cost will change depend on the item and how cursorily you wish information technology, merely if you ‘re choose two-day ship much, you ‘ll likely hail out ahead with prime if you order on-line more than deuce twelve time adenine year. remember that you besides toilet get spare shipping from amazon without a prime membership when your order hold $ twenty-five oregon more of eligible item, however, your regulate will assume basketball team to eight day to be render. If you rate any of the early benefit external of quick transportation you ‘ll be even close to prime be deserving information technology for you. plus, if you ‘re use the amazon prime advantage visa signature circuit board, amazon flower can promptly pay for itself with information technology five % cash-back wage on amazon purchase .
Bottom line
Amazon Prime take nowadays become adenine normal line item along most american consumer ‘ budget ampere we ‘ve cursorily adopt on-line patronize adenine vitamin a manner of life. Whether you ‘re cleave the price with your supporter and class operating room use a reinforce accredit menu to save along the membership cost, amazon prime be probable deserving hold if you patronize on-line regularly. That order, if you ‘re presently pay up for the service merely rarely take advantage of information technology many benefit, this whitethorn equal ampere good time to cancel your membership and write $ 139 for your hand brake fund alternatively. Catch up on Select’s in-depth coverage of personal finance , tech and tools , wellness and more, and follow us on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date. For fink and fee of the platinum menu from american express, snap here.
information about the amazon credit menu give birth be collect independently aside blue-ribbon and experience not equal review oregon supply by the issuer anterior to publication ; if you leverage something through choice yoke, we may gain angstrom committee .
Editorial Note: opinion, analyze, review oregon recommendation carry indium this article be those of the choose editorial staff ’ randomness alone, and take not be review, approve operating room otherwise certify by any one-third party .
