Prime Day, one of Amazon’s biggest shopping events of the year, is coming up in July. (Exact dates are expected to be announced soon.) Typically during the two-day event, we see price drops on a slew of products, including Fire TV Sticks, Echo devices, Apple products (like the currently discounted AirPods Pro) and so much more. However, to get the best prices and access to exclusive deals, you’ll need to be an Amazon Prime member.
When you sign up for Prime, you get access to a ton of benefits that you can use all year long — and it scores you even better deals during Prime Day (which now runs twice a year). For instance, you get free shipping, which includes same-day delivery on some items.
We’ll tell you all the perks that come with an Amazon Prime account. If you’re curious about when Amazon Prime Day runs this year, we’ll update this story when those dates are officially announced.
How much does an Amazon Prime membership cost?
There are two options when it comes to signing up for an Amazon Prime membership. You can pay monthly at $14.99 per month or annually at $139 per year.
You can also try Prime free for 30 days. Note that you’ll be charged automatically at the end of the trial period unless you cancel.
If you’re a college student, you can try Prime free for six months and then pay $7.49 per month after your trial ends.
There’s also a $6.99 per month Prime Access option available for those who receive SNAP benefits, Medicaid or other qualifying government assistance.
Amazon Prime perks you get with a membership
If you sign up for Amazon Prime, here are some benefits you’ll immediately have access to.
Free shipping and delivery
A perk to becoming an Amazon Prime member is free same-day and one-day delivery on tens of millions of products. Additionally, you get free two-day shipping on most other items. Note that same-day delivery isn’t available in all locations.
As a bonus, if you’re not in a hurry to get the product you’re ordering, you can choose the no rush shipping option at checkout and receive an Amazon digital credit. This can be used toward services like movies, ebooks and music. If you have an Amazon Prime credit card, you may instead receive additional point credits on your account.
For $10 more per month, you can also receive unlimited grocery delivery on orders $35 and up from stores like Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market and more.
Free Grubhub+
Once you sign up for Amazon Prime, you’ll get a free Grubhub+ account. This comes with perks like $0 delivery fees on eligible orders over $12, lower service fees and a 5% credit on pickup orders.
Free Prime Video streaming
As a Prime member, you’ll gain access to Prime Video with ads. However, for an additional cost of $3 per month, you can experience Prime Video without ads.
Free Amazon Music
With your Prime membership, you can listen to Amazon Music for free, without ads. You’re only allotted a certain amount of skips, but you can upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for $9.99 per month.
Prime Gaming
Prime members can play free games, and also get a free Twitch channel subscription.
Prime Early Access
While anyone can shop Amazon Prime Day deals, Prime members are able to shop Lightning Deals 30 minutes earlier than non-Prime members. Eligible items will be listed as Prime Early Access.
Amazon Day consolidated deliveries
If you find yourself shopping on Amazon daily, it may be beneficial to set up an Amazon Day to have your items bundled and delivered on the same day. All you need to do is find a day that’s convenient for you and set it to be your Amazon delivery day.
Prescription benefits
Several prescription benefits come with your Prime membership, including an RxPass to get all of your eligible medications for $5 a month. You also get access to One Medical for $9 per month, free two-day shipping on prescriptions from Amazon Pharmacy, and savings on prescriptions at over 60,000 pharmacies.
Try before you buy on eligible clothes, shoes and accessories
Shopping online can be hit-or-miss — not all sizes run the same across brands. So before you hit the buy button, you can try on the items at no cost to you. Amazon gives you seven days to either send the items back or keep them. You’ll only be charged for the items you keep.
How to sign up for an Amazon Prime membership
To sign up for Amazon Prime, visit amazon.com/amazonprime and scroll down to the area that says Choose your plan. From here, you can pick from one of the membership options mentioned above (monthly, yearly, Prime Access, Prime Student), click the Start your free 30-day trial button and follow the onscreen instructions.
How to cancel your Amazon Prime membership
Whether you’re in the middle of your free Amazon Prime trial period or you’ve been an Amazon Prime member for several months now, we can walk you through the steps for canceling your membership.
On your phone’s Amazon app, tap the profile icon, select Your Account and tap Manage Prime Membership. Next, tap Manage membership and click Update, cancel and more. Finally, tap End membership and follow the onscreen prompts.
From your desktop, visit Amazon.com. Under the Accounts & Lists menu, select Prime membership. Next, hover over the Manage My Membership menu and click End membership to cancel your account.
