If you are still on the fence over whether signing up for Amazon Prime makes sense for you, you might want to consider the benefits, including some new ones, that come with the $99 a year membership fee. If you’re the type of person who is constantly ordering household items online and you’re also interested in streaming TV shows, the price might just pay off.
Here is an overview of the perks to help you make your decision:
Perk 1: Free two-day shipping on most purchases
Depending on how often you purchase from Amazon, free two-day shipping can be a huge perk. Personally, I order from Amazon constantly and part of that is because I know that I have already paid my shipping fees for the year. I have definitely been spoiled by the guarantee of having items delivered within two days. This option is especially useful over the holidays.
I probably place at least four Amazon orders per month. Assuming two-day shipping would cost approximately $10 per order, without Prime I would be spending nearly $500 per year in two-day shipping fees. Or I would just have to wait longer for my products, which would be extremely inconvenient. Without Prime, shipping is free on most $35 and over Amazon purchases and delivery will occur within five to eight business days.
For certain household items, like toothpaste or snack food, it can also make sense to layer Subscribe and Save discounts on top of your Prime account. Not only do you get the discount, but you can also relax, knowing that your products will arrive regularly once a month, or whichever frequency you select. You never have to run out of deodorant again!
Perk 2: Free movie and television streaming
Amazon has its own streaming service, Amazon Instant Video, which is comparable to Netflix. Quite a few of the shows available via Amazon Instant Video are only available on Amazon, so depending on what you want to watch, this could be a huge benefit. Amazon is also getting increasingly creative about original content. From “The Man in the High Castle” to “Tumble Leaf” for kids, Prime members have plenty of free content to choose from.
For instance, right now my husband and I are watching “Justified” and “Veronica Mars,” both of which are only available via Amazon. If we went out and purchased the DVDs for those two shoes, we could spend close to $100.
Perk 3: Free books
There are now two different ways that Amazon Prime members can get free books. The first is via the Kindle Lending Library. Prime users can “borrow” one free book per month from Amazon’s selection of more than 500,000 titles. After the book is read, it must be returned to the library, at which point another book may be rented.
Secondly, Amazon recently launched Kindle First, which allows Amazon Prime members to download one free pre-release book per month. Each month there are four choices, with new options becoming available on the first of each month.
The Kindle Lending Library could have a value of up to $120 per year (assuming each book rented would otherwise cost $9.99 to download), and the value of Kindle First ranges from $60 to $120, depending again on the price of the book.
While I definitely take advantage of Amazon’s free two-day shipping offer, I find the greatest value actually comes from Amazon Instant Video and the Kindle perks. Yes, I love getting my packages in two days, but that is not a necessity and sometimes I could conceivably wait five to eight days for my order to arrive. Still, I definitely get more than $99 worth of perks out of my Prime membership so there is no question that I will renew each year.
I recommend taking a good look at how often you use the perks of an Amazon Prime membership to see if you are reaping the full value. There might be some benefits that you’re not even taking advantage of yet. If you suspect that’s the case, log into your account and read through the long and growing list of benefits. From Prime Music (free, add-free streaming) to Prime photos (unlimited storage), you might just pick up a new perk or two.
More from U.S. News
10 Money Action Steps to Take Before 2016
50 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2016
10 Fun, Frugal Ways to Spend Your Free Time
How to Figure Out if Amazon Prime Will Save You Money originally appeared on usnews.com
