Many of us do our shopping online with Amazon, where there is a chance of us wondering about the costs and the benefits offered by Amazon Prime membership. When Amazon prime was launched back in 2005, prime members were guaranteed two-day shipping delivery on different ranges of products from apparel to accessories; books to groceries.
It’s a subscription service that gives benefits to members which include fast shipping, free movie, and music streaming, and offers access to deals and sales.
So, come let’s know everything about Amazon prime!
What is Amazon Prime?
It is a paid subscription service that is applicable in different countries and gives members access to further services and benefits. Prime services include same-day, one or two-day shipping of products and exclusive stream of music, video, e-books, gaming, and grocery shopping services.
You can enjoy prime benefits by availing of prime membership that costs Rs 179 for a month, Rs 459 for 3 months and Rs 1499 per year. They offer a 30-day free trial to members to enjoy all the same benefits as paid subscribers. Amazon announced that Prime had more than 200 million subscribers worldwide in April 2021.
History
| 2005 | Announced Prime membership service that offers free two-day shipping in the areas of United states for a $79 annual fee on all eligible purchases. |
| 2007 | Launched in Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. |
| 2011 | Announced access to the Kindle Owners Lending Library which lets users borrow up to one popular Kindle e-book per month. |
| March 2014 | – Amazon Prime membership in the United States has been raised from $79 to $99. – Amazon Prime Music, which provides unlimited, ad-free music streaming, was announced soon after this change. |
| November 2014 | Introduced Prime Photos which provides users with unlimited storage of files considered to be photographs in their Amazon Drive. |
| May 2015 | Prime members in 14 US metropolitan areas can get free same-day delivery. |
| April 2015 | launched a trial partnership with Audi and DHL to deliver directly into the trunks of Audi cars, which is available to some Audi-connected car users in the Munich, Germany area. |
| December 2015 | – Amazon reported that “tens of millions” are Amazon Prime members. – During the 3rd week of December 2015, Amazon Prime added 3 million new members. – Amazon announced the launch of the Streaming Partners Program, a subscription service that offers additional streaming video services to Amazon Prime subscribers. |
| January 2016 | – According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Amazon Prime has 54 million members. – Many reports in January 2016 reported that nearly half of all at that time U.S. households were Amazon Prime members. |
| April 2016 | Same-day delivery expands in the areas of charlotte, Cincinnati, Fresno, Louisville, Milwaukee, Nashville, Central New Jersey, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Stockton, and Tucson, extending coverage to 27 metro areas. |
| September 2016 | – Introduced a restaurant delivery service in London, England, for Prime members, with free shipping on all orders over £15. –Twitch, an Amazon subsidiary, announced new features available to Amazon Prime subscribers (Twitch Prime), including monthly offers of video games and add-on content, as well as the ability to purchase a free monthly subscription to a user’s channel. |
| June 2017 | – Launched Prime Wardrobe, which lets you try clothes before paying. – Prime Exclusive Phone program provides smartphones that display Amazon ads on the lock screen including companies such as LG, Motorola, and Nokia at a discounted cost. |
| May 2018 | Increase in annual US prime membership fee ( $99 to $119 ) |
| June 2019 | Prime free one-day delivery to US members with no minimum purchase on over 10 million products. |
| March 2020 | “mini-fulfillment center” in US cities to shorten same-day delivery. |
| February 2022 | The annual US Prime membership fee has been raised from $119 to $139 for the first time in nearly four years. Higher labour and shipping costs accounted for the increase. |
| August 2022 | For the first time, Amazon Prime was available in Indonesia to develop local and international content for users. |
What is the price of Amazon Prime?
They offer a 30-day free trial to members to enjoy all the same benefits as paid subscribers. Aside from that, the cost of Amazon Prime is determined by the plan you select:
Amazon Prime Subscription
If you sign up for a full year, the annual fee is Rs 1499. You can also make a monthly payment of Rs 179 for a month, and Rs 459 for 3 months.
Amazon Prime Student Subscription
If you have a valid school email address and are a student, you are eligible for a discount on your Prime membership and pay $69 per year or $7.49 per month.
Prime Subscription for EBT and Medicaid cardholders
If you have an EBT or Medicaid card, you can get a discounted Prime membership for $6.99 per month.
Eleven Amazon prime benefits
1. Amazon Prime Gaming
Amazon Prime Gaming is a fantastic benefit for gamers. Prime Members can visit the Prime Gaming landing page to get exclusive in-game loot, free monthly PC games (that you own forever), and a free monthly Twitch subscription. For gamers who remember Twitch Prime, Amazon Prime Gaming is simply a rebranded version of the service they once knew and loved. If you have Amazon Prime, you already have Amazon Prime Gaming, so go check it out right now.
2. PlayStation 5
If you’re looking for PS5 restock, being a Prime member may come in handy. Amazon held its first PS5 restock for Prime members only in September. Throughout the summer, Amazon Prime members received additional PS5 drops. Having said that, it’s become easier to find the PS5 in stock, as Sony stocks it at least once a week with no membership required.
3. DualSense Wireless Controller
You can discover a deeper, highly immersive gaming experience with the innovative new PS5 controller, featuring haptic feedback and dynamic trigger effects.
4. Media Remote
With an intuitive layout, you can control movies, streaming services, and more on your PS5 console.
Stunning games that have incredible graphics;
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- Sackboy A Big Adventure
- Demon’s Souls
5. Amazon Prime Video
One of the most valuable benefits of being an Amazon Prime member is access to Amazon Prime Video. For paid or free trial members in the United States and Puerto Rico, Prime Video provides unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes. Video subscriptions to services such as Showtime, Starz, A&E, AMC, and many other streaming entertainment channels can also be added. Indeed, Prime members can now take advantage of a 30-day free trial of Paramount Plus. Amazon is constantly adding new content to its Prime Video library.
However, if you expect to travel abroad, Amazon will restrict your viewing. In that case, an Amazon Prime VPN is worth getting so you can alter your location and watch everything you pay for, no matter where you are.
6. Amazon Music Prime
One of Amazon Prime’s best features touches the hearts of music fans. Amazon Music, which is free with your Prime subscription, allows you to listen to your favourite songs ad-free, whenever and wherever you want. Listen to music on all of your devices using the Amazon Music app or on your laptop using the Amazon Music website.
Amazon Music Prime has more than 2 million compiled songs available for offline listening with unlimited skips. You can upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for an additional $8.99 per month or $89 per year.
7. Free unlimited photo storage
Amazon Prime members can use Amazon Photos to store unlimited full-resolution photos for free. This makes it simple to free up space on your laptop, tablet, or smartphone. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to pay Apple or Google for monthly cloud storage.
By logging into your Amazon Prime account, you can access your snapshots from any device. In addition, you can add up to five friends and family members to your photo vault. Amazon also provides 5GB of storage space for personal videos, important documents, and other files.
8. Alexa Shopping
Another Amazon Prime benefit is Alexa Shopping, which allows you to add items to your virtual cart by simply speaking the command to a compatible Alexa-enabled smart speaker. For example, say, “Alexa, add butter to my shopping list,” and it will be added to the checkout in the device’s account. You can also tell Alexa to “re-order dishwashing liquid,” so you can go shopping as soon as you notice you’re running low to ensure necessary items are delivered before you forget to add them to a written list.
9. Amazon Kindle
Amazon Prime membership also grants you exclusive access to over a thousand Amazon Kindle ebooks, magazines, comic books, and books with Audible narration. Each month, Prime members can choose from a selection of free eBooks. You can read the eBook on a computer or mobile device, or you can download it to an e-reader, such as an Amazon Kindle ( $89.99 )
You can avail of Kindle Unlimited of your favourite plan;
| 1 month | Rs 99.00 |
| 6 months | Rs 166.50 |
| 12 months | Rs 149.92 |
10. Prime Wardrobe
Prime Customers can try on selected clothes, shoes, watches, and accessories before purchasing with Try Before You Buy (previously known as Prime Wardrobe). You have seven days to try the items, and you are only charged for the items you keep.
11. Amazon Prime Special Offers
Amazon Prime provides a wide range of discounts and special offers throughout the year. Amazon is predicted to offer a few of the best Black Friday deals in 2022, including some of the lowest rates of the year and amazing lightning deals on best-selling items, with Black Friday 2022 taking place on Friday, November 25.
Shoppers can hope to save up to 50% on selected headphones, toys, speakers, and other items. This massive savings event is only available to Amazon Prime members. Meanwhile, Prime members can save money at Whole Foods Market and get a free year of GrubHub+ membership for a limited time.
How do I become an Amazon Prime member?
Go to the Amazon Prime homepage and click “Try Prime Free,” then follow the on-screen instructions. To sign up for Prime, you must first create an Amazon account, which is simple to do if you don’t have one already. Go to Amazon and set up an account, next add Prime to get the 30-day trial and start shopping.
Final thoughts
In simple terms, Amazon Prime has numerous membership benefits that can save you both time and money. Use Amazon’s risk-free trial to determine whether Prime is right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQ )
What exactly do you get with Amazon Prime?
Free same-day delivery
Free two-day shipping
Free release-date delivery
Free No-rush shipping
Which OTT platform is best?
Disney+hotstar
Netflix
Sonyliv
Amazon Prime
Zee5
How much is Amazon Prime a Year?
Rs. 1499 per month
Is Amazon Prime better than Netflix?
Prime Video is less expensive than Netflix and provides more value for the money. Netflix has a greater catalog, and the subscription includes access to everything. Some Amazon content is not free. These platforms have award-winning unique content and are investing heavily in original programming.
