Is Amazon Prime worth it?

[theapplehead]

I have a simple question to ask that I have been debating for some time now. Is Amazon Prime worth having? I have always felt having their free shipping on orders would be very useful;however, I have gone back and forth on this and cannot decide one way or another, so I could really use some advice from users who do have the service. Do you find yourselves using Prime frequently enough to make it worth having? Also, is their movie streaming service any good? How often do they upload new movies to their platform? If there are any other notable perks to having Prime that are worth mentioning, please describe them so I can better know what exactly I’ll be getting and if I would use those services. Thanks for your help!

Cheers!

 

[Banglazed]

I've been a prime member for a long time now. There are free shipping but super-fast delivery of same day or 1-2 business day or release day develop delivery on various products. There is also Prime Now which offers household items and essentials that can be delivered within 1-2 hours window, and Whole Food within 2 hours delivery. Various products you can subscribe for monthly delivery with discount. You will have access to Prime Video with exclusive Amazon Original series like Jack Ryan, Hanna etc , Twitch, Music, Audible, Kindle books and unlimited photo storage.

For me, it is definitely worth it because its shared between my family and everyone gets to buy whatever they want and get it delivered quickly plus I get to see what's coming to the house.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/amazonprime?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

 

[theapplehead]

I've been a prime member for a long time now. There are free shipping but super-fast delivery of same day or 1-2 business day or release day develop delivery on various products. There is also Prime Now which offers household items and essentials that can be delivered within 1-2 hours window, and Whole Food within 2 hours delivery. Various products you can subscribe for monthly delivery with discount. You will have access to Prime Video with exclusive Amazon Original series like Jack Ryan, Hanna etc , Twitch, Music, Audible, Kindle books and unlimited photo storage.

For me, it is definitely worth it because its shared between my family and everyone gets to buy whatever they want and get it delivered quickly plus I get to see what's coming to the house.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/amazonprime?_encoding=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

Thanks for your input! I did hear about the discount on Whole Foods as well as the 1-2 day shipping. It is all very tempting, but I just want to be sure I’ll get my money’s worth. As of now, I don’t purchase items from Amazon too frequently. However, it is very possible that will change if I subscribe to Prime. Thanks again for your feedback!

 

[jerwin]

The logical answer to this question is

"how much do you order from amazon, and do the shipping fees exceed the membership fee"?

The perverse answer to this question is

"how much will you alter your buying habits to take advantage of the free shipping?"

I don't live in a retail desert --far from it--, but I also don't own a car, so the alteration turned out to be quite dramatic. (I also live next to a Whole Foods, so there is that.)

Also, prime video can be amusing.

 

[theapplehead]

The logical answer to this question is

"how much do you order from amazon, and do the shipping fees exceed the membership fee"?

The perverse answer to this question is

"how much will you alter your buying habits to take advantage of the free shipping?"

I don't live in a retail desert --far from it--, but I also don't own a car, so the alteration turned out to be quite dramatic. (I also live next to a Whole Foods, so there is that.)

Also, prime video can be amusing.

Those are the same points I keep reiterating in my mind to myself. But I cannot convince myself one way or another. I will probably start shopping on Amazon more with Prime. And the movies do look interesting and worth checking out. I’ll have to give it some thought. Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[akash.nu]

Also there’s Amazon music, free kindle books, monthly book borrowing scheme. Just depends on what you use it for.

 

[PilotWoo]

Then there is also the warm feeling inside that you get when supporting a company with a dominant market position, which pays minimal tax.

 

[maflynn]

I've been a prime member and while I probably don't take full advantage its been quite useful. I'm not sold on "prime day" I never see any major deals other then amazon branded products.

 

[Dc2006ster]

I have also gone back and forth on this but now have joined Prime. Most of the advantages have already been mentioned but one that has not is Amazon Photos which comes free with Prime. With amazon Photos you can store an unlimited number of photos in the cloud. You also have a free 5Gb storage for videos and other documents. 5 Gb is not much for video but you can purchase more if necessary. I am using Amazon Photos as on offsite backup of all my images and when I travel I will do a daily upload as long as I have an internet connection.

I am not purchasing more items but I no longer wait until I have enough to qualify for free shipping and the 1 or 2 day delivery is great.

I would not pay the monthly fee for any single Prime service but I am trying it for the package of services.

 

[mroy16]

I started using Prime as a student with a discount, but when that ran out a few years ago, I cancelled my Prime membership. I wasn't taking advantage of the various services (Prime Videos, etc) aside from shipping, and most things I ordered had a free shipping option if I was just a bit more patient. It's been about 3 years and sometimes I miss the faster shipping or access to certain movies, but I've also saved a nice chunk of money.

Ultimately, you should consider what features of Prime you know you'll use and whether it's worth the money. Will you use Prime Video frequently? Will you really benefit from free two-day shipping instead of free 5-8 day shipping? What's $120/year worth to you?

 

[ruka.snow]

If you order one thing a month or will use the other services then it is worth the money

 

[theapplehead]

I have also gone back and forth on this but now have joined Prime. Most of the advantages have already been mentioned but one that has not is Amazon Photos which comes free with Prime. With amazon Photos you can store an unlimited number of photos in the cloud. You also have a free 5Gb storage for videos and other documents. 5 Gb is not much for video but you can purchase more if necessary. I am using Amazon Photos as on offsite backup of all my images and when I travel I will do a daily upload as long as I have an internet connection.

I am not purchasing more items but I no longer wait until I have enough to qualify for free shipping and the 1 or 2 day delivery is great.

I would not pay the monthly fee for any single Prime service but I am trying it for the package of services.

Amazon Photos would be a nice feature to have. Currently I use google photos and that only permits lower image uploads. I am also only considering Prime because of the package deal.
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I started using Prime as a student with a discount, but when that ran out a few years ago, I cancelled my Prime membership. I wasn't taking advantage of the various services (Prime Videos, etc) aside from shipping, and most things I ordered had a free shipping option if I was just a bit more patient. It's been about 3 years and sometimes I miss the faster shipping or access to certain movies, but I've also saved a nice chunk of money.

Ultimately, you should consider what features of Prime you know you'll use and whether it's worth the money. Will you use Prime Video frequently? Will you really benefit from free two-day shipping instead of free 5-8 day shipping? What's $120/year worth to you?

When you had Prime, did you notice how many mainstream movies were available to watch? Or are their movies original and less focused on the mainstream releases? That would most likely be a big reason why I would or would not consider Prime.

 

[MisterSavage]

Everyone's answer will be different but for me it's unthinkable not to have it. If I ever need anything I can order it in seconds and have it tomorrow or the next day.

Amazon Prime Video is a nice bonus but it wouldn't be a reason I would get it. They do have some great shows to binge however.

I listen to Prime Music on my Alexa powered speaker.

I get perks in games with Twitch Prime.

 

[iluvmacs99]

You can always sign up for the 30 days free trial and see if Prime works for you.

 

[n7vy]

The free shipping (on some items) is great but I have noticed that some deliveries are slower. I live in Phoenix so the shipping should be very fast. I do enjoy ordering an item in the morning and getting it later in the afternoon. Prime Video has made my cutting of the cable cord easier. I think it’s a very good return on my $129.00 investment.

 

[scottrngr]

I got Amazon Prime mainly for the free shipping. It was a really great deal before the state i live in got Amazon to charge sales tax. I've never watched one of their shows, or even old movies. However I do know indi film makers who've got their movies on there and I've watched them, rather than pay $9.99 to actually rent or buy one.

 

[AZhappyjack]

I have a simple question to ask that I have been debating for some time now. Is Amazon Prime worth having? I have always felt having their free shipping on orders would be very useful;however, I have gone back and forth on this and cannot decide one way or another, so I could really use some advice from users who do have the service. Do you find yourselves using Prime frequently enough to make it worth having? Also, is their movie streaming service any good? How often do they upload new movies to their platform? If there are any other notable perks to having Prime that are worth mentioning, please describe them so I can better know what exactly I’ll be getting and if I would use those services. Thanks for your help!

Cheers!

Only you can say whether or not it's worth the investment for yourself... we have had it for several years, and we've saved substantially more on shipping every year compared with what we pay for the Prime membership. And don't forget the streaming video, which our kids use quite a bit.

 

[Ruggy]

I've been a prime member and while I probably don't take full advantage its been quite useful. I'm not sold on "prime day" I never see any major deals other then amazon branded products.

Where I am they have iphone 8 at €200 less than Apple are selling them for today.

 

[BornAgainMac]

The streaming video replaced what I used Netflix and helped me make the decision to use Prime. If I was a hardcore Netflix user and watched exclusive content, I am not sure if I would have Prime or not.

 

[YaBe]

It is to me!

EDIT:
Shipping alone is more expensive (if you buy a lot) and the extra Prive Video is nice

 

[theapplehead]

The streaming video replaced what I used Netflix and helped me make the decision to use Prime. If I was a hardcore Netflix user and watched exclusive content, I am not sure if I would have Prime or not.

Did you find that Amazon had better selection than Netflix?

 

[MisterSavage]

I just cancelled a mattress order I made yesterday because there's an Amazon Prime Day deal that will save me an extra $150. That will pay for my Prime for the next year!

Did you find that Amazon had better selection than Netflix?

OMG no. Amazon Prime video tends to be older content with a few exceptions that are new movies. Amazon does produce some interesting original shows but I can't think of any that have been huge hits like Netflix's Stranger Things for example.

 

[0388631]

Prime viability definitely depends on your location.

 

[s15119]

For me, it's worth it just for the savings on shipping, include the other perks like Prime Video and it's a heck of a deal.

 

[BornAgainMac]

Did you find that Amazon had better selection than Netflix?

My perception is that Amazon had a lower selection. I tend to watch old TV favorites. It seemed like whenever I wanted to watch was general on both services but movies that I liked (that I owned) were more on Netflix.