8 Amazon Prime Perks You Might Be Missing Out On
From diapers to camera equipment to jewelry, you can buy just about anything on Amazon and have it delivered to your doorstep in a matter of days—or in some cases, even the same day. If you buy from the retailer often enough, its Prime service, which offers free two-day shipping, will save you far more than the $99 it costs to subscribe.
Your Prime membership offers a lot more than free shipping, though. To get even more out of Prime, don’t forget to take full advantage of all its extra perks.
1. PHOTO STORAGE
One of the most convenient perks of your Prime membership is unlimited photo storage on Amazon Drive. You can add photos from your phone or computer and access them from your devices. You also have the option to back up those photos automatically with the Amazon Photos app. This way, you can free up precious storage space on your phone. Amazon says they don’t adjust or reduce the quality of your images, either.
In addition to unlimited photo storage, Prime members also get 5GB of free storage data for free, which is useful for saving videos and other files.
2. GROCERY DELIVERY
With Prime Pantry, you can skip the supermarket and have grocery staples delivered to your door. For a flat fee of $5.99, you can order all the kitchen, household, and pet care items you can fit in a box. Each time you add an order to your virtual Pantry box, Amazon will tell you how much room you have left.
3. MUSIC, MOVIES, and TV SHOWS
Prime members also get access to Amazon Video, where they can find a huge selection of free movies and TV shows, including their original programming. Similarly, Prime Music includes a massive collection of streaming music from top artists. The songs are ad-free and you can download them to your device in order to listen to them even when you’re not connected to data.
Prime also gives away free entertainment credits via their “no-rush shipping” option. Your Prime membership comes with free two-day shipping, but if you choose a longer delivery date, you can score digital credits toward eBooks, music, videos, apps, video games, and software.
4. FREE KINDLE EBOOKS
If you’re a Prime member with a Kindle e-reader, Fire tablet, or Fire phone, you also have access to the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library. It’s like a digital public library that offers access to hundreds of thousands of books.
The catch is that you can only borrow one title a month, and the available titles change every month. However, there are no due dates, so if it takes you a few months to finish a book, you don't have to worry about late fees.
5. STEEPER DISCOUNTS ON SOME PRODUCTS
If you have a young child or infant, you can score discounts on supplies with Amazon Family, which offers 20 percent off certain product subscriptions (like diapers and baby food) through Amazon Subscribe & Save.
Even if you’re not a parent, Amazon’s Subscribe & Save option can help cut the cost of certain products. You get up to 15 percent off household items when you opt to receive those products periodically—you set the schedule, so you decide whether that new bag of dog food is delivered every week or month.
6. EARLY ACCESS TO DEALS
Amazon’s Lightning Deals can be hit or miss, but if you have Prime, you can scope them out early. Amazon allows Prime members to check out what’s on sale 30 minutes before anyone else, which can help you snag popular items that will sell out fast.
And on Amazon Prime Day, Prime members are privy to even more deals.
7. TWO-HOUR DELIVERY
If you need something in a rush, some Amazon items in select zip codes are even eligible for free two-hour delivery. This service is called Prime Now, and it is, of course, only available to Prime customers. It includes over 10,000 items, many of which are household staples like cleaning products, toiletries, and food. However, it also includes some electronics like video games, chargers, and computer accessories.
8. HALF A YEAR OF FREE WASHINGTON POST ACCESS
After viewing a certain amount of articles on The Washington Post's website, avid readers will eventually hit a metered paywall, meaning they have to pay up to keep reading. If you have Amazon Prime, you can put off opening your wallet, because Prime users get unlimited access for six months once they activate the trial.