Below, I've listed the benefits you should be using as an Amazon Prime member. Arguably, these incentives alone aren't worth the cost of a membership, but chances are at least one of them will come in handy. Amazon has had more than its fair share of debacles.
But there are still an estimated 201 million members in the United States. If you're one of them, these perks are worth checking out. Updated September 2026: I've ensured perks, coverage, pricing, and links are accurate ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days.
Amazon Prime is a premium membership to Amazon.com. If you've never had a membership before, you can try it free for 30 days. This trial automatically renews, so set a reminder on your phone to reassess and make sure to cancel if you don't want to continue your membership.
Amazon Prime costs $139 per year. You can pay $15 per month instead, but that raises the cost of the membership to $180 annually, so you'll save more money by paying for the year up front. People 18 to 24 years old can get Prime for Young Adults (formerly called Prime Student), which is $69 annually or $7.50 per month after an extended six-month free trial.
Prime for Young Adults has an exclusive cash-back program that lets members earn rewards on select purchases. Usually, they earn around 5 percent, but some shopping events bump up that rate. Finally, some customers are eligible for Prime Access, a discounted Prime membership that cuts the subscription cost in half.
If you verify that you receive qualifying SNAP benefits or other government assistance, you can get Amazon Prime for $7 per month. Note that Prime Access members have to reverify eligibility once per year, and can only use Prime Access for four years total before they need to choose a different membership. Prime members are eligible for free next-day shipping on millions of items and free two-day shipping on millions more.
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