It’s not just two-day shipping you get with Prime

If you’re a long-time Amazon Prime member, you know the deal when it comes to fast and free shipping for tons of the site’s millions of items. You might be taking advantage of a few other benefits the membership provides such as Prime Video or its prescription savings, but there are actually tons of other benefits you might not even know about that could prove useful. 

As a Prime member for many years myself, some of these benefits were news to me and I shall be putting them to use ASAP. Who knew that membership was so much more than just free shipping?

In this article: PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, Amazon Fire 7 Kids Tablet and Amazon Echo Show 5

Membership sharing

Did you know you can share your Prime membership with members of your household up to two adults, four teens and four kids under 13? That means everyone under your roof can take advantage of Prime benefits like streaming services and use Prime to shop and make purchases. 

Amazon Photos

If you’re anything like me, you have thousands and thousands of digital photos. Instead of paying for an outside service each month, you can use Amazon Photos as part of your Prime membership. I discovered this benefit a few years ago while panicking over the number of photos on my computer knowing I needed an economical way to keep them stored and safe. I’m already paying for a Prime membership and it cost me nothing extra to stash several hundred of my favorite photos. Bonus? You can also order prints and photo gifts from Amazon via their partnership with Shutterfly. 

Amazon Music

Adding up all the streaming services your household pays for can be pretty eye-opening. I have a pair of extremely online and media-obsessed teens, so trust me when I say I understand how fast those costs add up. While my kids refuse to ever abandon their beloved Spotify, it’s comforting to know that no matter what, we will always have Amazon Music as a music streaming option thanks to our Prime membership. 

Prime Reading

As a long-time Kindle owner, I thought I knew it all about the best ways to snag deals on Kindle books, but I only discovered Prime Reading a few months ago. It’s not the same as Kindle Unlimited, which requires an additional monthly fee. Prime Reading allows Prime members to access over 3,000 digital books, audiobooks, magazines, comics and more. The collection rotates, so the titles are periodically updated, and it’s totally free for Prime members. 

Prime Try Before You Buy

During the pandemic, I decided I was done with fitting rooms. Ordering clothes online just works better for me, though the return process can be a bit of a pain depending on where you order from. That’s why I was delighted to find out that Amazon Prime members are allowed to take seven days to decide if clothing, shoes or accessories are going to work out for them thanks to its Try Before You Buy benefit. You will only be charged for the items you decide to keep.

Amazon First Reads

I may need 1,000 words to describe my heartfelt feelings for Amazon First Reads. I have discovered so many new authors this way and found dozens of books worth reading, and the best part? They’re free with my Prime membership. Here’s the deal: Each month, Amazon offers early access for Prime members to several new books. They are free to download and are presented alongside an editor’s take on why they’re worth reading. The books span several categories including nonfiction, horror, fantasy, women’s fiction and more. Some months (including October!) you are allowed to download two books instead of one. When I tell you 25% of my Kindle library was obtained this way, I am being extremely serious. Go take a look and thank me later.

Prime Gaming

Got a gamer in your household? Tell them all about Prime Gaming, which gives users access to free games and in-game content every month. It also provides a free subscription to Twitch.tv. Members in the U.S., Canada, Germany and the UK also have access to Luna, Amazon’s cloud-based video game service.

Savings on gas

Everyone can use some savings on gas, so you’ll be thrilled to learn that your Prime membership can help with that too. Link your Prime account with BP’s loyalty program for a savings of 10 cents per gallon.

Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.

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