Access to Prime Day is one of the most notable benefits of Amazon’s loyalty program, but that just scratches the surface of what perks a Prime membership offers. You also get fast, free shipping, an included Grubhub+ membership, Whole Foods grocery delivery and more. And while Amazon's Black Friday Week, which runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 1, is open to everyone, Prime members can unlock exclusive deals during the event, helping them save even more on holiday gifts for loved ones (and themselves).
Below, I break down everything that’s included in an Amazon Prime membership to help you decide whether to sign up.
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What is Amazon Prime?
Much like Walmart Plus and Target Circle, Amazon Prime is Amazon's paid loyalty program, which originally launched in 2005. Shoppers in various countries can join, and it gives members access to perks across shopping, streaming, entertainment and more.
Amazon also offers loyalty programs in the form of a store credit card and anAmazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. Prime members with an Amazon credit card get 5% cash back year round when they shop at Amazon, Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods, plus they’re eligible for the retailer’s Prime Card Bonus program, through which they can earn 10% cash back or more on exclusive deals.
How much does an Amazon Prime membership cost?
A Prime membership costs $14.99 monthly, or you can pay $139 annually. The yearly Prime membership includes a 30-day free trial for new members.
Does Amazon offer discounted Prime memberships?
Yes, Amazon offers two discounted Prime memberships: Prime for Young Adults and Prime Access.
Prime for Young Adults is a discounted Prime membership for those ages 18 to 24. You can access the discount after verifying your age or student status. Prime for Young Adults costs $69 per year or $7.49 monthly, and new members get a six-month free trial.
In addition to the standard benefits all Prime members get, Prime for Young Adults members have access to exclusive offers like discounts on textbooks, up to 10% off flights and hotels through Student Universe, a free three-month subscription to Calm Premium and a month of free homework help through Course Hero.
Prime for Young Adults members also get 5% cash back savings when they buy from popular categories like beauty, apparel, electronics and personal care, plus access to double or triple cash back boosters on specific brands throughout the year.
Prime Access is a discounted Prime membership for those who qualify for certain government assistance programs, like EBT and Medicaid. It costs $6.99 per month, about half the price of a standard Prime membership, and new members get a 30-day free trial. You must verify your qualification every 12 months.
Prime Access members get the same benefits as those who pay the standard Prime membership rate. If you’re paying full price for a Prime account but qualify for the discounted rate, you can apply online by selecting a verification method. Once approved, your membership automatically switches over. Amazon also accepts SNAP EBT for eligible groceries and free shipping options are available.
Can you share your Prime membership?
Yes, you can share your Prime membership with multiple people through Amazon Family (previously Amazon Household). You can add up to five additional people to your Amazon Family, including:
- One other adult (age 18 or older): They must have their own Amazon account. The two adults on the Prime membership need to have the same primary residential address, and agree to share payment methods for household verification.
- Up to four children under 13 years old: Children can’t shop on Amazon, but adults can share content with them, like eBooks, apps and games. Adults can manage parental controls for children in their Amazon Family.
Amazon previously allowed Prime members to share their account with up to four teens, too. That benefit is no longer active. If you added teens to your Amazon Family prior to April 7, 2025, they will remain on your account.
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What are the benefits of an Amazon Prime membership?
An Amazon Prime membership includes various perks, including those that center around free delivery, streaming, shopping and reading. Below, I listed notable benefits you should know about.
Fast delivery and shipping
- Free one-day shipping: A variety of items are eligible for next-day delivery with no minimum purchase for Prime members (cutoff time for eligible orders varies by zip code). When you’re shopping, filter items by “Get it tomorrow” to see which ones you can receive by 9 p.m. the next day.
- Free two-day shipping: This is available to Prime members who live in the contiguous U.S.
- Free same-day delivery: In select cities and towns, Prime members can shop for items eligible for delivery on the same day they were ordered. Same-day delivery is available without a Prime membership for up to $10 per order for eligible items. Prime members get same-day delivery for free on qualifying orders over $25, and they can pay a delivery fee of up to $3 per order for those under $25.
- Free release-date delivery: Prime members can have eligible pre-order items delivered on their release date for free.
- Free no-rush shipping: Members who select no-rush shipping — which delays delivery on orders — can earn rewards to use on future purchases.
- Amazon Day delivery: This option allows you to order items throughout the week and select up to two days to get everything delivered in fewer boxes. Prime members who live in certain zip codes can also get eligible items delivered inside their garage for free with a myQ smart garage or a Genie Aladdin Connect Smartphone Garage Door Opener.
Deals and discounts
The most well-known benefit of a Prime membership is access to shop Amazon’s two biggest, most exclusive sales of the year: Amazon Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days. Year round, members can also take advantage of other types of deals and discounts, like through Subscribe & Save and their baby registry, for example. But nothing compares to Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days, when thousands of products across some of the most popular brands drop to their lowest prices.
Buy with Prime
Buy with Prime is a service that allows Prime members to order items through participating retailers’ websites using the payment and shipping information stored on their Amazon accounts. The service also extends the free, fast delivery options members get through Amazon. Prime members will see the Prime logo on eligible products in merchants’ online stores, which signals that the item is available for free delivery (sometimes even next-day delivery) with free returns.
Visit Amazon’s website to learn what brands participate in Buy with Prime — some of our favorites include Adidas, Jolie, Beast, IGK, Bearaby, Shokz and K18. You can also take advantage of exclusive discounts through the program. Prime members get free shipping for items on Shopbop and free upgraded shipping at Zappos, too
Grocery delivery, pick-up and discounts
Whole Foods Market
Amazon bought Whole Foods Market in 2017, leading to exclusive savings in stores and online for Prime members. Delivery from Whole Foods Market includes a $10 service fee, and additional rush fees apply on one-hour delivery orders. Eligible members with the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card also get 5% back on purchases at Whole Foods.
Amazon Fresh
Amazon Fresh is the retailer’s grocery delivery service. Delivery includes a service fee for orders under $150 (exact fee varies based on the total order cost). Prime members get free delivery on Amazon Fresh orders that cost $150 or more, and free grocery pickup on orders over $35. In select cities, you can get food and household items within two hours of your order, or on another date and time you choose.
Amazon Fresh runs an exclusive Prime savings program, which gives shoppers exclusive access to discounted grocery items and household essentials every week.
Unlimited grocery delivery
Amazon's monthly grocery delivery subscription is available to Prime members for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year — the monthly plan comes with a 30-day free trial, and the annual plan comes with a two-month free trial. All Prime Access members, regardless of their qualifying form of government assistance, can also sign up for $4.99 per month. Additionally, this discounted grocery subscription is available to those with a registered EBT card, whether or not they're a Prime Access member.
With this membership, you get unlimited grocery delivery on orders over $35 across Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market, as well as from select local grocery and specialty retailers like Rite Aid, Pet Food Express and Mission Wine & Spirits.
Grubhub+
Amazon partners with Grubhub to offer Prime members Grubhub+ for free on an ongoing basis, allowing them to order food from the service without paying a delivery fee (as long as orders met a minimum of $12). Other perks of a Grubhub+ membership include lower service fees, 5% credit back on pickup orders and exclusive offers. Customers can also place Grubhub orders directly on Amazon.
Fuel savings
Prime members can save $0.10 per gallon if they fill up their tanks at participating bp, Amoco and ampm stations across the country. Members can link their Prime accounts with Earnify, the bp loyalty app, to get started and learn more here.
Streaming and entertainment
- Prime Video: Prime members can stream unlimited movies and TV shows via Prime Video with limited advertisements or sign up for an ad-free option that costs $2.99 per month. Prime Video is available for non-Prime members as a standalone streaming service for $9 a month.
- Amazon Channels: Prime members can watch shows and movies from channels like Showtime and Starz through their Prime membership for $4.99 to $14.99 monthly without a cable subscription or additional apps.
- Prime Music: Prime Music offers members access to over two million unlimited, ad-free songs, as well as playlists and stations.
- Amazon Music Unlimited: Prime members can join Amazon Music Unlimited for $9.99 per month or $99 per year. Non-Prime customers pay $10.99 per month.
- Prime Gaming: Prime members can access free games, in-game content and a channel subscription to Twitch.tv every month. Additionally, Prime members can play a rotating selection of games for free through a dedicated channel on Luna, Amazon’s cloud gaming service. Anyone in the U.S. can use Luna, but Prime members get exclusive benefits through the platform.
- Prime Reading: Prime members have access to over a thousand e-books, audio books and magazines, which they can download onto their Kindle e-reader or Fire tablet, as well as read through the Kindle app. Prime Reading includes books with Audible narration, too. Other reading perks include Amazon First Reads, which gives members early access to a newly released book for free every month. If you're a new Prime member, you get a free Audible Premium Plus trial upon sign-up, and two credits that can be applied to any books in the Audible library.
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Other Prime membership benefits
- Alexa+: Alexa+ is an upgraded version of Amazon’s personal AI assistant that the brand describes as smarter and more conversational, as well as able to do more for you. For example, you can ask Alexa+ to make dinner reservations for you through OpenTable, remind you when tickets go on sale on Ticketmaster and order food for you through Grubhub and UberEats. Prime members have access to Alexa+ for free, while non-members have to pay $19.99 per month.
- Amazon Kids+: If you add this service to your Prime account for $4.99 a month, your children get access to age-appropriate books, movies and educational games.
- Amazon Photos: A Prime membership gives unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5GB of video storage on Amazon Drive. You can also share your photos and videos with five family members.
- Amazon Elements: You have access to the retailer's exclusive line of everyday essentials, ranging from vitamins to baby wipes.
- Prime Rx: Prime members who fulfill subscriptions through Amazon’s pharmacy service get free two-day delivery and can take advantage of exclusive savings. Amazon also offers RxPass, which offers unlimited access to generic medications for $5 a month.
Why trust NBC Select?
I’m a reporter at NBC Select who has covered Amazon since 2020. I wrote NBC Select’s Amazon Prime Day history, and I've extensively covered Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days for over five years. For this piece, I researched Amazon’s Prime membership offerings and referenced NBC Select’s other Amazon coverage.
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