Free shipping is great, but don’t sleep on these other Amazon Prime perks.
Free shipping is great, but don’t sleep on these other Amazon Prime perks.
Amazon has officially kicked off its October Prime Day event. You’ll need to be a Prime member to take advantage of this year’s biggest deals, even if it means just signing up for the free trial. But if you think a Prime membership is only worthwhile during the two-day sale, then you probably haven’t heard about these other great perks that come with your subscription. And with Prime Day kicking off, it’s high time you have.
While a 30-day free trial gives you time to participate in the Prime Day event, it only lets you scratch the surface of all that a membership has to offer. Sure, you probably know about the free two-day shipping, but you might be surprised by what else you can get by being a Prime member.
Below, we’re going to break down some of the best perks you may not know about. Spoiler: Some of them are bangers.
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1. Watch HBO or other premium TV channels without cable
You probably know about Prime Video and Amazon Music Prime, but you might not know all the special details. Amazon Prime members have access to a large number of feature-length movies and hit original TV shows like The Boys and The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, as well as an Amazon Music Prime library featuring 2 million songs and thousands of curated playlists.
Prime members can also download movies and TV shows for watching later offline.
If a show or movie you want to watch is not included as part of your basic Prime subscription, you can subscribe to premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz for $5 to $15 a month, with no need for cable or satellite service.
Music lovers can upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited to get a library of 90 million songs that can be streamed to multiple devices for $9 a month or $89 a year.
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2. Get money back by choosing no-rush shipping
If you don’t need your purchase to be delivered quickly, you can opt out of two-day or shorter delivery options by selecting “no-rush shipping” and receive your package in about six days. In return for your patience, Amazon will give you rewards.
There’s no standard for no-rush shipping rewards — they vary from item to item — but they generally provide discounts on products and services that you might buy from Amazon.
Some common rewards are $1 credits for Amazon digital services like movies, music and ebooks, $3 coupons for Amazon’s Happy Belly-branded snacks, $10 to $20 off TV or furniture purchases and $10 to $20 off Amazon Home Services.
The value of no-rush shipping will depend on whether you’ll use any of the rewards. It might not seem like much, but a few no-rush shipping selections could easily earn you the $3 to $4 you need for a free movie rental from Prime Video.3. Whole Foods grocery discounts
If you’re a frequent shopper at Whole Foods, an Amazon Prime membership can reap serious dividends. Prime Member Deals available in physical Whole Foods stores give members discounts of 10% to 20% on selected items marked with blue Amazon stickers.
Yellow tags indicate even further savings, usually at least another 10% off an already discounted price. Prime members who scan the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app at checkout get an extra 10% off storewide sales. Prime membership also gives you access to special online deals.4. Exclusive access to Thursday night NFL football games
Prime Video launched its NFL coverage in 2017.
It’s the second year that Amazon Prime has had exclusive rights to air Thursday Night Football, and Prime seems to be killing the game. It received five Sports Emmys nominations for its 2022 coverage and boasts a stacked cast of experts, commentators and former players.
