Should you get an Amazon Prime membership?
Amazon Prime, a paid membership offering free two-day shipping within the U.S. on all eligible purchases, was first launched in 2005. After encountering immense success in the country, the service was later introduced in Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan (2007), France (2008), Italy (2011) and Canada (2013).
So, what makes Amazon Prime a huge success? Should you consider getting an ongoing subscription and do the benefits justify the $99 annual subscription fee? To know if this service is right for you, here are some of the benefits that come with an Amazon Prime membership.
Benefits of Amazon Prime Membership
Aside from free shipping and free two-day delivery on a wide range of items, here are some of the benefits that you can get by becoming a Prime member.
Instant Video
Amazon Prime offers more than 40,000 videos (movies and television shows) to stream instantly. Some of the videos are available for free but some require you to pay for rentals or purchase. At present, Instant Video can only be played on select devices (Kindle Fire, Fire TV, and iOS devices, on Roku and on any computer).
Ad-Free Music Streaming
Your Prime membership allows you to access a library of more than one million songs and albums ? all for free.? With Amazon?s Streaming Music, members can choose which music or albums they want to stream, listen to music online or download them to their favorite devices. They can also create their own customized profiles and allow Amazon to create a playlist that suits their taste.
Unlimited Photo Storage
While all Amazon customers can enjoy up to 5GB of free data storage through Amazon Cloud Drive, Prime members can enjoy unlimited storage for their photo files, provided they are meant for personal, non-commercial use.
Free eBook Rentals
Your Prime membership allows you to rent one ebook per calendar month from the Kindle Owners Lending Library for free.? These ebooks do not have a due date and can be shared across multiple devices that are connected to your account. However, you need to return it before you can borrow another. In addition, members can also download one of four Editor?s Pick ebooks every month free of charge.
Early Access Deals
Prime members get a 30-minute early access to select deals on Amazon and new sales events on MyHabit.com. This is perfect for deal hunters but please be aware that all deals are available only while supplies last.
Membership Sharing
You can share your Amazon Prime membership with four other people, provided they live in the same household. However, only the shipping benefits can be shared.
With these perks, do you think that Amazon Prime is right for you?
