26 Amazon Prime Perks You Might Know You Have (2026)

Primary Journalistic Dispatch & Direct Reporting

Courtesy of Amazon Save this story Save this story There's a good chance that you initially purchased your Amazon Prime membership to get free two-day shipping. But there are dozens of additional perks that can be tricky to find - and considering the cost of an annual membership, you're doing yourself a disservice if you aren't taking advantage of all of them. I'm here to help you get your money's worth - especially ahead of Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, which will run on October 6 and 7.

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.

In-Depth Developments & Factual Context

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.

Industry Impact & Strategic Analysis

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. Depending on where you live, you may also be eligible for free same-day delivery or free Amazon Locker pickup . Other Amazon-owned stores also offer free and/or expedited shipping to Prime members, including ShopBop , Woot , and Zappos . Some merchants offer Buy With Prime at checkout, which lets you complete a purchase using your Amazon account instead of signing up for a new account entirely. It seems like more of a convenience than a benefit, but it may be appealing to some shoppers.

Prime members get free Amazon Music Prime , which pulls playlists and podcasts from a selection of 100 million songs and serves them ad-free. Members are also eligible for discounted subscriptions to Amazon Music Unlimited , a separate pick-and-play service like Apple Music or Spotify that offers on-demand access to 100 million songs. Normally, it costs $13 monthly, but Prime members can get it for $12 per month.

Forward Outlook & Market Perspective

Prime Video is also included with your membership. There are some killer originals, like Fallout and The Expanse , in addition to other movies and shows . You can also stream sports on Prime Video , including NFL Thursday Night Football and select MMA fights. Purchased as a stand-alone subscription, Prime Video costs $9 per month. Note that, sadly, these plans include commercials. If you're a Prime member and you want to go ad-free, it'll cost another $5 per month.

I'd be remiss to gloss over Amazon's members-only event, Prime Day . The semi-annual "holiday" has outperformed both Black Friday and Cyber Monday in years past, but not every Prime Day deal is actually a bargain. The WIRED Reviews team always covers the event to make good deals easier to find - our coverage is unique because we only write about deals on products we have personally tested and can verify are great buys, rather than flooding our roundups with questionable third-party brands. This year, Prime Big Deal Days will take place on October 6 and 7, following up the first Prime Day event that took place in June. Our team will cover the best-of-the-best deals throughout the event.

Even outside of Prime Day, Amazon Prime members are eligible for special members-only discounts . You might be able to knock off a few bucks from your portable charger purchase, use a coupon on household essentials, or find lower prices on new Amazon devices . Individual discounts vary, but we see these sorts of promotions pretty frequently - and, as with Prime Day, not all of them are good.

Both during and outside of special events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, Prime members get early access to select Lightning Deals . You'll be able to shop 30 minutes before other customers. Whether Lightning Deals are worth your money is another discussion entirely, but it's a perk worth checking out.

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of boxes at your door? (Honestly, as a product reviewer, I feel that.) Amazon Day delivery lets you schedule all of your deliveries to arrive on a certain day of the week. Rather than dealing with a box or two at a time on multiple days, you can get one package with all of your orders on whatever day you prefer. If you use Amazon Day delivery, you aren't locked in. That means if you're ordering something you need quickly, you can still opt for the fastest shipping method. Amazon Day delivery is a good way to cut back on all that extra cardboard (and your carbon footprint).

If you don't need your order to arrive right away, sometimes at checkout you'll see the option for free No-Rush Shipping . You might get a free digital credit to use on things like ebooks or digital games, or you might get an instant discount off your order. (You can't choose which of the two you'll get.) Be aware that sometimes rewards expire after a certain duration.

Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via Wired.