Prime Your Wallet - for Savings

You need to buy something.

Do you research it on Google? Likely not.

The first thing you do? Find it on Amazon.

We spend oodles of dough on Amazon, a bit over $1 TRILLION dollars in 2021.

Not to mention the membership, which is $139/year.

But is it really worth it? With the benefits and services, it can be challenging to answer that question. But - let’s do it so you can decide if Amazon Prime is really like a prime cut of steak or that leftover shoe leather.

Amazon Prime: Is It Just Shipping?

Amazon Prime started touting free shipping, but boy has it changed. It’s a subscription service that offers free shipping, streaming video/music, and cloud storage for photos. It’s one of the most popular subscription services in the world, with over 200 million members.

So, do you agree with those 200 million?

Here's a breakdown of the costs and benefits of Prime:

Cost:

• Amazon Prime membership costs $14.99 per month or $139 per year.

• There's also a student membership option that costs $7.49 per month or $69 per year.

$139 a year? What do you get?

• Free two-day shipping on eligible items to addresses in the contiguous US

• Unlimited streaming of movies and TV episodes on Prime Video (everything from new content to old re-runs)

• Over 2 million songs ad-free with Prime Music

• Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos - yup, unlimited

• Access to Prime Reading, a library of over 1 million ebooks and audiobooks

• Exclusive deals and discounts on Amazon.com

• Early access to Lightning Deals and other special offers

So, is Amazon Prime worth it to YOU?

Well, if you're a shopaholic, then Prime is a no-brainer. You'll save a fortune on shipping costs.

But if you're a minimalist, then Amazon Prime may not be worth it, especially if you only order a few things from Amazon each year - and have no need to use the other services.

But how can Amazon Prime save you money?

1. Free shipping: If you shop on Amazon frequently, Amazon Prime can save you a boatload of money on shipping costs. I’ve placed 68 orders this year, and if each costs about $3 to ship, I’m looking at $204 in shipping alone. That’s $65 in savings right there.

2. Streaming video and music: Amazon Prime includes access to Prime Video and Prime Music. Prime Video is constantly developing new content, with hit shows like Jack Ryan and Marvelous Mrs. Maisal. For music, if you want every song known to man, you upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for $99/year (still cheaper than Spotify @ $10.99/month).

3. Cloud storage: Amazon Prime includes unlimited photo storage. iCloud+ and Google One both offer similar features, but they’re not unlimited. If you belong to Amazon Prime and iCloud+ or Google One, you’re shooting yourself in the foot.

There is a limit on video storage (5GB), but it’s crazy that my Amazon photo account holds 42,000 photos - all included in that $139/yr. For comparison, Google One costs $1.99/month for 100GB of storage (across all files and photos). Again, that’s just digital storage.

Assume each photo is 2.5MB. That means my 42,000 photos are 105GB of space (42,000 × 2.5MB = 105,000MB or 105GB). That’s already beyond the Google threshold of 100GB.

A Library at Your Whim

The most underrated benefit, I believe, is Prime Reading. They offer up one book a month for free. It may not be the latest published novel, but in many cases, you’ll find lots of free books.

Want more FREE books? Download an app like Libby, which syncs with your local library catalog. Search for Kindle-formatted books. When you find a gem, download it and it’ll take you to the Amazon page, where you can load it onto your Kindle device.

Now you have a Kindle book, downloaded from your local library, on your Kindle device - for FREE. I figure I’ve read about 10-12 books a year this way, saving me money and time from visiting the actual library. AND I don’t even have to return the book (it automatically gets returned when the loan ends).

If you want to avoid shipping fees altogether, enjoy the convenience of online shopping, and need some digital storage, then Amazon Prime is a necessity. It’s the 800-lb gorilla that’s not going away anytime soon. At $139, it still offers so much for the price.

Review their streaming content, the music, and do you really read that much or take many photos?

If not, SKIP.

If yes, then it’s your best option.

Unless you live in the woods. Even then, you still may find an Amazon distribution center around the corner.

Save On,

Chris