Over 200 million people use Amazon Prime around the world but is it actually worth buying a membership? I’ve been a member of the program for a few years now and it does have its perks but it comes with a few trade offs as well.
From free shipping to entertainment and lifestyle Amazon Prime has its benefits but does it live up to the hype?
In this Amazon Prime review I’ll walk you through what Amazon Prime offers, how I still personally use it and whether I think it’s worth buying today.
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links including Amazon affiliate links meaning if you purchase anything using the links on this page I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I genuinely believe will benefit you and suit your needs.
What Is Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service offered by Amazon that bundles shopping, entertainment and lifestyle perks into one membership.
Originally Amazon Prime was launched in the United States but it is now available in many countries around the world with over 200 million members worldwide.
It is a multi feature platform that includes
- Prime Video for streaming movies and series
- Prime Music for streaming ad-free music
- Prime Reading for eBooks and magazines
- Prime Gaming for free games and in-game content
- Fast & free shipping on millions of eligible orders
- Exclusive offers and deals like Prime Day and members-only deals
In some countries members get additional perks like Amazon Photos, Alexa Plus and Amazon Channels.
But these extra perks vary from country to country so make sure to check which perks are available in your country before signing up.
Amazon Prime offers a 30 day free trial to new members and after that it costs $9.99 per month or $79 per year.
Amazon Prime is feature rich and offers valuable savings on your favourite brands and products while keeping you entertained at the same time.
Click here to try out Amazon Prime and see if it’s right for you with a free 30-Day trial
What’s Included With Amazon Prime?
Amazon Prime isn’t just about fast shipping it’s a feature rich membership with a lot to offer across shopping, music, entertainment and more.
While it does have its drawbacks it’s still a solid platform to be a part of especially if you enjoy movies and gaming.
Whether you’re here for the streaming perks, exclusive deals or the convenience of quick delivery there’s something for almost everyone on Amazon Prime.
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video is a streaming platform that allows you to watch TV shows and movies across a wide range of genres including action, thriller, horror, comedy and much more.
You’ll also find TV shows and movies that are exclusive to Prime Video and they often produce their own original content as well.
Amazon Prime Video has limited ads but should be ad free in my opinion due to it being a paid service.
I also found that not every movie or show on Prime Video is free to watch with your Prime membership meaning many movies and shows can only be watched if you buy or rent them.
This is not mentioned when you sign up and is dishonest on Amazon’s part as you will probably be expecting to get access to everything like I did.
That being said Amazon Prime Video is still a good platform with a wide range of content included and you can stream content in SD, HD or 4K quality.
You can also download content for offline viewing on some devices but be aware that the available content varies by country so not everyone will be able to watch the same movies or shows.
Amazon Prime Video is available as a standalone service meaning you don’t need a Prime membership to watch it.
But it costs $9.99 per month so it would be better to get a Prime membership which is the same price and you get Prime Video included at no extra cost.
Amazon Prime Music
Amazon Prime Music allows you to stream over 100 million songs ad free as well as some podcasts and supports downloading for offline playback.
However despite these supposed claims I have not been able to stream any music ad free even as a Prime member.
I get ads between songs, have trouble selecting the songs I want to play and I’m prompted to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited each time I log in.
For me this is a big issue because I’m unable to stream music in the way promised and Amazon was again deceptive with their claims.
Amazon Music is available for free with limited features and included in the Prime membership as an upgraded version.
Amazon also offers an Amazon Music Unlimited Plan which gives you unlimited music ad free and the ability to stream music in HD and higher qualities.
Amazon Music Unlimited offers a 30 day free trial and then costs $13.99 per month but I’d be a lot happier if everything promised was included in the Prime membership because I don’t want to pay for another subscription.
Amazon Prime Reading
Amazon Prime Reading gives you access to over 1000 books, comics, short works and much more. It includes a range of children’s books, fiction and non fiction meaning you should find something you like.
You can read as much of the available titles as you like with no restrictions and you can do so on any device through the Amazon Kindle app.
I don’t read many eBooks so I don’t use this benefit myself but if you want to read eBooks you may benefit from Amazon Prime Reading.
Amazon Prime Gaming
Amazon Prime Gaming gives you access to a range of free games every month spanning multiple genres such as fantasy, horror and simulation.
I’ve found some very popular titles up for grabs including Fallout 76, Xcom 2 and Tormented Souls along with many other great titles as well.
On top of that you can get free in-game content such as skins and loot as well as a free twitch subscription every month to support your favourite gamers.
I haven’t dabbled much in Amazon Prime Gaming but it does have some stellar content up for grabs so it is definitely worth having a look at.
Fast & Free Shipping
As an Amazon Prime member you will get free shipping on millions of eligible orders but there will still be some products you will have to pay shipping on.
Rest assured free shipping also applies to eligible international orders as well meaning you can save a nice chunk of change.
I have received free shipping on some of my orders thanks to my prime membership but there were some items I had to pay for shipping as expected.
You also get fast shipping as a prime member and it can be as fast as same day or next day delivery in some areas.
However this wasn’t the case for me as I didn’t really notice any difference in shipping times with my prime membership.
My orders took days to dispatch and then arrived 2 to 3 days after that so the fast shipping is over hyped in my opinion.
Despite the shipping issues I appreciated the savings on shipping due to my prime membership and being able to get free shipping on millions of items is worth the membership fee especially if you shop a lot on Amazon.
Exclusive Offers & Discounts
Amazon also gives prime members exclusive offers and discounts throughout the year.
For example I once got an offer for a big discount on a Doordash membership but I didn’t take them up on the offer because it’s not something I would use.
There are many similar offers available periodically as well as discounts on certain items and early access to Prime Day each year.
These exclusive offers and discounts are only available to Amazon Prime members and are a valuable opportunity to save some money if you use the products or services offered.
Other Perks & Benefits
Amazon Prime members can get additional benefits other than the core inclusions mentioned above but keep in mind not everyone will get every perk.
In most countries prime members will get access to Amazon Photos which allows you to store images safely on the cloud and Amazon Prime Video has additional channels you can subscribe to but they can be expensive.
Aside from that there is a feature called Alexa Plus which gives the Alexa voice assistant extra features for your Amazon devices.
Please keep in mind that these types of benefits will vary by country so make sure to check what is available to you before signing up.
What Do These Benefits Really Mean?
Amazon Prime includes a wide range of features that go far beyond fast shipping.
While not every inclusion will appeal to everyone chances are you will find something useful.
You may not use everything and that’s okay as what matters most is whether you’re getting value out of your prime membership.
There’s no harm in trying the service out so take advantage of the free 30 day trial Amazon gives you. If you don’t like it simply cancel before the end of the trial period and you won’t be charged anything.
Whatever you decide is fine as long as it’s the right choice for you and ensure you feel satisfied along the way.
Click here to try out Amazon Prime and see if it’s right for you with a free 30-Day trial
My Experience With Amazon Prime
I joined Amazon Prime on 27th December 2023 starting with the 30-day free trial.
At the time I was trying out different streaming services to see what they had to offer. I’d already joined Netflix, Stan and Binge so I decided to give Amazon Prime a try next.
I mainly joined because I wanted to try Amazon Prime Video to see what content it had available.
After comparing it with the prime membership I opted for Amazon Prime as I liked the sound of all benefits and it included Prime Video so I thought it’s a no brainer.
I took advantage of the free trial to test the service before committing to a paid subscription and my journey with Amazon Prime began.
My First Steps
The first thing I did was go straight into Prime Video as it was the main reason I joined prime.
I found the interface clean and easy to use. It had a variety of shows and movies across many different genres. I have enjoyed titles such as Terminator and Terrifier 3.
However I found that not all titles are included with Prime Video like I assumed when I joined. There are many shows and movies you can only watch if you rent or buy them.
To determine what is included with Prime Video you have to look for a blue tick with the words included with prime.
I was disappointed by this because it was never mentioned on the sign-up page and many of my favourite movies weren’t included.
I also found many extra channels available through Prime Video but they are only available as add-ons for an extra cost which can be expensive so I don’t use them.
Despite these drawbacks I still like Prime Video for the variety of shows and movies it has available with my membership and I have been able to find many of my favourite movies included with prime.
So that’s why I continue to use Prime Video because I like the ability to watch movies I can’t find on other streaming platforms.
Issues With Prime Music
After exploring Prime Video I decided to explore Amazon Prime Music next thinking it would be better than my free Spotify membership.
But it was the complete opposite of what I expected after being promised access to over 100 millions songs ad-free.
I signed into Prime Music and was immediately prompted to upgrade to the unlimited plan which I declined and then began to explore the platform.
I was able to find just about any song I wanted but I soon found ads playing between the songs and issues with selecting specific songs like I mentioned earlier in this Amazon Prime review.
I still get prompted to upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited every time I log in which I’m tired of having to skip all the time.
This is very annoying and still remains an issue today as I have not been able to resolve any of these problems.
For these reasons I rarely use Prime Music and I stream most of music on Spotify because I have a better experience there.
The End Of The Trial Period
After my experience with Prime Music I started to lose trust in the service but I continue to use it throughout the trial period as I knew I wouldn’t lose any money.
I moved on from Prime Music and took my time to look around at the other inclusions even though I didn’t really use them but I still took a look to see what they had to offer.
I was impressed by Prime Reading and Prime Gaming even though I don’t really use them. Both of these platforms have a range of interesting content to cater to most people’s needs so I quickly saw the value in these inclusions.
I didn’t take advantage of any of the other benefits at the time because it’s not something I really needed. I still don’t use them much for that reason but they are still nice to have.
As the end of the trial period approached I decided to remain a member and start paying for the service.
I chose to do this mainly because I wanted to keep using Prime Video and maybe use some of the other benefits in the future.
So I became a paid Amazon Prime member when my free trial ended and I chose the monthly plan.
Savings On Shipping
Some time later after being a paid member for a while I found some products I wanted to order on Amazon.
Due to me being a prime member I was able to get free shipping on most of the items I wanted to order which I appreciated.
A couple of days later I placed my order and it took some time for the charges to appear on my credit card but they did eventually.
I had no issues getting the free shipping on my eligible items but the fast shipping was a different story.
Most of my items took 3 to 4 days to dispatch and then arrive 2 to 3 days later. However one of my items was coming from overseas and it took around 8 days to dispatch. Once it was dispatched my item arrived 4 days later meaning I finally had my entire order.
Although I received all my items and got free shipping on most of them I wasn’t happy that I didn’t get fast shipping as promised by Amazon.
It was definitely worth saving money on shipping but it would have been nice if got the fast shipping as well like I was supposed to.
Why I’m Still An Amazon Prime Member Today
My experience with Amazon Prime has been mixed to say the least.
From discrepancies with Prime Video, major issues with Prime Music to problems with shipping times it’s been a whirlwind of a ride.
Fast forward to today I’m still a member of Amazon Prime which is not what I expected to happen.
Despite the lack of transparency and the other issues I’ve had I have chosen to remain a member.
The main reason I remained a prime member is because I still like watching movies on Amazon Prime Video from time to time and I the savings I get on shipping when I order products from Amazon are also worth it to me.
I also might start using other benefits like Prime Reading and Prime Gaming one day as well so my prime membership is definitely nice to have.
Only time will tell if I truly made the right decision but I’m hoping things will change for the better with Amazon Prime in the future.
Is Amazon Prime Still Worth Buying?
I have used Amazon Prime for a while now and I’m going to share my honest take on whether I think it’s still worth buying.
Amazon Prime is affordable and provides a lot of value and savings with all the perks it provides. It especially excels with Prime Video, savings on shopping and it’s other extras for reading and gaming.
Therefore it’s priced very well for everything included and I honestly expected a membership like this to cost a lot more than it does.
However Amazon Prime has its flaws especially when it comes to transparency with Prime Video, music limitations and shipping not being as fast as promised.
Amazon Prime is most suitable for those who shop a lot on Amazon or want a secondary streaming service with extra entertainment benefits other than just shows and movies.
But if you’re not a regular Amazon shopper or don’t use streaming services that often you may not find any value in a prime membership.
At the end of the day it all comes down to your needs and how you use Amazon which is why you should take the time to use the 30-day free trial to decide if Amazon Prime is right for you.
If you are concerned about security when shopping online check out my Proton Mail Review for everything you need to know about secure communication.
Click here to try out Amazon Prime and see if it’s right for you with a free 30-Day trial
Pros & Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Amazon Prime to help you decide if the service is right for you.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
In conclusion Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service offered by Amazon that bundles shopping, entertainment and lifestyle perks into one membership.
It’s a feature rich membership that offers a lot of value across shopping, entertainment and lifestyle.
Amazon Prime has some great inclusions like Prime Video, Prime Music and exclusive deals and discounts.
But it’s let down by its lack of transparency. music limitations and not providing shipping as fast as promised.
Amazon Prime is priced well for what it offers and if you are a regular Amazon shopper that wants extra savings it may be worth it to you.
However if you don’t shop much on Amazon and don’t use streaming services it may not provide much value to you.
At the end of the day it comes down to your needs and how you use Amazon. It’s a good idea to take advantage of the 30-day free trial Amazon offers so you can try out the service to see if it is the right option for you.
Thank you for reading. I hope that you enjoyed this Amazon Prime review. If you have any questions or if you need any help let me know in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are concerned about security when shopping online check out my Proton mail review for everything you need to know about secure communication and you can get your free 30-day trial of amazon prime by clicking here