Amazon
- Amazon Prime is $119 for an annual membership or $12.99 per month, though there are special discounts for students and EBT and Medicaid holders.
- Even for $119, Amazon Prime is still ultimately a great deal if you plan to use its features, whether sparingly or frequently.
- In 2018, JPMorgan estimated that an Amazon Prime membership is actually worth $785 annually.
- Prime members also get access to Amazon Prime Day 2019 deals, which are running from July 15-16. If you're considering starting a free 30-day trial of Prime, now is a particularly good time to do it.
Asking the question "How much would you pay for Amazon Prime?" is kind of like asking how much would you pay to keep using Google. It's so fundamentally entrenched in our daily lives (more than 100 million people have access to Amazon Prime benefits in the US alone) that it has reached a ubiquitous status. We are used to near-instant gratification, and, for many of us, it's hard to put a price on that convenience.
But that price did, unfortunately, rise in 2018. Amazon Prime memberships went up from $99 to $119 - an increase of 20%.
If you pay month to month, an Amazon Prime membership is $12.99 per month, and a Prime Student membership is $6.49 per month. For EBT and Medicaid holders, additional discounts bring the cost down to $5.99 per month. Overall, paying month to month for the average user will cost you about $37 more than the annual option over a year.
For the $119 annual fee, Prime members get a ton of benefits (which definitely range in usefulness): free two-day shipping, free same-day shipping, and free two-hour delivery on eligible items (of which there are many), exclusive rewards and discounts, Prime Video, Prime Music, online photo storage, music and books, and about 20 other perks.
As a Prime member, you also get access to Prime Day discounts on everything from new TVs to Instant Pots to Amazon Echo devices. Prime Day 2019 is being hosted July 15-16 in a 48-hour event, so if you're considering it, now is one of the most impactful times to take advantage of the 30-day free trial offered.
But, all in all, is Amazon Prime worth it, even at $119?
In short, yes.
Granted, you may not use every feature included in your annual membership. If you're a student and/or have access to a university email and save 50% on the yearly fee with Prime Student or you share your Amazon Prime and most benefits with family members via Amazon Household, your dollar stretches even further. But even if none of that applies to you, it's still generally a great investment. Especially since JPMorgan has estimated that your Amazon Prime membership is actually worth $785 annually.
Ultimately, most of us will pay a bit more for the perks we've come to rely upon without much grumbling. But, if you want a breakdown of the ways you're saving and potentially reassess the cost, check out our breakdown below. If you're unsure and haven't made the leap yet, check out a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime before deciding it's worth committing to.
Here's a breakdown of why Amazon Prime is still a great value, even at $119 per year:
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