From Yahoo:
"Amazon Prime Membership Is Worth the Cost"
If you're planning to shop with Amazon Prime this holiday season, you're likely to find that the annual fee for the service is worthwhile. The cornerstone of Amazon Prime has long been fast and free shipping. Two-day delivery on more than 30 million items remains paramount, but the program has moved into new territory and expanded the scope of existing benefits, enhancing the overall value proposition. For instance, Amazon Prime recently added Sunday delivery, introduced free same-day service on hundreds of thousands of products for customers in more than 35 cities, and implemented even faster delivery of groceries, restaurant meals, electronics, and various household items—within an hour or two—in certain markets.
Why Prime Pays
The case for Prime has become stronger even if you’re in it solely for the shipping. Over the years, the minimum purchase required for free standard delivery on eligible shipments (usually five to eight business days) has risen to $50 from $25. So you either have to spend more to qualify, pay for expedited delivery, or be more patient for your order to arrive. At the same time, other incentives are now sweeter. Among the enhanced benefits:
Video streaming. Membership includes instant access to tens of thousands of movies and TV shows, including Amazon original series like "Transparent" and "Mozart in the Jungle." Amazon Studios announced a slate of new original movies and series premiering in the coming months, including the theatrical debut of "Manchester by the Sea," a Sundance and Toronto Film Festival favorite, as well as original programming like "The Man in the High Castle." You can watch on your computer, Fire TV, or other compatible device. You can also download the Amazon Video app to watch on your smartphone.
Music streaming. Prime Music now features unlimited, ad-free access to more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations. The company recently announced an exclusive deal to allow streaming of music from Garth Brooks.
Audio series from Audible. This perk allows listeners to stream audiobooks—best sellers, family favorites, celebrity-narrated classics, and original audio series on demand.
Prime Photos. The service has been expanded to allow secure, unlimited photo storage free in Amazon Cloud Drive for you and up to five family members or friends. Also included: 5GB of storage for videos and other files.
Goodies for gamers. Another recent benefit is Twitch Prime, offering a free monthly subscription to ad-free viewing on the Twitch channel, a social video platform and community for gamers. Members also receive exclusive discounts on preordered and new-release games, and have access to a rotating selection of free digital games.
Prime reading. In addition to the Kindle Lending Library, which lets members borrow a Kindle e-book per month free, Prime Reading provides unlimited access to a rotating selection of more than a thousand books, magazines, and comics. They can be accessed with a Kindle, Fire tablet, or smartphone by way of the Kindle app (for Apple or Android).
Lightning deals. Members get 30-minute early access to select Amazon Lightning Deals, daily limited-time discounts on tech products, fashion, and home goods, including luggage, headphones, watches, and mattresses.
Amazon Fresh. For an additional $14.99 per month, Prime members in select cities can shop for groceries, perishables, and favorites from local shops, and find restaurants.
Prime Now. A mobile app allows customers in most parts of the U.S. to shop from early morning to late evening, seven days per week, for groceries, gifts, and food from neighborhood restaurants. Most services offer free, 2-hour delivery or 1-hour delivery in select cities for $7.99. For restaurant orders, there’s a current promotion offering free 1-hour delivery from affiliated restaurants in many cities, including New York, Seattle, and Dallas.
Membership sharing. Prime members can share certain benefits, including free shipping, video streaming, and unlimited photo storage, by creating an Amazon Household Account.
Go for a Test-Drive
If you’re unsure whether Prime is right for you, consider a free trial. You’ll have 30 days to give it a try, but take note: At the end of the free trial period, your credit card will be charged the membership fee automatically for the next period unless you cancel in advance.
Members who have paid the fee but haven't used their benefits are eligible for a full refund. You can't receive a refund if any of the household members have placed an order using Amazon Prime.
There’s also a version of Prime for college students, which provides unlimited, free two-day shipping and special offers and promotions created just for students as part of a six-month free trial. After that, it’s $49 per year—half the price of a regular membership—which adds unlimited streaming of movies, TV shows, and music, the Kindle Lending Library, and Prime Photo.
Another consideration is whether you do a lot of business with third-party marketplace vendors, not Amazon itself. If that’s the case, note that those purchases might not be eligible for free or expedited Prime shipping
^ I started using Amazon Prime last July. I can't their music or video streaming (because of my Internet usage meter), but I use it because the one market in the next town doesn't usually have much and there are no real stores so I can order things and have it delivered right to my door by either UPS or FedEx (the USPS doesn't deliver to my house, but to a mailbox 2 miles away and then if there's a package I get a slip and then have to drive 23 minutes to town to pick it up.) I like the Prime and will keep using it. ^
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