Amazon Prime Benefits and Cost, Explained
Amazon Prime costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year in the US and adds video, music, fuel, grocery and prescription savings on top of free delivery.
By Olivia HarperContributing writer. Policy checked .
On this page
Store programs change. This is a summary in our own words of Amazon's own newsroom guides to Prime, read on October 26, 2026. Prime is Amazon's paid membership program, and the sign-up page shows the terms that apply to you.
What Prime costs
| Plan | Price | Trial |
|---|---|---|
| Prime | $14.99 a month or $139 a year | 30 days for eligible customers |
| Prime for Young Adults (ages 18 to 24 and college students) | $7.49 a month or $69 a year | Six months at $0 |
| Prime Access (qualifying government assistance) | $6.99 a month | 30 days |
Amazon says the two discounted plans carry the same benefits as full Prime. Paying yearly for full Prime costs $40.88 less than twelve monthly payments ($139 against $179.88).
Delivery
Delivery is the core benefit. Amazon says more than 300 million items in the US ship free with Prime. Same-Day Delivery is free on orders over $25 in most cities where it is offered, and $2.99 below that. The speeds and their limits are covered in our page on Prime delivery.
Entertainment and reading
- Prime Video: Amazon series and movies, licensed titles and some live sports. Rentals and purchases cost extra.
- Amazon Music: ad-free listening to more than 100 million songs, plus podcasts.
- Amazon Photos: unlimited photo storage.
- Reading: a rotating set of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines and comics, and early Kindle releases through Amazon First Reads.
- Games: cloud games on Amazon Luna, rotating free PC games and a monthly Twitch channel subscription.
Savings outside delivery
- Fuel: 10 cents off per gallon at more than 7,500 bp, Amoco and ampm stations in the US.
- Food delivery: a Grubhub+ membership, which Amazon values at $120 a year.
- Groceries: rotating discounts at Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh.
- Prescriptions: up to 80% off at more than 60,000 pharmacies when paying without insurance, and RxPass, an add-on at $5 a month for eligible generic drugs.
- Deals: Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days are for members only, and members get 30 minutes of early access to Lightning Deals. See when Amazon has sales.
Sharing with your household
Amazon Family lets a member share many benefits with one other adult, and Prime Video and digital content with up to four children in the same household.
Is Prime worth it for you?
Amazon's own guides list the perks, not your savings. A simple way to decide:
- Count your orders. If most of what you buy on Amazon would ship free anyway or you order a few times a year, delivery alone may not pay for the fee.
- Count what you already pay for. If you would otherwise pay for a video service, music service or Grubhub+, those overlap with Prime.
- Check if a discounted plan fits. Students, people aged 18 to 24 and people on qualifying government assistance pay about half.
- Time a trial. A trial gives access to member-only deals, so starting one just before Prime Day or Prime Big Deal Days lets you see the deals first. Read the renewal terms when you sign up.
Sources
Prime membership cost and benefits, Is a Prime membership worth it and Prime Day 2026 announcement, Amazon. Checked October 26, 2026.