Sure, youd like to get your packages quickly.
If you ask members of Amazon Prime, many of them will argue endlessly on behalf of the service.
That said, not everyone ought to sign up.
As a result, you get three very different services that make it difficult to assess Primes actual value.
Lets break down both services to get a more specific idea of what $119 per year gets you.
If you consider yourself reasonably patient, know that your patience must last you a good week or so.
Anyone can get free shipping from Amazon if they order $25 or more from the online retailer.
Will Prime save you money?
Take a look:
Standard shipping costs a minimum of $5.99 per shipment.
Standard shipping can take about a calendar week to arrive.
Two-day shipping typically costs $8.98 and one-day or same-day shipping usually costs $9.98.
So what does this all amount to?
It really depends on your individual usage and how fast you want your stuff.
Two-day, on the other hand, costs quite a bit more but offers significant time savings.
In the end, it comes down to how fast you want your stuff.
These numbers can change quickly, however,if you share your Prime membershipwith others.
If you do this, getting Prime is pretty much a no-brainer.
Hulu starts at $5.99 per month, for a yearly total of $71.88.
Amazon Prime costs $119 per year, which comes out to about $9.92 per month.
If the services had the same library of options, you could justify a Prime membership in an instant.
Things get a little more complicated because Prime lets you stream some content but charges for others.
Even if you dont shop much, Amazon Prime could be worth it for the streaming video options alone.
Prime Music
Amazon Prime members get ad-free streaming access to two million songs with Prime Music.
If you dont already pay for one of these competing services, you may be happy with Amazons selection.
You could justify your Prime membership even if you just want to stream music.
Prime Photos
Prime users get unlimited high-resolution photo storage and 5GB of video storage with their membership.
The drawback is that you only get photo storage, instead of various types of files.
Your payment method gets charged after you decide which items to keep and which to send back.
But, you have to feel confident choosing your own items to try on, rather than being styled.
If none of those circumstances apply to you, Prime probably isnt a worthwhile investment.
This information will quickly reveal whether or not you should sign up.
If you fit the bill, youll love Prime.
If not, be glad youre saving $119 a year on something you dont need.
This story was originally published on 8/6/13 and was updated on 6/26/19 to provide more thorough and current information.
