Amazon Prime is most likely to pay off if you order from Amazon often and watch Prime Video. At $139 a year, the main draw is free delivery with no minimum on eligible items, with video, music, reading and grocery perks on top. If you mainly want the shows, or you order only now and then, compare the cheaper plans below before paying for full Prime.
What Amazon Prime costs
In the US, Prime costs $14.99 a month or $139 a year. Amazon raised these from $12.99 and $119 in 2022, starting February 18 for new members and at renewals from March 25 for existing members. Paying yearly works out about $41 cheaper than 12 monthly payments.
There are three cheaper ways in:
- Prime Video only: Amazon's membership fees page lists it at $8.99 a month, for the streaming service without the shopping benefits.
- Prime for Young Adults (formerly Prime Student): $7.49 a month or $69 a year after a six-month free trial, for people aged 18 to 24 and qualifying students. Check Prime for Young Adults.
- Prime Access: $6.99 a month after a 30-day free trial, for people who receive qualifying government assistance such as SNAP, Medicaid or SSI.
New members can try regular Prime free for 30 days. The trial turns into a paid membership unless you cancel before it ends.
Start an Amazon Prime free trial
What Prime delivery includes
Prime includes free delivery with no minimum purchase on more than 300 million eligible items, with One-Day and Two-Day delivery on many of them. Free Same-Day delivery generally needs an order of $25 or more in most US areas. In Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, Amazon lists free standard delivery at three to seven business days.
Prime Video now has ads unless you pay more
Prime includes Prime Video, but shows and movies come with limited ads. Removing them takes Prime Video Ultra, the renamed ad-free option, at an extra $4.99 a month, or $45.99 a year for annual Prime members. Even with Ultra, live TV and live sports can still carry ads.
Channels such as Paramount+ that you add inside Prime Video are separate subscriptions and cost extra. They also keep running if you cancel Prime, so cancel them separately.
The other benefits that add up
- Amazon Music: more than 100 million songs in shuffle mode, plus ad-free podcasts.
- Reading: a rotating Prime Reading library and one free Kindle book a month through Amazon First Reads.
- Games: more than 60 games through Amazon Luna, free PC games each month and a monthly Twitch channel subscription.
- Photos: unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5GB of video storage in Amazon Photos.
- Alexa+: Amazon's generative AI assistant is included with Prime.
- Groceries: an extra 10% off Whole Foods Market sales (excluding alcohol and gift cards), and free Amazon Grocery same-day delivery on orders over $25 in supported areas, with a $2.99 fee below that.
- Food delivery: since November 5, 2026, $0 delivery fees on Uber Eats restaurant orders of $25 or more placed through Amazon.
- Fuel: 10 cents off per gallon at more than 7,500 bp, Amoco and participating ampm and Thorntons stations.
Some health perks cost extra on top of Prime: RxPass is $5 a month for a list of more than 60 generic medications, and One Medical membership is $9 a month or $99 a year.
Deals and sale events
Members get Prime-only deals through the year and 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals. Amazon's members-only sales in 2026 included Prime Day on June 23 to 26 and Prime Big Deal Days on October 6 and 7. If you mainly shop the big sales, paying for a single month around one is an option.
Sharing Prime with your household
Amazon Household is now called Amazon Family. A Prime member can share benefits with one other adult, up to four teens and up to four children, but everyone must live at the same address. Prime for Young Adults members and free-trial members can't share their benefits. For new families, the organizer has to share a payment method with the other adult, and that card can be used for purchases.
Cancelling and refunds
You can cancel from Amazon's Prime membership page at any time, or with the company you pay through if you signed up via a third party. If you cancel within three business days of signing up, or of a free trial turning into a paid membership, you can get a refund, though Amazon may deduct the value of benefits you used. After that, Amazon gives a full refund only if nobody on the account has made eligible purchases or used Prime benefits since the last charge.
Separately, Amazon agreed in September 2025 to pay $2.5 billion to settle the FTC's case over Prime sign-ups and cancellations, including $1.5 billion in refunds. Eligible customers get up to $200 automatically, with payments due by April 2027. Our FTC Prime refund story covers who qualifies.
Who should skip it
If you order from Amazon only a few times a year and don't watch Prime Video, weigh the other benefits above before paying for a full year. If streaming is all you want, Prime Video alone costs $8.99 a month. If you qualify for Prime for Young Adults or Prime Access, either costs about half as much per month.
