What You Actually Get with Amazon Prime
£95/year (or £8.99/month). Is it worth it? Depends what you use. Here's every benefit broken down.
The Obvious Stuff
- Free next-day delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video - streaming (decent library, some exclusives)
- Prime Music - 100 million songs ad-free
- Prime Reading - rotating selection of ebooks and magazines
The Hidden Stuff People Miss
- Prime Gaming - 5-10 free games every month, plus in-game loot
- Amazon Photos - unlimited full-resolution photo storage
- Early access to Lightning Deals - 30 minutes before non-members
- Prime Day exclusive deals - twice a year, Prime-only sales
- Free grocery delivery from Amazon Fresh / Morrisons (if you spend £40+)
- Prescription savings - discounts at pharmacies if you're in the US (not UK yet)
Is It Worth It? The Math
If you order from Amazon more than 10 times a year, Prime pays for itself on delivery alone (standard delivery is ~£4.99 per order).
£95 ÷ 12 months = £7.92/month
Compare that to Netflix (£10.99), Spotify (£11.99), or a gym membership (£30+). If you use even half the benefits, it's decent value.
Who It's NOT Worth It For
- You rarely shop online
- You already have Netflix, Spotify, and don't need duplicates
- You can wait 3-5 days for free delivery
The Free Trial Trick
Amazon offers a 30-day free trial. Here's how people game it:
- Sign up for the trial
- Use it for a month (Prime Day, Christmas, etc.)
- Cancel before it renews
- Wait a few months
- Sign up again with a different email
Amazon eventually catches on, but you can usually get 2-3 trials per year if you rotate emails.
Student Prime: Cheaper & Longer Trial
If you're a student, you get:
- 6-month free trial (vs 30 days)
- £47.49/year after (half price)
- All the same benefits as regular Prime
Verify with your university email via Student Beans or UNiDAYS.
Prime Video: Is It Actually Good?
Prime Video has some excellent exclusives:
- The Boys, Reacher, The Grand Tour
- Thursday Night Football (if you're into that)
- MGM back catalogue (James Bond films, etc.)
But it also has a tonne of filler. The interface is cluttered with "rent/buy" options mixed in with included content.
Better than: Apple TV+ (tiny library) Worse than: Netflix (bigger library, better UI)
Prime Music vs Spotify
Prime Music gives you 100 million songs ad-free. That sounds great until you realize:
- You can't pick specific songs on mobile (shuffle only)
- Playlists are auto-generated, not custom
- No offline downloads on the free tier
To get full Spotify-level features, you need Amazon Music Unlimited (extra £10.99/month, or £9.99 for Prime members).
Verdict: Prime Music is fine for background listening, but if you're serious about music, keep Spotify.
Prime Reading: Meh
You get access to a rotating library of ~3,000 ebooks and magazines. The selection is... fine. Mostly older titles and indie authors.
If you want unlimited ebooks, you need Kindle Unlimited (extra £9.49/month).
Amazon Photos: Actually Brilliant
Unlimited full-resolution photo storage is genuinely good. Google Photos charges £1.99/month for 100GB. iCloud charges £2.49/month for 200GB.
If you take a lot of photos, Prime pays for itself on this alone.
Prime Day: Worth Staying Subscribed For?
Prime Day (July) and Prime Big Deal Days (October) are Prime-exclusive sales. Some deals are legit (electronics, smart home stuff), most are meh.
Strategy: Sign up for a free trial right before Prime Day, use the deals, then cancel.
How to Share Prime (Legally)
You can share some Prime benefits with one other adult and up to four kids in your "Amazon Household."
What they get:
- Free delivery
- Prime Video
- Prime Reading
What they don't get:
- Prime Music
- Prime Gaming
- Amazon Photos
Split the cost with a partner or flatmate = £47.50/year each.
Alternatives to Prime
If you just want free delivery without the subscription:
- Spend £25+ per order - free delivery (takes 3-5 days)
- Use Amazon Locker - free collection from lockers
- Subscribe & Save - 5-15% off if you set up repeat deliveries
When to Cancel
If you're only using it for delivery and you're not ordering much, cancel. You can always re-subscribe later - there's no penalty.
Amazon will try to keep you with a discounted rate (£4.99/month for a few months). Take it if you're on the fence.
CodeLand Amazon Tracker
We track Amazon deals and Lightning Deals in real-time. Prime members get early access, but we flag which deals are open to everyone after 30 minutes.