I Broke Down and Signed up for Amazon Prime - Free 30 for 30 Days.

[ivinsfan]

Hey ivins....this is a message board where we share ideas and opinions. No one is trying to make a decision for you or for anyone else. Take care and have a great day!

When you say "you" I assume you are talking to the rest of us... ...



Cause you'd have to pry my Prime from my cold dead hands... I don't care if Jeff did tell me I needed it, I agree with him!

 

[Gumby]

I think the free and fast shipping, video streaming and rebates on Amazon credit card purchases and at Whole Foods are worth the price we pay. Plus, they gave me a free year recently for being a veteran.

 

[braumeister]

they gave me a free year recently for being a veteran.

Nice. Is there a way to sign up for that, or did they know from some other reason?

 

[Gumby]

Nice. Is there a way to sign up for that, or did they know from some other reason?

It was in 2019, I believe. My wife was already a Prime member and we had always just ordered on her account, but then we made it a family account with the two of us and we qualified for the veteran deal. I can't remember where I heard about the deal, but I just went online with them and asked for it and they gave it to us. I can't recall how they verified.

Also, it may have been a one-time thing. Here is an article showing a 2019 discount and saying that there is no news from Amazon in 2021.

https://www.military.com/discounts/amazon-prime-announces-veterans-day-discount

Edit: And, looking at that article, it appears that it was just $40 off regular price, not completely free. So I was wrong earlier.

 

[Piper20]

Amazon Music Unlimited for $79 / year is worth it to me. Now almost all the music is in HD for the same price. 75 million songs playlists, channels, etc. You can download the songs in HD to your phone on WiFi if you have a data limit. So much better the SiriusXM.

 

[Amethyst]

If and when I get my Sonos system, I'll probably join for music.

Until then, I'll keep taking advantage of the free Prime month every 6 months or so. Like W2R, I just use it for shipping, plus the temporary upgrade to 5 points on my Amazon card. I'm too lazy to get a firestick, or whatever it's called, to watch videos.

Last time was disappointing. I needed certain things ASAP, and Prime didn't apply to either one. The pots and pans for our new induction cooktop took 3 weeks to arrive.

 

[Midpack]

Obviously it depends on how much you buy from Amazon, how much you’d stream from Prime Video, cloud backup and other Prime benefits. We get free shipping on Amazon purchases without Prime on most purchases over $50 and since I’ve never streamed Prime videos I don’t know what I’m missing, blissfully unaware. All our backups are on external HDs. But it’s obviously worth it for millions of people.

 

[Ian S]

Well Over the last day I have done a fairly good in depth look at Prime Video. Other than "Reminding" me of a few things I may like to see, I did not find anything compelling. Nothing that was not available elsewhere. Amazon originals or otherwise.

If I'm reading this correctly, you're saying Prime Originals are available elsewhere. Just curious where, for example, you'd find the Bosch or Goliath series if not on Prime? I guess you could rent them somewhere maybe?

 

[Major Tom]

If I'm reading this correctly, you're saying Prime Originals are available elsewhere. Just curious where, for example, you'd find the Bosch or Goliath series if not on Prime? I guess you could rent them somewhere maybe?

I took it to mean that he didn't find any of the Prime Originals sufficiently compelling.

 

[Yoheadden]

I took advantage of the 30 day free offer, and cancelled just before they charged my card. The second time it was offered, I signed up, but didn't cancel. That was a couple of years ago. I don't order as much from Amazon as I used to, but the convenience is just too darned appealing.

I could possibly save a little by not having Prime but, for the time being at least, they have suckered me in. I mean, who else will alert you on your phone when the delivery van is nearby, so you can track your package to within 10 or 20 feet, and watch as it gets closer to your house?

This is kind of where I am. I don’t order that much and when I do, I don’t need it the next day. I listen to other music apps. The streaming is fine, but we have plenty of other options. I suppose I am looking for reasons to keep it too.
I guess it comes down to what services you use or value.

 

[CRLLS]

I have Prime and really like some of the Amazon Original shows. I bought Prime when it was lower priced just to save shipping. The video streaming was a plus. Now I find value in the Music streaming on long drives. It started when I was between cities and couldn't get a strong radio signal and when I did, it was just for maybe 1/2 hour. With the Music streaming, that is not an issue.

 

[Katsmeow]

I have the Chase Prime Visa credit card which gives 5% cash back on Amazon purchases. That is a lot of money for us and really I pay for the prime fee each year just from a few months of this. Because of the 5% when I price things from elsewhere I compare that versus whatever cash back I would get using another card.

This past year I bought a TV on Prime day that increased the percentage back that I received on the TV. It got it I think to 10% which was great. I could have bought the same TV at Best Buy for the same price but I get only 2% back with my Fidelity Visa card.

Where I live I often get same day or next day shipping on Prime items. That is often a big plus. I do buy a lot of staple stuff from Amazon. Cat food, pantry type snacks, dish soap, etc.

Oh, another benefit for people who read. Amazon First Reads. Each month prime members can choose one free book from a group of upcoming books. I wouldn't have prime just for this but it is nice to have.

I don't honestly use the streaming all that much (I have Netflix, HBOMax and YouTubeTV already) but it is nice to have at time.

But, really, for me it is the shipping and the 5%.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

Maybe you don't have to be a Prime member for this but Amazon wish lists at Christmas time. The younger people are great for keeping that up. I go to everyones wish list, after confirming with them that it's still current and can just click and purchase the items from Amazon and get through my shopping within an hour or so. Once you buy the item it's no longer visible to anyone else looking at their wish list. If you decide to purchase the item off Amazon, just let let them know so they remove it all with a couple of clicks.
I also have free Prime through my son from the original Prime deal that offered free shipping to all your family members, back then they encouraged you to sign all your family up on your account so I'm still grandfathered in. I also have his Prime video password to watch Prime video but but rarely do.
Also the free Prime shipping applies at any amount, I've ordered items that cost as low as $7 and still get free shipping and still get 2 day shipping, they don't seem to have a minimum.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I remember one of my first purchases with Prime was around Christmas time and my daughter wanted a set of wooden TV tables, these suckers are heavy. I checked Amazon never thinking they would qualify for free shipping and they did and I got them within 2 days. I bet that shipping cost had to be close to $50 because of the weight. My son definitely gets his money on free shipping. He's ordered 3 beds with wooden frames, headboard and memory foam mattresses, 8 x 10 rugs a few times and most recently a power reclining that was delivered to his door in 6 or 7 boxes and he just had to connect them all with free shipping. I think some of these took more than 2 days though. They have Amazon deliveries almost every day, in the Pandemic with 2 little kids and a wife in nursing school and him working at home, they have very little time and Amazon just fits the bill for them.

 

[JohnRM]

If you have the card

If you have the Chase Amazon card (and pay it off monthly) and charge most expenses like groceries, gas, etc. as well as Amazon purchases, you can be way ahead. I just looked and we are $212 ahead, not to mention the TV streaming, free shipping, etc. It's a pretty good deal.

 

[NoEZmoney]

Amazon Prime more than "free shipping"

Have had Amazon Prime for years even with the increased charges of late, I found it to be a really good value. I buy a lot off Amazon and the free shipping is a plus but more than that, Amazon Prime streaming is a really good value especially if you plan on cutting the cord with cable. There's lots of free stuff to watch and it also allows you to download many free apps that offer great entertainment value. I would suggest you check out Amazon during your 30-day trial and see all the wonderful things that you can do with it. As far as TV streaming goes that is.

 

[R3mac]

I’ve had prime maybe 15 years now. The savings for me comes from the shipping. Way back when I figured it was around 13 shipments and my money was paid back.

Now that I live very far from the majority of stores and I plan ahead, the subscription to prime is a no brainer just in shipping alone.

We don’t have regular tv service so Amazon prime is a big part of our winter time entertainment.

 

[troutnut1]

I just cashed a rebate for $144 (5% chase card) for several months of shopping which more than pid for my annual fee. In very rural Montana I order almost everything online. Two day was great before the pandemic, but now its 3-7 days here. But I buy tons of stuff for my bedridden 88 year old mom in southern California and it usually is there the next day. A few days ago she told me she didn’t have a tape measure to measure her bed. By the next day she had it for $6. What a Godsend Amazon and Walmart were for her. I did all her grocery and regular shopping for over a year now with everything right to her porch. I like the Amazon Prime TV and music ok but as you say, most is available elsewhere if you’re already paying for enough channels. I also love it for email gift cards for my grandchildren. No more lost mail or wondering whether or not they got it. It notifies me when they pick it up online. I think you can do that without Prime though.

 

[Murph]

I’ve had it for a few years. The “free” prime video is no better than you can get with some free streaming channels. Old movies, lots of rentals. The shopping used to to deliver in 1 or two days. Nowadays, a lot of orders take up to a week or longer. And the free shipping? Compare prices with Walmart and others.

 

[prudent_one]

We never had it but her good friend does and gets 3-5 packages a week. We just don't buy enough stuff for it to make sense. Once or twice a year we need something ASAP and we just ask her friend to order it on her account then pay her directly.

 

[RobbieB]

No prime for me. I just add more items to get to $25 -

 

[newlyold]

I used Amazon Prime fairly frequently, and initially (pre-COVID-19) the two-day shipping at no extra charge (as long as I was a Prime member) was sweet. Once COVID hit, the two-day shipping went away. It gets here when it gets here, and Amazon frequently encourages me to delay shipping to "Amazon Shipping Day" so all my packages arrive at once. And so Amazon doesn't spend as much getting things to me. I have the Amazon credit card, but pay it off 100% every month, so there's no interest charges. Using the card builds up credit points, which can be redeemed on future purchases. If it's a busy month on the credit card, I may have $50 or $100 of Amazon points built up to apply to future purchases, and I appreciate that. It means I sometimes pay nothing (or much less) for something I was going to purchase without the points/discount. Occasionally I enjoy streaming free videos from Prime, and there's the rare series that Amazon produces, which can only be seen on Amazon, that I happen to fall in love with. Prime would be better if the 2-day shipping came back and were reliable. The videos are OK, but truly, they'd have to include HBO and Disney offerings to get me the things I want under one streaming source, and it would have to be at no extra charge. For now, if there's something I want from a source I don't want to pay for (Netflix, for example), I'll sign up for their free month, binge the things I want, and then cancel the subscription. In a few years I'll do it again if I become aware of some other things I want that are worth binging. That's the way to go--don't be brainwashed into thinking you NEED to see that particular show or movie or series immediately. Make a list of shows, then sign up for the 30 days free viewing, and binge them. Then cancel the subscription and you've saved a boat load of cash.

 

[maestro]

Depends on your location, age, and lifestyle, and your interests, but Amazon Prime rocks with their logistics. Typically get 1-2 day delivery here in North Texas, but also enjoy Prime video and music. I am also experimenting with Amazon Fresh for grocery items. They screwed up delivery one time, and they credited the entire order back to me, while allowing me the goods that I picked up from my neighbor. They strive to keep you happy.

 

[Old Microbiologist]

We retired to Hungary which is in the EU but not serviced directly with an Amazon Prime warehouse. There is no free shipping at all and depending on which warehouse I choose it can take 6 weeks or more for delivery often coming directly from China. They also now automatically add the 27% VAT we have in Hungary as well as the new anti-China postal processing fee (mandated by the US to the EU) that can run up to $30 per shipment if it is perceived to come from China. So, with that in mind we don't use Amazon all that much but do for some things. I keep my US Prime account because of the Chase Amazon card, the prime streaming which we use a lot although must "cheat" the system to see anything, and the Amazon Photo storage. We find it of value and the Chase card ends up paying for the Prime fee many times over. Compared to Netflix, Amazon offers far more content and much more that we are interested in. I also added in the STARZ, Acorn, and MfX channels. Acorn gives British and Australian (and some Italian) television and MfX gives French television. These are worth it to us.

In general, things that I need to buy that are either ridiculously expensive here or simply not available anywhere else, I buy primarily using AliExpress who has redistribution centers in Europe (or better European warehouses) where they repack it into an EU packaging and mail it from within the EU. You still get nailed for the VAT but not the postal processing fee. Often, for better quality stuff we purchase from Amazon who has a decent guarantee. On average things shipped from Amazon in Germany take about 2 weeks, from Italy 3 weeks and the UK warehouse is now, since BREXIT, not really possible. Shipping costs from the UK average over $100 per package (similar to anything ordered from the US). Interestingly, my son who lives in Israel uses Amazon Italy (or Germany) as there still is no Amazon in Israel despite VERY close American ties, although they do have an Israeli website in Hebrew.

My point is the Amazon experience outside the US is nothing similar and each warehouse is considered a separate commercial entity with no cross responsibilities. An American Prime account means nothing outside the US. You must buy a separate Prime for each warehouse country.

As for the streaming problems we have an IP address spoofing service (Unlocator) that gets around Amazon's amazingly aggressive system to stop people from outside the US from watching US content. It is bizarre as we have a Hungarian Netflix account (I had to switch as they were even more aggressive than Amazon). The content is reduced of course for Netflix but eventually, everything shows up. I will add VPN's do not work to spoof Amazon (and Netflix) as they know well all the very limited IP addresses assigned to commercial VPN providers. You can get around that by going to the hassle of setting up a private VPN service so for us it is easier to just pay for the spoofing service. If that stops working I will go the hard route.

 

[bobbyr]

Been a prime member for as long as I can remember, somebody tell me why not to be. It was a life saver during the initial stages of the C-19 pandemic.

Same here -- just too darned much convenience. We also have an amazon visa for the related discounts.