7 Lesser-Known Benefits of Amazon Prime

By Shobhit Seth
Updated January 20, 2023
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Katie Miller
Katie Miller
Reviewed by Katie Miller
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Katie Miller is a consumer financial services expert. She worked for almost two decades as an executive, leading multi-billion dollar mortgage, credit card, and savings portfolios with operations worldwide and a unique focus on the consumer. Her mortgage expertise was honed post-2008 crisis as she implemented the significant changes resulting from Dodd-Frank required regulations.

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Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), runs one of the most successful retail membership programs: Amazon Prime. It has attracted millions of customers who pay to receive a number of benefits you already know about. But there are other, lesser-known offers available for members that might give you a reason to sign up for the service.

Key Takeaways

  • Amazon Prime's well-known benefits include free two-day shipping with various delivery options, and the ability to stream Prime media content.
  • Lesser-known benefits include discounts on orders with a slower delivery and a subscription shopping service called Prime Wardrobe.
  • Members using these benefits have the potential to harness substantial savings on household items, college essentials, food, and clothing. 

Get Paid for No-Rush Delivery

While Prime members are entitled to free two-day guaranteed delivery with many flexible delivery options, they can capitalize on their available time by opting for no-rush delivery. At checkout, if members select the free no-rush shipping option, they receive a discount that is applied to the order at checkout or a promotional reward that is automatically applied to the customer’s account toward a future purchase once the no-rush package ships.

However, canceling the no-rush shipping order or changing the delivery option will cancel the discount or reward.

Prime Wardrobe

Amazon offers Prime Wardrobe, which allows Prime members to try on fashion items at home as well as free returns of unwanted items. Prime members can pick three or more items of clothing, shoes, or accessories that are then shipped to them. The customer then has seven days to try on the merchandise and they keep only the stuff they want. This offering is similar to other popular subscription clothing boxes like Stitch Fix and Trunk Club.

Feb. 20, 2023

the date AmazonSmile—the retail giant's philanthropic arm that allowed members to donate to charity through their purchases—will be shuttered.

Amazon Family

Amazon Family offers family-oriented offers, coupons, and age-based recommendations exclusively to its Prime members. Additionally, one can receive up to a 20% discount on regular subscriptions of products like diapers and baby food, and a 15% baby registry completion discount that offers a free welcome box for parents-to-be and their offspring.

Amazon Household

Prime membership allows sharing through its Household program. Prime members can connect and share Amazon benefits with the whole family—two adults (above 18 years) and up to four teens (between 13 and 17 years) and four children (up to 12 years) can be connected in a household. It allows sharing of Prime delivery benefits, streaming access to Prime Video, free books with Prime Reading, a provision to earn 2% rewards on Prime Reload, Prime Photos, and album sharing, free books with Amazon First Reads, unlimited listening on Audible Channels, and early access to Amazon Lightning Deals. Certain content may be shared only with other adults.

Prime Wardrobe is one of Amazon's most recent special offerings to its members.

Prime for Students

Students can enjoy Prime benefits at half the cost, which come with a six-month trial and include free two-day shipping on eligible purchases. Qualifying students receive all Prime benefits for four years, or until they graduate, whichever comes first. Prime for Students makes it easy to get college essentials like dorm furnishings, textbooks, study supplies, backpacks, PCs, tablets, and other accessories.

Washington Post Digital Access

Prime members can enjoy a free month of digital access to The Washington Post, which includes access to all website content and all Washington Post apps. However, you have to cancel after that month or your subscription will auto-renew through your Amazon account.

Amazon Prime's Big Ticket Benefits

The primary driver/reasons for most people to sign up for Amazon Prime includes such features as:

  • Free two-day shipping with flexible delivery options, and free same-day delivery in eligible zip codes
  • Access to Prime media content that covers thousands of movies, songs, TV programs, games, and audio broadcasts
  • Shopping benefits and rewards, including 5% back for members with an Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card
  • Alexa-assisted shopping with early access to exclusive brands and deals
  • Free subscription to Kindle books and magazines
  • Free grocery delivery through the Amazon Fresh service, and exclusive savings at Whole Foods Market
  • Unlimited photo storage through Amazon Photos

The Bottom Line

Amazon offers a ton of well-known benefits, but others may surprise you. If you're considering shelling out $14.99 per month or $139 per year for an Amazon Prime membership you get access to more than just free shipping.

Article Sources
Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.

  1. Amazon. "Family."

  2. Amazon. "What Is Amazon Household?"

  3. Amazon. "Included with Prime Student."

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