You’re Not Using Your Amazon Prime Subscription Right: Don’t Overlook These Perks

Getting good deals, free shipping, and access to a big catalog of streaming content is only the tip of the iceberg with Amazon Prime. There are numerous benefits you’re leaving on the table—don’t let Amazon know I told you.

9

Save Money With Grubhub+

With Amazon Prime, you have access to Grubhub+ at no extra cost. Who knew? It’s admittedly a pretty good deal, so I wouldn’t blame you if you ordered out more often (even though I don’t recommend making a habit out of Grubhub).

With Grubhub+, you’ll pay no delivery fees, get exclusive offers, and enjoy money off your orders if they meet a Grubhub+ restaurant’s subtotal minimum. When you’re checking out restaurants to order from, you’ll notice some have a yellow box with a plus sign—that’s a Grubhub+ restaurant!​​​​

8

Order Directly From Brands Using Buy With Prime

Most of us don’t exclusively shop at Amazon, even if the deals are often great. When you do find yourself ordering directly from your favorite brands, you might come across an option to Buy with Prime. This feature takes the benefits of Amazon’s free Prime delivery (and returns) and applies them to products beyond the site.

Buy with Prime appears as a button when you’re shopping online. When you’re looking at a product and see the blue Buy with Prime button, selecting it will prompt you to sign in with your Prime account, then apply said benefits. When you order items this way, you can still track them through Amazon.

7

Get Discounts on Gas

Filling up your car’s gas tank always stings, so you might as well get savings anywhere you can. You’ll have to jump through an extra hoop for this one, though. To reap the benefits of cheaper gas, you need to link your Prime account with Earnify, but that’s a small price to pay for savings.

Then, whenever you get gas at supported BP, Amoco, and AM/PM gas stations, use your Earnify app to save at least 10 cents per gallon. Not sure where to go? You can use the app to locate nearby gas stations that support the service.

Download: Earnify for Android | iOS (Free)

6

Enjoy Millions of Ad-Free Songs

For me, not a day goes by without music, so it’s been particularly awesome to access so much music with Amazon Music Prime. I’m kicking myself for not figuring it out sooner, after years of having Prime. You can listen to millions of songs (including new releases and classics), podcasts, stations, and various playlists, including those shared by the community. It’s ad-free, too!

The caveat is that Music Prime is essentially a “basic” version; Amazon Music Unlimited is the premium option. Unless you really need HD, Ultra HD, or Spatial Audio, you’ll easily sink hours into Music Prime like I have. If you’re thinking of dropping Spotify for Amazon Music, Prime makes it easy.

5

Use Prime Rx to Save Money on Prescriptions

If your health insurance offers little in the way of cheaper prescriptions, take advantage of Prime Rx. Thousands of pharmacies will offer discounts if you flash your Prime membership.

I would highly recommend you double-check with your insurance before you try getting medication through Prime Rx, though. For one, your insurance may have a deductible, which could lower your prescription costs after it’s been met. And for two, giving Amazon even a little bit of your medical history doesn’t sit well with me.

Related

Next Time You Shop on Amazon, You Can Grab Pet Medications Too

The pet pharmacy just moved to your browser.

4

Save Money on Groceries

Amazon Prime gives you two avenues for saving money on groceries by way of Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods. There’s also Amazon Grocery for deliveries, but that’s an entirely different subscription.

What’s somewhat confusing is that Amazon Fresh is both an online service and a physical store. If you’re near a Fresh location, you can order groceries and have them delivered to your door. Unfortunately, if there are no locations in your area, you can’t take advantage of this perk.

When you visit Whole Foods, you also get the benefit of 10% off storewide sales. So if you love cooking or want to learn, having Prime will soak up some of the cost of your culinary creations.

3

Store an Unlimited Number of Photos

Amazon Prime gave me an alternative when I ran out of iCloud storage, which was my main driver for backing up photos and videos, second to my Prime server. iCloud was only $12 a year, but if I already have Prime, why not use that money for something else?

As a Prime member, I get unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos, with photos stored in their original resolution. The app is available for Windows, Android, and Mac, so all the devices in my home are supported. My one gripe is the 5GB limit on storing videos.

Download: Amazon Photos for Android | iOS | Windows | Mac (Free; subscription available)

2

Prime Gaming Hands Out Free Games

When I remember to, I scoop up free gaming content through Prime Gaming—I’ve got a couple of cosmetics in Diablo IV to prove it. While free cosmetics and similar content aren’t as prevalent now, you still get access to free games, just like you would with PS+ or Game Pass.

What’s awesome is that any games you claim can still be played if your Prime subscription expires—you just can’t claim future titles without Prime. Oh, and you get a free Twitch channel subscription, so go out and support your favorite streamer at no extra cost!

1

Read Some Free eBooks

Andy Cormier / MakeUseOf

Amazon Prime offers not one, but two benefits for readers: Amazon First Reads and Prime Reading. First Reads is essentially Prime Gaming for books. Every month, you get at least one Kindle book for free; the catch is that Amazon’s editors choose the selection and they’re all upcoming books.

However, that’s where Prime Reading picks up the slack. Prime members can dig deep into Amazon’s library of books, magazines, comics, and audiobooks for free—it’s a sort of sampler, like Music Prime. You don’t even need a Kindle to benefit from either service!

There are other ways to get free eBooks, too!

With what I pay for Prime, a measly $15/month, I almost feel like I’m ripping Amazon off. Almost. Compared to other subscriptions, Amazon Prime offers a ton; you’ll find something for everyone.