You can get so much more than just speedy delivery with your subscription – including music, gaming and other deals
This week, Amazon will be a hive of activity as shoppers enjoy major deals as part of the latest Spring Deal Days Sale. Some might even consider getting an Amazon Prime membership to speed up the delivery of their new goodies to their door.
Most people who get a membership will do so to unlock that faster delivery when shopping across a range of Amazon products. The £8.99 a month investment may seem steep but can often be justified if you buy often enough to save on delivery fees, which can easily add up.
But there’s so much that goes unused with many Prime members. Thousands of people have little to no idea just how much you get from the £8.99 subscription – so it might be time to start getting your money’s worth.
READ MORE: Amazon Spring Sale: 13 best deals from shopping experts, including Ninja and Fire Sticks
READ MORE: Amazon Spring Sale checkout stack that will give you an Echo Pop for £8 after cashback
If you regularly get a cheeky takeaway dropped off by Deliveroo, Prime customers could miss out on a serious saving. All UK members can get free delivery from their favourite restaurants with a Deliveroo Plus subscription at no additional cost for a year.
It only applies to orders over £15 from certain restaurants. The limit is slightly higher (£25) if you order items from an extensive list of stores offering services via the app.
Savvy shoppers can save on a range of entertainment, too. Amazon offers Prime members access to its Video and Music service at no additional cost. The Amazon Music platform, similar to Spotify, has millions of songs and podcasts available at the touch of a button.
You can stream thousands of popular movies and TV shows, including the latest Prime Originals like Clarkson’s Farm. Prime Members also enjoy regular special ‘Rent or Buy’ offers on selected movies and TV shows – and the fun doesn’t stop at home.
As a subscription holder, Amazon Prime members get two monthly Odeon cinema tickets for £10. It’s limited to being used between Monday through Thursday but could help cut down the cost of a cheap mid-week treat.
If you’re more of a bookworm than a film or TV buff, those Prime members will enjoy Prime Reading, where you can get early access to a rotating selection of ebooks, magazines, comics and more. Gamers should also note that there are so many perks to be had, too – from full PC games to a monthly Twitch channel subscription and more with Prime Gaming.
If you frequently run out of storage on your phone, Amazon Photos allows Prime members to store unlimited full-resolution photos and 5GB of videos on their mobile or computer. Using Family Vault, you can also share photos and videos with up to five family members. It allows you to search for and sort your photos by people, places, and things with image recognition.
Students will also want to take advantage of all this and more. They already get discounted Prime membership prices, and in addition to the standard perks, they get exclusive savings and offers such as discounts on thousands of textbooks, selected clothing and accessories, tech, National Express coach tickets and more.
Prime Members have shared glowing reviews via Trust Pilot about the monthly fee being “worth the money”. One said: “Entertainment on tap, plus free (if not 100% reliable…) delivery benefits.” Adam said: “Prime video has a good selection of shows and movies, especially if you like older ones.”
Another who used the video service added: “Conveniently accessible and a nice selection of movies from the comfort of my home at an affordable price. As a Prime member, I enjoy the free video offerings as well and the fact it’s easy on my budget.”
But, it wasn’t loved by all. One person put: “Tried to watch a movie and got slammed with a bunch of ads and a forever-lasting buffering. Amazon Prime Video really said ‘premium experience’ and then handed me dial-up!”
Someone discussing their enjoyment of Amazon Music wrote: “They are brilliant at finding perfect song choices for me, and I prefer them to other music apps. No issues with them at all and I love their music recommendations for me too.”
But, some were unhappy. One claimed: “This is the most useless app I’ve ever known. Most of my purchases were missing and every time I played songs the app closed down.”
There are plenty of alternative places to shop online that are similar to Amazon, such as eBay. On eBay, you could pick up items for cheaper than they are in the shops, or find things offered in bulk. You are also likely to find pre-loved items that you can’t buy anywhere else anymore – and even make a little money yourself by selling off unwanted goods.
Alternative streaming services such as Netflix (from £5.99 per month) and Disney Plus (from £4.99 per month) are available. For alternative music streaming apps, Spotify costs £11.99 per month, and Apple Music starts from £10.99 per month – both have discounted student plans too.
Microsoft and Sony offer similar gaming services for Xbox and Playstation gamers, respectively. Xbox Game Pass Core starts from £6.99 a month whilst PlayStation Plus Essential costs £6.99 per month – both have options to pay at different intervals like quarterly or annually.