Having started as an online bookstore in 1994, Amazon has edged out many retailers to become a one-stop shop for everything from groceries to electronics. Over the years, the e-commerce behemoth has attracted a lot of loyal customers due to its competitive pricing and the convenience of home delivery.

Shoppers get even more benefits with Amazon Prime. This membership program offers a host of perks like same-day shipping, free two-day shipping, exclusive discounts, and access to services like Amazon Prime Video. One of the best benefits of the loyalty program is Amazon Prime Day, an annual shopping event that's exclusive to Prime members.

An Amazon Prime subscription costs $139 per year or $14.99 per month. If the price has you on the fence regarding a Prime membership purchase, we explain the services and full benefits Prime members enjoy to help you make an informed decision.

Amazon Prime delivery benefits

The most well-known of Prime's benefits are tied to its roots of speedy delivery. Free two-day delivery is still part of the package, but as a Prime member, you have access to free one-day and free same-day delivery on millions of items. Same-day delivery is limited to orders over $25, but considering overnight delivery is at least $10 with most carriers, it's still an amazing perk. And if you're looking to stock up on groceries, Amazon Fresh offers free grocery delivery in select cities.

If you don't care if your package is delivered that quickly, you can opt for no-rush shipping, which comes with a reward, typically a voucher for a Kindle book or another Amazon digital product. If you need the latest release the day it comes out, Amazon has that covered for Prime members with their release-date delivery service.

One lesser-known Prime benefit is Amazon's prescription medication service. Amazon can't process insurance payments, but if you pay for your prescription out-of-pocket, Prime members can shop around for the best prices and get free two-day delivery on their meds.

As a Prime member, you can consolidate your packages to arrive on the same day of the week. If you trust your delivery person and have a myQ smart garage door opener installed, Amazon can leave your packages safe in your garage with Amazon Key, away from the eyes of roving package thieves.

Shopping benefits for Prime subscribers

The most touted shopping benefit for Prime members is Prime Day. In this two-day event, Amazon offers exclusive deals to Prime members, particularly on its hardware like Fire tablets, Kindle eReaders, and Echo devices. It usually happens in mid-July every year. Besides Prime Day, members get early access to Lightning Deals.

What may surprise you is that Amazon has special services for Prime fashionistas. Its Try Before You Buy service has a curated selection of men's, women's, and children's clothes that you can have sent to you (up to six items) in a resealable box. Try the clothes for a week, return what you don't want, and pay for what you keep. If you need some tips for your fashion look, Amazon has a personalized styling service for Prime members that costs $4.99 per use. First, take an online fashion quiz, and a stylist selects up to 16 items for you. Next, pick up to eight of those options to be sent to you. Finally, keep what you like and return the rest.

Digital Content for Amazon Prime members

One of the best benefits of a Prime account is access to Prime Video, Amazon's answer to movie streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. Amazon's no slouch in the world of streaming. It has some of the most popular shows streaming right now. Members also get ad-free access to a two-million-song library with Prime Music. And members willing to pay a monthly fee of $8.99 can access Amazon Music Unlimited, which has a library of more than 90 million songs (compared to the roughly 82 million available on Spotify).

Prime Gaming is another surprise in the Amazon stable of services for Prime members. Amazon offers members free in-game content, a free subscription to a Twitch channel of their choosing, and a selection of free titles every week.

Prime members can also access Amazon Photos, which is touted as a cloud storage solution for your photos and videos. The normal members get 5GB of photo and video storage (pay monthly for more), but Prime members get unlimited photo storage and 5GB for video just for being a member.

For avid readers, Prime Reading has you covered with a library of e-books that are free to read for Prime members. Once a month, members can select one book for free from a curated list of early-access titles. They also get Amazon Prime benefits like Audible Premium Plus, with perks such as access to thousands of audiobooks and podcasts.

Finally, if you have kids, Amazon has the Amazon Kids+ service that bundles child-friendly content from all its services (books, shows, apps, and music streaming) into one package. It usually costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 a year, but Prime members pay $4.99 per month or $48 a year. Plus, the content is available across all Android and iOS-powered devices.

Is an Amazon Prime membership worth the money?

To access Amazon Prime, you'll pay a membership fee of $14.99 per month or $139 a year. You can also set up Amazon Household to share the benefits with your loved ones.

You can get the subscription even cheaper if you're enrolled in college or have a .edu email address, which makes you eligible for a Prime Student membership costing $7.49 per month or $69 a year. Amazon Prime members can enjoy Prime Video for free, but non-Prime members pay $8.99 per month.

But if you use Amazon occasionally, perhaps to order some elusive hobby part or a last-minute gift, an Amazon Prime subscription is not worth it. However, it makes sense to become a Prime member if you regularly order stuff from Amazon, saving you the delivery cost, which can add up to a considerable amount.

And if you're a movie buff, Prime Video, which is included in Amazon Prime, costs less than the standard Netflix plan. With an Amazon Prime membership, you also get Amazon Music Prime, which offers access to podcasts, playlists, and more than 100 million songs, ad-free. There's also Prime Gaming with perks like free games and a free Twitch channel subscription.

If you're still unsure whether an Amazon Prime membership is worth the money, try out its free 30-day trial before making the purchase.

Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime has long since evolved from the days when it merely offered free two-day shipping and a burgeoning library of original shows. Prime now includes a music service, one of the most robust TV show and movie streaming services on the market, unique deals for its members — like free Twitch subscriptions and exclusive Whole Foods discounts — plus access to exclusive deals, especially on Amazon's unofficial-official holidays, like the upcoming Prime Big Deal Days.