Amazon Prime An Amazon Prime membership ($119 a year) grants access to free shows like The Tick.

Look, we get it. You can't go a day without hearing something about "Amazon Prime." It's everywhere — so much so that we wouldn't blame you if it was all just a little overwhelming.

But the thing is that an Amazon Prime membership can more than pay for itself — provided you actually take advantage of the benefits.

Why should you shell out $119 a year for an Amazon Prime membership? The list is long, and it gets longer all the time. Here are the broad strokes, though.

Let's start with the most basic of benefits — shipping with Amazon.

  • You get free two-day shipping (on eligible items) in the U.S.
  • Free same-day delivery in certain ZIP codes.
  • Free 2-hour delivery via Prime Now in certain ZIP codes.
  • Free release-date delivery on certain preorders
  • Free no-rush shipping if you're not in a hurry.

Then there's all the streaming stuff, of course. And we're not just talking about video.

  • Amazon Prime Video gets you unlimited streaming of TV and movies. A lot of TV and movies. Plus all the original content like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or Sneaky Pete or The Grand Tour — to name but three shows you get free with Amazon Prime Video.
  • Amazon Channels adds in HBO, Showtime and STARZ, for between $4.99 and $14.99 a month. (Basically it's a premium add-on, the same as with other services.)
  • You get unlimited, ad-free access to more than a million songs — if you're in the U.S. or Puerto Rico.
  • Twitch users get discounts on physical game preorders and new releases, plus ad-free viewing on

Still need more? How about Amazon Fresh and Prime Pantry access. Or Amazon Dash Buttons. Or the Prime Store Card with 5 percent back. And other deals.

There's just so much — and that's in addition to all of the excellent video you get for free with a Prime membership.

So, yeah. You're running out of excuses.

Click here for more on everything you get with Amazon Prime
