Do I Need Amazon Prime?

Posted on Jan 28, 2023

tl;dr: Amazon Prime and Prime Student emailed a renewal and discontinuation notice of my student membership discount. My heart sank to my stomach after I read both emails. I was disappointed to lose the discount and the membership fee increase. In this article, I clarify why I had an Amazon Prime membership, list the membership's usefulness, and re-evaluate my decision to either renew or cancel my membership.

This article was updated on 11 January 2024.

AP or not

A photo reference I found on Pinterest from Haze Aesthetic inspired my above illustration.

Introduction

I’ll lose my Prime Student membership discount a little over a month from now, and I’m taking this loss very personally. My shoulders droop, and my lips look like an upside-down letter U. 😞

I feel sad losing an opportunity to save dollars on an Amazon Prime (AP) membership during my last year of school. No longer having this discount screws up my frugality goals related to entertainment expenses. I’ve gotten used to paying the discounted membership cost every year since I received this student perk in 2019.

I don’t want to spend my time looking for other AP-like discounts, and I won’t.

My attitude toward saving money that is paying less than full price comes from my grandparents and parents, who have brainwashed me in a good way into not spending more dollars than I must, even if I can afford it.

Let’s begin with the AP membership email.

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The Amazon Prime Membership email

Last week, I got an email from AP. The email’s title displayed my first and last name, followed by the words “Your Amazon Prime Membership.”

The title was disheartening. I thought I got a bad feeling about this, what Hans Solo felt when he, Chewbacca, Leia, and Luke got trapped in the trash compactor, that scene in Star Wars, and I felt uncomfortable and hesitant to continue reading, but I must know its contents, so I had to click on the email title.

AP’s blue banner header stretched from the outer edge of the email page’s left margin to the right margin. The tagline on the banner said in a large sans serif font, “What you want, when you need it amazonPrime.”

The email’s salutation had my first and last name and said, “Has it been a year already?”

I immediately became annoyed, and I reread the question. What kind of question was that? 😠

Was I oblivious that I lived under a pile of rubble and didn’t know 2022 had passed, or did I arrive on Earth from Uranus a moment ago? 🤖

“Has it been a year already?” That’s the kind of question one asks when they’re assuming that the other person was hibernating underground the entire year, and that’s the kind of question that’s like an obnoxious bright flashlight piercing your eyes as you wake up from a cozy, fitful slumber. 😲

Oh, no wonder a year’s passed without me knowing it. I’ve been regularly watching movies and TV shows, reading Kindle books, and enjoying the unlimited two-day free shipping from my online orders with my student membership. 🙃

“Don’t let the next year pass you by. Start taking advantage of all that Amazon Prime has to offer today.”

A new year’s membership at full price? What the hell! 🤬

Then, I noticed the Prime Student email that followed.

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The Prime Student email

This email made me feel sad. It said, “We’ve had a great run, but your Prime Student membership discount must end.”

The email’s salutation had the word thanks followed by my first and last name. Then, the first sentence said, “Thanks for being a Prime Student member!”

That sentence added fuel to my burning annoyance. Do I respond with you’re welcome? 😕

First, AP told me they ended my membership discount and thanked me for being a Prime Student member. I’m confused. 😕

It’s like the Prime Student Membership Lord gave me the boot and said, okay, we can’t afford to provide you with these Prime Student benefits at half cost any more; it’s time you pay the full price like everyone else. 😡

Shit, AP is ending my Prime Student movie breaks, and they’re thanking me? Great! There goes my enjoying Prime Video and Kindle and free two-day shipping at half the membership price. 😖

But my student days aren’t over; I still have another year! 😭

Then the next paragraph began with “Get the most out of everything Prime with the Prime Insider Newsletter…delivered weekly to your inbox.” No thanks! How is a newsletter supposed to help me keep my Prime Student membership? And I don’t need additional emails filling up my inbox. I need membership savings!

Hope tapped my shoulder. I had to see if I did have another year of my student discount. The steps below show how I did this.

On the Your Account page, I clicked on the Prime button to go to the Amazon Prime Membership page.
I clicked Prime Plan next to my name.
I clicked the Still a Student? Reverify your eligibility. link at the bottom of the mini menu.
I read a bordered message at the top of the page:

“We’ve had a great run, but all good things must come to an end. Members are only allowed a maximum of 4 years of discounted Amazon Prime benefits. You can continue to receive FREE Two-Day shipping, access to thousands of movies, TV episodes, and 2 million songs, unlimited photo storage, and more with a full-priced Amazon Prime membership at $139/year plus taxes or $14.99/month plus taxes.”

Hope vanished! I wanted to cry, but my gut told me losing my student membership was not the world’s end.

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What’s the next step

After knowing that my membership renewal fee would increase and my student discount would stop, I allowed myself two days of gorging on Doritos (eww!), dreaming my student discount would stay and googling about the necessity of an AP membership. I became sad again after my gorging ended; consuming the entire family-size spicy Doritos bag gave me a raging headache! 🤮

I had to review my priorities.

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Decide priorities

After two days, my sorrow faded.

I became aware of the earsplitting sputter of a commercial leaf blower outside my window. And the thought of paying the standard cost for an AP membership made me grind my teeth again.

What did I want?

Paying $139 felt like stealing from myself, and my brows formed a vertical wrinkle above my nose.

I wanted to spend less, save more, and keep the defunct AP Student membership discount.

But do I need an AP membership? My answer is a loud N-O!

Rich people stay rich by living like they’re broke. Broke people stay broke by living like they’re rich.

― Unknown

Not having a Prime Student membership discount won’t kill me, but having it at full price would kill my budget.

Would I give in to AP’s call to continue receiving the membership benefits and shell out $139/year plus taxes or $14.99/month plus taxes? 🤔

That question led me to the next question: why do I have an AP membership? 👉🏼

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Why do I have an Amazon Prime Membership

I habitually go to the AP site to watch newer, classic, and nostalgic movies on Prime Video. My lunches and dinners are movie nights with Prime Video. 🍜

I shop on AP when the product I need is unavailable at the physical store or if the product’s sale price is reasonable.

The last time I shopped online on AP was three months ago. I placed only six orders in 2022. These orders were a mix of necessities that had better sales prices than at the physical store, like a package of razors for women, a shampoo and conditioner duo, package deals for body lotion and deodorant, and a school textbook.

For digital content, my purchases are rare, and in the last 12 months, I borrowed The Call of the Wild and Tarzan of the Apes and bought The Great Gatsby Kindle version for zero dollars.

I’ve never used the Music Library and Amazon Drive for document and photo storage.

I use Prime Gaming to get occasional free in-game content from videogame publishers whose video games I mostly play.

My AP Membership mainly fulfills my entertainment needs during mealtimes and breaks from schoolwork and writing.

My usage analysis led me to when I don’t use AP.

When I don’t use Amazon Prime

I only buy things when needed and don’t do frivolous shopping. So, I’ve never shopped on Prime Day. I only enjoy shopping for gifts if they’re for me. I have a simple and uncluttered lifestyle and don’t need any more things. One of my favorite mantras is less is more because less does give me more.

There are 15 AP benefits I don’t or have never used:

Amazon Day,
Amazon Key,
Amazon Household,
Amazon Family,
Buy With Prime,
Prime Now,
Amazon Fresh,
Amazon Pharmacy,
Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card,
Prime Photos,
Amazon Music,
Lightning Deals,
Prime Early Access Sale,
Amazon Prime Day,
Free same-day delivery.

I thoroughly read about these benefits, and their descriptions prompted me to create a list of reasons the AP membership might be worthwhile for you.

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15 reasons an Amazon Prime membership might be worthwhile

Below are the 15 reasons an AP membership might be worth it.

Helps save some time

An AP membership is worth it for people who are big on saving time:
- Online orders arrive on the same day or in two days for free,
- Members don’t have to wait in the pay line at physical retail locations,
- Returning an unwanted order or product is convenient and easy.
Possible dollar savings for Medicaid and EBT card users

Suppose you’re using a current Medicaid card or a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participant using the Electronic Benefits Transfer system. You can be an AP Member with no yearly plan for $6.99 monthly.
All-in-the-family membership

AP is worth it through Amazon Household for a family of a pair of parents (they approve purchases and set parental controls), four teenagers and four children to save dollars and enjoy free membership benefits. This membership is like buying ten containers of tasty ice cream for the price of one. 🍨😋
Student savings

The four-year Prime Student discount benefit is worth it for college students using a dot e-d-u email address at American colleges and universities.
Convenience for shopaholics

If you shop online a lot and shipping fees and wait times make you want to quit online shopping, and you’re the I-want-my-purchased-items-now type, then AP’s free same-day and two-day delivery will maintain your shoponlineaholic tendency and wet your impatience.
Online grocery shopping convenience

Suppose you live in a populous city in the continental US or one of the international cities like Tokyo, Rome, London, or Berlin. If you have a reason or excuse not to go to a physical grocery store to buy your food and beverages, Amazon Fresh and or Whole Foods Market will deliver and or complete a grocery pickup.
Binge watchers and digital audiophiles

Suppose you’re a professional binge-watcher and or a digital audiophile. Free Prime Video and Prime Music benefits will help to permanently fasten your eyes to the monitor screen and vibrate your ear drums.
Gamers

Do you have an adrenaline rush watching entertaining pro video gamers spray bullets or sword-hack enemies like you do watching pro sports athletes gleefully injure themselves for fun and win? Watch and emote with your favorite Twitch streamer with Prime Gaming for free without ads. You get to redeem free rewards from videogame publishers and monthly free games from popular genres like Anime, Action, and Adventure.
Photo hoarders

If your addiction is digital photo hoarding and the words unlimited, full resolution, and share make you want to use continuous shooting mode constantly, then free online photo storage with Amazon Photos is for you.
Yearly shopaholics

If you like yearly 48-hour online shopping sprees and getting discounts, then Prime Day is your day.
Dressing room users

Trying out a cute floral dress or comfy-looking low-rise straight-leg jeans in a clothing store’s dressing room is the first step to confirming that you need the item before you slide your credit card into the scanner.

But online clothes shopping only lets you try on that cute dress or comfy jeans in your head. AP allows you to physically try on clothes with the Prime Try Before You Buy benefit.
Medical prescriptions

If you need fast refills for your maintenance medication, you can buy select medicines online without insurance and save up to 80% with free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime Rx.
Bookworms

If you’re a digital bookworm, magazine lover, comic geek, or all three, you’re in for many great reads with the free Prime Reading and Amazon First Reads program.
Your children

For children who do a lot of web surfing and can surely shop online but with their parent’s permission, there’s Amazon Kids Plus for movies, books, and software, and there’s Amazon Book Box for monthly orders of curated books.
Plastic cashback and rewards

The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Card is helpful if you love saving while credit-card-spending, getting cashback, and receiving a small dollar percentage back from your favorite eating place, gas station, and other items.

Now that you’ve read the above reasons, you might have your additional worthwhile reasons, and if you’re using ALL the AP benefits and or you’ve budgeted for nonessential spending, then the annual $139 or monthly $14.99 fees plus tax might be worth it.

Amazon says that as of 2022, they have more than 200 million AP users worldwide.

Let’s conclude this article.

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Conclusion

This article is a lengthy, drawn-out personal inquiry on whether I needed to continue an AP membership minus the student discount.

Yes, the discount was beneficial while it lasted. Meantime I’m enjoying its remaining days.

I’ve already gotten over losing my student discount; drafting this article calmed me down and gave me a better view of having an AP membership.

Now that I’ve written this personal inquiry/analysis, I see what I want and am willing to give up for my entertainment and frugal living goals. I can decide with ease.

Deciding was straightforward.

If I renew, I spend $139/year plus tax or $14.99/month plus tax.

If I don’t continue my membership, my dollars stay where they are, and doors open to other cost-saving platforms for movies and books.

Most importantly, I’ll rest saving those extra dollars for essential spending.

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