The Perktastic Voyage: Amazon Prime

Is it just me, or is the world moving almost entirely to subscriptions? It's like finally society has caught up to the gym membership model and created an ultimate goal of just taking a little of your money, every month, for forever. For a long time that's how I viewed Amazon Prime. Paying a retailer nearly $10 a month for the opportunity to have free two-day shipping on items I might be able to find cheaper somewhere else had little appeal. But let me tell you the tale of all the ways you can leverage this $99 a year to your benefit.

The Secret (and not so secret) Perks of Amazon Prime

Free 2-day Shipping on (many) Purchases
As a rule I am not a huge fan of people. Especially in customer service settings. Thus I view online shopping as one of the greatest triumphs in modern society. Yet we find ourselves doomed to endure the arcane 3-5 day shipping methods of the 20th Century. Thus, this most obvious perk of your Amazon Prime membership must not be overlooked. The ability to purchase an item and know that it will arrive in a maximum of 48 hours is truly incredible. Not only because it represents getting your hands on the goods more quickly, but because it's a testament to the incredible warehousing volume Amazon possesses. Many items actually arrive the next day.

Subscribe and Save
Here we go again. More money out of your pocket every month... Except in exchange for this money you get physical goods. Things you need/use regularly. And you can schedule those items to come in intervals that fit your need, from monthly to every six months. For subscribing to automatic delivery you get a 10% discount, which jumps to 15% if you include five or more items in one shipment. You can add remove the items that are included in each shipment, but as long as there's always five you'll get the discount. My three-month subscription includes items like dishwasher and laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, toilet paper and vitamins.

Prime Instant Video
Nothing good on TV? Check out Amazon Prime Instant Video. An impressive library of TV shows and movies that are available for on-demand streaming. You may not find the most recent episodes of current shows, but the selection is quite impressive. Remember, you're getting all those other perks, plus streaming video. *in my best infomercial voice* That service alone might cost you as much as $7.99 through other sources!

Kindle Owners Lending Library
Whether you own one of the many Amazon Kindle models, or just want to install the Kindle app on your phone or tablet, who doesn't want some free content. More than 500,000 popular titles are available for Amazon Prime members to digitally "borrow." You're limited to one book at a time, but that's how I like to read anyways. As long as you have web access to return and borrow new books you've got an impressive library at your fingertips.

Kindle First
If you're more into playing for keeps this last, and least publicized, Amazon Prime perk is for you. Each month you can pick one of four pre-release ebook titles to download for free. Each title retails for around 5 bucks. Pair this financial value (about half your monthly Prime fee) and the fact that you're getting these books before they are released to the general public and this is a powerful plus.

So do I advocate poking a hole in your bank account that drains $99 per year? Not without a little thought. But if you're someone who uses products, watches videos or reads books you can easily realize a significant bargain through Amazon Prime. Don't feel bad though. Amazon still wins. By getting the opportunity to sell you an enormous variety of physical and digital products they're coming out ahead, and rewarding some of your volume business with this collection of perks.