Plenty of Prime members swear by the many perks of Amazon Prime. And right now is the perfect time to have it, as Amazon Prime Day runs from July 8 through July 11, giving you access to thousands of deals on everyday products.
So if you wonder whether Amazon Prime Membership is worth it, it is worth exploring your other options. For many shoppers, there are still plenty of perks that make the $139 annual fee worth it.
New members earn a free 30-day trial. You need a Prime membership for sales such as Amazon Prime Day. View Deal
But if you're not likely to use those perks or you can enjoy your favorite benefits at other retailers without forking over the fee, it might be time to cancel Prime.
From fast, free shipping to discounted streaming services or audiobooks, here are 10 alternatives to Amazon Prime that offer similar perks for online shoppers.
1. Walmart Plus
Strongly consider this one, Amazon Prime refugees. Walmart Plus is the megaretailer’s online answer to Amazon Prime. Walmart Plus members get free shipping with no order minimum, free same-day delivery from their nearest Walmart location, and tons of other Prime-like perks when shopping online.
With the announcement that Walmart Plus has added the Paramount Plus streaming service at no extra cost, it now means Walmart Plus can compete with Prime Video. This is a prime opportunity for Walmart Plus to gain subscribers from Prime’s frustrated masses.
What's more, sign up now and try Walmart Plus for 30-days FREE, and unlock free delivery, gas savings and more.
- What Walmart sells: Automotive goods, baby supplies, books, children's toys and games, clothing, electronics, furniture, general household items, groceries, luggage, music/movies, office supplies, personal care products, pet supplies, sporting goods.
- Annual membership fee: $98 (or $12.95 a month) after the current promotion ends.
- Shipping options: Free no-minimum shipping on thousands of eligible items. Free same-day delivery of grocery items (with a $35 minimum to qualify).
- Return policy: Free for most items returned within 90 days of delivery. Select items are non-returnable.
Additional perks: Members receive 10 cents off each gallon of gas – recently raised from 5 cents per gallon – at Walmart gas stations as well as Exxon and Mobil stations, Murphy gas stations and Sam’s Club fueling centers.
Walmart Plus members also have the option of shopping in-store with the Walmart app and using the scan & go feature for contactless shopping. The app will let you scan grocery items with your phone and pay at the self-checkout.
Walmart Plus members also get early access to select deals and promotions, including for Black Friday.
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2. Walmart.com (fee-free)
Not looking for more annual membership fees to score decent retail discounts with perks? We get it. You don’t have to go full membership to get a number of Walmart's full benefits.
- What Walmart sells: You name it! Appliances, automotive goods, baby supplies, books, clothing, electronics, furniture, general household items, groceries, movies/music, office supplies, personal care products, pet supplies.
- Annual membership fee: N/A on Walmart.com
- Shipping options: Free two-day shipping on eligible items. Up to five days on all other items, shipped free on orders totaling $35 or more. Freight shipping is available for heavy or oversized orders, and cost is based on order size.
- Return policy: Varies by department. Most unopened items can be returned up to 90 days after purchase.
Additional perks: Online order/in-store pick-up available for most items. Walmart grocery app subscribers can place orders and schedule a pick-up time. A Walmart team member will load your groceries in your car's trunk for you. You can also get free shipping with no minimum order.
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3. My Best Buy
One of the leading online tech retailers, Best Buy now offers a range of Prime-like membership plans of its own. The best part? My Best Buy membership comes in three tiers, including a free basic plan, so you can scale the perks to your shopping habits and budget.
The free membership includes free standard shipping with no minimum purchase. TThat's right, one of Amazon Prime's leading perks is offered for free to My Best Buy members. Considering electronics are among the worst things to buy on Amazon, it's worth considering My Best Buy, even if you still go back to Amazon for your non-tech related shopping.
For additional perks beyond free standard shipping, you'll need to upgrade to My Best Buy Plus ($49.99 per year) or My Best Buy Total ($179.99 per year).
While the free plan only comes with one perk (free standard shipping, upgrading will get you access to additional perks like free 2-day shipping, exclusive member's only pricing and deals, extended return windows, and more.
Splurging on My Best Buy Total will get you two years of product protection on your devices, including complimentary AppleCare+ for your Apple devices.
- What Best Buy sells: Computers and tablets, TVs and home theater setups, smartphones, wearable tech, audio, musical instruments, car electronics and GPS, cameras, drones, movies and music, video games and more.
- Annual membership fee: $0 up to $179.99.
- Shipping options: Free standard shipping for all membership, free two-day shipping available in some areas for Plus and Total members.
- Return policy: An extended 60-day return and exchange window on most products for Plus and Total members.
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4. Newegg.com
Newegg. If you know the name, it seems almost pre-internet, or early internet. To anyone who shopped online for computers and computer peripherals in the early 2000s, yes, Newegg is still around, widening its retail horizon significantly.
Recently, Newegg launched its own membership program, called Newegg Plus, a free loyalty program. Newegg Plus gives members access to many benefits, including free shipping on most items, exclusive offers, member-only discounts, product warranty discounts, enhanced returns and a dedicated customer service line.
Plus, it still has that nerd-techie buzz, with dongles, PCs built specifically for gamers, and computer memory chips front and center on the home page. Oh, and did we say membership is free?
- What Newegg sells: Appliances, electronics, sports and fitness gear, household items, toys, office supplies, furniture and more.
- Annual membership fee: $0
- Shipping options: Free shipping on most orders.
- Return policy: Free returns on defective items only (30-day window). Some items will be marked with a 45-day return policy.
Additional perks: Exclusive offers for members only, member-only discounts, product warranty discounts and dedicated customer service. Look for promo discount codes adjacent to items you wish to buy. Another way to save is to shop the Newegg Certified Refurbish Outlet.
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5. Scribd for Audiobooks and e-Books
Readers dig Amazon Prime for its seemingly endless lineup of free eBooks and audiobooks, plus discounts when you buy them. “Seemingly endless,” that is, until you can’t find what you’re looking for in reading and listening. Fortunately, there are some great alternatives.
To start, it's always worth signing up to Libby. By singing up with your library card, the app gives you full access to your local library's entire eBook and audiobook collection.
But if your library doesn't have the title you're looking for, try Scribd, which Forbes likened to Netflix for booklovers.
Join Scribd for $11.99 a month after your 30-day free trial, and you can borrow an unlimited amount of reading material from the platform's pool that fans say runs way deeper than Amazon’s (even though Amazon began life as a bookstore).
Besides eBooks (some from top authors exclusive to Scribd), the service also carries audiobooks, podcasts, sheet music and magazines. You'll even get access to millions of community-uploaded documents, such as academic papers, legal documents, manuals, and more. Plus, subscribers get complimentary access to Everand and SlideShare too.
- What Scribd sells: eBooks, audiobooks, podcasts, sheet music and more
- Annual membership fee: $11.99 per month after free 30-day trial.
- Shipping options: N/A for Scribd.
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6. Barnes & Noble Annual Membership
One can never say enough good things about bookstores, from your town's independently-owned shop to the few chain giants left standing, including Barnes & Noble. Should you be fortunate enough to live near a bricks and mortar B&N, good on you.
If not, fear not. Barnes & Noble's annual memberships, including the free version and the premium version (just $39.99 for a full year) remain a good deal.
Sure, Amazon Prime offers physical books at great prices and with free shipping. But since you're leaving Amazon Prime (remember?), an annual membership to Barnes & Noble will get you many of the same perks when shopping for books, magazines, even toys, games, and knick knacks for the home.
There are a number of benefits to B&N membership. Namely, you can collect stamps with every purchase to redeem for cash rewards. You get 1 stamp for every $10 spent at the store or online, including any eBook or audiobook purchases. Once you reach 10 stamps, you can redeem them for $5 to spend on anything you want from Barnes & Noble.
If you upgrade to the Premium membership for $39.99 per year, you'll also get 10% off almost everything in the store, including items from the café and Paper Source stores.
Don't have a brick-and-mortar location near you? Premium members get free shipping with no order minimums and one free eBook every month. You also get early access to sales and events and exclusive deals not available to non-members.
- What Barnes & Noble sells: Books, gifts, magazines, home goods, music, and more
- Annual membership fee: $0 or $39.99 for an annual Premium membership.
- Shipping options: Free; no minimum purchase required with Premium membership
- Return policy: From Barnes & Noble: “We will issue a refund for the purchase price of the item plus any applicable taxes to your original form of payment for items returned within 30 days after the delivery date. All returned items must be in their original condition; shrink-wrapped products must be unopened.”
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7. ShopRunner.com
Looking for free two-day shipping and free returns? ShopRunner’s here. The members-only special deals site represents hundreds of retailers, many of them high-end names.
Basically, it's like Amazon Prime but for high-end retailers like Saks Off 5th, Neiman Marcus, Athleta, Bergdorf Goodman and countless more. You can browse the app or website by your favorite retailers and brands or browse by categories from apparel and shoes to jewelry and electronics.
Membership is free for the first year, then you'll pay $79 per year after that. It includes free two-day shipping at most retailers. Members also enjoy free returns, exclusive deals and more cool perks.
Here's the lowdown:
- What ShopRunner sells: The platform doesn't sell anything itself, but gathers thousands of products and deals from high-end retailers across the web. The selection includes designer apparel, jewelry, luggage, vitamins and supplements, and prescription glasses from more than 100 retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Cole Haan and Under Armour.
- Annual membership fee: $0 for the first year, $79 per year after that. The best way to sign up for ShopRunner is by enrolling with your eligible American Express card, which offers complimentary membership for as long as you have the card.
- Shipping options: Free two-day shipping with no minimum purchase at most participating stores.
- Return policy: Free. Each retailer under the ShopRunner banner has different return windows, from one week to one year.
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8. Target Circle 360
Like Walmart, Target has both brick & mortar locations and a significant online presence. And like Walmart Deals Days and Amazon Prime Day, Target has Circle Week, where you can get discounts on thousands of items.
As a Target Circle or Target Circle 360 member, you can enjoy Prime-like perks including access to exclusive deals and rewards. The basic Target Circle membership is free.
But if you want the best perks, you'll need to upgrade to Target Circle 360. You can try the premium membership free for 14 days. After that, you'll pay either $10.99 per month or $99 per year. Circle Card holders and college students can get the membership for half off.
With Circle 360, you'll get unlimited same-day delivery on orders over $35 from Target as well as other nearby retailers who participate in Shipt. If you don't need it same day, members also get free two-day shipping on thousands of eligible items on line.
- What Target sells: Small appliances, baby supplies, books, clothing, electronics, furniture, general household items, groceries, movies/music, office supplies, personal care products, pet supplies and more.
- Annual membership fee: $0 for Target Circle or $10.99 per month ($99 per year) for Target Circle 360.
- Shipping options: Free two-day shipping from Target and other Shipt-eligible retailers, unlimited same-day delivery on orders over $35..
- Return policy: With Target Circle 360, you get an extra 30 days on top of whatever the item's standard return window is. Most unopened items can be returned within 90 days of purchase. Electronics and entertainment items must be returned within 30 days of purchase. Mobile phones must be returned within 14 days of purchase. Apple products must be returned within 15 days of purchase.
Additional perks: Online order/in-store pick-up on most items. Pharmacy services, such as online prescription renewals, are available. Target app subscribers can place orders and select the drive-up/pick-up option. Upon arrival, a Target team member will load your car's trunk for you. Target Circle Card holders receive 5% off on purchases and early access to new product releases.
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9. Gap Rewards
Many brands share corporate ownership. Generally, this is more of interest to investors than shoppers, but for Gap shoppers, it matters. That's because one rewards membership gets you combined access to Gap, Athleta, Old Navy, and Banana Republic,” said Bodge.
Need to put $50 worth of items in your cart to qualify for free shipping? The ability to add products from Gap and its "sister sites" to one cart makes it easy to meet the minimum free shipping threshold, says smart shopping expert Trae Bodge of TrueTrae.
“These sites offer free shipping on orders of $50 or more. So if you need something from Gap and something from one of the other sister sites, you can score free shipping for yourself.”
Better yet, you'll also rack up points and rewards faster since you earn them on purchases at any of the sister sites. All of those points are pooled into one membership and can be redeemed at any of the sites.
Here's how it works: You can shop for something in the Gap site and add it to your shopping bag. Then switch over to, say, Banana Republic (there's a link at the top of the page), Athleta or Old Navy, add items for those brands to the shopping bag, then head to the checkout. All the items from the different sites land in one shared shopping bag. What's easier and more convenient?
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10. Loyalty programs from your favorite brands
Being loyal has its perks. More and more brands are now offering free loyalty programs that allow you to enjoy exclusive perks and rewards. Staying loyal could mean the same free shipping you've tapped Amazon Prime for and possibly other rewards.
“Another hack is joining loyalty programs where your membership qualifies you for free shipping,” says Bodge. “Bloomingdale’s, Converse, LL Bean, Nordstrom, Zappos, Apple, Dell, SmashBox and Nike are all examples of this.
By belonging to the loyalty program, you can get free shipping on your orders.” Remember, you may have to bag a minimum purchase to qualify for free shipping, which can vary from one store to the next. But if membership is free and it's a brand you already love, it doesn't hurt to sign up.
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