40 Best Amazon Prime Benefits to Use in 2022
Amazon Prime membership will soon rise to $139 a year. Get your money's worth by following this guide to the best Prime perks to use for the rest of 2022.
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With annual Amazon Prime membership rates rising by 17% in 2022, it's even more important to think past free shipping, that initial lure for many of us to join the bargain-shopping online retailer Amazon.com (opens in new tab). That game-changing cornerstone was the very roots of Amazon Prime and its massive success beginning in the early 2000s.
Since then, we’ve found other perks, some hidden, of Amazon Prime membership offered to 200 million or so Prime subscribers worldwide who for the past four years have been paying $119 a year for membership, or $12.99 a month.
But with recent news that Amazon is raising its annual Prime membership by 17% to $139 in the coming weeks -- for members who pay monthly, the soon-to-be $14.99 a month means $180 a year -- you may be taking a hard look at the perks of membership. More so if you're shocked by recent news Amazon is shutting a bunch of its fairly new physical stores (see below). Still, this Amazon Prime journey we've put together may surprise you with some of today's best Amazon Prime benefits -- besides free two-day shipping (and that’s quickly becoming one-day, same day and in some locations, one-hour shipping).
Take a look at 40 of these perks that surround the free shipping of Amazon Prime.

Free Same-Day Delivery With Amazon Prime
Free two-day shipping is so 2005. That was the year Amazon launched Prime. Amazon Prime in the 2020s is all about getting more stuff to members at an ever-faster pace as Amazon builds more distribution centers.
Now there's this: Free same-day delivery. Free same-day delivery doesn't apply everywhere, mind you -- I'm no longer eligible since I moved to a more rural community in 2020 -- but more than 10,000 eligible cities and towns and counting is a fairly wide swath. If your zip code (which you can check out right here) offers same-day service, when you order before noon and choose the same-day shipping option at checkout, Amazon says the package will be delivered by 9 p.m. that night (Sundays included).
Two caveats: The same-day order must total $35 or more, and not every product Amazon stocks is eligible. If your same-day-delivery swag is under $35, Amazon will dock you a surcharge of three bucks, so you might want to slow your roll or bundle your buys. Oh, and if you don't have a Prime membership and want that certain somethin’-somethin’ delivered the same day, you can do so, but you'll be clipped $12.99 per item.
Also this: You can have gifts you buy on Amazon shipped directly to your giftee. Simply change the shipping address at checkout to their address (and remember to change it back to your address the next time you're shopping for yourself).
We also must address The Great Disruptor: COVID-19 and its variants. That’s certainly affecting product availability, staffing, and shipping. Amazon.com, like other retailers, is struggling with continuing supply chain issues in 2022.

Free Amazon Prime One-Day Delivery
You could shrug off that same-day delivery antsy-pants bother and wait a day to get your package. And why not? As we mentioned, it's quickly becoming the Amazon shipping standard (though Amazon's signature two-day delivery is still around). Free one-day is available coast-to-coast and the best part? There's no minimum purchase.
Still, some restrictions apply (as they say). To see if what you’re shopping for is one of the more than 10 million eligible items, filter your search by the term "get it tomorrow." The promise is you'll get it by 9 p.m. the next day, but cutoff times for that vary by zip code.

Get Paid for Amazon Prime No-Rush Delivery
If you’re not in an all-fire hurry you can get a little somethin'-somethin' for yourself, which is always a good thing. In the Amazon world, if you check no-rush shipping at checkout, Amazon will immediately reward you with free promotional swag, such as rewards toward buying eBooks, movies on Amazon Video, or Prime Pantry items (groceries and daily essentials). Alas, Amazon chooses the freebie; you don’t. Typical givebacks include a $5 credit toward purchases on Prime Now or Prime Pantry each time you choose no-rush shipping. Amazon promises your delivery will arrive within six business days but in my experience, it's far less than that. Oh, and in Amazon-speak, Amazon "will surface only one type of offer per order at checkout, either a reward or an instant discount." Here's more about free no-rush shipping.

Free Ultra-Fast Amazon Prime Grocery Delivery
You and your nestmates are hungry and the cupboards are bare. How fast can those groceries arrive? Ultrafast! You can tap into Amazon Prime’s free two-hour delivery of a vast array of groceries -- assuming you live close enough to a Whole Foods (remember, Amazon bought that supermarket chain in 2017).
Trained shoppers do the picking for you after you build your cart online. You schedule a two-hour delivery window, or if you want to pick up your goods at the store, you can schedule a one-hour pickup window. Whole Foods employees will have it bagged and ready for you in a jiff.

Amazon Prime Has Wardrobe You Can Try Before You Buy
Shedding the sweats for more office-appropriate outfits as businesses return to in-person? Amazon has you covered, so to speak. If you’re steering clear of the ghostly malls, consider Amazon Prime’s Try Before You Buy, which offers Prime members a chance to try before they buy. Because, well, when you go to a brick-and-mortar clothing store, you don't buy the clothes then try them on in the dressing room, do you? Because that's just weird.
Try Before You Buy is Prime's answer to the dressing room. Pick up to six items of clothing, shoes or accessories (making sure they have the Prime Wardrobe logo) and they'll be shipped for free and at no charge to you. You have seven days to try them on and check out what you want to buy. It's free to return anything you don't want to purchase, no questions asked. Your order comes in a resealable box with a prepaid return label. You just have to haul it over to a UPS outlet (or other Amazon pickup point, including Kohl's) and they'll take care of the rest.

Get Your Own Personal Shopper in Try Before You Buy
Having a tough time making critical wardrobe shopping decisions? Time for you to get a personal shopper. Specifically, Personal Shopper in Prime Try Before You Buy. Yes, Amazon will hook you up with a fashion expert to help outfit you smartly. That stylist will do the shopping for you, and is available for women's and men's departments The cost is a mere $4.99 per styling, and you can cancel the additional service at any time.

Give to Your Favorite Charity Using Amazon Prime
Go beyond the twofer shop and buy and give to your favorite registered charitable organization at the same time through Amazon Prime. Really. This charity-driven form of Amazon shopping is called AmazonSmile. Simply pick a charity you wish to receive donations from Amazon and do all of your Amazon.com shopping on your personal AmazonSmile page. It has the exact same products and prices as your regular Amazon.com page, and you can switch between your regular Prime account and AmazonSmile. Amazon will gently nudge you to AmazonSmile if you forget, but here's a hint: Just as you've bookmarked your regular Amazon.com account, you can bookmark your AmazonSmile account and toggle if you wish. There are more than a million eligible 501(c)(3) public charitable organizations to choose from, and the one you pick will receive 0.5% of the value of your eligible purchases (there are tens of millions of eligible products). I'm helping support Friends of Frying Pan Park Farm, a county park in northern Virginia that is a working farm interpreting farm life of the 1920s to the 1950s.

Amazon Prime Membership Sharing
Go ahead and share your Amazon Prime membership with your household via, well, Amazon Household. Here's the catch: Your Prime benefits can be shared with one other adult in a household -- as long as you both agree to share your payment methods (you link your accounts via Amazon Household). That’s fine for, say, a spouse or significant other, but giving your roommate access to your credit or debit card might be a deal-breaker. Your partner in Prime has to have a separate Amazon account to be able to be added to your Prime membership. You'll then be able to share certain Prime perks including free two-day shipping. Teens and younger children can also be added (up to four) but they endure parental-restricted access, praise be (younger children cannot buy anything on Amazon).

Access to Exclusive Brands on Amazon Prime
Amazon is aggressively expanding its private-label offerings -- an area that holds huge business potential, as we pointed out in our story about Costco's Kirkland Signature brands.
Amazon Elements (vitamins, nutritional supplements, baby wipes, etc.) products, for example, are already available only to Prime members, and the company is rolling out other exclusive private-label brands. Also unique about Elements: Scan a special code on the product -- using your Amazon Shopping app -- and you will see where every ingredient in the product was sourced, down to the water in the baby wipes.

Unlimited Photo Storage (Videos, Too) on Amazon Prime
Click away: Amazon Prime members get unlimited full-resolution photo-video storage in Amazon Photos. Yes, unlimited. Plus, you can add up to five others, as in family and friends. Photos are accessible from any device anywhere you can tap into your Amazon Prime account. If you're like me, doubling down by having an Amazon Prime account and paying Apple every month for cloud storage for those precious pix, it may be time to trim some costs.
FYI, Amazon users who aren't Prime members get 5GB of storage for photos and videos.
Want to store documents (PDFs, for example)? Utilize Amazon Drive. Want even more storage for all of this? You can buy it. Amazon also offers Amazon Photos customers the ability to buy storage plans billed monthly instead of the old way, yearly. 100GB plans go for $1.99 a month and 1TB plans sell for $6.99 a month.
Oh, and no worries about tagging photos. Amazon's scary servers will automatically sort your images. Want to free up storage on your phone? Use the Amazon app, upload your phone pix to Prime Photos and delete them from your phone. What could possibly go wrong?

Amazon Prime for Students
Now that most colleges and universities are back to in-person learning, here comes Amazon Prime Student, just right for sitting around the dorm room and streaming the next installment of "Ozark" or enjoying the free gaming during study breaks. It's free for the first six months with a legit ".edu" school email address (along with proof you’re actually taking at least one class; maybe not going to class, but taking it). The one-time-only free trial includes free two-day Prime shipping (ramen noodles and Doritos don't buy themselves), free same-day pickup, unlimited movie streaming, access to Amazon Music Unlimited for the bargain price of 99 cents per month and Showtime for the same price, and more. After six months it costs $6.49 a month (half the standard fee) or the less-expensive $59 a year for Prime Student. Oh, and you can buy textbooks for cheap. If textbooks are your jam.

Free Music from Amazon Prime
Why pay for ad-free Pandora, Spotify or Apple Music when you're already making beautiful music with your Amazon Prime account? Included in Amazon Music Prime is free access to more than 2 million “hand-curated” songs and thousands of playlists and stations programmed by Amazon's music experts at no additional cost. There’s also access to millions of podcast episodes.
The drawback? Music fans argue that Amazon's free playlists and stations aren't as deep as those of competing streaming services -- and it's true. Per Amazon: "The selection of songs and albums available with Prime Music is always changing. New titles are added to the Prime Music catalog, and occasionally titles are removed." But before you fork over an extra $9.99 a month for Apple Music or Spotify, download Amazon's music app and take it for a test run. It might be all you need. If not, an upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited, which features more than 75 million songs including new releases, runs $7.99 a month for Prime members, and Amazon runs deals giving you 30 days gratis, so you can try before you buy.

Free Books, Magazines, Audiobooks on Amazon Prime
You don't need a public library to get a free loaner when you have Amazon Prime. That's because the cost of an Amazon Prime membership includes access to a fairly wide collection of 1,000 books, magazines and audiobooks nestled in Prime Reading. Prime Reading allows you or your household to borrow up to 10 titles at a time and from a selection of Kindle books, magazines, short works, books with Audible narration, comics, and more. The available content is updated periodically, says Amazon, and titles are added and removed. Prime Reading can be viewed on Amazon's proprietary Fire tablet and Kindle e-reader, or via the Kindle reading apps for iOS and Android.
As a bonus, Prime members also get free access to certain podcasts (hey, check out Kiplinger's Your Money's Worth there) and other audiobooks and series through Audible Channels, a limited version of Audible (which is owned by Amazon, BTW). You need to download the Audible app and log in with your Prime account to start listening. Otherwise, a subscription to the full version of Audible costs $14.95 a month (there’s a 30-day free trial).

Binge on Your Favorite Shows with Amazon Prime
From Amazon-produced original movies, such as "Being the Ricardos" or “The Tender Bar” to Amazon streaming series including “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” you’ll have plenty to binge. And if we've learned anything during the lockdown, it's how to binge -- everything.
Yes, I am increasingly taking advantage of watching free movies and TV series via Amazon's streaming service, Prime Video. If you have a newer TV, the Prime Video app comes built in, so click on it and boom! Hooray for Hollywood! Oh, and don't you worry. While you're watching Prime Video, Amazon is watching you. The "personal recommendations based on your viewing history" can be both creepy and convenient.
You can even download movies and TV shows to mobile devices for later viewing (and what you buy, you keep in Your Video Library at Amazon). Cable TV and satellite cord-cutters may be pleased to know they can binge on Showtime, Starz and many more streaming services via the Amazon Prime app. Additional fees for those channels run from $4.99 to $14.99 a month for Prime members. Oh, and if you're looking for HBO on Amazon Prime, sorry. Amazon booted HBO as of Sept. 15. Ouch!

Early Access to Lightning Deals on Amazon Prime
You like your deals fast and hot. And you want to be at the front of the pack getting them. Amazon Prime members enjoy access to those one-off, deeply discounted (and in short supply) Lightning Deals 30 minutes before everyone else. Lightning Deals are only good for a few hours (or as long as supplies last) so if you really want what's on sale the early access is an advantage. But even then, Amazon warns that some deals could sell out during the early access period, before opening up to the general public.

Say Hey to Alexa to Access Amazon Prime
If you own an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot or any of Amazon's voice-activated Alexa devices, your Prime membership allows you to place orders through Alexa, the voice-activated digital assistant. For example, if you just forgot to buy batteries for a "batteries not included" birthday gift, say "Alexa, order AA batteries" and a 20-pack of AmazonBasics will arrive on your doorstep two days later. Shipping is free for Prime members, naturally, and Alexa is already aware of your Prime status. Say "Alexa, what are your deals?" to learn about special Alexa-only discounts. Side note: You can also have Alexa sing “Happy Birthday” to you or you can have her tell a (corny) joke.

Whole Foods Discounts and Delivery with Amazon Prime
Amazon purchased the Whole Foods supermarket chain in the summer of 2017. Since then, shoppers have been able to order on Amazon.com the upscale grocer's private-label products, including those from 365 Everyday Value, Whole Paws and Whole Catch, and other items. Amazon also rolled with free two-hour delivery of groceries from Whole Foods to Prime members in select cities. Until recently, delivery had been free. Now, Amazon/Whole Foods is charging $9.95 per delivery. And that's on top of your annual Prime membership.
Still, Amazon gives Prime members an extra 10% off on sale items at Whole Foods stores (look for the yellow signs) plus other seasonal deals. To receive the discount, in-store shoppers must download the Whole Foods Market app to their phone, log in with their Prime account and have the code scanned on their phones at checkout. The Whole Foods Market app will also alert Amazon Prime shoppers to exclusive in-store deals; virtual coupons, don't you know?
You can also have any of your online Amazon.com orders shipped to Whole Foods stores that have Amazon Lockers (see below). You can also do Amazon.com returns at Whole Foods for free, no box or label needed.

Fun With the Amazon Prime Treasure Truck
Amazon has wheels: A fleet of bubble-blowing, music-spewing panel trucks that once roamed the streets in more than two dozen U.S. cities, hauling hot deals on cool items. You'd get a text alert about the day's hot item, buy it online with your Prime membership and hoof it over to the Amazon Treasure Truck to pick up your treasures and have a little fun.
Well, you used to. And maybe in the future you will again. The actual physical trucks are offline doing community service during the pandemic. For the time being, Treasure Truck signer-uppers experience a virtual TT: you still geta daily text about Treasure Truck deals but you don’t visit the actual truck; you score the deals online.
Here’s the four-wheel deal when they get rolling again:
First rolled out in 2016 in Seattle, Amazon's hometown, Treasure Trucks were in 29 major U.S. cities and metro areas, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Tampa, and Washington, D.C., getting all hip selling tech trends, outdoor essentials, fresh foods including giant porterhouse steaks, the latest Nintendo releases and more. You use the Amazon app (or sign up for text notifications) to see what the day's deals are on your local Treasure Truck (or in the city you're visiting), and make your purchase with the app by clicking "I want this." You'll get a confirmation email that will also tell you where the Treasure Truck is parked (think Whole Foods). It's your job to go claim your purchase. Warning: You may see dancers, costumed characters and dogs, games and more at the tricked-out TT, but expect that at a later time, givenwhat with social distancing at the moment.
So for now, Amazon is still texting you the Treasure Truck deal of the day, and if you buy it, it will be shipped to your favorite place for receiving Amazon packages.

Free Release-Date Delivery via Amazon Prime
Are you waiting for that hot new video game, book (yes, we still love print), or movie, or the latest jam from your favorite band? Get it by 7 p.m. the day it's released, courtesy of Amazon Prime.
Maybe you're looking forward to Metroid Prime 4 for Nintendo Switch, which will be released Dec. 31. Choose "release date delivery" when you make your purchase and, hello, Primer, you're among the first to be checking out something hot and fresh.

Amazon Prime Day Deals
For many Amazon customers, it’s all about Prime Day. Amazon.com launched its Black-Friday-in-July Prime Day back in 2015, ostensibly to celebrate its 20th anniversary. In reality, Prime Day (or really, day-or-two) is a way for Amazon to juice sales in the summer, when consumers tend to spend more time on vacation and less time in stores and online. Amazon tries to grab the attention (and dollars) of its 100 million Prime members worldwide by offering them exclusive deals on Prime Day itself, as well as in the days leading up to the big event.
Prime Day 2021 returned to summer after successfully rolling in October in 2020 because of a pandemic-related delay. It was June 21 and 22 for 2021 (Prime Day 2022 has yet to be announced). As is typical, Prime members got red-hot deals on a smorgasbord of gadgets and geegaws, especially on Amazon's proprietary products including Alexa-activated devices. You have to be a Prime member to buy, but news flash: You can sign up for a 30-day free trial. Some shoppers cancel after Prime Day and before the 30 days are up to dodge the $119-a-year Prime membership fee. Just sayin'.

Easy Re-Ordering on Amazon Prime
Sometimes, you just forget. You forget where you purchased the water filter for your fridge, and when it's time to get it replaced. Or you forget where (and when) you bought those fading off-brand, discount (but excellent) replacement ink cartridges for your printer. Or you just want to do price comparisons on those items between Amazon and the manufacturer's online store. Prime has you covered.
Click on the Orders button at the top of your Amazon.com page (near the cart). It will take you to the Your Orders page and will default to show you your purchases from the last six months. You can also go back to the very first order you made. My first order was on Oct. 24, 2007, and it was a schizophrenic cart containing an electric toothbrush, a 24-pack of canned salsa, a book (In the Shadow of No Towers) and a pack of replacement heads for the new toothbrush. Please don't judge; I was learning.

Free Amazon Prime Delivery to Your Car
Amazon has this delivery option paused due to the COVID-19 crisis, but when it restarts, if you own a certain make and model car, Amazon will deliver your Prime packages to your car instead of your front porch, the better to deter porch thieves. Starting off in 37 cities, the service is only available for 2015 or later Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC vehicles that have active OnStar accounts or Volvos with active Volvo on Call accounts. Select Ford, Lincoln, Honda and Acura vehicles are also part of the pack.
If you have an eligible vehicle, you'll need to download the Key by Amazon app, which will give the delivery driver access to your ride. Amazon said the car must be parked in an “open, street-level, and publicly accessible area.” Depending on the type of vehicle it is and how much space is available, the package will be stowed in the trunk or the cabin.
The rest is done by voodoo. You'll get a four-hour window notification of delivery, you'll be notified when the driver arrives, the driver will notify Amazon, your car will be unlocked, package inserted, car locked and you're notified again.

In-Home Amazon Prime Delivery When You're Not Home
This one is also on pause during the coronavirus pandemic, but in-home deliveries by Amazon when you’re not home will likely restart at some point. Here’s how it works: You outfit your home with an Amazon-enabled smart lock and camera (Ring, owned by Amazon, works, too). If your residence is in one of the 50 metropolitan areas where Key by Amazon delivers in this manner, you’ll be able to allow delivery drivers to drop your package inside your home using the Key by Amazon app. You just have to fork over a couple of hundred bucks to outfit your home with a special Amazon kit that includes a smart lock and an in-home camera to eyeball the delivery. Again with Key by Amazon, you'll be notified when the delivery is about to be made, and remotely unlock your door. The package is placed just inside your door and you notice this because you're watching, remotely, through that camera via your mobile device. You'll spend around $220 (plus installation fees if you're not comfortable installing the smart lock) for this one-time setup.

In-Garage Amazon Prime Delivery When You’re Not Home
Also driven by the Key by Amazon app, Key by Amazon In-Garage Delivery is not on hold during the pandemic, and is touted by Amazon as a perfect contactless delivery method to keep your purchases safe from porch pirates. It’s free for Prime members and available in more than 4,000 cities. You can even have your Whole Foods Market and Amazon Fresh groceries left in your garage.
Here’s how it works: Drivers get temporary access to open your garage door when the Amazon delivery app confirms the driver’s identity and delivery route. The vetted drivers are instructed to go no more than 5 feet inside your garage to drop off the package. You can also follow their moves via an optional in-garage camera.
See if your garage door opener will play nice with Amazon Key for Garage. If it is not and you still want the service, you can install a myQ smart garage hub to make your garage compatible with Key by Amazon.

Amazon Prime In-Gate Delivery When You’re Not Home
This is a newer one from Amazon: In-Gate Delivery from Key by Amazon. Designed for single-family homes with gated driveways or fences with electronic locks, as well as small apartment complexes. You'll need the Ring Access Controller Pro and the Key by Amazon app to allow Amazon drivers access to your locked gate so they can safely secure your package behind the locked gate.

Take Your Amazon Prime Returns to Kohl's
You don't have to box up that return and trudge to a UPS or Amazon Hub store. Amazon.com partners with Kohl's department stores to provide Amazon shoppers (and their giftees, with a receipt) with another place to return their Amazon products -- and stir up some foot traffic for Kohl's.
That makes it a win-win for both retailers. Amazon shoppers have another place to drop off returns besides UPS stores, and Kohl's will gain some potential shoppers, who must drop off their Amazon returns at customer service. Why is it a win for Kohl's? In my experience, the customer service desks at Kohl's are deep inside the store (or at some Kohl's, it's in the back of the second level of the store). That's a whole lot of potential merch to pass by as you drop off the Amazon package and leave the store.

Use Amazon Hub Locker for Safe Delivery
Whether receiving or returning, Amazon Hub Locker is a nice perk for Prime shoppers who live in areas plagued by porch pirates. Amazon-owned Whole Foods stores and other retailers have the self-serve locker kiosks installed. They're free to use for picking up items or returning them.
Here's the drill: Sign into your Amazon account and find the closest Amazon Locker to you. Put that address in your address book and choose it as the default delivery site for your goods when you check out and pay for your order. When the package is delivered, you'll receive a code to unlock the locker. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Pick Up or Return Your Amazon Prime Purchase at an Amazon Hub
It’s not just Kohl’s getting into the return-your-Amazon-buys-at-my-store business. Small retailers are getting in the game now for many of the same reasons, including ginning up foot traffic so Amazon shoppers might buy something from their store.
Here’s how it works: A retailer (or apartment complex) reaches out to Amazon to become an Amazon Hub store. As a hub, shoppers can return as well as pick up orders at that Hub. That way the Amazon shopper doesn't have to worry about porch pirates. Their Amazon order is safely tucked into the Hub store. Don’t like your Amazon order? Just like at Kohl’s, you can take your order to the Hub location and they’ll pack it up and return it to Amazon, all at no charge to you (as a Prime member, returns on most products are free).
That Hub station owner just hopes you might have a look-see at the items they’re selling and maybe buy a thing or two -- and tell your friends about the service.
Hub partners also have the option of just playing host to an Amazon Locker, such as the ones many Whole Foods, malls and other retailers have.

Speed Gifts to Friends, Family Using Amazon Prime
If you're not at all concerned about gift-wrapping presents during the holidays or on birthdays and anniversaries, you can fast-gift family and friends via Amazon Prime (and, of course, with free two-day shipping). Add their address to your Amazon address book, shop, and when you're paying for your cart, choose their address as the default shipping destination. Just remember to change the default address back to your home when shopping for yourself.

Shop Women-Owned Businesses Featured on Amazon Prime
Here's a discovery: You can shop at women-owned businesses in the Amazon world to give budding female entrepreneurs a boost. The service is available on Amazon Storefronts, and offerings include everything from clothing and spa goods to books and party supplies.

Make Any Day Your Amazon Prime Delivery Day
Now you can tell Amazon what day (or two) of the week you prefer to get your Prime deliveries. This one is especially good if you subscribe to items on Amazon.com for regular delivery, or if you want to be home when your packages arrive, or if you want to cut down on packaging, or if you just want to say “hey” to the delivery driver. Tell Amazon which day of the week you designate as Amazon Day and they'll lock it in. You can choose up to two Amazon Days.

Amazon Prime Discounts at Physical Amazon Stores
And you thought Amazon was just an online shopping site. Say hello to Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh, two (soon to be three; see next slide) from-scratch brick-and-mortar store concepts from the retail giant. That is, of course, in addition to Whole Foods, an Amazon acquisition, but we already told you that.
But before we get there, note that Amazon is severely downsizing its collection of bricks and mortar stores in 2022. It will be shuttering more than 60 Amazon 4-Star and Amazon Books stores, retrenching to internet sales while beefing up its food stores outside of Whole Floods, including:
Amazon Go stores, which sell already assembled, ready-to-eat meals and snacks for breakfast, lunch and snack time. The stores are true grab-and-go. There are no registers. Shoppers use the free Amazon Go app and scan it at the entrance to get in the gate, then scan the QR code of items they want, bag them and leave the store. Your Amazon account will be automatically charged. There are currently 26 Amazon Go stores (two are temporarily closed), in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and Seattle.
Amazon Fresh (formerly Amazon Go Grocery) stores, which are small fresh food markets offering produce, meats and seafood, as well as prepared foods made fresh in the store. There are currently 23 Amazon Fresh stores.

New for 2022: Amazon Style, a High-Tech Fashion Store
We just told you about Amazon Go and the rest of Amazon’s physical stores. Now comes Amazon Style, a new, high-tech, high-fashion brick-and-mortar store from Amazon. Browse for the latest Amazon-exclusive styles, get an idea of what you want, then unlock your private dressing room door with the Amazon shopping apps. Inside, you’ll be greeted by personalized signage where you can scroll through screens of clothing, and if you see items you like, you can order them to appear in a closet inside the dressing room, where you can try them on or take them to the register where they are bagged and you walk out the door without paying. That’s automatically done in the app. Oh, and clothing in the store is for display only; you won’t find racks and racks of clothes.
The first Amazon Style store, which will feature clothing, shoes and accessories for men and women, will open in Los Angeles later this year. You can check out the concept on this video from Amazon.

Game for Free and Score Loot Using Amazon Prime
Prime Gaming is the place to be if you’re a gamer and you have Amazon Prime. You can play online games for free, and you can even up your game with free loot. New this month: Jedi Fallen Order. Or how about upgrading your Madden Ultimate team or get the Kosatka Submarine Station in Grand Theft Auto online? Other offers include playing “Hole.io” ad-free for 21 days and power-up bundles for free on several games. You also get a free monthly channel subscription on Twitch.TV, the live streaming platform for gamers. It’s owned by Amazon.

Make Amazon Your Prime Prescription Drugstore
Here’s a fresh one in the Amazon Prime lineup: Amazon Pharmacy. Amazon will take over delivering your prescriptions within two days, for free. Amazon promises more savings, too, but you’ll want to check to see if your scripts are less expensive at Amazon Pharmacy compared to your current pharmacy or online service.
Side note: It’s kinda creepy that as I’m writing this, an email just came into my personal inbox from Amazon.com. The subject: “Your new pharmacy is here."

Shop Used in the Amazon Prime Warehouse
Amazon Warehouse: Where all the things you returned to Amazon go to be resold. Here you’ll find millions of used and open-box items sold at bargain prices. Those items range from used home and kitchen goods and computers to Amazon devices, digital cameras, TVs and unlocked cell phones.

Head Over to The Shop by ShopBop for Designer Deals
You can find designer work-from-home gear in The Shop by Shopbop on Amazon. Amazon bought the Wisconsin-based fashion retailer in 2006, and The Shop by Shopbop offers stylish clothing, shoes, designer goods, accessories and bags.

Hoof It to Zappos and Get Premium Shipping
Betcha didn’t know Amazon also owns online shoe giant Zappos, did you? If you link your Amazon Prime account with your Zappos account, you’ll earn two Zappos shopping points for every $1 you spend. That’s twice what run-of-the-mill Zappos VIPs earn.

Amazon Kids+
Amazon Kids+ is the equivalent of the kids’ table at family gatherings, but with a lot more fun stuff to do. The all-in-one subscription means access to books, movies, games, educational apps and more, all kid-friendly. It’s an added Prime member cost of $2.99 a month, after a one-month free trial.

Become an Amazon Prime Insider
When you sign up for Amazon Prime, you become a Prime Insider, and as everyone knows, insiders have secrets to share. We just shared a bunch of secrets to many of the perks of Amazon Prime membership you might not have known about. But by keeping up your Prime Insider status by reupping with Amazon Prime, you’ll get news of exclusive deals only for Prime members on the Prime Insider page, plus how-to guides, shopping tips, information on what’s new in video, and much more.
Bob is a Senior Online Editor at Kiplinger.com. He has more than 40 years of experience in online, print and visual journalism. Bob has worked as an award-winning writer and editor in the Washington, D.C., market as well as at news organizations in New York, Michigan and California. Bob joined Kiplinger in 2016, bringing a wealth of expertise covering retail, entertainment, and money-saving trends and topics. He was one of the first journalists at a daily news organization to aggressively cover retail as a specialty, and has been lauded in the retail industry for his expertise. Bob has also been an adjunct and associate professor of print, online and visual journalism at Syracuse University and Ithaca College. He has a master’s degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a bachelor’s degree in communications and theater from Hope College.
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Disputed Capital Gains Tax Upheld by Washington Supreme Court
The state’s controversial tax on individual long term capital gains is projected to bring in $1 billion over the next two years.
By Kelley R. Taylor • Published
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Protect Your Retirement: Seven Things You Can Do Right Now
Whether you’re preparing to retire or already retired, a proactive plan is critical to help safeguard your retirement, especially amid uncertainty.
By Jessica Cervinka, IAR • Published
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The 10 Cheapest Countries to Visit
Despite inflation, there are some areas where the strong dollar will definitely work in your favor. Travel, for example... we find the cheapest places to visit around the world.
By Quincy Williamson • Published
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Amazon launches RxPass — its new subscription service for medication
Amazon's new program, RxPass, lets Prime members ship prescription medications to their homes for just $5 a month.
By Erin Bendig • Published
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The 6 Safest Vanguard Funds to Own in a Bear Market
recession Batten the hatches for continued market tumult without eating high fees with these six Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds.
By Kyle Woodley • Published
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Drone Delivery Takes Off for Amazon and Walmart
Communities are already seeing items delivered by drones from Amazon Prime and Walmart.
By Bob Niedt • Published
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New RMD Rules: Starting Age, Penalties, Roth 401(k)s, and More
Making Your Money Last The SECURE 2.0 Act makes major changes to the required minimum distribution rules.
By Rocky Mengle • Published
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How 12 Types of Retirement Income Get Taxed
retirement Don't forget about taxes on your pensions and other retirement income while planning for your golden years.
By Joy Taylor • Last updated
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A New Amazon Returns Location: Staples
A pilot program makes Staples another place for customers to drop off Amazon returns for packaging and shipment.
By Bob Niedt • Published
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The 25 Cheapest Places to Live: U.S. Cities Edition
places to live Take a look at our list of the cheapest places to live in America for city dwellers. Is one of the cheapest places to live in the U.S. right for you?
By Dan Burrows • Last updated