AARP Hearing Center
Among the myriad ways that Amazon has forever changed the way we shop, its Amazon Prime subscription service has trained us to expect fast, free shipping on anything we order online. Of course, Amazon Prime isn’t really free — you pay upfront for the service, which includes two-day (or faster) shipping on all orders. And, like many other things in 2022, the price of Prime membership is going up.
For new Prime members, the price has already increased from $119 to $139 per year. Existing members will see the $20 price hike in annual renewals, starting March 25. For monthly subscribers to Prime, the cost jumps to $14.99 per month from $12.99. If you’re a heavy user of Prime’s other services, such as streaming television and movies, photo storage and discounts at Whole Foods, Prime might still be a good deal.
“You have to look at how much you used the free shipping benefit and whether you were using other Prime benefits to see whether it’s still worth it to you,” says Kristin McGrath, of RetailMeNot, a coupons and deals company.
If, after such reflection, you decide to stop paying for Prime, that doesn’t mean you have to give up free shipping. There are plenty of other ways to get items delivered to your home without paying for freight. Here are seven methods to consider.
If you still want to order from Amazon…
It’s still possible to get free shipping on items you order from Amazon using the following tactics:
• Build an order worth at least $25