Why an Amazon Prime membership is a holiday essential
There's an upcoming sale at Amazon that holiday shoppers won't want to miss, but you have to be a Prime member to shop it. The Prime Early Access Sale, which will run from October 11 through 12, will offer deals on digital items and products that are "particularly relevant for the holiday season," according to Vice President of Amazon Prime Jamil Ghani.
If that's not reason enough to sign up for Prime, read on for more information why an Amazon Prime membership is a must-have holiday essential.
Top products in this article:
Amazon Prime membership, $14.99 per month or $139 per year
Amazon Prime Video, $8.99 per month
Amazon Music Prime, $7.99 per month
Products from top brands including New Balance, Philips SonicCare, Murad, Peloton and Caudalie will be discounted during Amazon's Prime Day-like event this month. And there are already deals to be found ahead of time, like on these highly rated robot vacuums.
Here are five of the best benefits to an Amazon Prime membership.
1. Amazon Prime subscribers get members-only deals
As mentioned, the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale is coming up. It's a great opportunity to get your holiday shopping done on the cheap. You can preview the sale by tapping the button below.
But Amazon also has a Stock Up and Save promotion going on now for Prime members. The new program applies a hefty markdown on top-rated household essentials from your favorite Amazon brands. Prime members only need to make a qualifying purchase of $50 or more. The program automatically unlocks a 20% discount once your cart reaches $50 worth of eligible items.
Save on Amazon Basic Care, Amazon Basics, Happy Belly, Solimo, Kitzy, Mama Bear, Presto!, WAG, Wonder Bound, Amazon Elements and more now. (The maximum discount is $100.)
Plus, there are Prime member-exclusive deals available daily. Shop them below.
2. Fast and free delivery for last-minute Christmas gifts
Enjoy free same-day, one-day and two-day delivery on millions of items with Amazon Prime, which is ideal for last-minute holiday shoppers. Or, if you find yourself shopping throughout the week, you can pick a weekly Amazon Day for all of your shopping to be delivered, so you don't end up with too many bags and boxes to dispose of. And if that's not enough, subscribers close enough to an Amazon Fresh supermarket can get free two-hour grocery delivery on a wide selection of fresh ingredients.
Amazon packages and groceries can even be delivered directly into your garage for free without having to share your garage code. Drivers can get one-time verified access to your garage by scanning your package. Learn more about in-garage delivery and get a $20 Amazon credit when you give it a try.
Amazon Prime membership (1 year), $139
3. Prime Video Originals to watch this
Amazon Prime comes with the streaming service Prime Video, which has tons of free movies, shows and even live sports to watch, which is especially ideal when you have extra spare time over the holiday season. The current library includes Amazon Originals such as "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Hanna," "The Legend of Vox Machina" and more.
And that's not all -- NFL fans should know that Amazon Prime Video is now the exclusive home to "Thursday Night Football."
(Interested in just Prime Video? Amazon has a $8.99 per month subscription plan for that.)
4. Deals at Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh
If you're a Whole Foods shopper, you'll love taking advantage of those special deals marked with blue Prime member signs in stores, especially when shopping for big holiday meals. Those who live near an Amazon Fresh supermarket can take advantage of similar, Prime Member only deals.
Prime members also get 10% off online and in-store sale prices (excluding alcohol). Enjoy Prime two-hour grocery delivery (at an extra fee) and free one-hour pickup from your local store (available in select cities).
Amazon Prime membership (1 year), $139
5. Amazon Music Prime
Amazon Prime members get access to thousands of stations and playlists with Amazon Music Prime, plus 2 million songs to listen to. So throw on a holiday playlist and get in the spirit.
You can even listen while offline, with unlimited skips. Amazon Music Unlimited, with access to 75 million songs, is also available for $7.99 per month. (A 30-day free trial is available.)
Related content from CBS Essentials:
- The best robot vacuum deals on iRobot Roomba, Roborock and more ahead of Amazon's October Prime Day sale
- Amazon Toys We Love List: The most popular and best toys of the 2022 holiday season, according to Amazon
- Apple Watch Ultra and Apple AirPods Pro 2 are available at Amazon, and one is actually on sale
- Apple AirPods Pro 2 have only been out for a week, but Amazon is already discounting them
- How to build an Amazon gift list for the holidays
