Is Amazon Prime worth it for you? Last day to lock in $79/year for new members.

Is an Amazon Prime membership worth it?

Ever since Amazon Prime went from $79.00 to $99.00, that's been a popular topic of discussion.  Well, I'm a numbers person, so let's do the math.

Shipping charges for non-Prime members start at $3.99 on Amazon; let's round that up to $4.00 and round up the $99.00 membership fee up to $100.00, just because round numbers are easier to manipulate.  That means that if you purchase 25 items or more over the course of the year, you will save money on Amazon Prime (25 x $4 = $100) . (Of course, this is not an exact calculation, because many items on Amazon cost more than $3.99 to ship and some items, like Subscribe & Save products, are free to ship.  But let's just guesstimate.)

Log into your Amazon account and click here to see how many items you purchased on Amazon in 2012 (look in the upper left hand corner) and then click here to see how many items you purchased in 2013.  Take an average of the two.  Did you buy more than 25 items on average per year on Amazon?  Then, even at $99.00, being an Amazon Prime member will save you money. 

If you're not a Prime member yet, here's how to lock in a grandfathered rate of $79.00 for the coming year for an Amazon Prime membership.  Today, 3/19/14, is the last day to lock in the old rate. 

Just sign up for the free 30-day Prime Trial here.  When your 30 days trial is up, your credit card will be charged $79.00 for your year long membership.  If you've decided that Amazon Prime is for you, this is a great way to dip a toe into the Amazon Prime membership pool, rather than to dive in at the new rate increase.

For me, Prime membership is still worth it, many times over. I average about 60 purchases over the course of the last two years and I don't want to have to worry about shipping charges when I come across a great deal.  I view my Prime membership the same way that I view my Costco membership:  an investment in saving money. 

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