Is Amazon Prime Still Worth It in 2024?

Anyone who's been a longtime member of a subscription service knows that inevitably, the price of the service will go up over time. At some point, however, you'll probably have to question whether or not the service is worth your money anymore. For many Amazon Prime subscribers, that time may have come and gone, but if you're on the fence, we have the details to help you decide.

Amazon last raised prices for its Prime membership program in 2022. Read on to see whether or not Prime is worth it at its current cost.

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Is Amazon Prime Worth It in 2024?

The Price of the Annual Prime Plan Increased by 17% in 2022

Amazon last raised Prime prices in February 2022. The cost for those who pay monthly jumped from $12.99 to $14.99, while the price of an annual membership went from $119 to $139 — a 17% increase.

SEE ALSO: What Deal Seekers Should Know About Amazon's 2024 Membership Cost

Amazon stated that this was the first time they've raised prices on Prime memberships since 2018, and called attention to "the continued expansion of Prime member benefits as well as the rise in wages and transportation costs." For new Prime members, these prices went into effect on February 18, while existing Prime members had to pay the new rates on their renewal date after March 25.

Those increases were basically the same as they were in 2018 — up $2 or $20, depending on your plan. That year, monthly costs went from $10.99 to $12.99, while yearly costs jumped from $99 to $119. Even though the price increase may have been the same overall, this latest change may have been harder to take, given that many consumers may still have been struggling to regain their financial footing as we headed into the third year of the coronavirus pandemic.

Amazon Is a Subject of Much Controversy

The news seemed to come at a time of growing controversy surrounding Amazon. It's been the subject of in-depth investigations in recent years, which have exposed employee hardships resulting from the detailed tracking of movements during the workday. There have also been extensive complaints about how errors have led to workers being shortchanged on paychecks, the loss of disability benefits, and more.

Amazon also faces some of the same criticisms that big box stores like Walmart have encountered. Namely, that the convenience of the platform has put strain on small, indie businesses that can't afford to be part of its marketplace — or for whom it's not practical. This has caused some businesses to claim they can't continue, a consequence that was exacerbated by the pandemic. In turn, some consumers have sworn off Amazon and pledged to support small businesses more by shopping locally or via their own platforms.

Prime Benefits Have Grown... Some

We previously listed several Prime benefits members can take advantage of. That list isn't substantially growing at this point, however. If you're interested in Amazon's own rundown, their website does lay out a number of Prime program perks, including the following:

• Same-day, 1-day, and 2-day delivery options
• Grocery delivery
• Popular movies and shows
• Music streaming
• Prime Reading
• Prime Try Before You Buy
• Key by Amazon in-home delivery

Other highlighted benefits include script savings in the form of free 2-day delivery and up to 80% off select prescriptions, as well as RxPass, a medication subscription service that costs an extra $5 and includes over 50 generic medications. For most of the benefits, though, it's hard to know to what extent they stretch until you sign up for Prime. Fortunately, you can give Amazon Prime a try for free for 30 days if you're not a member yet; that should give you a good idea of whether or not it's something you want to invest in fully.

How to Decide if Amazon Prime Is Worth It

While a Prime membership comes with a selection of perks, you can't assume that they'll always hang around — and they may not always be free. Some services that were initially free for Prime members would later require additional charges – Prime Video now charges an extra $2.99 a month for ad-free viewing, for instance. Here are other considerations that can help you decide whether Amazon Prime is worth your money.

SEE ALSO: 7 Ways to Score Amazon Prime Membership Deals

Will you use all of the perks if you purchase a Prime membership? If you only care about one or two things, the current price of $139 per year may not be worth it to your wallet.

How does your location factor in? If you live in a large city like New York City, you may find that ordering items from Amazon is easier than finding a local store to shop and then hauling your purchases home via the subway. But if you reside in a modest-sized city where you have to drive regularly, it may be easier and more cost-effective to just purchase items locally.

How quickly will you need your orders, generally speaking? Do you often remember an item you need at the last minute? Or do you tend to plan ahead? If you need items to be delivered quickly, then you may not want to shell out the price for a yearly Prime membership. Delivery dates can vary widely, depending on which distribution centers are fulfilling your orders. However, if you tend to plan ahead and think carefully before purchasing something from Amazon, then you may find the membership worth it in the long run.

Why do you want the membership in the first place? Is it just to receive free shipping? Is it the convenience of the platform? Maybe it's for the extras like Prime Gaming or Prime Day sale access, or all the viewing options on Prime Video.

What Are Amazon Prime's Competitors?

Amazon's obvious competitor is Walmart; a rivalry to rival any particularly famous set of rivals you care to imagine. Stocking almost anything you can think of, from groceries to electronics to bedding to toys, it also has the advantage of having physical locations for you to visit, if you like an old-school tactile experience. If you're shopping online, you can choose in-store pickup, pay $6.99 for shipping, or get free shipping with orders of $35 or more. Or...

Walmart's subscription service, its answer to Amazon Prime, comes with several perks: no-minimum free shipping on most orders (a $35 order minimum applies for grocery delivery); mobile scan and go; a gas discount, of 10 cents off per gallon from Exxon and Mobil or Walmart and Murphy; Paramount+ Essential video streaming; and a more convenient returns process, to name but a few. It costs $12.95 a month, or $98 a year for the annual plan, so it is cheaper than Prime, if its perks appeal to you.

These are yearly paid memberships at Best Buy, costing $50 and $180 respectively. The real benefit to these memberships is members-only discounts on thousands of items, including expensive electronics, which can often completely offset the cost of the membership. You'll also get an extended 60-day return window with both plans. Total members get extra perks including free AppleCare with most Apple products, 20% off repairs, and more. These plans are real contenders if you're considering buying a new MacBook or OLED TV.

Anyone considering a PC upgrade, whether that's a CPU, video card, RAM upgrade, or any of the other countless ways you can make your machine run that little bit better, should still consider Newegg.com. It'll often offer bundles on popular items for extra savings.

Scribd's Everand subscription service costs $11.99 a month, and provides access to three products: Everand, a library of eBooks, audiobooks, podcasts, magazines, newspapers, and sheet music; Scribd, which offers access to academic papers, legal documents, and user manuals; and SlideShare, allowing you to download presentations and professional content. It's basically competing with Kindle Unlimited and Audible by combining them into one subscription.

A Barnes & Noble premium membership costs $40 a year – for that, you get 10% off almost everything they sell, including audiobooks, no-minimum free shipping, one free eBook a month, a free tote every year of your subscription, a free upgrade to the next size of beverage in the cafe, and more. For the book lovers, this may be a no-brainer at a little over $3 a month.

If it's mostly Prime's free, fast shipping you're looking to replace, Shoprunner offers its members free 2-day shipping across several sites, including Bloomingdales, American Eagle Outfitters, Under Armour, Allbirds, Coach, Fanatics, and Kate Spade New York. During checkout at its partner sites, you'll see an option to sign in with Shoprunner to claim this.

Target recently unveiled a new tier to its Target Circle membership program, Target Circle 360. This costs $99 annually, and includes same-day delivery on orders over $35, free 2-day shipping on most items, an extra 30 days to return purchases (for a total of 120 days), and the ability to place same-day orders from dozens of retailers through the Shipt Marketplace. This is on top of the existing benefits from a free Target Circle membership, like members-only discounts. (New members get their first year for $49 – it also drops to $49 if you have a Target Circle Card.)

Ask an Expert: Is Prime Worth It?

The short answer is that it depends on your personal situation. Shopping on Amazon can feel like a chore unless you know the exact item you're looking for, and even then it can be overwhelming, depending on the quality and number of the product listings that show up. It's no secret that some sellers use the strategy of "keyword stuffing" to try and make their own products move up the ranks.

That being said, for many consumers the convenience just can't be beat. As with any other service, it's best to weigh your options and decide for yourself if a Prime membership is right for your situation.