All Your Amazon Questions, Answered

Can you get Prime for free? Can you share Prime benefits with friends? How do you contact Amazon Customer Service? We've got all the answers you need.

Updated September 4, 2020

BY:
JULIE RAMHOLD

Senior Staff Writer/Consumer Analyst

Many shoppers turn to Amazon for everything from electronics to groceries. But the site can be difficult to navigate, and the list of Prime services just keeps growing.

To help you sort through it all, we're answering all your questions about Amazon here.

How Much Is Amazon Prime?

The standard Amazon Prime price is $119 per year, or $12.99 per month. You'll pay about $9.92 each month on the annual plan.

Can You Get Free Amazon Prime?

The easiest way to get free Prime is to sign up for a trial on Amazon's website. It only takes a few minutes, and you'll have free Prime for 30 days. At end of your trial, you can choose to continue your subscription or cancel without paying a dime.

See more ways to get free Amazon Prime here.

Can You Get a Deal on Amazon Prime Membership?

While several money-saving options exist, college students will have the easiest time getting a discount on Amazon Prime. There are two special incentives for students:

A 6-month trial of Amazon Prime Student
Special Prime Student pricing of only $6.49 per month or $59 per year once your free trial ends

Read about other ways to score deals on an Amazon Prime membership here.

Can You Share Amazon Prime?

Yes, you can. Amazon Prime members have the ability to set up an Amazon Household, which makes it easy to share Prime with family. You can also set up a Household with friends or roommates. However, this might not be the easiest thing to manage. Sometimes it's easier to just give someone their own Amazon Prime membership.

How Do You Set Up an Amazon Household?

Sign in to your Amazon account.
Hover over "Account & Lists" (under your name) at the upper-right side of the Amazon homepage.
Click "Your Account."
Scroll down to the "Shopping programs and rentals" box and click "Amazon Household."
Click "Add Adult."
Have the second adult sign in with their email or mobile number, and their Amazon password. Then you can verify the second adult's account.
Agree to share payment methods and create the Household.
Decide what kinds of digital content you want to share within your Household.

What Do You Get With Amazon Prime?

Prime members receive a variety of special delivery options, as well as access to Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, Prime Wardrobe, and other Prime-exclusive offers.

Read about all the Prime benefits here.

What Is Amazon Pantry?

Amazon Pantry is a subscription service that allows Prime members to shop for a variety of groceries and household products. The items come in the same sizes you'd find at your local store.

What Is Amazon Prime Now?

Prime Now is Amazon's 2-hour delivery service that's exclusively available for Prime members. First launched in Manhattan in 2014, Prime Now is currently available in more than 50 U.S. cities.

How Does Amazon Prime 2-Day Shipping Work?

Prime members receive free 2-day shipping on eligible items shipped to addresses in the 48 contiguous United States (Alaska and Hawaii are out of luck).

Remember that if your item is out of stock or can't be shipped immediately, your 2-day window doesn't open until the product actually ships.

What Is Amazon Prime Reading?

Amazon Prime Reading offers Prime members unlimited reading opportunities, with access to over a thousand free eBooks, magazines, comics, Kindle Singles, and other types of material. You can read anytime and anywhere, thanks to the Kindle app.

What's on Amazon Prime Video?

Amazon Prime Video is included with Prime membership, though you can also purchase a standalone subscription for $8.99 per month. It provides access to movies and TV shows — including Prime Originals — at no additional cost. Plus, now Prime Video includes access to live events.

What Is Amazon Prime Music?

Amazon Prime Music is a free service that's included with your Prime membership, whether you're an annual or monthly subscriber. It offers over 2 million songs for streaming online or via your Alexa device.

Note that Amazon Music Unlimited is a separate service, but Prime members pay a discounted rate of $7.99/month.

When Is Prime Day?

Amazon hasn't announced the dates for Prime Day 2020 yet. We expect it to fall sometime during the fourth quarter, so sometime in October, November, or December.

What Are Amazon Lightning Deals?

Amazon Lightning Deals are limited-time promotions that are further limited to one per customer. The items have set quantities, so Lightning Deals end when the promotion period runs out or the item sells out, whichever comes first.

What Are Amazon Add-On Items?

Add-On items are smaller products offered at very affordable prices — usually under $10. But there's a catch: you'll need to spend a minimum of $25 to have them shipped to you. They're marked with a blue "Add-on item" banner.

How Do You Find Amazon Coupons?

Did you know Amazon has a page where they list all the available coupons? You'll find offers for both individual items and product categories. You can browse by department, and filter the results by most popular, expiring soon, or even discount percentage.

Can You Get Free Shipping on Amazon Without Prime?

Any customer can shop on Amazon and receive free shipping. To do so, you just need to look for products that have "FREE Shipping" noted next to the price. (Yep, it's in all caps.)

Then, add at least $25 worth of eligible items to your cart. Select free shipping during checkout, complete your order, and wait for items to arrive in 5 to 8 business days.

How Does Amazon Trade-In Work?

Go to Amazon's Trade-In page and select the items you want to sell. You'll answer a few questions about your device's condition, then Amazon will give you a trade-in value range. The amount you'll actually get depends on the condition of the item (which Amazon decides).

Box your item up, stick the label on, and drop it off at the nearest UPS Store. You have seven to 14 days to send in your stuff, depending on what you're trading in.

How Does Amazon Textbook Buyback Work?

Unfortunately, as of April 1, 2020, Amazon ended its textbook buyback program. There was no announcement made regarding why, but it's speculated that the reasoning was due to counterfeit textbooks as well as amassing a huge inventory from buying back. Amazon has been pushing for textbook rentals because as a result.

Can You Get Free Stuff on Amazon?

Aside from free trials, you can snag free things on Amazon if you take advantage of its promotional credits. Sadly, there isn't a handy page that lists all of the current offers. But if you know where to look, you can keep your eyes open when you're shopping.

How Do You Enter an Amazon Giveaway?

This is another program that Amazon ended, though it did so in October 2019. It's a disappointing move, as Amazon giveaways were easy to enter, requiring only that you click on a box image, watch a short video, or following someone on Amazon Follow.

What if My Amazon Package Is Late?

If the guaranteed delivery date provided on the checkout page was missed, then you could be eligible for a refund or credit.

Check first to see that the refund requirements are met: Are you shipping to an eligible address via an eligible shipping method? Then go to the contact page to report any Amazon delivery delays.

Learn what to do about a missing Amazon package here.

How Can I Contact Amazon Customer Service?

Log in to your Amazon account.
Scroll all the way down the homepage.
Under "Let Us Help You," click "Help."
Under "Browse Help Topics," click "Need More Help?"
Click "Contact Us."

How Do I Unsubscribe From Amazon Prime?

In short, you should navigate to the "Your Account" page on Amazon, click the Prime box, and then scroll down to find a link that says "End Membership and Benefits."

Read a step by step guide on how to cancel Amazon Prime here.