Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is a special subscription service from Amazon that started in 2005. For a monthly or yearly fee, members get extra benefits that regular customers don’t have. This service works in many countries.

One big benefit of Amazon Prime is faster delivery. Members can get their packages in just one or two days, which is very helpful when you need something quickly. Amazon also offers other services to Prime members, like streaming music and movies, reading e-books, and playing games online.

In 2021, Amazon shared that over 200 million people around the world were using Amazon Prime. This shows how popular the service has become, giving people easy access to shopping, entertainment, and more all in one place.

History

Early history

In 2005, Amazon started Amazon Prime as a membership service. Members paid a yearly fee to get free two-day shipping in the United States on many purchases. Soon, Prime became available in Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and many other countries. By October 2021, Prime members were in 22 countries across North America, Europe, and the Asia–Pacific region.

2012–2016

Prime members in Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, India, and the United States could watch movies and TV shows through Amazon Video without extra cost. In November 2011, Prime members could borrow one popular Kindle e-book each month. Students with certain email addresses could get special discounts on Prime membership.

In March 2014, Amazon raised the yearly Prime fee in the United States from $79 to $99. Later, Amazon added Prime Music, letting members listen to music without ads. In November 2014, Prime Photos let members store unlimited photos in their Amazon Drive. In May 2015, Prime members in 14 U.S. cities could get same-day delivery for free. In April 2015, Amazon tested a way to deliver goods straight to the trunks of Audi cars in Munich, Germany, working with Audi and DHL.

By December 2015, Amazon said "tens of millions" of people were Prime members. That same month, Amazon added 3 million new members. They also started the Streaming Partners Program, giving Prime members extra streaming video services from partners like Showtime, Starz, Lifetime, and Smithsonian Earth.

2016–present

In January 2016, Amazon reported having 54 million Prime members. Reports said nearly half of all U.S. households had Prime at that time. In April 2016, same-day delivery expanded to more U.S. cities, covering 27 areas total. In September 2016, Prime members in London, England, could order food from restaurants with free delivery on orders over £15.

Also in September 2016, Twitch, an Amazon company, introduced Twitch Prime. Prime members could get monthly video game offers and a free channel subscription each month. Amazon worked with game developers to give subscribers in-game rewards. Games included Apex Legends, Legends of Runeterra, and Doom Eternal, among others. In December 2016, Amazon began offering Prime for a monthly fee of $10.99, later raised to $12.99 in February 2018. They also introduced Wickedly Prime, a special line of food and drinks for Prime members.

In June 2017, Amazon started Prime Wardrobe, letting customers try on clothes before paying. The same year, Amazon announced the Prime Exclusive Phone program, offering discounted smartphones from LG, Motorola, and Nokia that showed Amazon ads on the lock screen.

In May 2018, the yearly Prime fee in the United States went up to $119. By June 2019, Prime members could get one-day delivery on over 10 million products with no minimum spend.

In June 2018, Amazon launched Prime in Australia with promises of fast delivery and free international shipping for Prime members.

On March 3, 2020, Amazon set up smaller fulfillment centers in cities like Dallas, Orlando, Philadelphia, and Phoenix to make same-day delivery faster. Later that month, during the COVID-19 pandemic, delivery times for some items in the U.S. got much longer, sometimes up to a month, as Amazon focused on essential items.

In February 2022, Amazon raised the yearly Prime fee in the U.S. to $139 because of higher costs for workers and shipping.

In April 2022, Amazon started “Buy with Prime,” letting Prime members buy from other stores and use Amazon’s delivery, returns, and exchange services.

On August 1, 2022, Amazon brought Prime to Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines to offer local and international content.

In January 2023, Amazon introduced RXPass, allowing U.S. Prime members to pay $5 a month for up to 60 prescription drugs. This didn’t include people on Medicare or Medicaid.

In June 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said Amazon had been adding people to Prime without their permission and made it hard to cancel subscriptions.

In April 2024, Amazon began a new grocery delivery service for Prime members and those who get government help with food. Regular Prime members paid $9.99 a month for orders of $35 or more from Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, and other stores. People on government help paid $4.99 and didn’t need Prime. This service was tested in several U.S. cities before launching nationwide.

In the United States and the United Kingdom, families could share Prime benefits and Prime Video through the Amazon Household program. In some countries, like Germany, only delivery benefits could be shared.

Amazon Pharmacy started in November 2020, selling medicines at lower prices. Prime members in the U.S. could get prescription deliveries and some discounts, though Prime wasn’t required to use the pharmacy.

In February 2026, Amazon launched Alexa+ AI assistant in the United States for $19.99 a month, and Prime members got access to it.

Sub-brands

Prime Access

Prime Access is a special membership for people who qualify for government help or have their income checked. It has the same features as the regular Amazon Prime.

Prime Music

Prime Music is a music service with no ads that comes with Amazon Prime. It started in 2007. In November 2022, it changed to work more like Pandora. Now, when you pick a song, it might play something similar instead. If you don’t like the song it picks, you can skip a few each hour.

Amazon also has another music service called Amazon Music, which costs $10.99 a month for Prime members or $11.99 for others. This one lets you pick exactly which songs you want to hear.

Prime Video

The main article is: Amazon Prime Video.

Prime Video started in the United States on September 7, 2006, as Amazon Unbox. It changed names a few times over the years. In 2011, Amazon bought a DVD rental service called Lovefilm and combined it with their video service, renaming it Prime Video.

Prime Gaming

In 2020, Amazon changed its Twitch Prime to Amazon Prime Gaming. If you have Amazon Prime, you can use Prime Gaming for free. You don’t need a Twitch account to use it.

Prime Gaming lets you get free video games and rewards like special items in games. These change over time, but you keep what you get even if you stop your Prime Gaming membership. Prime Gaming also gives you a free subscription to a Twitch channel each month.

Prime Reading

Since October 2016, Prime members in the U.S. can read a changing list of Kindle e-books, magazines, and travel guides through Prime Reading.

Prime Pantry

Prime Pantry was a service only for Prime members. It packed everyday grocery items into a box for a flat delivery fee. It was available in several countries but stopped in all places by the end of 2020.

Prime Now

The main article is: Prime Now.

In December 2014, Amazon started letting Prime members in parts of Manhattan and New York City get items delivered within one hour for a fee, or within two hours for free. By 2016, it expanded to many cities in the United States and some places outside the U.S. To make this fast delivery possible, Amazon created Amazon Flex, where independent drivers help with deliveries.

Prime for Young Adults

On June 17, 2025, Prime Student changed to Prime for Young Adults. This is a special, lower-cost membership for people aged 18 to 24 and students. It has the same features as regular Prime.

Amazon Key

In-Home
In October 2017, Amazon added a way for Prime members to have packages delivered inside their homes. Delivery drivers use a special code to enter. The service started in 37 U.S. areas in April 2018. It needs a smart lock and a special security camera. Customers get a four-hour window for delivery, and they can see when the driver comes and locks the door.

In-Car
Amazon Key In-Car lets people with certain cars have packages put in their trunk. It works in the same areas as the In-Home service and needs no extra equipment.

In-Garage
In 2019, Amazon announced they would work with a company to let drivers put packages in garages with special openers.

Prime Air

The main article is: Amazon Prime Air (drone delivery service).

In 2013, Amazon talked about using drones to deliver small packages within 30 minutes. They have been working on drone designs and got approval to test them. In June 2022, Amazon said they would start drone deliveries in Lockeford, California, but they are still waiting for final approvals.

Prime Day

Amazon held its first Prime Day on July 15, 2015, to celebrate the website's 20th anniversary. This special event offered sales and promotions only for Amazon Prime members. At first, some people thought the discounts were not very good.

Each year, Prime Day grew bigger. In 2018, a concert with famous singer Ariana Grande was streamed for Prime members. The next year, another concert featured Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Becky G, and SZA.

Sometimes, Prime Day has faced challenges. In 2020, it was moved to October in the U.S. and Canada because of health concerns. In Canada, it was postponed again in 2021. In 2022, Amazon started another special sales event in October called Prime Big Deal Days.

In 2024, Prime Day was held from July 16–17 in many countries around the world. Later that year, Prime Big Deal Days took place from October 8–9.

Availability

As of June 2025, Amazon Prime is available in 27 countries: Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, the UK, and the US.

The service stopped working in Russia in March 2022, and in Belarus in January 2023.

As of 2025, a debit or credit card is usually needed to pay for Amazon Prime. But you can also pay using Amazon gift cards in several countries: Japan, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Germany, and Luxembourg.

In Saudi Arabia and Mexico, you can pay for Amazon Prime using only Amazon Gift Cards. You do not need to add a credit or debit card. A free trial is not offered if you do not add a credit or debit card.

The option to pay for Amazon Prime with Amazon gift cards was removed in India in late 2024/2025.

Competition

Because Amazon Prime was very popular, many stores made their own membership programs. Walmart started Walmart+. Stores like Target and Kroger also offered special membership options to compete with Amazon.