The first rule is to re-evaluate when the membership fee increases.
After all, you’re probably drowning in subscriptions: cable TV, streaming services like Netflix and Disney+, meal-prep services, and, of course, Amazon Prime membership. In case you missed it, here’s a reminder: Amazon increased the cost of a yearly membership by 17%, from $119 to $139.
That clip jumped from $12.99 to $14.99 per month, or $180 per year if you pay monthly.
Even if Amazon Prime Day, the annual summer blockbuster sale with its 48-hour marathon of discounts, offers, and deals, remains a temptation, that’s your first reason to think twice.
Long-time Prime subscribers frequently forget: You can buy from Amazon even if you are not a Prime member. You just won’t receive the other benefits.
To that end, we’ve compiled a list of compelling reasons why you should cancel your Amazon Prime subscription. Check to see if you agree.
Reasons Why Your Amazon Prime Membership Isn’t Worth It
1. Amazon Prime Is Expensive
If you pay for your Amazon Prime membership in full (the lowest option), it costs $139 a year, or $180 if you pay the soon-to-be $14.99 monthly fee. For the yearly charge, it works out to around $12 per month, which is comparable to the cost of a streaming media service like Hulu or Netflix.
So, how much do you truly use Amazon Prime – and how much value do you get out of it? Do the calculations.
Because the subscription offers so many rewards, one could believe it’s worth it, says Trae Bodge, True Trae’s smart purchasing expert.
I do not doubt that it’s worth paying for me since I make use of many of the features, including free two-day delivery for my regular purchases, and I appreciate the video, music, and book material.
However, if you do not usually purchase online or take advantage of any of the other benefits, it may not be.
2. Amazon Prime Isn’t Your Only Retail Membership
Your Prime membership entitles you to discounts on electronics, food, apparel, and home goods, among other things. However, take a look at your pocketbook and assess your spending habits and retail places.
As I ponder renewing my Amazon Prime subscription, I keep our Costco membership in mind. Both businesses demand membership fees for the best discounts, although their products are highly overlapping.
When I had a bigger home, I was stacking subscriptions to BJ’s Wholesale Club and Sam’s Club on top of Amazon Prime, and that’s a pricey line item in the household budget just for membership costs.
If you find yourself utilizing a warehouse club more than your Amazon Prime membership, it may be time to cancel Prime.
3. You Can Sign Up for Amazon Prime for A Month or Two at a Time.
We’ve previously recommended taking advantage of Amazon Prime’s 30-day free trial, then cancelling before the monthly fees kick in. That recommendation is still valid (the monthly pricing is increasing to $14.99).
You can reactivate your Prime membership for a free trial period to take advantage of Prime Day promotions. Or, during the holiday shopping season. You may enroll for a month or two (one free, one paid) to take advantage of bargains.
4. Amazon Prime’s Free Shipping Is No Longer a Novelty
The free two-day (later one-day, and now in some regions, same-day) delivery was a major deal with the yearly membership dues early on in Prime’s tenure. That was a rare perk in the retail business. Now? Not at all.
Other shops, such as Walmart and Target, offer free delivery plans as well as same-day, in-store pickup without charging a $139 annual membership fee.
Walmart and Target’s drive-up and pick-up alternatives enable same-day purchase convenience without having to go to the shop, consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch explains.
When shopping from big box merchants like Walmart and Target, choose drive-up or pick-up alternatives if you need anything quickly, such as diapers or milk. This comes at no additional cost!
5.  You don’t need to be a Prime member to receive free shipping from Amazon
We’ve justified paying the $139 a year by claiming that I receive free delivery. However, anybody can obtain free delivery on Amazon without paying the $139 annual fee.
Amazon has a free delivery barrier of $25 for non-Prime members, do you need to spend $139 per year [for Prime membership] if you buy things over $25 or are patient enough to bundle numerous items into one order?
6. Â You’re Probably Not Using Amazon Photo Storage (Even Though They Beg You To)
Amazon Photos provides limitless cloud photo storage.
That’s a Prime benefit Amazon will go to great lengths to get you to use. “Unlimited” is a tempting offer — Amazon users who aren’t Prime members get only 5GB of free storage.
But if you’re like me and already use the cloud for photo storage, Prime’s offer would be pointless (I’ve been in the macOS world since the late 1980s and have been using Photos for macOS since it was called iPhoto, I have no intentions to change).
Here’s a significant disadvantage to Amazon Photos: If you’ve used that service and decide to quit your Amazon Prime subscription, you can lose some of the images you’ve saved, according to Amazon’s service agreement.
They may delete or restrict access to Your Files if you exceed your Service Plan’s storage limit. This could be by downgrading or not renewing your Service Plan or no longer qualifying for an Additional Benefit, the policy adds. They reserve the right to impose further limits on the Service’s use.
7. Prime Day is mostly a massive garage sale
Was it worth it in previous years to keep your Prime membership to obtain a better deal on Prime Day? The majority of the “discount” is on Amazon’s products and third-party items that most likely did not sell well.
Like a rummage sale, there might be a hidden gem amid the trinkets. There will be some glitz and glam, such as nice prices on televisions and laptops. However, buyer’s remorse may come in rapidly, as it did with my Ancestry DNA kit and Kindle impulsive purchases.
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