With the cost of living hitting record highs, your Amazon Prime membership shouldn't be used solely for fast and free shipping. If you aren't looking past the cardboard boxes arriving at your door, you're missing out on hundreds of dollars you could be saving as an Amazon Prime member. 

From grocery savings at Whole Foods to surprisingly robust photo storage, the "hidden" side of Prime is where the real value lies for many members. We've sifted through the fine print to find the Amazon Prime membership perks that are actually worth your time, so you can stop overpaying for things you already own.

For more, check out the best deals happening right now at the Amazon Big Spring Sale, including fantastic discounts on TVs, laptops, phones, kitchen appliances and more.

1. Get HBO or other premium TV channels without cable

You probably know about Prime Video and Amazon Music Prime, but you might not know all the special details. Amazon Prime members have access to a large number of feature-length movies and hit original TV shows like Fallout and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, as well as an Amazon Music Prime library featuring 2 million songs and thousands of curated playlists. 

Prime members can also download movies and TV shows for offline viewing later.

If a show or movie you want to watch is not included with your basic Prime subscription, you can subscribe to premium channels such as HBO, Showtime, and Starz for $5 to $15 a month, with no need for cable or satellite service.

Music lovers can upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited to access a library of 90 million songs, streamable across multiple devices, for $11 a month or $109 a year. Non-Prime members pay $12 a month for Amazon Music Unlimited.

2. Earn money back by choosing no-rush shipping

If you don't need your purchase delivered quickly, you can opt out of two-day or shorter delivery by selecting "no-rush shipping" and receive your package in about six days. In return for your patience, Amazon will give you rewards.

There's no standard for no-rush shipping rewards -- they vary from item to item -- but they generally provide discounts on products and services that you might buy from Amazon.

Some common rewards are $1 credits for Amazon digital services like movies, music and ebooks, $3 coupons for Amazon's Happy Belly-branded snacks, $10 to $20 off TV or furniture purchases and $10 to $20 off Amazon Home Services.

The value of no-rush shipping depends on whether you'll use the rewards. It might not seem like much, but a few no-rush shipping selections could earn you the $4 to $5 you need for a free movie rental from Prime Video.

3. Save money with Whole Foods grocery discounts

If you're a frequent shopper at Whole Foods, an Amazon Prime membership can reap serious dividends. Prime Member Deals available in physical Whole Foods stores give members discounts of 10% to 20% on selected items marked with blue Amazon stickers. 

Yellow tags indicate even further savings, usually at least another 10% off an already discounted price. Prime members who scan the Whole Foods Market or Amazon app at checkout get an extra 10% off storewide sales. Prime membership also gives you access to special online deals.

4. Watch Thursday night NFL football games

Prime Video now has exclusive rights to air Thursday Night Football until 2033. If you're a Prime subscriber, you can stream Thursday Night Football games on Prime Video, NFL Plus, Amazon.com or Twitch. There is also a Spanish-language broadcast available on Prime Video. Pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. EST each Thursday.  

5. Free same-day Amazon Fresh delivery

Whole Foods isn't the only grocery option available to Amazon Prime members. Subscribers also have access to the online grocery store Amazon Fresh, which provides free deliveries to some locations. Amazon Fresh offers some products similar to Whole Foods but generally focuses on a broader range of groceries and home products at lower prices. 

Anyone can purchase products from Amazon Fresh, but only Prime members get free same-day delivery.

6. Free same-day delivery for perishable groceries

Similar to Amazon Fresh, a new service gives Amazon users access to perishable groceries with same-day delivery. More than 2,300 cities and towns in the US can now get groceries delivered within hours, and Amazon plans to expand the service to even further locations in 2026.

Same-day delivery is available to all Amazon customers for $13, but it's free for Prime members who order at least $25 worth of groceries (it costs $3 if your order is less than $25). If you're running low on milk and eggs and you don't have time to make a trip to the grocery store, this is a great way to stock up without leaving the house.

7. Borrow unlimited books, magazines and comics

Amazon Prime members get free access to Prime Reading, a service similar to Kindle Unlimited with a different collection of materials. You can borrow as many books as you like, and many include audible narration, so you can switch back and forth between reading and listening. The electronic downloads don't require a Kindle or Fire device.

Amazon First Reads gives Prime members access to editors' selections of early book releases. Anyone with a Prime membership gets one free Kindle book a month, as well as regular discounts on selected titles.

8. Score Prime-exclusive deals and promos

Amazon offers Prime-exclusive deals year-round on top products, meaning you can recoup the cost of your membership in savings. For big shopping seasons like Black Friday or Prime Day, there are even more member-only prices to shop. 

Plus, Prime subscribers often get early access to Lightning Deals. These are sort of like Amazon's version of a fire sale, featuring very low prices for a limited number of products that usually sell out very quickly. The good news for Amazon Prime members is that they get access to these deals earlier than everyone else. The bad news? There are a lot of Amazon Prime members.

9. Exclusive Zappos deals and faster shipping

Amazon acquired the online shoe retailer Zappos in 2009, and it now provides a number of benefits for Prime members who link their accounts on Zappos.com. Prime members get faster shipping, bonus reward points for shopping and exclusive deals on certain products. 

10. Save money on prescription drugs online

Prime members have exclusive access to Amazon RxPass. The subscription service provides all your eligible medications for a single payment of $5 a month, regardless of how many prescriptions you have. More than 50 commonly prescribed medications are available. 

Amazon says that the average member with an RxPass saves 38% on medications, but it's important to note that Amazon's Prime Rx savings program does not work with health insurance. You'll need to be sure that any savings you get from the program are more than you'd get from insurance coverage.

11. One Medical membership discounts

One Medical is a membership-based health service that provides primary in-person and virtual health care. Its concierge-like medical service lets members easily schedule appointments and care through the company's mobile app or website.

Amazon acquired One Medical in 2023 and is now offering a major discount for Prime members. Instead of the usual price of $199 a year, Amazon Prime members can subscribe for $99 a year, or $9 per month. Prime members get a 14-day free trial to test the service before activating. Existing One Medical subscribers who are Prime members can also take advantage of the discount starting with their next payment.

12. Free gaming on Amazon Luna

Amazon Luna provides access to a library of games that you can play without paying a dime since they're included with Amazon Prime. A rotating library of games, including super-popular options like the Fallout Series and XCOM 2, ensures there's always something to play. 

Along with single-player games, Amazon has added GameNight, a multiplayer service that can be controlled with a smartphone. It's an easy way to spend time with friends or family playing games. There are more than 25 options in GameNight, including Ticket to Ride, Jackbox and Exploding Kittens. 

13. Unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos

With a subscription to Amazon Prime, you can store unlimited photos and 5GB of video on Amazon Photos. Without Amazon Prime, you're limited to a total of 5GB of videos and photos total. 

You can view or share your photos and videos on Amazon Photos using the iOS or Android app, or on a computer with the desktop or web app. Your photo and video files are fully encrypted, so they're only visible to people with whom you intentionally share them.

14. Big discounts on Shutterfly

Amazon has partnered with photography company Shutterfly to offer Prime members 45% off most regular-priced products. Shoppers can also get free shipping on orders of $35 or more. To get the discount, you'll have to link your Shutterfly and Amazon accounts.

If you store your photos on Amazon, you can now access them directly in Shutterfly. This makes it extra convenient for Prime members to share images from their extensive photo library.

15. Add a free Grubhub Plus membership 

Don't feel like cooking tonight? There's a perk for that, too. 

When Amazon announced it would offer Grubhub Plus free for a year in 2022, it was a solid, but temporary, perk added to Prime. In 2023, Prime members were treated to another free year. For 2024, instead of renewing the food delivery service's premium membership again for another year, Grubhub Plus became a permanent Amazon Prime perk. It remains a free addition to your stack of Prime benefits, so you can enjoy delivery and takeout all you want without the added fees. 

Grubhub Plus typically costs $10 a month and offers unlimited free delivery on orders over $12 in more than 4,000 cities nationwide. 

16. Save on Amazon Kids Plus 

If you have Amazon Prime, you also get access to discounted Amazon Kids Plus. The subscription service features a range of ad-free content, including books, games and videos for children ages 3 to 12. Parents can limit their children's screen time and manage up to 4 profiles on iOS and Android. 

The Amazon Kids Plus subscription is normally $8 a month or $79 a year, but Prime members can get it for $6 a month or $48 a year.

17. Schedule your package deliveries with Amazon Day

If none of the usual delivery dates work for you, you have one additional option as a Prime member. Amazon Day is a free perk that lets you schedule your packages to arrive on your preferred day. Next time you're on vacation, you don't have to arrange for the neighbors to help you bring in your boxes, and you won't have to worry about porch pirates stealing your deliveries on days when you're not home.

Amazon Day is also a great way to reduce the number of boxes for your packages, as you can schedule multiple purchases to arrive as a single delivery.

18. Save money on gas

Do you spend several hours each week driving to and from work? If you're an Amazon Prime member living in the US, your dollar will now stretch a little farther at the gas pump. You can save 10 cents per gallon at BP, Amoco and AM/PM gas stations -- there are about 7,000 locations across the 50 states. Amazon estimates that this perk will save the average American nearly $70 per year.

To get the full 10-cent-per-gallon discount, Prime members must create a free Earnify account and link it to their Prime account. You can use the Earnify app to find eligible stations, then simply go to the pump and enter your phone number or linked payment method for instant savings. (Using the Earnify app is optional -- it just needs to be linked to your Prime account.)

19. Share Amazon Prime perks with your whole family

Amazon makes it very easy to lend your Prime perks to other members of your family. Amazon Family lets you share your Prime membership with one other adult, up to four teenagers (ages 13 to 17), and up to four children (12 and under) without paying extra.

Amazon Family is not available to Prime members with trial accounts, nor to Student and Young Adult Prime members.