Is Amazon Prime worth it if shipping is already free over $35?

Amazon Prime costs $139 per year (or $14.99 per month) in the U.S. For many people, if the main benefit you want is shipping and you can already qualify for free standard shipping on orders over $35, Prime is often not worth it.

It starts to make sense if one or more of these are true:

• You buy small, low-cost items often and regularly need them shipped on their own.
• You care about faster delivery and want Prime-eligible 1- to 2-day shipping on many items.
• You use the digital perks like Prime Video, Amazon Music, or Prime Reading enough to offset the fee.
• You qualify for a discounted membership such as a student membership, which is typically much cheaper than standard Prime.

A simple rule: if the shipping savings and perks don’t add up to roughly the cost of membership for you, skip it. If they do, it can be worth it.

Note: Free-shipping thresholds, delivery speeds, promos, and membership pricing can change, so it’s worth checking Amazon’s current checkout and membership page before deciding.