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After much speculation, the annual cost of Amazon Prime has officially been bumped to $139/year. Price increases are nothing new in the world of subscription services. Netflix, Hulu and Spotify all saw price jumps over the past year. Many folks still consider Amazon Prime to be well worth its annual cost.
With Prime expenses eating up more of your budget in 2022, you’ll want to make sure you’re taking advantage of everything the service offers. Beyond giving you fast and free shipping, Amazon has packed Prime with a variety of digital entertainment options. And while an extra $20 for an existing service is frustrating, the price increase is more palatable when yours everything in the Prime catalog.
Here’s a closer look at how to make the most of Amazon Prime’s digital content. We’ve also got the best affordable products that can help.
The Best TV Deals for Prime Members
Prime Video is one of the most well-known benefits of Amazon’s subscription service. With award-winning originals, critically acclaimed movies and hundreds of hit TV shows, there’s bound to be something you find binge-worthy. You can stream content directly to your laptop, tablet or smartphone, but the best way to enjoy Prime Video is on a gigantic smart TV.
Amazon recently introduced its own lineup of TVs – and they’re currently listed at a steep discount. If you already have a serviceable TV, you can give it “smart” functionality with an affordable Fire TV Stick.
- Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote – Sale Price: $24.99 | Regular Price: $39.99
- Fire TV Stick 4K Max – Sale Price: $44.99 | Regular Price: $54.99
- Amazon Fire TV 43-inch 4-Series – Sale Price: $259.99 | Regular Price: $369.99
- Amazon Fire TV 50-inch Omni Series –Sale Price: $364.99 | Regular Price: $509.99
- Amazon Fire TV 65-inch Omni Series – Sale Price: $599.99 | Regular Price: $829.99
The Best eReader Deals for Prime Members
Believe it or not, Amazon offers more than 2,500 books to Prime members. Dubbed Prime Reading, the service brings a variety of magazines, novels and children’s books to your eReader. You’ll also get early access to a handful of highly anticipated upcoming releases. It’s not quite as robust as Kindle Unlimited, but as a free bonus for Prime membership, it’s more than worth a look.
You can find a slew of eBook readers currently listed with a price cut.
- Kindle – Sale Price: $59.99 | Regular Price: $89.99
- Kindle Paperwhite (8GB) – Sale Price: $109.99 | Regular Price: $139.99
- Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition (32GB) – Sale Price: $144.99 | Regular Price: $189.99
The Best Smart Speakers Deals for Prime Members
Spotify’s main competition from Amazon is Music Unlimited. The paid service offers more than 75 million songs, which is close to the 82 million on Spotify. Amazon Prime members, however, get free access to Amazon Music Prime. That alone brings a sizable 2 million song playlist. This includes hit songs from Journey, Eagles, Imagine Dragons, Glass Animals, Ed Sheeran and more.
There are also plenty of podcasts for your listening pleasure, including Dateline NBC, SmartLess and Up First. Amazon gives you the option to stream these through your laptop or smartphone, but we’d recommend bumping up your sound system with one of these affordable smart speakers.
- Echo Dot (3rd Gen) – Sale Price: $34.99 | Regular Price: $39.99
- Echo Dot (4th Gen, 2020 release) – Sale Price: $39.99 | Regular Price: $49.99
- Echo Dot (4th Gen) – Sale Price: $44.99 | Regular Price: $59.99
All Amazon Prime Benefits
Free shipping, Prime Video, Prime Reading and Amazon Music are some of the best benefits of Amazon Prime, but they’re not the only perks of membership. Here’s a quick look at some of the best content included with your Prime membership. Make sure you peruse the full list to get the most out of that new $139/year payment.
- Amazon Prime Video
- Prime Reading
- Amazon Music
- Prime Gaming
- Access to Amazon Day savings
- Amazon Photos
- Prime Member deals at Whole Foods Market
- Exclusive daily deals for Prime