The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: Eric222 on November 12, 2015, 07:41:29 AM
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My prime membership is running out in a few months. I've turned off auto-renew and I think I'm going to let it expire.
Reasons:
A) It is my only source of impulse purchases - and there have been way too many of those.
B) I don't use any of the other prime benefits.
Now, even if I don't use prime, there will probably be enough things I can find for less on amazon that I'll spend more than the student price for prime over the course of the year (Yay for .edu academic addresses). However, right now it feels like "Yay! I get free shipping on all the crap I shouldn't have bought in the first place."
How do other people feel?
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I have Prime, but honestly I use it more for the video and music streaming that I do for the free shipping.
Although the free shipping is great for stuff like appliance repair parts that are either impossible to find or ridiculously expensive locally.
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I have prime and use it a lot for their free shipping but I order the bulk of our household stuff online plus all the things I need for house remodeling projects. The UPS guy knows me by name since we see each other almost daily. Before prime, it was hard to juggle household projects when I would have to put one on hold for a week or two to wait for a critical part. Now I only have to know a couple days in advance.
As for the other perks, I don't use them much. Streaming video through Amazon prime is a joke as their selection is poor at best. I use Netflix streaming much more than Prime.
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I have it because I'd rather buy stuff online and have it show up same-day than drive to a store and find it. Looking back at my order history...bungee cords, tarps, fridge water filters, windshield wipers, air filter for the car, laundry basket, kitchen knives, etc. I despise retail-price in-store shopping.
I'm also getting the student rate at ~$60/yr.
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I work offshore and overseas. It is one of the few services that is not region locked to the US, so I could watch movies even while I was in the shipyard in South Korea. It also allows you to download prime movies now, so I can pre-download shows to watch while I am on the rig with crappy internet that is incapable of streaming. I also get free 2 day shipping and free credit when I chose free no rush shipping. They are practically paying me to use it.
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I use Prime for a lot of my tools, rental supplies, LED bulbs (they truly have way better options for better prices than HD/Lowes) etc., as well as gifts for scattered family.
Also, the TV thing. No cable, just internet, and we use a smart TV with Amazon app. For ~$12/mo, totally worth it.
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I got it for free as part of a signup bonus on the Amex Everyday card. It was a one year subscription, and it's ending 2/28.
It'll be sad when it expires, but I don't plan on renewing it. It costs too much for the benefits that I get out of it. I don't buy that many things from Amazon.
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My sister added me to her account so I receive the free Prime shipping and don't have to pay for it. It is the best deal ever.
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I have it because it came free with my phone. I probably will not renew. I have managed to get some discounts by using the "no rush" shipping option, but not enough to justify the cost of paying for it. Most things ship free over $35 any way, so I just accumulate stuff until I reach that threshold; most things I don't need "right now" any way.
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We have it... and we struggle with "should we have it" every year at renewal time.
We mostly use it for shipping. We live in the country and quite often buying things on line is cheaper than driving to town and buying it. We used to do the math an it was definitely cheaper... but the Prime prices aren't what they used to be. Now it will be $10 prime with free shipping OR $7 non-prime with $3 shipping.
We've played with their video services and ... I just detest them. It is just a mix of "free with prime" and "costs $X per showing" that it's a pain to use. Even worse, you'll find things you want to see that are "free with prime" and put them in a watch list. A month later when you go to watch it, it's changed to $2.99. I'd much rather use Netflix style service where my costs are a little more predictable.
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I use it pretty regularly, mostly for the shipping, although I do watch the occasional movie/show. Netflix is generally my go-to since I use a chromecast, but I'll switch to Prime video if there's a specific movie or show that I want to watch that's not on Netflix.
The shipping benefits are pretty great, and a lot of my family takes advantage of it as well- I order something for them and they pay me back. It works really well as a way to increase my spend for credit card points/signup bonuses, as my regular spending is quite low.
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We have it, mostly for the free shipping. I have toyed with dropping it, just because Amazon's employment practices and culture are slimy, from what I have read. But it is damned convenient . . .
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We have it because we live in NYC and rely on it for bulky household staples like dog food, diapers and wipes, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.
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My prime membership was up last month and I let it expire, but within a month I had resubscribed. I live in the city without a car, so Amazon is great for the heavier things I purchase regularly (cat food and litter). I don't impulse shop with amazon so that's not a problem, but when I do buy things I don't have to waste time travelling to the store. I also use their music streaming and occasionally their video. I also share the free shipping with family, and I think the zero shipping costs on the few things I do buy throughout the year pay for the membership. Last nice goodie is that Prime members get a free book each month too which can be hit or miss, but there are good ones and they're free. I'd say 12$/mo is worth it as long as you can control your impulse buying.
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I had this same debate. It used to only be $40/yr for me when I was a student, so that seemed worth it. Lately I'm wondering whether to trim the $80/year of Prime membership off my expenses as well.
I wonder if it's possible to quantify how much it is 'worth' depending on amount of usage, miles saved where one would otherwise have to drive, that kind of thing.
Technically, without Prime you can still get free shipping if you can wait until the cart adds up to $35. That's pretty decent!
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I've had it for years and was going to consider canceling it for next year as I am trying to be more Mustachian.
However, we've recently found out we are expecting our 2nd child in June so I will probably keep it until the little one is out of diapers and off formula.
I love Amazon Prime but it does not help me with my impulse buying habits.
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I think people forget that Amazon offers free shipping (albeit 5 business day or so) even for non prime members if you reach a certain price threshold, something like $25. You dont have to have prime to get free shipping.
I /do/ have prime. I use it for Cloud/photo storage, Music, Streaming Videos, and for the shipping. I think its a good enough deal, but do re-analyze every once in awhile.
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How do you get a free book each month?
My amazon prime student subscription is expiring, and I'll probably let it die. On the other hand, DW will become a full time student in a year, and we'll probably pick it back up then.
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I love Amazon Prime but it does not help me with my impulse buying habits.
So much this, especially as it is the only really accessible place for my impulses to go before they die off.
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I think people forget that Amazon offers free shipping (albeit 5 business day or so) even for non prime members if you reach a certain price threshold, something like $25. You dont have to have prime to get free shipping.
It's actually $35 now. I personally don't want to search for other things to purchase just to get free shipping. Especially if the item I want it only a few dollars. Then there are certain items that ship free anyway.
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I don't have it because all it is is paying for impatience, which I try not to do. I just wait until I have $35 worth of stuff I need and then order. If you HAVE to have something RIGHT NOW, that's either poor planning or a lie to yourself. And even if that's the case, I can come up with stuff I know I'm going to need in the near future that I can add to the cart to get free shipping.
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So, some Prime exclusive features (unless I'm wrong) other than video and music streaming are:
Subscribe & Save
Prime Pantry
Does anyone make frequent use of these? Do these features make it worth it? Subscribe & Save seems pretty good to me if I schedule 5 items (to qualify for the 15% off all) to arrive every 6 months or so, such as toothpaste, and other recurring household items. I'm not sure if this is worth the $79/year though.
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You guys know that you can be added to other people's Prime accounts or up to four people can be added to yours, right? We were added to my parent's Prime.
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You guys know that you can be added to other people's Prime accounts or up to four people can be added to yours, right? We were added to my parent's Prime.
Amazon changed their policy so the only way to do that now is if payment methods are shared among all users on a Prime account. Too much abuse, I guess.
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We use it and enjoy the movies and music, and also the shipping. They will also 2-day ship for free to addresses other than your home address, so it's convenient to send gifts to people. I agree that Prime is very hazardous to the impulsively inclined, but we have had pretty good discipline with it so far. It replaces a lot of buying that would otherwise require trips to stores and costs in time and fuel, so I think we come out ahead.
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I know I'll want dog treats in a month. Add to wish list.
I want a wrist pad for the mouse. Add to wish list.
I want a larger microSD for the camera. Add to wish list.
I make do until it reaches $35. Often, the wants fall off the list because I don't want them anymore.
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I find Prime beneficial. I added my folks and a friend of mine to my Prime account years ago and we share the cost of the membership between the three of us. I don't watch it a lot, but I do check out the Prime videos. I love the fact that if I don't need something quickly, I can forfeit the 2 day shipping for 5 day and receive a $1 credit towards music and movie rentals. Its pretty awesome to collect enough of these and buy myself some wicked tracks or rent a movie that's not on the other streaming services essentially for free. Talk about a cheap date with my SO!
For Christmas, I travel to my folks. Instead of trying to pack everything in my suitcase, I often buy most of the gifts on Amazon and have it shipped to their house. Then I unbox everything and wrap it up the day before. Pretty sure I pay for the membership in saved shipping costs at Christmas alone.
One of the biggest reasons I keep it around is the Amazon rewards card I have. I earn points on everything and can use them at Amazon or I get 3x the points for purchases at Amazon and can apply it as a statement credit. Either way, if I find I need to buy something its nice to know I'll be getting at least a couple dollars back.
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Amazon Prime is like a poor quality Netflix for impatient people.
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I have it and love it. For one, the wishlist feature makes Christmas/birthday shopping for friends and family in distance locations vastly easier. The shipping is nice, and the video/music features are really nice too.
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Amazon Prime is like a poor quality Netflix for impatient people.
Word.
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We have it. We use it for streaming video, and a lot of purchases. You have to price shop, because Amazon is frequently more expensive than other places. If you have Prime and opt for the slower shipping, you can stack up $1 credits to use on digital book purchases.
My husband is very brand loyal for his toiletries and those are a good price, so we have those on Subscribe and Save. Ditto for our cat food.
I use the Kindle Lending Library each month for a free book. We buy most of our books in digital format anyway. I find a lot of older books for free or very cheap on Kindle.
One place it really saves us money is present shipping. Last year I had the brilliant idea that we would buy presents locally, wrap them, and ship them 3000 miles. We spent $170 just on shipping and the presents didn't even arrive by Christmas. This year we'll order on Amazon and have them shipped directly, like we do with birthday gifts.
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I find Prime beneficial. I added my folks and a friend of mine to my Prime account years ago and we share the cost of the membership between the three of us. I don't watch it a lot, but I do check out the Prime videos. I love the fact that if I don't need something quickly, I can forfeit the 2 day shipping for 5 day and receive a $1 credit towards music and movie rentals. Its pretty awesome to collect enough of these and buy myself some wicked tracks or rent a movie that's not on the other streaming services essentially for free. Talk about a cheap date with my SO!
For Christmas, I travel to my folks. Instead of trying to pack everything in my suitcase, I often buy most of the gifts on Amazon and have it shipped to their house. Then I unbox everything and wrap it up the day before. Pretty sure I pay for the membership in saved shipping costs at Christmas alone.
One of the biggest reasons I keep it around is the Amazon rewards card I have. I earn points on everything and can use them at Amazon or I get 3x the points for purchases at Amazon and can apply it as a statement credit. Either way, if I find I need to buy something its nice to know I'll be getting at least a couple dollars back.
I have it and love it. For one, the wishlist feature makes Christmas/birthday shopping for friends and family in distance locations vastly easier. The shipping is nice, and the video/music features are really nice too.
Add me to the "ship gifts, save money" crew. We do a ton of subscribe and save. Another big factor is DH often needs random things for work (specific wiring! Safety glasses! A voltemeter with some weird dang setting!) and amazon has those cheapest a shocking amount of the time. For us, it is well worth it, but if it lures you to impulse buy, I can see how it would be a bad deal.
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Yeah I use it a ton. Often can find better prices there, and saves so much time. I liked going places and shopping when I was younger, now it's just a waste of time. Short of groceries and the occasional wal mart trip (both which my fiancé does) we try to do as much as we can online. I've found that stuff like dog food is cheaper there. Figure in opportunity cost practically everything is cheaper.
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How do you get a free book each month?
My amazon prime student subscription is expiring, and I'll probably let it die. On the other hand, DW will become a full time student in a year, and we'll probably pick it back up then.
It's through the Kindle Owner's Lending Library, so you can check out one book each month for free. You have to return it before you check out another one.
Also, they have a "Kindle First" feature where if you have Prime you can get a free book off a small list (4-6 choices) every month. You don't have to return it. I've discovered some great new authors this way.
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I have it, and the first year I felt like it was worth it - closer to $75. They automatically renewed my membership, though, at closer to $100. I'm letting my membership run out in January, and just plan on waiting until I want to order something to sign back up again - I'll see if I can still get that free shipping on orders over $25 OR they try and get me back with a cheaper offer than $100.
Free shipping is easily worth the $100, I just didn't like that they automatically renewed me. I get a lot of our household shopping done there, and supplements, gifts... I use it for more actual shopping than impulse shopping. I don't use the video crap at all, but I do use the music app, but its not my main one. I'm a tune junkie, so when I need that free music fix, it can be an easy option IF they have the song I want on their free list. I don't even bother looking at all the stuff you get for $100, its just confusing and makes me feel mentally weak and consumery.
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You guys know that you can be added to other people's Prime accounts or up to four people can be added to yours, right? We were added to my parent's Prime.
Amazon changed their policy so the only way to do that now is if payment methods are shared among all users on a Prime account. Too much abuse, I guess.
Really? We must be grandfathered in since we can still use whatever payment method we want.
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You guys know that you can be added to other people's Prime accounts or up to four people can be added to yours, right? We were added to my parent's Prime.
Amazon changed their policy so the only way to do that now is if payment methods are shared among all users on a Prime account. Too much abuse, I guess.
Really? We must be grandfathered in since we can still use whatever payment method we want.
http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/03/amazon-cuts-down-on-prime-members-sharing-their-benefits/
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I cancelled my Amazon prime membership about 5 months ago, and haven't looked back. All I ever really wanted was the free 2-day shipping, but plenty of items qualify for free shipping anyway, and usually those arrive in about 3 days.
If amazon ever offered 2-day shipping without all the other fluff, i'd probably pick it up again. but at $99/yr I don't see the benefit.
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I must be grandfathered in too. My son added me to his account and I love the free shipping. I don't use it enough that I'd pay for it though.
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I have Prime, but honestly I use it more for the video and music streaming that I do for the free shipping.
Although the free shipping is great for stuff like appliance repair parts that are either impossible to find or ridiculously expensive locally.
Is there video / music streaming in Canada? Anyone know? It may be worth it to expand the limited NETFLIX content.... We tried prime for the free month, bought a lot of stuff, (so I echo the impulse urge!) but anything that qualified actually only takes another 1 days, MAX, to deliver free if the order is over $25, off prime.
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I've done the math and roughly broken even on shipping, but it felt like "winning" a losing game. It just makes it too easy to buy things that don't really matter.
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Good question. Another thing to cut out of my budget...What does it cost for a student anyways, and do you have to use a .edu address? I'm pretty sure I have the student discount, I was not paying the full rate. I just don't remember how I set that up. I could use my student email but I am not sure I have mine setup like that. Perhaps someone here knows so I don't have to go looking around my account on there.
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Good question. Another thing to cut out of my budget...What does it cost for a student anyways, and do you have to use a .edu address? I'm pretty sure I have the student discount, I was not paying the full rate. I just don't remember how I set that up. I could use my student email but I am not sure I have mine setup like that. Perhaps someone here knows so I don't have to go looking around my account on there.
It's $49 for a student but $99 otherwise.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201482600 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201482600)
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Indeed. We do. Our reasons:
1) We have 2 little kids and their streaming kids shows/movies etc are fantastic. Love that I can easily log-in on my computer/kindle while we're on vacation and start a show for them really fast
2) Amazon free kindle lending library - one book a month!
3) free prime shipping (we have an addiction - all good deals of course) 2 day shipping - what's not to love?!
4) Subscribe & Save - with 2 little kids, diapers/wipes/pull-ups/toilet paper/paper towels etc... so much easier to have it shipped directly to my front door instead of loading 2 kids in the cart and filling it up with that crap. Plus, i get 15% off every 3 mos w/ my order of 5 items!
5) Can order gifts for friends bday/wedding/baby/etc and store their address in my account
6) Love the order history feature. (How long did this package of toilet paper last us? Oh wait, let me check Amazon to see when I ordered it!)
7) I use the share w/ friends/family feature and have my siblings and parents signed on with our account. They can ship for free under our Prime account without paying prime membership for themselves.
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I have it, but my membership expires in about 2 or 3 weeks, and I cancelled the auto-renew (I really hate that they are so sneaky about the way they make you opt out of the auto-renew). We will let it lapse. The only thing we use it for is the free shipping, and you can still get that on a $35 order. I think having Amazon Prime is bad for impulse purchases, and I am not even an impulse shopper.
I do really like the subscribe and save program, which you can use without an Amazon Prime account. There is free shipping with subscribe and save. I just have it set up for a quarterly delivery of at least 5 (for the 15% discount) basic necessities. This is a great deal, and is kind of the opposite of impulse purchases. This is how it works best for our family right now.
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You guys know that you can be added to other people's Prime accounts or up to four people can be added to yours, right? We were added to my parent's Prime.
Amazon changed their policy so the only way to do that now is if payment methods are shared among all users on a Prime account. Too much abuse, I guess.
Really? We must be grandfathered in since we can still use whatever payment method we want.
There is no grandfahering - I am also on my dad's as a family member. My understanding is that when his renews, I'll be removed. Amazon has had plenty of press releases about this....
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I have Prime, but I use it to get free to cheap video via my Roku.
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You guys know that you can be added to other people's Prime accounts or up to four people can be added to yours, right? We were added to my parent's Prime.
Amazon changed their policy so the only way to do that now is if payment methods are shared among all users on a Prime account. Too much abuse, I guess.
Really? We must be grandfathered in since we can still use whatever payment method we want.
There is no grandfahering - I am also on my dad's as a family member. My understanding is that when his renews, I'll be removed. Amazon has had plenty of press releases about this....
Actually, if you read the link posted by JLee, it specifically states that people who are currently using a member's account are "grandfathered" in until that account expires. That's what I meant when I used the term - status quo for people for current members.
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You guys know that you can be added to other people's Prime accounts or up to four people can be added to yours, right? We were added to my parent's Prime.
Amazon changed their policy so the only way to do that now is if payment methods are shared among all users on a Prime account. Too much abuse, I guess.
Really? We must be grandfathered in since we can still use whatever payment method we want.
There is no grandfahering - I am also on my dad's as a family member. My understanding is that when his renews, I'll be removed. Amazon has had plenty of press releases about this....
Actually, if you read the link posted by JLee, it specifically states that people who are currently using a member's account are "grandfathered" in until that account expires. That's what I meant when I used the term - status quo for people for current members.
I don't know how you can interpret "expires" as anything other than when the current subscription is up for renewal. From the link you just mentioned. Their use of the term grandfathering is incorrect because it clearly has a defined end-date.
That implies that those who had shared benefits with multiple others ahead of the changes will remain grandfathered in until they take action (like removing the additional accounts), or until their Prime membership comes up for renewal.
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You guys know that you can be added to other people's Prime accounts or up to four people can be added to yours, right? We were added to my parent's Prime.
Amazon changed their policy so the only way to do that now is if payment methods are shared among all users on a Prime account. Too much abuse, I guess.
Really? We must be grandfathered in since we can still use whatever payment method we want.
There is no grandfahering - I am also on my dad's as a family member. My understanding is that when his renews, I'll be removed. Amazon has had plenty of press releases about this....
Actually, if you read the link posted by JLee, it specifically states that people who are currently using a member's account are "grandfathered" in until that account expires. That's what I meant when I used the term - status quo for people for current members.
I don't know if they just missed my account or what but my account renewed in October and I just checked, both my folks and my friend still appear as sharing free shipping with them.
New accounts will only be able to share this benefit with one other person. So watch out for that if that is a factor in your decision to have/keep/get rid of Prime.
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I'll tell you one thing I won't miss when my subscription runs out is those lame notifications they started sending out on smart phones... like "buy it again" and "new deals". I don't need MORE notifications in my life.
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I'll tell you one thing I won't miss when my subscription runs out is those lame notifications they started sending out on smart phones... like "buy it again" and "new deals". I don't need MORE notifications in my life.
You can edit their notifications. It's been years since I've done it, but they have 20 or so categories. Turn them off.
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I have it and love it. There's definitely a risk of unnecessary purchases, but I find that to be more true with impulse buys in a store than online. I'll often keep a running shopping list in my cart and then wait to check out to make sure I really need something.
Here's why I'll renew again:
-- Better selection. I can find ANYTHING. I am doing a lot of home remodel projects and can't tell you how many times I've been to Lowe's looking for a specific thing and the clerk has told me they don't carry it, "check Amazon." ARGH! But yeah. I try to shop local brick and mortars when I can, but sometimes it just doesn't work.
-- Free shipping. As someone above pointed out, it's not exactly free since they make up the price differential, but having items delivered to my house, particularly when there's a very different set of things I need, makes my life so much easier than running around to 10 different stores on the weekend. And when I need something fast, Amazon's two day shipping option is usually faster than I can get to a store anyway since I work more than full time.
-- Prime Videos -- I love the streaming options. The selection isn't always the best, but I can always find something I want to watch for free OR ...
-- Digital Credit for regular shipping. It's rare that I use Prime's 2-day shipping option. Sometimes I need things fast, but almost always I can wait a couple of extra days and instead get a $1 digital credit for movies, music, and Kindle. This alone makes up for the subscription fee.
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I test drove the free 30-day trial and elected to not pay to continue.
- Amazon.ca has a tiny fraction of the products offered on Amazon.com.
- Many items are several times more expensive.
- Many Canadian mail order companies are less expensive than Amazon.ca and ship faster.
Price comparison between a retailer that sells on Amazon.ca as well as direct via their website:
$55 via Amazon.ca (http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B006GQOQJI/), $45 direct (http://www.herooutdoors.com/condor-rip-away-emt-pouch/) (shipping is $15 flat to me).
While I'd prefer to use the "Amazon platform" for convenience, as a Canadian, you can usually do better.
TL;DR: Amazon.ca doesn't make financial sense. Amazon Prime in Canada: doubly so.
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I test drove the free 30-day trial and elected to not pay to continue.
- Amazon.ca has a tiny fraction of the products offered on Amazon.com.
- Many items are several times more expensive.
- Many Canadian mail order companies are less expensive than Amazon.ca and ship faster.
Price comparison between a retailer that sells on Amazon.ca as well as direct via their website:
$55 via Amazon.ca (http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B006GQOQJI/), $45 direct (http://www.herooutdoors.com/condor-rip-away-emt-pouch/) (shipping is $15 flat to me).
While I'd prefer to use the "Amazon platform" for convenience, as a Canadian, you can usually do better.
TL;DR: Amazon.ca doesn't make financial sense. Amazon Prime in Canada: doubly so.
Based on my 3+ months in Canada earlier this year, I would agree.
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I am one of those people on someone else's account, my brother's. His renewed a few weeks ago and all of his "people" are still on there.
I like it, would love to have the video content but not enough to pay for Prime if I get kicked off my brother's
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I have Prime (student rate) because I love Amazon. The ratings are always beneficial, the site is so easy to use, etc. Last year I realized I could do ALL of my holiday shopping online. Without having to go out into consumer-cultured stores. I felt sick to my stomach going into a mall at Christmas time.
I also use Amazon to sell stuff!
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No to Amazon Prime.
1) We don't buy much stuff to begin with.
2) We buy local whenever it's reasonable (which is very nearly all of the time).
In short, it's just not worth it from a financial standpoint and I don't support Amazon from a social standpoint.
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-- Digital Credit for regular shipping. It's rare that I use Prime's 2-day shipping option. Sometimes I need things fast, but almost always I can wait a couple of extra days and instead get a $1 digital credit for movies, music, and Kindle. This alone makes up for the subscription fee.
Digital credit - I was unaware of this. Is it only used for movies, music or kindle?
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-- Digital Credit for regular shipping. It's rare that I use Prime's 2-day shipping option. Sometimes I need things fast, but almost always I can wait a couple of extra days and instead get a $1 digital credit for movies, music, and Kindle. This alone makes up for the subscription fee.
Digital credit - I was unaware of this. Is it only used for movies, music or kindle?
All of the above, whichever digital content you buy next. I do it all the time, but not enough to contradict the annual prime fee.
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I don't have it because all it is is paying for impatience, which I try not to do. I just wait until I have $35 worth of stuff I need and then order. If you HAVE to have something RIGHT NOW, that's either poor planning or a lie to yourself. And even if that's the case, I can come up with stuff I know I'm going to need in the near future that I can add to the cart to get free shipping.
Totally agree with this. Anyone who needs prime because they can't wait 5 days should probably fix their poor impulse control and planning. There are a very few things where i can be helpful (say you need batteries, or a part to repair your washer), but mostly not.
I do keep prime for the streaming videos though, but might cancel once we're done watching the Wire. The selection is pretty bad.
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Totally agree with this. Anyone who needs prime because they can't wait 5 days should probably fix their poor impulse control and planning. There are a very few things where i can be helpful (say you need batteries, or a part to repair your washer), but mostly not.
Then there's that. :-) Yeah, a facepunch probably is in order for anyone that has Prime just because of quicker delivery.
BTW, for batteries, try your local dollar store. I just paid $1.00 for an 8 pack of AAAs (after having one of the regular expensive ones in a remote-control only VCR explode on movie night...)
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Alright, you guys have convinced me that it's at least worth TRYING life without Amazon Prime :P
I've cancelled my auto-renew.
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I browse on amazon a lot, reading reviews and such. I only actually buy something from there once or twice a year. I do not keep my credit card info in my amazon account. If I really really want to buy something I have to go find my credit card and add the payment info. It curbs the impulse buys. So, no Prime account.
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I have prime. Also I have an Amazon rewards credit card which I use to pay all my bills. So Most of the time i can cover the entire cost with points. I use it mostly for birthday gifts which are shipped with free two day shipping. It pretty much covers my birthday gifts to family for the whole year and sometimes some Christmas gifts too.