Is Amazon Prime Student Even Worth the Cost?

Have you ever stopped yourself from buying something because the shipping cost was too high? Or wanted to have something quickly delivered to you? Or even wanted to take advantage of being a college student? Amazon Prime student helps with all of that. But, is the monthly payment really worth those perks?

Here are some pros and cons of having a student Prime subscription.

The Pros:

1. One of the best things about first subscribing is that the first six months are free. “Prime Student is created especially for college students with a valid .edu email address,” said Ahmed, an Amazon customer service representatives.” If you’re enrolled in at least one course at a college or university located in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, then you may be eligible to enroll.” The free subscription comes with the full perks that you would get if you were to pay for it. One of those is free 2-day shipping and Prime video.

If you have student Prime, you can get whatever you want in almost less than two days. This is a lifesaver if you’re in a time crunch like needing a last-minute dress for formal or a forgotten birthday gift for your roommate. “The bonuses outweigh the costs,” said Alex Starr, a freshman biology major. “The fast shipping alone would be a good reason to have it as a student with a busy schedule.” Depending on your location you might have the option of one-day, same-day or even two-hour delivery for free. Forgetfulness and impatience are a thing of the past with this service.

Another cool part of student Prime is Prime video. Prime video offers on-demand movies and shows with a variety of Amazon originals. “Members get access to unlimited streaming and photo storage,” said Marielle, an Amazon customer service representative. Abraham Garcia, a sophomore in political science and anthropology says his favorite service of his subscription is the “Amazon Prime Video inclusion.” Consider this a two birds one stone moment because one subscription can get you entertainment and packages. There is no extra cost to use the service but there is one catch depending on what you decide to watch. Check out con #3 for clarification.

Want healthy food but don’t want to spend too much money? If you get a student Prime membership, you got that covered. Members get exclusive access to deals and coupons to whole foods. Thankfully, you don’t have to spend an entire semester eating dining hall food. There is also Prime pantry available, which offers members low prices on essentials for a low fee.

Another great perk of membership is the Amazon Prime Visa card. You get 5% cashback on all Amazon and Whole Foods purchases if you apply for a credit card with Amazon. This comes with no shortage of deals all over the site. This could be a great way to save money and build credit all while getting a portion of what you spend back.

The Cons:

1. With all the glory of student Prime, there are some downfalls. Most importantly is overpaying. If you go some time without ordering from Amazon and you don’t really use any of the other Prime services, you still get charged a monthly fee of $6.95. Of course, you can pause or cancel your subscription anytime but honestly, who is going to remember that? The free six months is also a great tactic because you may sign up and you’ll completely forget about it until you check your bank account. If you don’t shop frequently, it may be a lot cheaper to pay for shipping.

Depending on your location and living situation, you won’t receive your packages as quickly as you might hope. If you live in a dorm or some sort of university housing where mail is received through the commons, your packages could be delayed. While this is not Amazon’s fault, you would still be paying extra and get your packages late anyway. “I love the fast delivery, however, sadly not everything on Amazon is prime,” said Ella Kulak, a freshman advertising major at the University of Florida. This is another thing to consider if you want to subscribe — not all products qualify for fast shipping. It just depends on your needs.

With an abundance of streaming services like Netflix and (finally) Disney+, Amazon video might seriously get lost in the mix. However, if you still decide to check it out and watch your favorite show or movie, don’t get too excited because there’s a catch. “One of my least favorite things is if you use Amazon Prime Video, which comes with the membership, it can be pretty easy to confuse what’s free to watch versus what you need to pay extra for,” said Vanessa Vazquez, a junior English major at the University of Florida. Most of the time if you want to watch something on Amazon Prime, you need to pay extra. You either have to buy or rent whatever you want to watch. No thanks, I’ll watch something else.

Knowing that you’re already paying for a subscription could discourage you from going out to shop or shopping at a different online store. Student Prime is convenient, but it might prevent you from splurging on yourself. Chances are you can discover and try a lot of new things if you see them at a grocery store or anywhere else. With Amazon Prime, you might get stuck reordering the same products or whatever is recommended to you.

And the worst thing about student Prime? Ads. Over time, after getting a subscription, you may start feeling like your phone and accounts got hacked. Amazon ads will pop up everywhere after you do a little search. Look up spatulas and you increase your chances of finding a related ad on Instagram, Facebook, and Rate My Professor. At times it feels like it is actually reading your mind, and with today’s technology that doesn’t sound too far-fetched anymore.