Like death and taxes, Amazon Prime Day is an inevitability. At least for deal hunters, it's a welcome one. The online retailer's giant sale event this year will take place in July 16-17.It should offer great deals on thousands of products. These include: tech and electronics household staples and kitchen essentials fashion and more But, there is a catch: In order to access these savings, you'll need an Amazon Prime membership.
What a Prime membership costs and includes

Right now, Amazon offers a 30-day free trial for new members. After the trial, Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month or $139 annually. With Amazon Prime, you get fast and free shipping on millions of items. Additionally, you have access to Prime Video, which features popular movies and TV shows. Other services include: - Amazon Music - Prime Gaming - Amazon Photos (with unlimited cloud photo storage) - A free Kindle book each month Additionally, Prime members can: - Obtain discounts on premium video channels - That don't come with the Prime subscription. A standard streaming package is one option available.

Other perks for Whole Foods shoppers with Prime include: - An extra discount of 30% on storewide sales (excluding alcohol) - Access to exclusive member deals Free pickup is available in some locations, but not all.

Trial before you buy

One thing to note: If you don't have an Amazon Prime account yet, you can take advantage of its 30-day free trial by hacking it. Smart shopping expert Trae Bodge suggests this as an opportune moment. However, she also advises marking your calendar and cancelling within the 30-day trial period if you don't wish to continue.

How much are you really going to use that membership past Amazon Prime Day?

Making that $139 worth it for you may depend on both the amount you shop with Amazon and the extent to which you utilize their additional benefits. Do you frequently place orders with Amazon? Do you take advantage of every Prime benefit and service available to you? If you do not use Prime extensively, there's a chance that a Prime membership may still be worth it for you at $139.

You should keep in mind that you can get free shipping if you order a certain amount of qualifying products. Bodge adds that this benefit is available without a Prime Membership. If free shipping is a significant factor for you, you would need to place about 24 small orders, each under $25, to break even, Ramhold explains. In other words, you would primarily be looking at making small purchases and paying for shipping on each order to make the membership worth it.

Frequent use of Amazon's streaming services can help you maximize your value. The same applies to Amazon's music services. “I am not a fan of all retail memberships, I personally enjoy the benefits of Amazon Prime. There are exclusive Prime Day deals that you have access to. Additionally, there are many benefits available all year round.

One thing to note: Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods brought a significant benefit for Prime members with free delivery. However, Amazon recently ended this perk. Prime members are now questioning whether the recent increase in price justifies the value, considering this change.