How to sign up for Amazon Prime to get free two-day shipping and other great perks

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• An Amazon Prime membership comes with free two-day shipping, access to tens of thousands of hours of video and audio content, grocery discounts, and many more great perks.
• More than 51% of American households now use Amazon Prime, and the United States Post Office has reported a 54% increase in package deliveries in the past five years.
• Signing up for Amazon Prime is quick and easy and can cost as little as $6.49 a month for students, and less than $10 a month for everyone else.
• Here's how to sign up for an Amazon Prime Membership and unlock two-day shipping and other great perks.

Amazon Prime, the fast and free shipping service launched by Amazon in early 2005, has changed the way Americans shop for just about everything. It has also changed the way many of us watch TV and movies, listen to music, read books, and even store our personal photos and videos. Also, in some places, you can order food for delivery via Prime.

Are you asking yourself: "Should I sign up for Amazon Prime?" The answer is probably yes, if you want to be like an estimated 51.7% of the population of the United States. That's the number of households that have a Prime membership, according to a recent study by Prime Mailboxes (ironically, no relation to Amazon!). And United States Postal Service data show that USPS package deliveries have gone up by more than 54% in the past five years, with Amazon accounting for much of it.

Also, you can take it from me: I've been a Prime member and devotee since 2006. We go way back.

So if you want free, two-day shipping on baby clothes, seltzer water, sleeping bags, cat litter, and a million other things, or access to hundreds of TV shows and movies, both old and new, and a massive catalog of songs, books, and other media, then you really should sign up for Prime.

Ah, but how much does Amazon Prime cost? The best route is the annual membership, which means a once yearly cost of $119, or about $9.91 a month. You can also start out with a free month, and then opt for monthly billing if you're still unsure. The cost of monthly Amazon Prime membership is $12.99, which works out to $155.88, a good deal more expensive than the annual rate.

Students can enjoy a monthly rate of just $6.49, however, or only $77.88 per year, and can also take advantage of a six-month free trial period. And don't forget about the gift of Prime: You can sign someone up for a gift membership for the same $119 annual rate or for a three-month Prime gift subscription for $38.97. Or you can ask for the gift of Prime for your birthday, now armed with all the info your gift getter needs.

Assuming you're convinced that an Amazon Prime membership is right for you, here's how to sign up for Prime.

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