While researching a topic for today, which I do when nothing specific pops into my mind, I stumbled across the following article, which could mean more to our readers than my mindless drivel during this quiet time. Amazon Prime Day is coming soon, on July 16 and 17. Today, I’m posting this money-saving article (see below) for our readers who may be Amazon Prime members or those considering joining Amazon Prime at some point.
We have been Amazon Prime members for many years for several specific reasons:
- Amazon offers free shipping on most purchases, many of which include same-day or next-day delivery. This is particularly interesting for us in the US since I don’t care about shopping in stores such as Target, pharmacies, and Walmart. Amazon’s prices are competitive, and searching for the best deals is easy.
- Amazon Prime’s streaming service, Prime Video, has a plethora of excellent documentaries, series, and movies. Most are free, although some may be premium releases for an additional fee. (We generally don’t pay for new films and series on Amazon Prime and will wait until they are available to stream at no added cost). With the higher costs for many streaming services, Prime Video is an excellent source of entertainment.
- Free Music on Prime Music for the first five months. We listen to free music on YouTube when the five months are over.
- Use the Amazon Kindle App to read books. Millions of books are offered at huge discounts for reading online, and many are free of charge.
As described on Amazon’s site, there are many more reasons to use Amazon Prime, which you can find here.
Amazon Prime is currently $139 a year, or a little over $11.50 monthly. For us, it pays for itself in its first few months by avoiding shipping fees alone. Even when we’re outside the US and plan to order a shipment of supplies, we have everything sent to our mailing service in Nevada (no shipping fees) and then have our mailing service ship everything to us in one package, costs varying based on speed of delivery and location.
In the past few years, after spending considerable time in the US, we haven’t had to have the items we purchase sent to our mailing service; instead, they are shipped directly to our hotel, wherever we may be staying, without shipping fees. Amazon texts us that the package has been delivered and that we can pick it up at the reception desk immediately.
As mentioned above, you can click on the Amazon black box on the right side of our homepage along with our other advertisers. We earn a small commission for your purchases, but you don’t pay more, which helps offset some of our site’s maintenance costs. You do not need to be a member to buy products on Amazon, and prices and services are the same when using our site or going directly to Amazon. Please click the link here.
From this site: “Is Amazon travel’s newest metasearch site?
Amazon Prime Day is fast approaching, which historically has meant little in terms of news for the travel industry. But this year, Amazon has a dedicated page to “Prime Day Travel Deals” with big-name brands, including Carnival Cruise Line, Southwest Airlines, and Tripadvisor experiences brand Viator. Car rental companies Turo, Sixt, and Avis are also participating.
The opportunity to sell with an online retail giant is appealing, according to the travel brands included in the July 16 and 17 shopping event.
“Consumers are interested in unique experiences, and this Prime Day offering puts cruise vacations in front of a targeted audience that we want to reach,” said Amy Martin Ziegenfuss, chief marketing officer of Carnival Cruise Line.
She continued: “Amazon has been a great partner as we’ve worked together on other activations, so making our cruises available for Prime Day builds on our partnership and adds value for customers of both brands.”
Similarly, Viator recently partnered with Amazon Alexa and expressed excitement about selling through Amazon.
“As the first travel experiences marketplace to offer an Amazon Prime Day deal in the [United States], we’re excited to bring our more than 300,000 activities, tours, and experiences directly to the millions of travelers who shop on Amazon every day,” said Laurel Greatrix, vice president of brand and communications for Viator.
Greatrix said the partnership is one of “thousands” of ways Viator is seeking to reach travelers where they are already shopping as it continues to expand distribution for its operators.
Amazon said it offers discounted flights, experiences, and rides with Amazon Travel. Prime members are eligible to receive deals such as 30% off base fares with Southwest Airlines or 20% off experiences with Viator, for example.
It’s unclear whether Amazon will continue offering travel products after Prime Day closes.
While this marks the first time Amazon has offered a full page of travel deals, the company provided a Prime Day deal with Priceline last year. While Amazon did not immediately reply to a request for comment, there has long been chatter about its potential to enter the online travel marketplace. And in 2021, the company also announced it partnered with MakeMyTrip to offer travel in India.”
We hope this information is helpful and those of you considering travel can take advantage of some of these special travel prices.
Be well.
Photo from ten years ago today, July 13, 2014:
