Prime Day is 7/16 & 7/17 so don’t miss out on squeezing everything you can out of Bezos.
Amazon makes it so tricky to cancel that the FTC sued - Here’s how to do it
Ever thought about everything Amazon knows about you? I don’t just mean your favorite shampoo and what food your dog eats. Use this link to get a copy of everything Amazon knows.
Amazon Clinic is a whole different level of data collection. Is it safe to use? Prepare to be shocked. Here’s my take.
Then there’s Prime. If trying to cancel your Amazon Prime membership feels like taking the SATs, it’s not just you. The Big Tech behemoth set it up like that on purpose. Let’s look at what you get, whether it’s worth it and how to cancel if it’s not right for you.
Operation … what now?
A Federal Trade Commission lawsuit claims Amazon hid its schemes from federal investigators. Regulators say Amazon execs delayed or rejected user experience changes that would’ve simplified the cancellation process.
It’s no wonder they did. Because of the confusing maze of instructions, Amazon reduced cancellations by 14%. The runaround includes four pages of deals, offers, snooze alarms and several other distractions.
Amazon codenamed its scheme “Iliad Flow,” a nod to Homer’s legendary epic about the Trojan War.
Is Prime worth your money?
Is Prime’s $139 yearly (or $14.99 monthly) fee worth it? Here are some of the top features that keep customers hooked:
- Free two-day delivery on over 10 million items.
- Free one-day or same-day shipping on some orders over $25.
- Exclusive access to Prime Day deals.
- Two-hour grocery delivery from Whole Foods and Amazon Fresh.
- Access to stream music, movies and TV shows through Prime Music and Prime Video.
Prime probably isn’t worth it if you shop less than a few times a month and don’t care about extras like Prime Video. Chances are, the free shipping won’t outweigh the cost of your membership. Without Prime, shipping fees typically cost between $4 and $10.
Did you know: You can buy packages from Amazon that the buyer never claimed? Get shopping!
Sketchy sellers are bribing and hassling Amazon customers via email
Amazon enjoyed huge profits during the pandemic, as consumers scrambled to buy essentials and items to keep busy while staying home. The online retail juggernaut saw more orders and members as people jumped aboard the Prime bandwagon.
Student in the family? A student Amazon Prime account is a heck of a lot cheaper than the regular price. Students get six months free, and then it’s half off a year ($69).
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Amazon's secret profit center
Streaming costs are spiraling, but Amazon’s secret fees are the real eye-opener. What started as a simple $79 Prime membership has ballooned into a $22 billion profit machine — without most people even realizing it.
Suddenly, I’m not hungry: Want unlimited grocery delivery from Amazon? That’ll be $99, in addition to the $139 annual charge for Amazon Prime. It works on orders over $35 from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods and select retailers on Amazon.com. I’ll stick with Instacart.
75% of American shoppers have an Amazon Prime membership
That was 180 million Americans last month, up 8% over last year. Let’s do some math. At $15 per month, that’s $2.7 billion in subscription revenue in a month! Incredible.
Host the perfect movie night: All the tech and fun extras you need
If you want to immerse yourself in cinema right now, you can host a movie night at home. All you need are a few tech gadgets and fun extras to create the perfect setup.
If you’re a Mac fan who wants to stream films on movie night, Apple’s streaming device is one of the better options out there. Apple TV doesn’t get as much love as the other streaming devices, but the features it offers are awesome.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Warning: Popular earbuds at risk of overheating - here's how to fix them
Amazon has diversified its portfolio quite a bit in recent years. Following the debut of Prime, Amazon introduced multiple products and services that have greatly impacted the digital ecosystem.
And Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, is probably the best example of how the company’s technology continues to impact our lives each day. Alexa is compatible with the majority of smart home products on the market, and you can even find it inside of items like Amazon’s Echo Buds headphones. Tap or click here to see why the Echo Buds are worth picking up.
Amazon Prime vs. Walmart+
Did you know Walmart has its own membership program similar to Amazon Prime? It’s called Walmart Plus, and it costs $98 a year. Let’s break down the features so you can decide if it’s the right fit for you.
🏠 If you can’t build it, Prime it: With housing prices through the roof, Amazon’s doubled down on selling tiny homes. This two-bedroom cabin has a huge porch and looks like any modern Airbnb. Pay $35,000 and it’ll show up on your doorstep (or future doorstep) in less than a month.
We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.
Global tech outage wreaks havoc
A software update by CrowdStrike took down tons of computer systems around the world. Banks, businesses, hospitals, and more were all impacted. Plus, Amazon Prime Day updates and Zoom’s demand for a return to the office.
Prime Day skepticism
Curious why Google searches for “Is Prime Day a scam?” skyrocketed by 300% in just 24 hours? Here’s the scoop.
Guide to Amazon Prime Day: Returns and what to expect
Prime Day is coming up on July 16th and 17th, but there’s a catch for frequent returners. Amazon is cracking down and it might affect your shopping spree.
This is so fly: Amazon Prime Air’s delivery drones have received Beyond Visual Line of Sight clearance to go nationwide in 2025. Pilots can operate them remotely, and drones can legally travel farther. Hopefully, this doesn’t turn into people skeet-shooting for “prizes.”
Ad-ception: Next time you open Amazon Prime Video, brace yourself for ads when you hit pause — even when you’re already watching a commercial. These “shoppable carousels” show up as a sliding lineup of products. You can turn them off … for an extra $3 per month. Jeff Bezos needs the money.
Amazon Prime Video finally gets one of Netflix’s most basic features
Amazon is ahead of the curve on so many things that its rivals are usually playing catch-up. Between Prime, Amazon Web Services and drone deliveries, competitors certainly have their work cut out for them if they want to go toe-to-toe with Jeff Bezos.