Amazon Prime Video: How to Get the BEST Amazon Prime Video Experience

Find out all you need to know about Amazon Prime Video so you can get the best Amazon Prime Video experience.

Prime Video is now the exclusive home to “Thursday Night Football,” starting with the Chargers vs. the Chiefs on Sept. 15.

Amazon is now the exclusive home to 15 Thursday Night Football games this season. If you are a Prime subscriber ($139 per year or $69 if you’re a student), you’ll be able to watch for free. If not, you can try it with a 30-day free trial.

Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” announcers are Al Michaels with Kirk Herbstreit.

Let's talk about how the world has changed around us in just a few short years. So much more of our shopping is done online and that means MORE BOXES. But with all those boxes comes the question about paying for all that shipping.

Amazon Prime is one of those services you sign up for to get the shipping free–and you think “YAY!” But you might not realize one of the other benefits of signing up for Amazon Prime…Amazon Prime Video!

That's right. You sign up for this awesome free shipping program and BAM! you have this great streaming service right at your fingertips.

But what are you really getting? Is it worth it? Or is getting the free shipping the hidden benefit of signing up for Amazon Prime Video? Hmmm…the plot thickens.

What is Amazon Prime Video?

Amazon Prime Video is the massive streaming destination full of movies, shows and more that is one of the two major benefits of signing up for the Amazon Prime service (the other being the free shipping element).

Prime Video the leading competitor to Netflix and Hulu–with very little overlap in the offerings. According to PCMAG, as of December 2018, Hulu, Amazon and Netflix only overlapped in 7 titles. Hulu and Amazon have a few more duplicate titles (277) and Hulu only overlaps with Netflix by 52. And as of that same article, Prime actually has a substantial amount more content than Netflix or Hulu.

So, whether you've had Prime for a while or you're looking to just add to your streaming options, Amazon Prime might be a great choice.

What does Amazon Prime Video include?

Like I said before, Amazon Prime Video has a large selection of movies, including:

In addition, when you order Amazon Prime Video, you get more than just the movies. There is a lot of television programming on Prime from classic shows to newer ones, including some made exclusively for Prime.

Every month, I publish a list of everything coming to Amazon Prime during the month.

Some of my favorites include:

How much does Amazon Prime Video cost?

Prime, with the free shipping and video components, costs $12.99 a month in the US.

If for some reason, that $4 a month is not going to benefit you at all for the free shipping component (which I mean, ok, fair enough if that's actually your truth), there is an option to get the video streaming option alone for $8.99 a month in the US. Very comparable to Netflix and Hulu (as a standalone streaming service). Plus, you know, the potential for the free shipping for $4 more a month. I mean, that's cool.

You can stream simultaneously on up to three devices at the same time in 4K quality with HDR and Dolby Amos.

Additionally, there are several bundle options with Amazon Prime Video, beyond just the free shipping bundle. Access to the full Hulu library comes with the subscription to Amazon Prime, so that bundle is already in place when you sign-up.

Beyond that, though, you can add-on channels with Amazon Prime Video with an additional cost, like HBO, Cinemax and Showtime. These bundles are in addition to your base Prime costs, so they don't really save you anything if all you really wanted was Prime, but the benefit is there, regardless.

Where can I sign up for Amazon Prime Video?

You can get access to Amazon Prime Video by signing-up on Amazon.com. As far as I can tell, there's no other way to sign-up for Prime Video.

What kind of content does Amazon Prime Video have?

Amazon Prime Video has an extensive library that hits a wide variety of genres. Whether you're looking for anime, news, action, true crime, romantic comedies, documentaries or even original content, Prime has a bit of all.

Get the full list of Amazon Prime Video titles here.

Signing up for Amazon Prime, currently, allows you to access 12,000 movies and shows on Prime in addition to the full library of Hulu with only a 1/3 of Hulu's materials being duplicated on Prime. With the addition of Hulu you get access to their full library of something like 1,650 shows and 2,500 movies on Hulu.

Is there an Amazon Prime Video app?

Yes. Downloadable on iTunes or the Android Store, with the free app, you can watch on smart TVs, phones, laptops, tablets and gaming consoles.

The app also supports closed captioning, descriptive audio and navigation assistance to help subscribers with disabilities.

The Amazon Prime Video app is separate from the Amazon app. Access to Hulu titles via the Hulu app, even in the bundle, because the apps are separate, allows you to stream on multiple screens for EACH APP.

So, with two people signed-in and streaming on Amazon Prime Video (ie. my two kids) and two adults signed-in on Hulu (ie. myself and my spouse), well, that won't hit your limits.

Additionally, having the secondary streaming app allows you to be able to tether your Amazon account to the TV via a Chromecast or Fire Stick and you can still watch something on the Hulu app on your personal device.

How can I get a discount on Amazon Prime Video?

After researching extensively, I have not found any particular discounts. It's $119 per year now, but there have been price changes from Amazon over time. So, the best thing is, when you're ready, see if there are any available discounts like Prime Day coming up when special discounts might be available.

The only discount I've found is that EBT and Medicaid cardholders who can provide a verified valid EBT (including WIC, TANF, or SNAP) or Medicaid (including Medi-Cal) card can get Prime benefits for $5.99 per month for four years. To learn more, visit here.