19 tips to get the most out of shopping on Amazon

If you're not yet a Prime member, now is a great time to join. Prime's core benefits of unlimited fast, free delivery on a vast selection of items and its extensive entertainment collection are better than ever, and we continue to invest and innovate so the membership remains an incredible value.

In the U.S., anyone can join Primefor $14.99 per month, or $139 per year if you pay annually. Amazon also offers additional, discounted membership options providing the exact same, valuable benefits of a regular Prime membership-including free delivery on more than 300 million items, exclusive deals, and savings for eligible members-at only 50% of the cost.

Young adults (ages 18-24) and college students can try a discounted Prime membership with a six-month trial, then pay a discounted rate of $7.49 per month, or $69 per year. Qualifying government assistance recipients can try Prime Accessfor 30-days before paying $6.99 per month. For more information about Prime, including discounted memberships, visit aboutamazon.com/prime.

Customers can shop and discover incredible gifts from small businesses-including Black-owned, woman-owned, and military family-owned, Hispanic-owned, AANHPI-owned, and LGBTQIA-owned businesses-at Amazon's Support Small page.

Customers can also look for the Small Business badge to easily identify products from small businesses when shopping in Amazon's store.

All season long, customers can browse a curated selection of incredible products from small businesses this season by filtering for uniquesmall business giftsor shopping the small business storein Amazon's Holiday Shop. Customers can also save big on amazing deals from small businesses with new deals dropping all the time here.

More than 60% of sales in Amazon's store are from independent sellers-most of which are small and medium-sized businesses-providing a vast selection of amazing products, competitive prices, and convenience for consumers. There's no better time than now to shop small

Customers can enjoy a 360-degree view of products, real-time tracking and delivery updates, and even get alerts when their saved items go on sale by using the Amazon app. Learn more.

Customers can also browse photos and videos from other customers, influencers, and brands using Amazon Inspire-and they can find exactly what they're looking for with Amazon Lens. Using Amazon Lens, you can upload an image, take a photo, or scan a barcode to discover exact matches and similar items in the Amazon Shopping app.

New this holiday season, Rufus-Amazon's AI-powered conversational shopping assistant-can help customers discover the perfect present for everyone on their list, making holiday shopping easier than ever before. Rufus is the ultimate shopping companion and can help customers navigate questions and recommendations on gifts, holiday décor, and even matching pajamas for the whole family.

Alexa can help customers shopin a number of ways, whether it's quickly adding items to their shopping list or carts, offering product recommendations, helping track deliveries, or helping find the best deals.

Customers can simply ask "Alexa, what are my deals?" or Alexa can also proactively notify customers up to 24 hours in advance if there is a deal coming on an eligible item on their Wish List, in their Cart, or Save for Later. They'll receive a notification on their Alexa-enabled device when a deal is available and can then ask Alexa to remind them when the deal goes live or ask Alexa to buy it for them by saying, "Alexa, buy it for me."

If you prefer to shop in Spanish, Amazon.com gives customers the same convenient shopping experience in Spanish on any device. Visit amazon.com/espanolor change your language preference on the Amazon app to shop deals and gift guides in Spanish.

Customers can shop in store at Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, and Amazon Go. Each store offers an unparalleled selection of top brands at affordable prices, a variety of convenient ways to shop, and exclusive benefits for Prime members. Whether you are grabbing a cup of coffee on your way to the next store, purchasing ingredients for a dinner party, or stocking up on those essential grocery items to make your go-to-holiday meals, Amazon's selection of stores have you covered.

Amazon Fresh offers an unparalleled selection of top national and local brands as well as high-quality protein and produce, and private-label favorites. Amazon Fresh is committed to delivering value in every aisle-from an expansive selection of pantry staples priced at reliably low prices every day to a rotating selection of competitive weekly deals and convenient daily fresh meal deals-customers can rest assured that they will find quality and convenience at great prices.

Whole Foods Market offers a unique selection of specialty, natural, and organic brands like Alexandre Family Farms, Purely Elizabeth Granola, and more, as well as Animal Welfare certified local, organic and grass-fed options, and sustainable seafood.

Amazon Go is our take on a convenience store and offers customers a wide range of grab-and-go items from sandwiches to salads, everyday essentials, and more-with no lines and no checkout thanks to Amazon's Just Walk Out technology.

Subscribe & Savehelps you never run out of the things you order most on Amazon.com. The program has no fees, and you can cancel or adjust your subscriptions at any time. You can even unlock extra savings-up to 15% off-on eligible subscriptions when you receive five or more subscriptions in one auto-delivery.

From detergent to toothpaste to dog treats, you can subscribe to all of your everyday essentials and take advantage of free delivery with Subscribe & Save.

Watch Amazon Live for gift guides, inspiration, and live demonstrations. Shop alongside celebrities and influencers as they share trends and their favorite gift ideas across Beauty, Fashion, Electronics, Home, and more. Viewers can ask questions via live chat and can easily shop the products featured through a carousel that updates in real time. Viewers can also use the "shop the show" technology on Amazon Live's FAST Channel (now available to watch on Prime Video and Freevee), which allows customers to shop various brands and engage with creators all while watching from the comfort of their couch. Tune in to their livestreams on amazon.com/live,download the Amazon Live Shopping app on Fire TV, or visit the Amazon Live FAST Channel -- the perfect blend of a shoppable social feed and 24/7 streaming TV.

Browse gift guides within the Holiday Shopto find low prices and gifts for everyone on your list, including trending items from top brands across more than 35 categories and explore Amazon's annual Toys We Lovelist, featuring the exclusive release of the Amazon Delivery Van Ride-Ontoy from Radio Flyer, now available for pre-order.

Amazon Accessis a one-stop-shop for customers to explore programs, discounts, and features that make shopping on Amazon even easier and more affordable. Here, customers will find information on options like payment with SNAP EBT, Access Discounts, Prime Access, and more. If you receive SNAP, Medicaid, or other qualifying government assistance, you're eligible for Prime Access-all the benefits of a regular Prime membership at 50% of the cost.

Let Amazon cross grocery shopping off your to-do list. Grocery delivery and pickup can help customers save time. Customers in more than 3,500 cities and towns across the U.S. have access to two-hour grocery delivery and free pickup from Whole Foods Marketand Amazon Fresh. In addition, all Amazon customers can also order from a variety of local grocery and specialty retailers available on Amazon.com like Bristol Farms, Cardenas Markets, Pet Food Express, Weis Markets, Save Mart, and Metropolitan Market.

Prime members will continue to save while grocery shopping with exclusive discounts and offers on qualifying items, both online and in store at Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market. Eligible Prime members also can earn unlimited 5% back on their purchases when using their Prime Visaonline at Amazon.com, or when shopping online or in-store at Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market.

Customers can also visit the convenient Pickup & Returns counter or Customer Service Desk to pick up packages or drop-off returns at Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go, and Whole Foods Market. Many stores also include Amazon Returns Kiosks, allowing customers to complete their returns in 60 seconds or less.

And for those Prime members and customers with a registered EBT card who regularly order groceries from Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods Market, or local grocery and specialty retailers on Amazon.com, you can now access unlimited grocery delivery on orders over $35 when they sign up for Amazon's grocery delivery subscriptionfor $9.99 per month-a benefit that pays for itself in as little as one order a month.

Deals on Amazon are another great way to shop items at great prices. Visit the Today's Dealspage to find limited time promotions on products across Amazon, on everything from fashion to bedding to tech for great savings.

Customers can shop Climate Pledge Friendly, which recognizes products with sustainable features. Products in the program are certified by one (or more) of over 50 sustainability certifications. Customers can look for products with the "sustainability features" label, which can be found near the product's name, filter results to Climate Pledge Friendly products using the filter menu under the search bar, or visit the Climate Pledge Friendly shop.

Customers can shop with peace of mind knowing Amazon stands behind the products sold in our stores with the A-to-z Guarantee. Amazon's protection applies to products purchased in our stores worldwide, and in the unlikely event customers experience issues with timely delivery or the condition of their purchase, whether purchased from Amazon or one of our two million independent selling partners, Amazon will make it right with a refund or replacement. Learn more.

Our goal at Amazon is to make buying online-and returning-as easy as possible. We offer free, convenient returns on most items delivered in the U.S., and customers should look for the FREE Returns badge under the price to confirm it is a qualifying item.

To start a return, customers visit "Your Order," select the item to be returned, and select the reason for returning. Customers can then choose from a list of convenient return optionsand then drop off their item. To make these returns even more convenient for customers, we've designed a system that helps minimize the need for additional shipping boxes-eligible items can be dropped off in the original manufacturer's packaging.

Amazon is committed to helping consumers avoid impersonation scams. These happen when a scammer pretends to be a trusted company and reaches out to try to get access to sensitive information like social security numbers, bank information, or Amazon account details.

Stay safe from impersonation scams with these six tips:

Verify purchases on Amazon.If you receive a message about the purchase of a product or service, do not respond to the message or click on any link in the message; instead, log into your Amazon account or use the Amazon mobile app and confirm that it is really in your purchase history before taking any action.

Trust Amazon's app and website.We will not ask for payment over the phone or email-only in our mobile app, on our website, or in one of our physical stores. We will not call and ask you to make a payment or bank transfer on another website.

Be wary of false urgency.Scammers often try to create a sense of urgency to persuade you to do what they're asking.

Don't be pressured into buying a gift card.We will never ask you to purchase a gift card, and no legitimate sale or transaction will require you to pay with gift cards. Learn more about common gift card scams on our help pages.

Contact us.If you're ever unsure, it's safest to stop engaging with the potential scammer and contact usdirectly through the Amazon app or website. Do not call numbers sent over text or email, or found in online search results. Remember Amazon will not ask you to download or install any software to connect with customer service nor will we request payment for any customer service support.

Check what others are saying.See if anyone else has reported a similar situation. In the U.S., Amazon has partnered with the Better Business Bureau to provide consumers a searchable Scam Trackerthat enables you to search suspicious communications reported by others by email, URL, phone number, and more.

If you receive correspondence that you think may not be from Amazon, please report it immediately. Customers can use the Amazon self-service toolto report something suspicious in just a few quick steps. These reports give us information to identify bad actors and take action against them, helping us stop scams at the source.

Need help keeping gifts a secret this year? Package pickup is secure and private, helping to ensure everything on your list is a surprise. Amazon offers convenient package pickup at more than 25,000 locations in the U.S. Visit amazon.com/packagepickupto find the nearest package pickup location.

Amazon now offers Same-Day Delivery in more than 120 U.S. metro areas. Delivery is free for Prime members on qualifying orders, and just $2.99 if the order does not meet the minimum. In-store pickup is always free. Customers can visit amazon.com/nearmeto see what stores are available in their area.