Technologies
Amazon Prime: You now have to pay to use this one perk. Here’s what to know
While this Prime perk is no longer around for free, there are still benefits that can save you time and money.

There’s an Amazon Prime perk that’s no longer free and instead will cost you an extra $10. Now, Prime members will have to pay a fee for Whole Foods’ grocery deliveries, which may mean that you buy more to offset the delivery charge or use other grocery delivery options to avoid the extra charge. But there are still ways to get organic fruits and vegetables delivered to your door for free.
Even though Whole Foods delivery will now cost you, other perks are still included in your membership like free two-day shipping and free grocery delivery directly from Amazon. But there are membership benefits that you may be missing out on. For instance, you can cut the hustle and bustle of running other errands, like the pharmacy or the mall with Amazon’s service. And if you didn’t know, Prime Video and Prime Music can help you limit your monthly subscriptions.
So don’t fret. We found other ways to help you make the most of your membership. You can also check out these top CNET deals before they’re gone. This story was recently updated.
Read more: Amazon Prime Video: The best movies to see this week
1. Whole Foods discounts
Even though Whole Foods deliveries will now come with an additional $10 charge, there are other ways to save on organic fruits and vegetables. There are also free 1-hour pickup windows depending on your location — just remember to check in with the Amazon app to see if you need to enter the store.
Some other Whole Food perks for Prime members are still around. Blue tags indicate sales exclusive to Prime members, while yellow tags mean an extra 10% off of an item already on sale. This gets you discounts on weekly bestsellers, including produce, packaged goods and beauty products, but note that it excludes alcohol.
You can also use the Whole Foods Market app at checkout to get exclusive Prime discounts on select products. The few cents saved on items may seem insignificant individually, but savings do add up in the end. But there are other Amazon grocery delivery options if you don’t want to pay the extra fee.
2. Amazon Fresh delivery
Another grocery delivery option for Prime members is Amazon Fresh. You can restock your pantry directly from Amazon. But instead of paying $10 for Whole Foods grocery delivery later this month, you can get free delivery for orders that exceed a certain amount (depending on where you live).
You can also use the service to get discounts when you order more or when you set up automatic delivery subscriptions for certain items and save even more for future deliveries. Plus, some items, like fruit snacks and cookies, are SNAP-eligible.
3. Amazon Pharmacy’s two-day delivery and discounts
If you refill at least one prescription on a regular basis, Amazon’s Pharmacy may be a more convenient choice. Plus, Prime members may get lower prices on medicine. Amazon will transfer your prescriptions, and 24/7 pharmaceutical assistance is available. The pharmacy works with most insurance plans, but it is available in 45 states right now.
4. Try Amazon’s personal shopper program
Prime members can order clothes for their next outing with Prime Try Before You Buy (the name changed from Prime Wardrobe). Here’s how it works: Choose up to eight items — clothes, shoes or accessories. Keep them for up to seven days to see if you like them. Send back what you don’t like for free and only pay for what you keep.
And you can try the styling service for personalized help starting at $5 per month. If you’re not sure which clothing or shoes are eligible, look for the «Try Before You Buy» icon.
5. Amazon gift cards when you trade in used electronics
Amazon is boarding the train to the sustainability station, and it’s something you can directly benefit from. With Amazon Trade-In, you can send back your used electronics in exchange for Amazon gift cards. Make sure to check on the eligibility of each product — some trade-in options are only available for a limited time.
6. Discounts and guarantees on preowned products
Amazon Renewed gives you access to products that may have been opened but weren’t used by their original owners — or were refurbished. Amazon assures that these preowned items work and look like new, coming with the Amazon Renewed Guarantee. A variety of products and brands are available, even from Apple and Vitamix.
7. Amazon Warehouse savings on almost everything
Amazon Warehouse resells like-new or preowned items that have been returned by customers. Some of the products only had their boxes opened by original purchasers before they were sent back, unused, so they’re resold at a discount. While there’s no regular manufacturing warranty on these products, they are backed by Amazon’s 30-day return policy and 90-day renewed item return policy.
8. Amazon Outlet’s overstocked items
The Amazon Outlet features overstocked items and other products at discounted prices. Like at an outlet, you can find premium brands and items under $10 ranging from home furniture to clothing and pet supplies. Keep in mind that although the online shopping experience is convenient, just like an outlet, the best deals can take sifting to find. Luckily, you can do it from the couch.
9. Limited-time Lightning Deals year-round
Amazon’s Lightning Deals are a promotion where a product or service is on sale for a short period of time or until it’s sold out. You can find them all throughout the site, but especially on Prime Day and in Today’s Deals. On Prime Day, Lightning Deals are only for Prime members.
There is one lightning deal per customer until the promotion ends or all the deals are claimed by other shoppers. You can join a waitlist for a deal, but keep in mind that these discounts are extremely time-sensitive, so grab them fast. Unless refreshing the page over and over is your thing, these deals aren’t necessarily the way to find something specific because of their fleeting nature and limited availability.
10. 5GB of storage with Amazon Photos
Amazon’s online shoebox for photos and videos offers secure and unlimited full-resolution photo storage plus 5GB of video for Prime members. To use this feature, you can choose to manually or automatically upload media in the Amazon Photos app. You can personalize the displays on Amazon devices like Fire TV, Echo Show and Fire tablets as long as you have the app.
Plus, with the Family Vault perk, up to five family members can share the same plan. If you want more, there are paid plans available. If you choose to switch — which can be done anytime — there is a 100GB option for $2 per month and 1TB plan for $7 per month.
For more, here are our picks for the best Alexa devices and which e-reader is right for you.
Technologies
Instagram Adds New Features, Including Reposts and Maps
Feed posts and public reels can now be reshared on the popular social-networking app.

Instagram has launched new features aimed at further connecting users with their online contacts, the company announced Wednesday. One involves sharing public feed posts and reels, another shares locations with others on an Instagram map, and a new Friends tab shows what content your contacts have liked or commented on.
For reposts, you’ll be able to share public reels and feed posts from other users. The original poster will be credited and those reshares will appear in the sharer’s profile in a new tab. Posts and reels will now include a reshare icon when they’re available to share.
Instagram says creators will be able to reach more people since those posts will be recommended to others’ followers.
You have to enable the new map feature to start sharing your last active location. You can set who can see your location and can also choose not to share your location when you’re in specific places, or have your location available to specific users.
Location sharing can be disabled at any time, Instagram says. Reels, posts and stories can be viewed through the map.
Also, a new Friends tab at the top of Reels shows public content from contacts. This feature has been available previously, but is now being expanded globally.
You can opt out of having your content displayed in the tab with options to hide likes, comments and reposts. You can also mute likes, comments and reposts from accounts you follow.
Technologies
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Technologies
How to Play Battlefield 6 Beta: Open Access Resumes This Friday
The Battlefield 6 open beta for all will open back up this weekend, starting on Aug. 14.

EA’s DICE studio has blown the lid off the multiplayer for its upcoming military shooter Battlefield 6, and after an exciting first beta weekend, you can join the fray again in just a few days. Battlefield 6’s first public beta is available to everyone and will resume this weekend. It’s not too late to join in, and here’s how.
The Battlefield 6 open beta is the first chance for players to experience the game’s multiplayer before its full release on Oct. 10. While those with early access got a couple extra days to play and the first open beta weekend was a rousing success, if you didn’t get to play, don’t worry — the second weekend will kick off at 1 a.m. PT on Aug. 14 and run through Aug. 16.
Fans can visit Battlefield’s website to get info for the open beta, which just requires linking your EA account to your platform account. PC players will also have to configure their system to Secure Boot as well (see below).
The beta will be playable on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X and S.
When does the Battlefield 6 beta end? What are the dates and times?
- Aug. 7-8: Early access.
- Aug. 9-10: First open beta weekend available to all.
- Aug. 14-16: Second open beta weekend available to all, starting at 1 a.m. PT on Aug. 14 and closing Aug. 17 at 1 a.m. PT.
How to access the Battlefield 6 open beta
As this is an open beta, getting access is pretty easy. Simply download the Battlefield 6 beta client from your preferred platform, including the PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Steam, Epic Games Store or the EA app.
Preloading the Battlefield 6 beta started on Aug. 4. Doing a preload means you’ll be able to jump on the beta as soon as it’s available instead of waiting for it to download on the day of access.
Battlefield 6 open beta download links
Here are the BF6 Beta download links for each platform:
Battlefield 6 beta maps
EA revealed the rotation of maps for the Battlefield 6 open beta weekends.
For the first weekend of Aug. 9-10, the maps were:
- Liberation Peak: A large mountainous desert.
- Siege of Cairo: An urban battlefield in the heart of Egypt.
- Iberian Offensive: Tall buildings for fun times.
The second weekend of Aug. 14-17 will include the first weekend maps, plus:
- Empire State: A close-quarters NYC map.
Battlefield 6 beta game modes
Just like with the maps, each weekend will also feature certain game modes.
The modes for the first weekend were:
- Conquest
- Closed Weapon Conquest
- Domination
- King of the Hill
- Breakthrough
Then on the second weekend of the beta, it will be the previous modes along with:
- Rush
- Squad Deathmatch
- And more (DICE did not provide specifics)
PC-specific notice for Battlefield 6 beta
A special note if you haven’t played a Battlefield game on PC recently: Studio DICE and EA recently started requiring players to set their computers to Secure Boot when playing Battlefield games to combat cheaters, and Battlefield 6 is no different. To even play the open beta, you’ll need to delve into your BIOS and switch your PC to Secure Boot. Check EA’s guide for help.
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