Technologies
9 Amazon Prime Benefits to Use in 2023
2023 is almost here. Here’s how you use your Amazon Prime membership for access to exclusive deals.
The new year is coming up in just a few days, and there are Amazon deals going strong with more to come for the new year. If you’re a Prime member, there are a slew of perks included with your subscription that you’ll want to use all year round.
No, we’re not just talking about free two-day shipping. Amazon Prime members have access to tons of other perks and bonuses you might not know about.
For example, Amazon Prime members can get deliveries much faster than two days, sometimes in a few hours. They can also schedule delivery dates for convenience or to avoid times when they’ll be away from home. And they even get exclusive deals simply by using Alexa on an Amazon Echo.
If you’re thinking about signing up for an Amazon Prime account (here’s how) or don’t know much about all of the included features, here are some ways you can get the most out of your membership while shopping for Black Friday deals.
Read more: New Amazon Prime Perk: How to Get Free Grubhub Plus Food Delivery
You can get free same-day delivery on qualifying items
If there’s a product you want immediately, you can see if it’s available for delivery the same day you order. To check a product’s eligibility, look for delivery that’s marked as «Prime FREE Same-Day» while shopping. Note that your order will need to contain over $35 of qualifying items. If not, you’ll have to pay a small fee.
Amazon will deliver from morning until evening, so you won’t have to worry about receiving your order at 3 a.m. However, same-day delivery isn’t available in all locations, so enter your ZIP code on the Amazon Same-Day Delivery page to see if you’re eligible.
Alexa can share extra discounts when you shop on Echo
You can use your Amazon Echo to ask «Alexa, what are my deals?» anytime. Alexa will then share Prime-exclusive deals and you’ll have the option to add the item to your cart, buy it now or move on to the next deal.
Schedule a convenient shipping date for your package
Everyone knows about Amazon’s free two-day shipping, but another option is to choose a delivery date during checkout. It’s called Amazon Day and it’s helpful if there’s a specific day you know someone will be at home to answer for packages — especially if it’s something pricey that you don’t want to risk leaving unattended.
If you order multiple items on different days, you can have them delivered on the same day as long as they’re eligible for this offer.
Use your Amazon Echo to help track packages
If you have an Amazon Echo of any kind, you can use it to track your orders.
Just say «Alexa, where’s my package?» and your Echo will let you know where it is, who it’s for and when it’ll arrive. Once your order has been delivered, the Echo’s ring light will pulse yellow and if you have the Echo Show, the delivery notification will appear on the screen.
Shop Early Access deals before non-Prime members
If something you’ve been eyeing says «Prime Early Access,» as a Prime member you can shop that sale 30 minutes before non-Prime members. However, you’ll still have to compete with other Prime members who are interested in the product before it sells out.
Amazon can leave your package inside your house
When you know you’re not going to be home for a while and you’ve got a shipment on the way, it’s much safer to have an Amazon employee leave your items inside your house to avoid theft.
For in-home delivery, you’ll need a Key-compatible smart lock and an (optional) Amazon Cloud Cam. The Amazon driver will send you a notification when they’ve arrived at your house and will request to unlock your door. Amazon will verify the package is at the right address and the driver is near the door, then will turn on Amazon Cloud Cam and unlock your door.
If you’re wary of letting a complete stranger into your home, keep in mind that you’ll also receive notifications during the entire process. Note that you can opt to block delivery access to your home — for example, if you know you’ll be home during that time.
You can also have packages delivered inside your garage
«Porch pirates» — thieves who steal packages left in front of homes — are no joke. Security site SafeWise told CNET that about 260 million packages have been stolen from home exteriors in 2022. The Amazon Key in-garage delivery service can stop porch theft completely and is free for all Amazon Prime members.
When you use Amazon In-Garage Delivery, select Key Delivery at checkout. The garage kit is $29 right now and turns your garage into a smart garage. It works the same as in-home delivery so Amazon will do all the verifying for you.
Send a gift to someone without knowing their address
An Amazon Prime feature lets you send someone a gift, even if you don’t have their address. For instance, if you’d like to send a coworker something for the holidays or their birthday but don’t know what their address is, you can still send a gift. But there’s a catch — that person must also have a Prime account and you need either their phone number or email address associated with the account.
Just note that not every item on Amazon is eligible.
Share Prime perks with family
If you’ve got another adult living in your household, like a significant other or friend, you can share your Prime membership with them. You’ll still be able to keep your personal accounts separate, but you’ll both have access to all the same Prime benefits.
You can also share your account with up to four teens and up to four children in your household. While they’ll have their own logins, you can still manage their profiles.
For more shopping tips, here’s how to send your Amazon packages back the fast, easy and free way.
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Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, Oct. 26
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 26.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? I thought 4-Down was a bit tricky, but read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Rubber ducky’s «habitat»
Answer: BATH
5A clue: Coin in Cannes
Answer: EURO
6A clue: Go «Grrrr …»
Answer: GROWL
8A clue: «The other thing I wanted to say …»
Answer: ALSO
9A clue: Street sign in a school zone
Answer: SLOW
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Plead
Answer: BEG
2D clue: Vibes, in Gen Z speak
Answer: AURAS
3D clue: Social media menace
Answer: TROLL
4D clue: «Oh, yeah? Explain that to me»
Answer: HOWSO
7D clue: Like a phone battery under 20%
Answer: LOW
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 26, #398
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 26, No. 398.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a fun one. That purple category — oof, it’s a typical Connections brain-buster. If you’re struggling but still want to solve the puzzle, read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Bunch of players.
Green group hint: College division.
Blue group hint: Knock it out of the park.
Purple group hint: You’ll find a hidden word in these four team names.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: Club
Green group: ACC teams
Blue group: Hit hard, like a baseball
Purple group: Pro team names that end in another pro team name.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is club. The four answers are group, side, squad and team.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is ACC teams. The four answers are Demon Deacons, Eagles, Hurricanes and Wolfpack.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is hit hard, like a baseball. The four answers are belt, club, mash and wallop.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is pro team names that end in another pro team name. The four answers are Hornets, Red Wings, Seahawks and Vikings.
Technologies
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