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Amazon Prime Video — A Plain-English Guide

Last verified: August 2026

Included vs. Rent vs. BuyOn Prime Video, not everything is free with Prime - watch the label.IncludedSays "Includedwith Prime." Justpress play - noextra charge.Rent or BuyA price is shown.You pay per title.Rentals expire;buys you keep.ChannelsAdd-ons like apremium channel.A separate monthlyfee on top.If a price is shown, it costs extra - only "Included with Prime" is truly free to watch.Illustration - a simplified view. Labels vary by title and region.
Included vs rent vs buy on Prime.
Finding Your Way AroundThe Prime Video home screen has a few simple parts.Search - type a show or movie nameRows of titlesbrowse by categoryWatchlistsave for laterProfileskeep viewing separateSettingsplayback & accountSearch finds anything fast; the Watchlist saves shows so you never lose them.Illustration - a simplified view. Layout changes with app updates.
Getting around the Prime Video app.

Free with your Prime membership. Originals like Reacher and The Boys, plus Thursday Night Football. The ads in 2024 made it weaker but still a value.

What's inside the 25-page PDF

  • Pricing: free with Prime $14.99/mo or $139/yr
  • The ads change ($4.99/mo to remove — now Prime Video Ultra)
  • Originals: Reacher, The Boys, Fallout, Rings of Power
  • MGM library (James Bond, Rocky, etc.)
  • Live sports: Thursday Night Football
  • Channels feature: subscribe to HBO Max/Showtime/Starz via Amazon
  • Freevee (free ad-supported tier)
  • Best value if you already have Prime

The full guide is a 25-page printable PDF with screenshots, real prices, and Bill's recommendations for Portage County customers. Download it above — it's free, no email required, no signup.

Why I made this guide

I leave a printed copy of this guide with every customer after I install or troubleshoot amazon prime video. It lives on a kitchen shelf next to the appliance manuals so they can reach for it the next time something acts up — or the next time a neighbor asks "is it worth it?"

No ads. No affiliate links. No fluff. Just what I'd want my own mother to know.

— Bill Davis

Need help with this?

Reading is one thing. Doing it is another. If you'd rather have me come do it for you, the first in-home visit is $99 flat — most jobs done in one trip.

📞 Call (330) 200-8042 📅 Book a $99 Visit

Would you rather I just do this for you?

No shame in it — plenty of folks would rather hand it off, and that's what I'm here for. I'll come to your home, set it up right, and make sure it's working before I leave. Flat $99 per visit — no jargon, no upsell, and every visit is 30-day come-back-free.

Not a hardware job? I can often fix it remotely for $49 — a secure screen-share, up to 2 hours, that you watch the whole time and can end whenever (included free for $39/mo Support Plan members, and it counts toward the $99 if it turns out I need to come out).