8 lesser-known benefits Amazon offers its employees

When you think “employee benefits,” health care and 401(k) match probably spring to mind. In addition to providing those benefits on day one of employment—as well as career advancement programs such as Career Choice and skills training—Amazon offers a whole suite of other benefits to meet employee needs. Employees can also take advantage of a wide range of Amazon-exclusive perks, both at the office and at home.

Here’s a snapshot of some of our lesser-known employee benefits, available to all eligible members of our workforce—including frontline employees in our fulfillment center network.

1. Free pain treatment and prevention

A woman bracing the back of her neck with illustration overlay to show her neck pain.

Sometimes life can be a pain in the neck—literally. As a result, we’ve partnered with Hinge Health to offer virtual pain-management resources to all our employees. Aetna plan-enrolled Amazon employees can access Hinge Health’s pain treatment program, and all Amazon employees and family members aged 18+ can use Hinge Health’s pain prevention program, regardless of benefits eligibility or enrollment. This benefit is free of charge.

2. Employee-exclusive discounts

Our employees have exclusive access to an online portal, Amazon Extras, that is full of deals and discounts. There are nearly 3,000 deals—including discounts on car insurance, phone plans, travel, and entertainment—currently available to Amazon employees in the U.S.

There are even deals to help employees with home ownership: In 2022, over 30,000 Amazon employees enjoyed discounts on mortgage interest rates, fees, and closing costs from a wide range of mortgage providers through Amazon Extras. U.S. employees also receive an employee discount code to use on Amazon.com for items shipped and sold by Amazon.

3. Refugee and humanitarian-based immigrant employee support

A father and child stand in line for services with an illustration of Amazon's support of refugees, including reimbursing the EAD renewal fee.

Amazon welcomes refugees from all over the world, and has programs in place to help ease their transition to their new homeland. Welcome Door is an Amazon benefit program that offers resources and support for refugee and humanitarian-based immigrant employees, including citizenship assistance and free legal support.

U.S. Welcome Door participants are also eligible for reimbursement for Employment Authorization Document (EAD) renewal fees, which, on average, cost approximately $500 every other year. In 2022, employees saved more than $1 million in document fees through the program.

4. Specialty cancer benefits

A close up of two hands holding each other with an illustration of a microscope to depict Amazon cancer benefits offered to employees.

To help our employees (and their family members) who have been diagnosed with cancer, Amazon has a team solely dedicated to helping navigate work, care, benefits, and resources amid cancer diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. The Amazon Cancer Advocacy, Resources, Education, and Support (CARES) program provides high-touch, one-to-one support for employees—including hourly employees—and employee family members who have been diagnosed with cancer. The CARES program is already available in 23 countries, and will expand globally by 2024.

5. Paid family leave and “Ramp Back” program

A husband touches his wife's pregnant stomach with a toddler in his lap while an illustration of a calendar is behind them to depict Amazon parental leave benefits.

After one full year of employment, Amazon offers up to 20 weeks of fully paid leave for birthing parents, including four weeks before the baby is born. We also offer up to six weeks of fully paid leave to supporting parents and adoptive parents. Our Leave Share program allows employees to give six weeks of paid parental leave to a spouse or partner whose jobs don't provide paid leave. And, our Ramp Back program offers parents eight-consecutive weeks of flexibility and partial work hours after the birth or adoption of a child, as they readjust to work schedules as new parents.

6. Access to earned cash ahead of payday

A woman leans against the open hood of her car stressed about its mechanical issues to depict Amazon's pay ahead employee benefit.

Expensive life events don’t always wait for that paycheck to deposit. Amazon’s Anytime Pay benefit allows employees to access the money they’ve earned before their next paycheck. The program initially launched as a pilot with a small number of operations employees, but it has been expanded to include more employees, including most U.S. corporate employees.

With Anytime Pay, employees can access up to 70% of their eligible earned pay whenever they choose, at no cost, and in real time. Over 1 million employees in the U.S. are currently eligible to use Anytime Pay.

7. Free mental-health care

Mental health is a critical part of overall wellness, and is just as important as physical health. Amazon offers free, confidential mental-health support for employees, their family, and household members. Regardless of benefits enrollment, employees, family members, and household members—including children and teens—can receive five free counseling sessions per issue per year via Amazon’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Employees can also access mental-health care 24/7 through Twill Therapeutics, a self-guided app dedicated to improving well-being. Twill provides science-backed activities and games to help employees and their family members (age 18+) work through negative thoughts, build confidence, and manage stress.

8. New discounts on prescription medications

Amazon employees will now find the lowest copay on their prescription medications at Amazon Pharmacy. Employees and family members enrolled in an Aetna, Cigna, or Premera medical plan through Amazon will be eligible for up to a 90-day supply of prescription of preferred brand and generic medications through Amazon Pharmacy, and enjoy savings on a wide range of medications. When filling prescriptions at Amazon Pharmacy employees save $5 on 30-day prescriptions and receive a $10 discount on 90-day prescriptions, when using insurance. Plus, many medications for chronic conditions are covered at no cost.

Amazon Pharmacy, a full-service pharmacy available on Amazon.com, offers fast delivery when you need it most. Prime members receive free two-day delivery on their first order of a medication, with the option to set up automatic monthly deliveries for medication refills. For acute health needs, Amazon Pharmacy also offers Same-Day Delivery in Austin, Indianapolis, Miami, Phoenix, and Seattle. Of course, Amazon Pharmacy customers have 24/7 access to a pharmacist to discuss questions about their medications.

To learn more about the wide range of benefits we offer employees, visit our employee benefits page and check out the video below. To take advantage of these great benefits, explore open hourly roles by visiting our hiring site.