Amazon dramatically raises Prime membership prices for UK and Europe
Amazon has started informing customers that it will be increasing the price of a Prime membership in the UK and across Europe from September 15.
After that date, both monthly and annual Prime subscribers will find that their fees have increased dramatically.
Monthly subscribers will see an increase from £7.99 to £8.99, which is an increase of some 12.5%. Annual subscribers will experience an even steeper rise, from £79 to £95. That’s a staggering increase of 20%.
Amazon Prime’s price increase in the UK is accompanied by similar rises across Europe, with Germany, France, Spain and Italy all experiencing similar subscription cost bumps. France has drawn the short straw here, with an eye-watering 43% bump to the annual subscription price.
This also follows a 17% price increase in Amazon’s home market back in February.
In the email sent to Prime customers notifying them of these changes, Amazon seeks to justify the rise, first by pointing out that this is the first time the company has changed the price of a Prime membership in the UK since 2014.
The online giant also points out the company has “significantly increased the number of products available with unlimited, fast Prime delivery”, as well as adding fresh groceries. Members have also gained access to “more high-quality digital entertainment, including TV, movies, music, games, and books”.
Prime Video, which is a major part of every Prime subscription, has increased its number of TV series and movies, while the company has also taken steps to increase its live sports coverage, including Premier League football.
As reported by the Financial Times, a spokesperson for Amazon attributed this latest spate of price rises to “increased inflation and operating costs”.
The company has reportedly swung from an operating profit of $1.3 billion for the quarter in 2021 to a $1.3 billion loss in the same quarter of 2022.
It is worth noting, however, that the company experienced record sales in 2021, and benefited more than most from the lockdown period as customers increased their home shopping and entertainment consumption.
Thankfully, Amazon is finally making it easier to quit Prime here in the UK.