Amazon Prime is going up to $119 a year for new subscribers in the US, starting today. The commerce giant notified users last month that the $99 annual fee was going up by 20%.
Current members will have to pay the new rate when they renew their Prime subscription. The US price hike is the first since 2014, when the price went up from $79 to $99.
Since 2014 though, Amazon has significantly improved the benefits for Prime Members, beyond the significant improvement in the Prime Video offering.
There’s now a whopping 27 benefits for Prime members, stretching far beyond the original promise of free and fast shipping.
Related: How to find 4K HDR content on Amazon Prime
In the US, the company is now offering same-day delivery on orders in some locations and 2-hour delivery in others. Since Amazon purchased Whole Foods, grocery delivery is now available for Prime members.
There’s ad-free access to a million songs through Prime Music, access to live NFL football and exclusive benefits for Twitch members.
Readers get access to over 1,000 books for free (ten at a time) and a free six month trial of the Washington Post. Amazon First Reads also offers the choice of a free book every month before it goes on sale.
However, while the benefits continually increase, the subscribers being asked to pay more aren’t necessarily using them.
The price hike announcement was made last month when Amazon revealed its profits had doubled.
UK subscribers are currently exempt from the price hike, but the company has warned it’s “likely” Brits will face an increase beyond the current £99-a-year in the near future.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
