Amazon Prime Increases Membership Fees (May 2023)

BewareOfThe Dog on 02/05/2023 - 09:26
Last edited 02/05/2023 - 12:09 by 3 other users

It was only a matter of time

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Amazon Prime Video will increase its streaming subscription fees by as much as 42.9 per cent from the end of this month.

Prime membership will hike up its monthly price from $6.99 to $9.99 while its annual fee will go up from $59.99 to $79.99.

From Amazon email:

Thank you for being a valued member of Amazon Prime. We are writing to you about an upcoming change to your membership.

Since launching Amazon Prime in 2018 we have continued expanding Prime member benefits. So we can continue growing the offering, Prime membership fees are changing to $79 per year for annual plans. The new price will apply from June 28, 2023, on the date of your next renewal. With your Prime membership you have access to shopping and entertainment benefits, including Prime Video and Amazon Music.

No further action is required. You can manage your Prime membership anytime by visiting Your Membership page.

Will you stop your subscription?

Poll Options

  • 296
    Yes
  • 297
    Unsure
  • 862
    No
General Discussion Amazon Membership Video on Demand

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Comments

  • Nillionaire on 02/05/2023 - 21:53
    +1

    I won't stop my service. Prime is essential to me, just like my phone plan. All the money I save from not owning or maintaining a car and fuel, I can throw at Amazon for next day delivery on most things I need. I also have Spotify, Netflix, Disney+.

  • Tech5 on 02/05/2023 - 22:27

    I guess that's why they gave the 6.99/month rebate for amex members. Reduces the amount of people cancelling

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 02/05/2023 - 22:29
    +1

    honestly speaking i sign up when i need something and unsubcribe straight away i buy things 'occasionally' and used Amazon Prime video when they have something i want to watch on which is essentially 'The Boyz' Tv show and the All or Nothing Documenary

    • Lurk Hartog on 03/05/2023 - 10:48
      +1

      Same here but now considering subscribing for a year at the current cheap rate.

  • Godric on 02/05/2023 - 22:37

    another thing rising in $ yay

  • ThadtheChad on 02/05/2023 - 22:55
    +1

    Quite a big fan of Amazon prime - is a great value proposition for our household as both free delivery AND prime video both get a heavy workout.

    We have set quite a few items on subscribe and save as well - the convenience is definitely worth it IMHO. We have oftentimes bought from Amazon for a wee bit more if we needed something sooner rather than later. Lastly, the baby wishlist that they've introduced is very good value (again, IMHO) as you also end up getting 15% off items during the delivery/post-delivery window.

    $9.99/month seems fairly well justified given the convenience of blazing fast delivery as well as prime video's library.

  • X200T on 02/05/2023 - 23:39

    can you subscribe multiple years in advance?

  • Eeples on 02/05/2023 - 23:48
    +1

    If you are paying monthly… it’s a good time to lock in 12 months at the old cheaper annual fee.

  • OzDropBear on 03/05/2023 - 00:02
    +1

    I blame inflation, but Prime is too good to resist.

  • gimme on 03/05/2023 - 07:04

    Mine is due for renewal in mar 2024. I'm good till then yea? Email is confusing as it seems to indicate renewal is on june 28

  • Devastator0 on 03/05/2023 - 07:05
    -3

    It boggles my mind that Amazon is increasing the pricing of this for Australia, yet they still cannot offer sameday deliveries like they do in the US.I get you need distribution/fulfillment centers in more areas but why isn't that the case? When Prime was launched in Australia, I looked at it and paying that premium to still not get the equivalent service as US counterparts ruled it out for me, now even moreso with the price rise.

    • klonky on 03/05/2023 - 07:10
      +6

      I'm able to get most of my deliveries the next day. There is no other online store in Australia that can do that with free delivery.

      • Devastator0 on 03/05/2023 - 07:18

        Apple does it? Just as an example, I had to order something from them online yesterday, it's on-board for delivery today. Only paid cost of the item(s) as if they were in-store, no additional tacked on delivery.

        • bamzero on 03/05/2023 - 12:13
          +2

          It's Apple. You've already paid it in the product price.

          • Devastator0 on 03/05/2023 - 13:23
            +1

            @bamzero: Hey, I'm just saying that in response to klonky's comment that no other online store in Australia can do that with free delivery. Regardless of whether you agree with the pricing or not, it is the case that Apple does do that.

            • eug on 04/05/2023 - 16:21

              @Devastator0: You have to differentiate between a manufacturer selling an item and a retailer selling the same item.

              A retailer has to buy the item from a distributor who buys the item from the manufacturer. That's two other companies in the chain who need to make a profit. If the retailer is big enough they can buy it direct from the manufacturer, but that's still one extra company in the chain that needs to make money.

              A manufacturer obviously gets the product at the absolute lowest price possible since they make it, so they have plenty more margin to offer free shipping while charging the same price as a store selling the same item at a far, far smaller margin.

              Apple has absolutely massive profit margins. The cost of shipping is already built in to the price of the product. They have plenty of room to play around with when it comes to selling direct as their cost price is much lower than what retailers have to pay them, so they can easily give free next-day shipping and still make more money than any retailer.

            • BewareOfThe Dog on 05/05/2023 - 15:50

              @Devastator0: Despite being a large company, it costs us @ $9.50 to send a small parcel via AusPost.Aramex and CP are usually cheaper if it's in the same regional area.

    • ThadtheChad on 03/05/2023 - 08:59

      To be fair though, even with the price hike, it's still priced at AU$10/month instead of AU$22/month (15USD per month) so a lower service level would be expected I'd imagine?

    • hsp on 04/05/2023 - 01:43

      I get offered same day delivery on Amazon with most items. Just spend over $49 for free delivery or $10. Shipped with Startrack same-day service.

    • tukanglistrik on 06/05/2023 - 02:27

      I have same day delivery by 9pm if I placed the order before 11:15am. To get the same day delivery, minimum spend is $49, otherwise it will be the next day.

  • conza on 03/05/2023 - 07:10
    +4

    It's been a bargain for years, and still is at $79 AUD, think of Netflix 4K is $23 x 12 is $276, +$200 per year and you don't get included expedited or international shipping, or music or audio books.

    $79 is an utter bargain, no issues here at all.

  • 2jzzzz on 03/05/2023 - 08:36

    I can't seem to sign up without getting the free 30 day trial. This means it'll take me over May 24 when the price goes up. Anyway to sign up and pay the $59 without trial?

    • idonotknowwhy on 03/05/2023 - 09:35

      Yeah my annual renewal is in July, I was trying to find a way to pre-renew it now, but doesn't seem possible.

      If the free trial is for new accounts only, do you have an old account which isn't eligible for the trial you could use instead?
      And if so, go for the annual ;)

      • Aneurism on 17/06/2023 - 17:35

        Is it possible to cancel the membership on june 27 and sign up for a year then

        • bamzero on 18/06/2023 - 17:36

          If you cancel it will still run it's course, just not renew. Need to create a new account and buy Prime on that.
          If you got on live chat, they might be able to cancel it completely though.

          • bamzero on 20/06/2023 - 00:33

            @bamzero: (reminded from another comment that new subscription prices went up 24/5 so even new account or starting subscription again now will be at the increased price)

  • kolorijo on 03/05/2023 - 09:35
    +4

    Time to join yearly subscription before the price hike lol

  • apu on 03/05/2023 - 09:47

    So it's not like private health insurance where you can beat the price rise by adding another year of membership to existing prime subscriptions?

    • M00Cow on 03/05/2023 - 15:53

      Apparently not. Unless you can get a voucher like Telstra plus which is cumulative.

  • 2esc on 03/05/2023 - 10:21
    -1

    How often do people get deliveries? How much of this stuff is actually needed? Yeah save so much on deliveries but blew how much on items that are not really needed.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 03/05/2023 - 11:43
      -2

      Pepsi Max 1.125L is 1/2 the price of Coles

    • beyondtool on 03/05/2023 - 19:14

      I have found often that with a big family getting free deliveries on household items on a sale price with subscribe and save (with a quick cancel) saves so much compared to Coles or Woolies trips. E.g. 6L Cold Power advanced clean is $31.50 at the moment.

      • BewareOfThe Dog on 03/05/2023 - 19:23

        We do most of our shopping now at Aldi, and sometimes Costco.

        I avoid Coleswoth for most staples, unless something comes up on special.

        I look at some of the Coleworth boutique meat products, and it looks nice, but I'm not going to pay $25 for Pre-prepared Chicken when its @ $10 a kg for Aldi, and add my blends from independant business's.

        Today, I found a Sudanese blend of spices to go on our thigh fillets, and they smell SCRUMPTIOUS. It's shame this specialty business closed care of CV19. :(

  • yoquierotaco on 03/05/2023 - 10:31
    +2

    Not having Prime is probably for the better for everyone anyways lol

  • joshig on 03/05/2023 - 11:19

    So if you committed to a annual membership, does that mean you won't have to pay additional costs for a year at least?

  • payless69 on 03/05/2023 - 11:42

    Usually dogs got masters but Jeff seems to be the dog above all others?

  • RocketSwitch on 03/05/2023 - 13:38
    +3

    It was undervalued, to begin with, & still is. Still less than Spotify and Netflix per month!

    • MrFunSocks on 04/05/2023 - 16:34

      Significantly worse than both Spotify and Netflix in terms of library though. Prime Video is basically their own shows/movies and then direct to dvd garbage (don't get me wrong, many of it is enjoyable for how bad it is haha). Amazon music still requires you to pay extra on top of the prime subscription if you want to use it like paid spotify.

      • RocketSwitch on 05/05/2023 - 10:01
        +1

        Yeah, in terms of a replacement for Netflix, it's pretty bad. But for free delivery, I have probably saved $1,000s on that! Also, Prime Gaming/Reading too. Prime Video is just a bonus.

        So if you remove the free shipping perks, it would be rubbish!

        • MrFunSocks on 05/05/2023 - 10:19
          +1

          Yeah that's how I see it - I'm paying for the free shipping, and definitely saving far more than $80 a year, everything else is just a bonus.

  • umoddbro on 03/05/2023 - 15:13
    +1

    Have used Amazon less each year as there's not as many good deals anymore and everything has a minimum qty compared to a few years ago…. Might reconsider joining next year although I do get a lot of value out of prime gaming loots and monthly twitch subs. The $20 is quite a substantial increase too…

    • Lucille Bluth on 03/05/2023 - 20:34
      +2

      The $20 is quite a substantial increase too…

      The first increase since they started in 2018 in Australia.

      $1.66 per month extra. That's not really that much considering they never increased their fees previously.

      It's over $210 per year for Prime in USA.

      • BewareOfThe Dog on 05/05/2023 - 15:52

        I guess when we compare our pricing to the USA, we shouldn't be complaining, especially given the challenges of delivering to some remote areas in the outback.

  • Rhubarb Jones on 03/05/2023 - 15:43
    +1

    Amazon, in our area, have recently gone from delivering next day to using Aus Post and it taking 5-7 days. It has really lost it's super convenient factor and have thus been using it less.

    I'd drop it except for the option to switch from monthly to yearly - happy to lock in 12 months at the current price.

  • azhar7772 on 03/05/2023 - 16:26

    Most places you will pay $10-$12 just a deliver one parcel. Hate the membership has gone up but I think its still worth it.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 03/05/2023 - 19:18

      It's costing us $9.50-10.00 to send via Auspost ATM, instead of the $7,95 we are charging. Sometimes Aramex and CP come out cheaper, but the money we save is not worth the headaches, especially dealing with aramex freight recovery team.

  • beyondtool on 03/05/2023 - 19:10
    +2

    This one is a tough sell. We have had major issues with Amazon drivers mistaking our street for another one despite a sign, emails and multiple phone calls. We were hand delivering their packages at one point. Of course the mistaken addresses sent to our place is a block of units!

    I like prime video but haven’t used it in months. We’ve just about watched anything if interest. The music is too gimped to be useful (most artists I want to listen to are paywalled).

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 03/05/2023 - 19:16
      +1

      It was pretty good value, but if you can't justify it, the choice is yours.

      Admittedly, I am looking at getting the MGM add on, as I love Westerns. Paramount + was good so we could watch 1883 (the alt hires version was in a different language). watching 1923 now. My partner loves Yelowstone, but 1883 was far better IMO.

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 05/05/2023 - 15:54

      I think I read that Flex drivers get a GPS location, like Menulog. You just have to hope thr driver reads the mailbox number etc.

  • R4 on 03/05/2023 - 19:16
    +1

    No. At eighty bucks it's still a good deal.

  • DARK KHAOS on 03/05/2023 - 21:52
    -1

    looks like most people are ok with it and amazon makes an extra $600,000,000 per month based of the 2021 subscriber data.
    Probably more now.

    Closer to $1,000,000,000 PER MONTH!!!!!!

  • Benno007 on 04/05/2023 - 08:04

    Cancelled, only watching Star Trek on it, will wait til a new series comes out and maybe rejoin

  • blorx on 04/05/2023 - 09:10

    50% jump is pretty crazy, but still pretty competitive pricing comparatively.

  • nuttapillar on 04/05/2023 - 12:03

    I've gotten 25 deliveries in the past year. So I'm not a heavy user. Worth ditching?

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 05/05/2023 - 15:55
      +2

      Depends how many were below the $39 minimum.

  • frostee on 04/05/2023 - 12:12

    Still amazing value. It's a great streaming service which is far cheaper than the likes of Netflix AND Netflix doesn't give me free delivery on a bunch of stuff. No brainer.

    • nuttapillar on 04/05/2023 - 17:35
      -1

      Every time a friend suggests me a movie to watch, and I look it upon prime, it still costs like another $6 to watch, even though I have the subscription. Seems a ripoff to me.

  • lufee on 04/05/2023 - 12:59

    Still have 2 months to go from Optus,
    Thinking of using different account but it has 30 days free trial, does free trial still counts as current customer?

  • [Deactivated] on 04/05/2023 - 15:54

    If this were a few months ago I would have cancelled it since I was using it just once a month or less, but with how ridiculous prices are getting for some items at coles and woolies I may start using amazon more for groceries. I've also been using them more for US/UK tech & pc component orders since local deals seem rare.

  • Blackadda on 04/05/2023 - 17:46

    so just change to annual right now to avoid price rise for a year?

  • OpticalCog on 04/05/2023 - 21:34

    This is tough on one hand a 40%+ hike for month to month plans seems massive.

    But on the other hand this is the first(?) price hike in years (or was it 5.99 originally I can’t remember!). It’s still far cheaper then most streaming services (I rarely have the time to watch shows/etc. so the limited range is fine and I don’t have any other streaming services anymore). Like even at 9.99 it’s amazing value.

    I admittedly tend to cancel/rejoin frequently to save a few bucks (let it expire after a month then resub as soon as I need to buy something ~2weeks later so cuts down the price over a year by a bit) - but guess joining for a year at the current price in mid June is the best option since it’s $60/yr which will be 50% of the increased month-month price. Wish they did student pricing 😂

    edit: I guess we’re having to pay for the billion dollar LOTR spin off after all

    • Frayin on 04/05/2023 - 21:54

      I'm of similar sentiment. I give my twitch prime sub to a random streamer every now and then which supports someone a little. I get access to a streaming service, get free delivery on a lot of shopping (mostly pantry/household goods) and often free DLC/games from twitch prime as well.

      For $9.99 it's still a great option for a lot of people.

      • OpticalCog on 05/05/2023 - 00:37

        Yeah forgot about twitch prime - that's ~$4 straight to a streamer, so really Amazon was only getting $3/mth - for everything else.

  • zzyss on 05/05/2023 - 08:09

    Is there a way to skip the 30 day free trial to get the lower price? I was a former subscriber but it still seems to apply if I sign up again.

    Edit: the way the t&c's are written makes it possible that the price you pay if your trial ends after 24 May will be the higher price…?

  • splicer on 05/05/2023 - 10:06

    I'll continue using Prime. $20 over the course of the year is not much for what you get.

    I don't use the music, but I've had 30 packages delivered, watched 150+ movies/tv shows on prime, and I find myself on Twitch more than YT so I can use my free Prime sub a month.

    If the rest of the streaming services decide to do the same and increase their fees AGAIN… then it's back to the seven seas for me.

  • HamBoi69 on 05/05/2023 - 10:09
    +1

    Interestingly, I just received this email from Amazon. Maybe they are locking people from switching after that date?

    • zzyss on 05/05/2023 - 10:23

      Nah, just that switching after that date will be at the new $79.99 rate. They're obviously trying to get people to pump in as much money up front as possible, because month-to-month might cost more, but also has the risk of people cancelling or stopping their subscriptions.

  • MelBorn on 05/05/2023 - 20:43
    +1

    Trying to work out if this is worth getting, my free prime is ending soon

    Ever since discovering ozbargain, Amazon has become useful to me

    • Jared17 on 06/05/2023 - 00:44

      Just create new account to get free month if unsure

  • TheMommy on 06/05/2023 - 10:31

    My account automatically directed me to sign up for a 30 day free trial. I had a chat with an agent and she said I can still get the 59 yearly fee when I subscribe to an annual subscription on June 6 as the price increase will take effect on June 28.

  • zzyss on 06/05/2023 - 12:55

    Do you think this price increase will affect the Telstra Plus points redemption?

    • zzyss on 06/05/2023 - 13:09
      +1

      Ah, if you try to redeem, it goes to a 404 page. That answers that question…

  • zzyss on 06/05/2023 - 13:05

    I remain highly sceptical that the discounted price will be applicable on either the monthly or the annual plan after May 24th. The way I read it, June 28th is the first renewal date for those on the monthly plan, and it explicitly states that this is at the new higher rate.

    Their signup page is obviously just populating pricing into an existing template, because "After your free trial, Amazon Prime is just $59.00/year until May 24, 2023. $9.99/month thereafter" doesn't make any sense (as in, how can it still be before May 24 after 30 days?)

    The only saving grace might be Amazon's excellent customer service, which might credit your account with the $20 difference if you do end up getting charged more and complain, but if you're not willing to put the effort in I'd go with the conservative interpretation.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 06/05/2023 - 22:54

    Next billing date Oct 2023, despite having had a few calls aside last October that there were problems with my payment?

    • BewareOfThe Dog on 06/05/2023 - 22:55

      They going up when I said PayPal has no issues at my end. I'll speak to them

  • Grunntt on 09/05/2023 - 09:42

    This will be coming soon if the US experience is anything to go by.

    https://www.reuters.com/technology/amazon-offers-shoppers-10…

    Amazon over the last few days has emailed an unknown number of Prime subscribers offering them $10 to retrieve an order of $25 or more at company pickup points at locations such as Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh or Kohl's stores.

    Increasing use of Amazon pickup points would help the company bypass costly residential package dropoffs and is "a huge opportunity for Amazon to reduce the cost of delivery

  • ForbiddenCouponJutsu on 10/05/2023 - 14:56

    I'm putting a lot of work into getting my Plex working with Sonarr and Radarr, so i'm actively looking at other streaming solutions.

    I will likely keep my Prime subscription (because the free shipping benefits are great for me) but will likely stop my Stan and Netflix once I have it all setup.

  • daydream on 23/05/2023 - 00:27

    I'm on the trial but can't select the yearly plan to pay from monthly option at end of trial. It says "Important Message:Due to a technical problem, we could not process your request completely. Please check after a few minutes."

    Operator on chat help says we only get option to do that within last 10 days of trial. Otherwise they can cancel trial now and I can try to pay annual. Anyone else in a similar situation?

    • swanzilla on 23/05/2023 - 09:40

      I had the same message show up but I just kept trying, after the third try I was able to change mine to yearly :)

      • daydream on 23/05/2023 - 13:55

        Still not working for me… ;-(

        I got a call back from their call centre (in Sao Tome & Principe?!) and they said they were getting the same problem on their end when they tried to change me to yearly plan. They said when it renews for $6.99 monthly to call them and they will refund/put in on yearly plan at currently/old price. They said they put the notes on my account and I asked them to send me an email with the same info. In the meantime I'll keep try to change to yearly plan in case problem gets fixed. Fingers crossed.

        • swanzilla on 23/05/2023 - 18:48

          Hmm maybe I got lucky? Or their system is bombarded from having too many sign-ups on the last day before the price goes up lol..
          Just keep trying, or try it again like a couple days before your trial ends. To my understanding, we would be considered existing member since we signed up before 24th May (eventhough we are on trial), so should be able to switch under the old price.

  • I Smell Pennies on 23/05/2023 - 02:05

    653 orders placed in 2023 (so far)

    588 orders placed in 2022

    233 orders placed in 2021

    119 orders placed in 2020

    91 orders placed in 2020

    Oh how far I've come

  • swanzilla on 23/05/2023 - 09:51
    +1

    Last day to sign up under the old price! I just did it and it even gave me a month trial (eventhough I already had one years ago). Also I was able to change mine to the $59 yearly plan after trial ends, so I should be good for the next 13 months :)

    • daydream on 23/05/2023 - 13:56

      We hope that that that is the case and that it doesn't just update the price after tomorrow to say when the trial ends the new price applies for the year.

      • I Smell Pennies on 23/05/2023 - 14:29
        +2

        Existing members renew for the old price until 28 June. When you're on free trial then you're an existing member and so when it automatically renews it will be the old price. Confirmed with Amazon chat. They also said any problems they'll credit the difference

      • swanzilla on 23/05/2023 - 18:58
        +1

        On my Prime membership screen it actually says that on 22nd June and I will be charged $59 for another year of Prime.
        I’ve taken a screenshot just in case.

    • ALBastru on 23/05/2023 - 17:10
      +1

      On the Amazon Prime subscription page a few days ago there was a warning about that increase in price, I swear. Now there is no more.

  • ozpaisa on 15/06/2023 - 20:58

    I have a 12 month prime that ends on 31/10. I had paid$59.

    If I cancel my Amazon prime now, will I get a refund for the remaining months?

    If it does give refund, then I might renew for 1 more year before 28/6

    • zzyss on 16/06/2023 - 09:15
      +1

      Depends on the rep. Sometimes they will pro-rata, other times they'll say you got loads of benefit so no. Luck of the draw.

  • hasher22 on 17/06/2023 - 19:31

    damn over 1500 orders!! I prob have under 10 in the last 5 years lol

    • bamzero on 18/06/2023 - 17:37

      Then you're not OzBargaining right :)

  • Niko123456 on 19/06/2023 - 21:32

    Looks like they've delayed it for another year. Just got a reminder my renewal kicks in for another year at $59 and doesn't increase to $79 until 2024.

    Proof: https://pasteboard.co/1Uld73L1bpAZ.jpg

    • Bad Wolf on 19/06/2023 - 21:41

      You’re just lucky. The price increase starts on the 28th June, your renewal is the 23rd.

      • Niko123456 on 19/06/2023 - 22:07
        -3

        No, I had previously received emails that it was going up to $79. They've walked it back.

        • I Smell Pennies on 19/06/2023 - 22:33

          You're incorrect. All renewals before 28 June gets the $59 annual price. Nothing special for you here.

          As per @Bad Wolf's comment

          • Niko123456 on 19/06/2023 - 22:40

            @I Smell Pennies: Like I said, I'd previously received an email it was going up. You can't downvote a fact.

            Up until a couple of days ago, the website was the same.

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