Amazon Prime raising annual subscription to $139

AppleInsider · February 4, 2022 11:40AM

The cost of an annual Amazon Prime subscription is to rise $20, to $139, while the monthly fee rises $2 to $14.99.

Following Netflix's price rise in January 2022, Amazon Prime is to roll out the new charge from February 18, 2022. It's the first time Amazon has raised the price of Prime since 2018.

The news came in the documentation supporting Amazon Prime's latest financial earnings report.

"With the continued expansion of Prime member benefits as well as the rise in wages and transportation costs," it said, "Amazon will increase the price of a Prime membership in the U.S., with the monthly fee going from $12.99 to $14.99, and the annual membership from $119 to $139."

Where Netflix is a streaming service - with a small gaming side - Amazon Prime offers members a wide range of benefits, as the company emphasized.

"In the last few years, Amazon has added more product selection available with fast, free, unlimited Prime shipping; more exclusive deals and discounts;" it says, "and more high-quality digital entertainment, including TV, movies, music, and books."

Amazon says that since 2018, it has "tripled the number of Amazon Originals," or new shows and films on Amazon Prime Video.

"Since 2018 in the US, availability of Free Same-Day Delivery has expanded from 48 metropolitan areas to more than 90, items available for Prime free shipping have increased over 50%," it continues," and members have saved billions of dollars shopping Prime Day."

The raised rate will apply to all new Amazon Prime customers from February 18, 2022. For existing subscribers, there is no change until March 25, 2022, and from then their subscription will rise following their next renewal date.

Read on AppleInsider

Dead_Pool · February 4, 2022 11:48AM

Thank you for helping them keep the lights on for at least another year.

dewme · February 4, 2022 1:05PM

Not surprising, but fortunately it’s very easy for everyone who subscribes to Amazon Prime to do the math and determine whether it’s worth it for them. For a lot of folks the determination can be made based on delivery costs alone. The value of the extra stuff like photos, music, and video only enter the equation if you’re not getting all of the value/ROI from the delivery service.

I recognize this is a narrowly focused perspective based on personal economics alone. Like any system there are a number of macro level implications and second order effects to a service like this that makes it so incredibly easy have hard goods ordered on a whim delivered extremely quickly to your door with little to no regard to the true cost of the delivery service.

A quick survey of the number of Amazon vehicles on the road and coursing through neighborhoods nearly all of the time, not to mention the vast tracts of land devoted to fulfillment centers and warehouses, some of which are built on the graves of dead malls and retail stores driven out of business because they could not compete against online retail, and the mountains of cardboard waste (hopefully everyone recycles?) paints a truer cost picture that’s a little harder to do the math on.

The “eye” is back … staring straight at me. Ugh.

GeorgeBMac · February 4, 2022 1:16PM

dewme said:

Not surprising, but fortunately it’s very easy for everyone who subscribes to Amazon Prime to do the math and determine whether it’s worth it for them. For a lot of folks the determination can be made based on delivery costs alone. The value of the extra stuff like photos, music, and video only enter the equation if you’re not getting all of the value/ROI from the delivery service.

I recognize this is a narrowly focused perspective based on personal economics alone. Like any system there are a number of macro level implications and second order effects to a service like this that makes it so incredibly easy have hard goods ordered on a whim delivered extremely quickly to your door with little to no regard to the true cost of the delivery service.

A quick survey of the number of Amazon vehicles on the road and coursing through neighborhoods nearly all of the time, not to mention the vast tracts of land devoted to fulfillment centers and warehouses, some of which are built on the graves of dead malls and retail stores driven out of business because they could not compete against online retail, and the mountains of cardboard waste (hopefully everyone recycles?) paints a truer cost picture that’s a little harder to do the math on.

The “eye” is back … staring straight at me. Ugh.

For me right now the biggest benefit of Amazon Prime is that it keeps me out of stores where I could be infected. I used to shop in multiple grocery stores to get all the stuff I needed and, if I needed electronics or home goods, I ran over to BestBuy or Lowes. But, thanks to Prime, I seldom have to do that now,

Beats · February 4, 2022 1:30PM

GeorgeBMac said:

dewme said:

Not surprising, but fortunately it’s very easy for everyone who subscribes to Amazon Prime to do the math and determine whether it’s worth it for them. For a lot of folks the determination can be made based on delivery costs alone. The value of the extra stuff like photos, music, and video only enter the equation if you’re not getting all of the value/ROI from the delivery service.

I recognize this is a narrowly focused perspective based on personal economics alone. Like any system there are a number of macro level implications and second order effects to a service like this that makes it so incredibly easy have hard goods ordered on a whim delivered extremely quickly to your door with little to no regard to the true cost of the delivery service.

A quick survey of the number of Amazon vehicles on the road and coursing through neighborhoods nearly all of the time, not to mention the vast tracts of land devoted to fulfillment centers and warehouses, some of which are built on the graves of dead malls and retail stores driven out of business because they could not compete against online retail, and the mountains of cardboard waste (hopefully everyone recycles?) paints a truer cost picture that’s a little harder to do the math on.

The “eye” is back … staring straight at me. Ugh.

For me right now the biggest benefit of Amazon Prime is that it keeps me out of stores where I could be infected. I used to shop in multiple grocery stores to get all the stuff I needed and, if I needed electronics or home goods, I ran over to BestBuy or Lowes. But, thanks to Prime, I seldom have to do that now,

A bigger cost we pay is the death of small business and people becoming even more anti-social.

We’re getting to a point (at least in my town) where social interaction is “awkward”.

the1maximus · February 4, 2022 1:40PM

If prime were still the original 1 or 2 day shipping that was promised years ago, it would be worth it. Prime today is nothing but another label.

Items get ship when they want, arrive when they want, i’ve had prime shipping come 5 days later. I don’t use Prime Video, I have never found anything I cared to watch on it. Amazon music is subpar, compared to Apple Music and Spotify. Hell I don’t even have 1 Fire or Alexa device in my house.

crowley · February 4, 2022 1:48PM

Can't believe anyone would subscribe to anything this piece of shit company puts out anyway, so I won't be weeping any tears for those schmucks having to pay more.

Anilu_777 · February 4, 2022 2:17PM

I only got Prime for fast deliveries but quickly found that only a very few items either qualify for Prime or will actually have a fast delivery. I don’t use other Prime services. So I’ll be cancelling it.

lkrupp · February 4, 2022 2:21PM

Beats said:

GeorgeBMac said:

dewme said:

Not surprising, but fortunately it’s very easy for everyone who subscribes to Amazon Prime to do the math and determine whether it’s worth it for them. For a lot of folks the determination can be made based on delivery costs alone. The value of the extra stuff like photos, music, and video only enter the equation if you’re not getting all of the value/ROI from the delivery service.

I recognize this is a narrowly focused perspective based on personal economics alone. Like any system there are a number of macro level implications and second order effects to a service like this that makes it so incredibly easy have hard goods ordered on a whim delivered extremely quickly to your door with little to no regard to the true cost of the delivery service.

A quick survey of the number of Amazon vehicles on the road and coursing through neighborhoods nearly all of the time, not to mention the vast tracts of land devoted to fulfillment centers and warehouses, some of which are built on the graves of dead malls and retail stores driven out of business because they could not compete against online retail, and the mountains of cardboard waste (hopefully everyone recycles?) paints a truer cost picture that’s a little harder to do the math on.

The “eye” is back … staring straight at me. Ugh.

For me right now the biggest benefit of Amazon Prime is that it keeps me out of stores where I could be infected. I used to shop in multiple grocery stores to get all the stuff I needed and, if I needed electronics or home goods, I ran over to BestBuy or Lowes. But, thanks to Prime, I seldom have to do that now,

A bigger cost we pay is the death of small business and people becoming even more anti-social.

We’re getting to a point (at least in my town) where social interaction is “awkward”.

And how do I deal with local small businesses if they do not carry the product I’m looking for. More times than not recently I have been unable to buy brands and products form Amazon or Walmart online that simply don’t exist. My family seems to have this uncanny ability to find a new product locally and start buying it, then watch as it disappears from the local shelves a few months later for apparently no reason. But guess what? I can still buy it from Amazon and get it the next day in many cases.

Amazon Prime is worth it to me simply for the convenience and access to products not available locally.

As for social interaction being awkward read Issac Asimov’s novel The Naked Sun which is basically a murder mystery but takes place on a planet where there is no social interaction at all by law except for procreation. Even back in the 1940’s the SciFi writers could see this coming, a society where robots carry out the daily chores of life and people communicate only by technology, think Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, etc.

mike1 · February 4, 2022 2:42PM

the1maximus said:

If prime were still the original 1 or 2 day shipping that was promised years ago, it would be worth it. Prime today is nothing but another label.

Items get ship when they want, arrive when they want, i’ve had prime shipping come 5 days later. I don’t use Prime Video, I have never found anything I cared to watch on it. Amazon music is subpar, compared to Apple Music and Spotify. Hell I don’t even have 1 Fire or Alexa device in my house.

Anilu_777 said:

I only got Prime for fast deliveries but quickly found that only a very few items either qualify for Prime or will actually have a fast delivery. I don’t use other Prime services. So I’ll be cancelling it.

Don't know where you folks live, but Prime delivery is incredibly fast for me. Usually one day if I order early enough, certainly no more than two days.

No one is forcing you to keep the service if it doesn't work for you.

mike1 · February 4, 2022 2:48PM

dewme said:

A quick survey of the number of Amazon vehicles on the road and coursing through neighborhoods nearly all of the time, not to mention the vast tracts of land devoted to fulfillment centers and warehouses, some of which are built on the graves of dead malls and retail stores driven out of business because they could not compete against online retail, and the mountains of cardboard waste (hopefully everyone recycles?) paints a truer cost picture that’s a little harder to do the math on.

When Amazon opened one of their last-mile hubs in my area, they switched from UPS to their own delivery trucks. Much faster and more reliable than waiting for a UPS truck. I've had UPS shipments that were out for delivery not deliver because the driver's shift ended and he needed to return without making all the deliveries.

As for cardboard use, it just shifts who is using it and where it goes. There was still a vast amount of boxes going to traditional retailers back in the day. Every store has a cardboard bailing machine that then needs to arrange pick ups of all the bailed cardboard.

retrogusto · February 4, 2022 3:07PM

lkrupp said:

Beats said:

GeorgeBMac said:

dewme said:

Not surprising, but fortunately it’s very easy for everyone who subscribes to Amazon Prime to do the math and determine whether it’s worth it for them. For a lot of folks the determination can be made based on delivery costs alone. The value of the extra stuff like photos, music, and video only enter the equation if you’re not getting all of the value/ROI from the delivery service.

I recognize this is a narrowly focused perspective based on personal economics alone. Like any system there are a number of macro level implications and second order effects to a service like this that makes it so incredibly easy have hard goods ordered on a whim delivered extremely quickly to your door with little to no regard to the true cost of the delivery service.

A quick survey of the number of Amazon vehicles on the road and coursing through neighborhoods nearly all of the time, not to mention the vast tracts of land devoted to fulfillment centers and warehouses, some of which are built on the graves of dead malls and retail stores driven out of business because they could not compete against online retail, and the mountains of cardboard waste (hopefully everyone recycles?) paints a truer cost picture that’s a little harder to do the math on.

The “eye” is back … staring straight at me. Ugh.

For me right now the biggest benefit of Amazon Prime is that it keeps me out of stores where I could be infected. I used to shop in multiple grocery stores to get all the stuff I needed and, if I needed electronics or home goods, I ran over to BestBuy or Lowes. But, thanks to Prime, I seldom have to do that now,

A bigger cost we pay is the death of small business and people becoming even more anti-social.

We’re getting to a point (at least in my town) where social interaction is “awkward”.

And how do I deal with local small businesses if they do not carry the product I’m looking for. More times than not recently I have been unable to buy brands and products form Amazon or Walmart online that simply don’t exist. My family seems to have this uncanny ability to find a new product locally and start buying it, then watch as it disappears from the local shelves a few months later for apparently no reason. But guess what? I can still buy it from Amazon and get it the next day in many cases.

Amazon Prime is worth it to me simply for the convenience and access to products not available locally.

As for social interaction being awkward read Issac Asimov’s novel The Naked Sun which is basically a murder mystery but takes place on a planet where there is no social interaction at all by law except for procreation. Even back in the 1940’s the SciFi writers could see this coming, a society where robots carry out the daily chores of life and people communicate only by technology, think Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, etc.

Right, and the more you use it, the fewer options you’ll have, as they continue to crush local businesses, and the local businesses that remain will struggle further as the local economy declines, while Amazon benefits from their economies of scale and the fact that they don’t even have to make a profit from their retail business (as they barely did for decades) due to the immense profitability of AWS. Then Amazon can ask for tax breaks to “bring jobs” to the depressed areas, essentially getting a taxpayer subsidy to further their domination. And with any luck, people will find a scapegoat that they’d rather blame for the economic upheaval, and politicians would be glad to help them with that.

I do recognize that online shopping provides access to a broader range of items than one can find locally, and even before the Internet, catalog shopping fulfilled that need, and of course it has its place. But I also think hat the full “price” in the larger sense isn’t always taken into consideration.

ITGUYINSD · February 4, 2022 3:11PM

Beats said:

GeorgeBMac said:

dewme said:

Not surprising, but fortunately it’s very easy for everyone who subscribes to Amazon Prime to do the math and determine whether it’s worth it for them. For a lot of folks the determination can be made based on delivery costs alone. The value of the extra stuff like photos, music, and video only enter the equation if you’re not getting all of the value/ROI from the delivery service.

I recognize this is a narrowly focused perspective based on personal economics alone. Like any system there are a number of macro level implications and second order effects to a service like this that makes it so incredibly easy have hard goods ordered on a whim delivered extremely quickly to your door with little to no regard to the true cost of the delivery service.

A quick survey of the number of Amazon vehicles on the road and coursing through neighborhoods nearly all of the time, not to mention the vast tracts of land devoted to fulfillment centers and warehouses, some of which are built on the graves of dead malls and retail stores driven out of business because they could not compete against online retail, and the mountains of cardboard waste (hopefully everyone recycles?) paints a truer cost picture that’s a little harder to do the math on.

The “eye” is back … staring straight at me. Ugh.

For me right now the biggest benefit of Amazon Prime is that it keeps me out of stores where I could be infected. I used to shop in multiple grocery stores to get all the stuff I needed and, if I needed electronics or home goods, I ran over to BestBuy or Lowes. But, thanks to Prime, I seldom have to do that now,

A bigger cost we pay is the death of small business and people becoming even more anti-social.

We’re getting to a point (at least in my town) where social interaction is “awkward”.

Small business can move online just like everyone else. And, more anti-social? Every time I watch the news is some story about some innocent person being killed while walking out front of their house or driving in a car. I'm beginning to think it's safer at home!

ITGUYINSD · February 4, 2022 3:14PM

As much as I dislike rate hikes, the amount of money I save buying on Amazon and getting extremely quick delivery, great return policies and better selection in one place than any brick-and-mortar store in existence, I will gladly pay the extra $20, the equivalent of $5 for the last 4 years of no hikes.

Did I mention the money I'm saving in time and gasoline? Over the course of a year I easily save $140 in gasoline buying on Amazon.

rumpels · February 4, 2022 3:21PM

So now he’s making us pay for his space trip.

shareef777 · February 4, 2022 3:34PM

crowley said:

Can't believe anyone would subscribe to anything this piece of shit company puts out anyway, so I won't be weeping any tears for those schmucks having to pay more.

You're sure crying a lot for a person not "weeping any tears".

carthusia · February 4, 2022 3:48PM

I order as much as I can from Amazon, weekly, and I never pay for shipping. I opt for free shipping that often is listed as arriving in a week, but which almost always arrives no more than 4 days after purchase.I don’t need lightbulbs or snow boots in two days. I have Apple One, therefore, have no need for Prime Video or Music. Also, I stopped buying books on Amazon in an effort to support independent online booksellers.

We have FreshDirect food delivery, which is about the same annual cost as Prime, for truly unlimited food deliveries. I order fresh food from there twice a week.

I had become a Prime member a few times since the service began, due to free trial membership offers. Every time I did the numbers on shipping costs and, surprise, found that $0 for shipping is less than any dollars for shipping. There is no need for me to pay for Prime just to have the broad selection and convenience of Amazon.

crowley · February 4, 2022 4:25PM

shareef777 said:

crowley said:

Can't believe anyone would subscribe to anything this piece of shit company puts out anyway, so I won't be weeping any tears for those schmucks having to pay more.

You're sure crying a lot for a person not "weeping any tears".

Nope.

Xed · February 4, 2022 5:26PM

It's amazing to me that Amazon hasn't been hit with a lawsuit over Prime.

As much as I dislike Amazon and Bezos's practices and treatment of others there is no other viable option for many things without a huge cost or hindrance to my life so I''ll pay the difference for Prime.

Xed · February 4, 2022 5:30PM

ITGUYINSD said:

Beats said:

GeorgeBMac said:

dewme said:

Not surprising, but fortunately it’s very easy for everyone who subscribes to Amazon Prime to do the math and determine whether it’s worth it for them. For a lot of folks the determination can be made based on delivery costs alone. The value of the extra stuff like photos, music, and video only enter the equation if you’re not getting all of the value/ROI from the delivery service.

I recognize this is a narrowly focused perspective based on personal economics alone. Like any system there are a number of macro level implications and second order effects to a service like this that makes it so incredibly easy have hard goods ordered on a whim delivered extremely quickly to your door with little to no regard to the true cost of the delivery service.

A quick survey of the number of Amazon vehicles on the road and coursing through neighborhoods nearly all of the time, not to mention the vast tracts of land devoted to fulfillment centers and warehouses, some of which are built on the graves of dead malls and retail stores driven out of business because they could not compete against online retail, and the mountains of cardboard waste (hopefully everyone recycles?) paints a truer cost picture that’s a little harder to do the math on.

The “eye” is back … staring straight at me. Ugh.

For me right now the biggest benefit of Amazon Prime is that it keeps me out of stores where I could be infected. I used to shop in multiple grocery stores to get all the stuff I needed and, if I needed electronics or home goods, I ran over to BestBuy or Lowes. But, thanks to Prime, I seldom have to do that now,

A bigger cost we pay is the death of small business and people becoming even more anti-social.

We’re getting to a point (at least in my town) where social interaction is “awkward”.

Small business can move online just like everyone else. And, more anti-social? Every time I watch the news is some story about some innocent person being killed while walking out front of their house or driving in a car. I'm beginning to think it's safer at home!

That's news to me. Can you point me to all these stories of "ome innocent person being killed while walking out front of their house"? Do you also have a link to this rise in crimes occurring when leaving the house?

ronn · February 4, 2022 5:39PM

We only got Prime once we made a partial move to semi-rural Virginia, otherwise we would never get timely deliveries. Since we have homes in two states and use Prime at both locations, it is worth it. Although I would say during the Pandemic there was a lot of delayed packages and at one point I would say close to 50% of our deliveries were delayed, damaged or counterfeit items. Such a pain in the ass even if you get to keep the BS item as you still have to reorder the stuff you ordered and thought would be delivered in 1-2 days.

Amazon Prime raising annual subscription to $139

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