How to get around Amazon Primes new $119 fee

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.52255718f47c

"Amazon is justifying Primes 20 percent price hike, to $119 a year, by saying it is more a valuable service than when the fee last rose four years ago.

€œThe value of Prime to customers has never been greater,€� Brian T. Olsavsky, Amazons chief financial officer, said in a Thursday earnings call with analysts, when the company announced the May increase. €œThere [are] all kinds of new features that weve continually added to the Prime program. Its much different than it was in 2014, and this is a reflection of that.€�

But, among Amazons 100 million Prime members, some may be cash-strapped customers. Others might not feel a more expensive Prime is worth it.

(Jeffrey P. Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, also owns The Washington Post.)

For those shopping around for a better Prime deal, here are some alternatives.

1. Share with a friend or family member.

Amazon Prime users can share their memberships with one other adult through the companys Household feature, which allows family members and roommates to tap into a number of Prime benefits, including Prime Photos and album sharing, streaming videos and free books through Amazon First Reads. But theres a catch: Users must agree to share payment methods, including credit cards and gift cards. Each Household account can accommodate two adults, as well as four teenagers and four children.


2. Head back to school. Students with an .edu email address are eligible for a half-price student membership for up to four years. Prime Student will cost $59 beginning next month (up from the current $49) and includes special discounts on items such as snacks and school supplies. Students can also sign up for a free six-month trial.

3. Pay by the month. In addition to the annual program, Amazon offers a monthly membership for those who dont need €” or want €” Prime year-round. Monthly memberships will continue to cost $12.99 (thats $156 a year), while students pay $6.49 (or $78 a year).

4. Pick and choose what you want. Want to stream movies but dont care about free shipping on orders less than $25? Then you might consider paying $8.99 a month (or about $108 a year) for Prime Video.

5. See if you qualify for discounted rates. Shoppers who receive certain types of government assistance, including Medicaid, may qualify for a discounted rate of $5.99 per month, or $72 a year, which will not increase as part of the overall hike. To check eligibility, you can upload a photo of your Medicaid or EBT card, which is given to recipients of programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Amazon notes on its website that funds on EBT cards cannot be used to pay for Prime memberships.

6. Shop somewhere else instead. Walmart and Target €” among Amazons largest rivals €” now offer free two-day shipping on orders over $35. (Amazons current threshold for free shipping is orders over $25.) Nordstrom, Apple and Neiman Marcus, meanwhile, ship all orders gratis. Need something now? Google Express offers free same-day delivery on a number of items from stores like Costco, PetSmart and Lowes.

A growing list of retailers also offer unlimited free shipping for an annual rate. (Think Prime on a smaller scale.) A $10 Sephora Flash membership, for example, gets you free shipping on a years worth of beauty products, while a similar pilot program at Bed Bath & Beyond costs $29..."



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Lock Yourself into Amazon Prime at $99/year before price increase
As reported yesterday, Amazon will be increasing the cost of Prime to $119 on May 11th for new users and on June 16 for Prime renewals. Prime Student membership will go up from $49 to $59 on the same dates.

If you are new to Amazon Prime€¦

If you are considering Amazon Prime, its a good time to buy it now before May 11th when the price increases. Your best deal would be to go through iBotta to get back a $20 Amazon gift card, or through Topcashback or Swagbucks to get a $15 Amazon gift card. (Note: these dont give you a 30-day free trial.) Worth keeping in mind that you can buy Prime for just $79 through Alexa. And low income households can signup for a $5.99/month plan.

We appreciate if you signup for a free Amazon Prime 30-day trial using our affiliate link; this will also lock you in for your first paid year at the $99 rate after the free month ends. If youre a student, you can signup for a free 6-month trial here; this will lock you in for your first paid year at the $49 rate after the free 6-month trial ends.

If you are an existing Amazon Prime subscriber€¦

If your Prime subscription renews June 16 or beyond, youll get hit with the $20 price increase. There is, however, a way to lock yourself into the lower $99 rate for the future by purchasing a Gift of Prime. Gift of Prime is meant as a way to gift someone else a year of Amazon Prime, but you can simply send it to your own email (they state that clearly) and use it yourself as well.

An added advantage of using this method is that you can use your Amazon gift card balance to pay for Gift of Prime whereas standard Prime requires credit card payment. Its a roundabout way of paying for Prime with an Amazon gift card balance.

Theres little risk involved since Prime members can convert a Gift of Prime membership to become like an Amazon gift card and be applied to their Amazon gift card balance. Simply click through the email Gift of Prime link, the system will recognize you as an existing Prime member, and itll give you the option of having the $99 (+ tax) applied to your Amazon gift card balance. So if you decide next week that you regret the Gift of Prime purchase, itll just convert to an Amazon gift card balance..

Side note: Both a Prime subscription and the Gift of Prime have sales tax in most states. Tip: if your default address is set to one of the 19 states which does not have tax on Prime, you can save sales tax by paying for the Gift of Prime with your Amazon gift card balance, or by paying a credit card which has the billing address in one of those 19 states.

Heres how to go about using the Gift of Prime trick:

Cancel your existing Prime membership at this link. Itll seem scary at first, as if youre losing your Prime immediately, but as you click through theyll make it clear that youll keep the full Prime membership until your year is up.
Buy a Gift of Prime membership here for $99 and have it sent to your email address.

Save the email, dont click through the link right now. Star it, put it in a special folder, add a reminder somewhere €“ however you deal with important stuff.

After your Prime subscription lapses, click the link in the email to begin a new Prime membership using the Gift of Prime email.

You can even buy a few Gift of Prime memberships to save on the next few years of Amazon Prime. As noted, these convert back to Amazon gift cards, and there isnt much risk in doing so.

A few downsides to keep in mind:

Its obviously easier to let it all go automatically.
If you have a second Amazon Household account, itll likely have to be set up again under the new Prime membership.
For the day or two that the Prime membership lapses, your Amazon Prime 5% credit card wont be getting the 5% rewards rate.

You are fronting the money for the future Prime purchase. Not much risk, but still float, especially if you buy out a few years worth.
[Note: If you are still on the grandfathered Prime account which has 5 Household members, dont use the Gift of Prime method €“ once your Prime expires, youll be signing up for the new system which limits users to having just one other account.]

Thanks to Dansdeals for making us aware of this method..."