Amazon to hike Prime subscription prices from 15 September – but some can avoid the hike for another year
If you're an Amazon Prime UK subscriber, then watch out for price hikes as from 15 September, pay-monthly costs will rise by £1 a month, while those who pay annually will see a £16 a year increase. Here's what's happening.
We've full details on what's changing – and what you can do about it – below, but for a quick summary, watch MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis's video (or read the transcript directly beneath it).
Here's the transcript of what Martin says in his video: "Amazon Prime is hiking its membership costs. On 15 September, the monthly subscription in the UK will go up from £7.99 to £8.99; the annual cost will rise from £79 to £95.
"So, if you currently pay monthly and you want to keep it, then the best thing you can do – provided you can afford it – is to convert now to the annual package and then you lock in at £79 for the next year, forestalling the rise.
"If you're an annual payer it's more difficult – though if your subscription is due to renew in the few weeks after 15 September, you could cancel just before that and then get a new subscription at £79 before 15 September – again, forestalling that rise just for a little bit."
Amazon Prime is a paid-for service which gives users benefits such as free next-day delivery, priority access to deals, as well as film, TV and music streaming.
You can also see our 30+ Amazon buying tricks guide for more ways to save including short-lived codes, a free delivery loophole and how to share Prime.
Here's how much Prime bills will rise by
Prime subscription prices will increase as following:
Monthly Amazon Prime subscribers will see prices rise from £7.99 a month to £8.99 a month.
Annual Amazon Prime subscribers will see prices rise from £79 a year to £95 a year.
Monthly Amazon Prime Student subscribers will see prices rise from £3.99 a month to £4.49 a month.
Annual Amazon Prime Student subscribers will see prices rise from £39.49 a year to £47.49 a year.
Prime's video-only membership price will not change, and neither will Prime add-ons such as Hayu, Paramount+, and StarzPlay.
The price hikes take force from 15 September
New customers will be charged the increased prices on or from Thursday 15 September.
Existing subscribers will be charged the new prices on their first bill on or from 15 September. So if you pay for your Prime membership on the 15th of every month, you'll be charged the new price on 15 September.
Pay monthly for Prime? If you can afford to, lock in at the cheaper annual price now
If you pay for Prime or Prime Student monthly – and you can afford the upfront annual cost – consider locking in to an annual subscription at current prices now. You must do this on or before Sunday 14 August.
That's because your monthly subscription rolls over to an annual subscription at the date the next monthly payment would have been due. So, you need to have switched the subscription to an annual one on or by 14 August to be rolled over to the current annual price before it increases on Thursday 15 September.
To switch from a monthly membership to an annual one, log in to your Amazon Prime account, select 'Your Prime membership', and then select 'see more plans'. Choose the annual membership and follow the instructions.
As one MoneySaver told us: "I wanted to let you know how I saved money on Amazon Prime today. I had an email advising me my monthly Prime charge is increasing to £8.99 a month. I was paying monthly, but changed it to annual before the increase, so I am paying £79 for the year instead of £108 [the price you'd pay over a year at £8.99 a month]."
Pay for Prime annually? Some may be able to save
If your annual Prime subscription ends on 15 September, or in the weeks following, you may want to consider cancelling before 15 September and re-subscribing at the lower price. Though check if it's worth it first.
Amazon told us it will only offer full refunds to those who haven't used their Prime services at the point they cancel their annual subscription – though partial refunds may be offered depending on the services used.
You can contact Amazon's customer services by logging into your account, clicking 'help' and following the instructions.
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26 November 2024
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