Warning: Amazon to increase Prime prices this Thursday but some can still beat the hikes - here's how

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.
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.
We've full details on what's happening below, and how to cancel your subscription should you wish, but 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 follows:
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Monthly Amazon Prime subscribers will see prices rise from £7.99 a month to £8.99 a month.
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Annual Amazon Prime subscribers will see prices rise from £79 a year to £95 a year.
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Monthly Amazon Prime Student subscribers will see prices rise from £3.99 a month to £4.49 a month.
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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 after their 30-day free trial has expired.
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.
Amazon subscriber? Annual users may be able to avoid the hike for a little longer
If you're an annual payer and your subscription is due to renew in the couple of weeks after 15 September, you could cancel just before that and then get a new subscription at £79 before 15 September – forestalling that rise just for a little bit.To do this, you need to contact Amazon's customer service team by Wednesday 14 September, ask them to 'end benefits immediately' and then sign up again. If not, your membership would run until the renewal date even if you cancelled, taking the new payment until after that date.
Likewise, if you've benefitted from a Prime trial in the past but are no longer a subscriber, you can continue to sign-up at the current prices until 15 September as you won't be offered a free trial.
Sadly, it's now too late for those currently paying monthly to convert to the annual package and lock in at the £79 for the next year. This is because Amazon won't begin your annual subscription until your current month's subscription has finished – so you needed to switch by 14 August to ensure you paid £79.
Non-Prime subscribers can also beat the price rise if they're quick
If you're new to Amazon Prime and are thinking of joining, you can get around the price hike by signing up before 15 September and phoning Amazon's customer services and asking it to waive your 30-day free trial. While this means you'll pay right away and will lose out on the one-month free trial, you'll only pay £79 for the year, compared to £95 once your free trial ends.
You can also do the same with a monthly subscription, and ask Amazon to waive your 30-day free trial too. However, there's less benefit doing so here given the monthly saving is only £1. You're better off opting for an annual subscription if you can afford it.
To contact Amazon, log into your online account, click 'contact us', and then request a call back.
Want to cancel your Prime membership? Amazon's changed how you unsubscribe
If the price hike means you no longer want Prime, you'll now find it easier to cancel following a change made by Amazon in August to make the process clearer and simpler after European Commission involvement.
Here's how to cancel your monthly or annual Prime subscription:
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Using a web browser on desktop, tablet or mobile. From the Amazon homepage, select 'Account & Lists', then 'Your Prime Membership' and then 'End membership' (these initial steps haven't changed). At this point, you'll be shown a list of your current benefits. To proceed, click 'Continue to cancel' and, finally, the 'End On...' button to confirm the cancellation.
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Using the Amazon app. Select 'Your account', then under 'Account Settings' tap 'Prime Membership', then 'Manage membership', then 'End membership'. Again, you'll be shown your current benefits – tap 'Continue to cancel' and then the 'End On...' button to finish.
For more guidance on this, see our Amazon makes it easier to cancel Prime subscriptions MSE News story.
Thinking of switching? See how Amazon Prime compares
Streaming service | Fee (monthly & annually) | Free trial? | What it offers | Ad free? | Streaming quality |
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Amazon Prime | From £8.99/month (1) or £95/year as of 15 September | 30-days | Popular films, TV shows, plus Amazon originals | Yes | HD, ultra high definition (UHD or 4K), and HDR (high dynamic range) |
Apple TV Plus | £4.99/month (no annual subscription) | Seven days | Original film and TV series including The Morning Show and Dickinson | Yes | HDR and 4K |
Disney+ | £7.99/month or £79.90/year | No | More than 1,000 films and TV series | Yes, although cheaper, ad-free subscription to launch later this year | HD and 4K |
Netflix | From £5.99/month (1) (no annual subscription) | No | Thousands of shows and movies, including originals | Yes | HD, UHD and 4K depending on package |
Now Entertainment | £9.99/month (no annual subscription) | Seven days | More than 300 box sets, plus channels that aren't on Freeview | No, when streaming on demand unless you have Now Boost which is ad free | HD and full HD depending on package |
Paramount+ | £6.99/month or £69.90/year | Seven days | 8,000 hours of originals, plus content from MTV, Nickelodeon and more | Yes | Full HD |
1. The price differs depending on what package you choose. See our Best streaming service guide for more info.