Amazon Prime fee jumps to $99 a year ift.tt/1fyMzjD A worker loading orders in one of Amazons factories. (Credit: Amazon) Amazons Prime premium service just got a little more expensive. For the first time, the online retailing giant will raise the membership fee for Prime, hiking it by $20 to $99 a year. Amazon Student Prime will rise $10 to $49 a year. Prime members will pay the higher fee when their accounts come up for renewal. Related stories Apple Maps may be heading in better direction Amazon said to be adding a music-streaming service New HTC One sees double with two rear cameras Amazon updates first-generation Kindle Paperwhite Now with Streaming Stick, Roku isnt sweating the blitz The critical cut-off date is April 17. If your renewal comes up before then, youll still pay the original $79 fee. If comes up on April 17 or after, youre stuck with the higher fee. Prime, introduced nine years ago, has become one of Amazons key drivers of revenue growth, with consumers increasingly willing to pay the premium for free two-day shipping, access to more than 40,000 online videos, and the ability to borrow more than 500,000 books from Kindle Owners Lending Library. The company has been working to make Prime even more attractive, including adding original programming in page taken from Netflixs playbook. In its note to customers, Amazon makes the argument that the company hasnt ever raised prices on the service despite rising fuel and transportation costs. The hike comes as Amazon continues to post losses despite its immense reach and brand recognition. It isnt a complete surprise, as Amazons chief financial officer hinted at a price increase of up to $40 in January. Amazon just celebrated a record holiday season for Prime, boasting that it signed up more than a million new customers in the third week of December. The signups were coupled with Amazon launching the ability for customers to give a Prime membership as a gift. In October, Amazon raised the threshold for free shipping for non-Prime customers from $25 to $35 while also plugging its Prime program. Amazon said it is alerting Prime and Student members about the increase and specific renewal date. Heres the note: (Credit: Screenshot by Joan Solsman/CNET) Updated at 6:09 a.m. PT: To include the cutoff date for when the higher fee takes in effect. Related Links:CNET survey: Will you renew your Creative Cloud subscription?Amazon Prime Instant Video arrives in the UKYitang Zhang: A prime-number proof and a world of persistenceDisney deal blazes trail for a Dish without the dishVerizon confirms More Everything, brings price cuts, more data, global texting
Posted on: Thu, 13 Mar 2014 14:56:06 +0000
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