# Amazon Prime is Increasing Annual Fees



## JustinCase (Feb 18, 2022)

Two things have now made me rethink my paid memberships. First, got an email from Amazon today about the next increase in my Prime membership.  It's going up $20 per year, I had been giving thought to canceling prior to today.  The selections on Prime streaming are getting more dated. Giving up the free shipping can be hurtful to some but has it saved me enough to justify keeping Prime?  I watch more NetFlix than any.  I usually don't turn on the TV until 7 or 8 PM.

Maybe it will motivate me to do my shopping at WalMart, BestBuy or Target instead of the perceived convenience that Amazon brings to the table.  Just means leaving the house a little more often.  Second my equal pay for my utilities is going up 15% this year.  Gas is now over $4 a gal & will probably rise again soon.  Insurance has risen, both auto & health.  What next?  I guess we can blame the pandemic & price gouging.  Hopefully I may save money without the impulse buys I make.


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## OneEyedDiva (Feb 19, 2022)

Funny you should mention starting to do your shopping at Walmart, etc. instead. I just read an article about people who were protesting the rise in membership fee (especially since Bezos is a billionaire) and one lady said the Prime increase actually saved her money. LOL How? Because she started shopping at Walmart instead and was very pleasantly surprised at the savings.

I tried and dropped Prime twice. Then when I decided to upgrade my Metro PCS cell phone plan about 3 years ago, to get more gigs for when I travel. Lo and behold, it came with complimentary Prime membership that I've had ever since. Before that, I didn't feel I needed Prime because I alway bunched my purchases so that I had the required amount to qualify for free shipping. If you can do that too, no need to pay for what has now become "shipping whenever we can get it to you" for some items. Also like you, I wasn't satisfied with their video offerings either. In addition, back then  their video interface was awful. I think their choices have improved a bit and I actually like a couple of their original series, Reacher and Upload.


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## hollydolly (Feb 19, 2022)

Not heard anything about any price rise here in the UK.. hope that doesn't happen.


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## Snow74 (Feb 19, 2022)

Not heard of an increase here in Canada…not sure I could do without my Prime Membership….I order from Amazon almost on a continual basis..and I do watch Prime movies plus Prime Music.


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## Devi (Feb 19, 2022)

Got the same Amazon email. The new Prime membership fee will be $139 _plus_ tax. This is after it went up to $119 (a couple of?) years ago. But we do use it a lot; lots of purchases and free shipping, although the arrivals are not always within the two days promised. Sometimes later; occasionally sooner.


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## Lara (Feb 19, 2022)

$20 a year more is only 1.66 a month more. 
You can't get a bottle of water for that.
You can't get a Taco at Taco Bell for that.
You can't get a candy bar nor a pack of gum for that 
It depends on how much pleasure you get from Amazon Prime.


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## hollydolly (Feb 19, 2022)

Devi said:


> Got the same Amazon email. The new Prime membership fee will be $139 _plus_ tax. This is after it went up to $119 (a couple of?) years ago. But we do use it a lot; lots of purchases and free shipping, although the arrivals are not always within the two days promised. Sometimes later; occasionally sooner.


..ours costs £79.00 per year ..with no added tax


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## katlupe (Feb 19, 2022)

Mine went up a dollar a month but even if it went up more than that I would not get rid of Prime. I use it too much and I like it. Since I don't own a car, I figure whatever I pay for having something delivered is worth it. Same with the free entertainment and I watch mostly YouTube on the Firestick. I figure if the gas and other expenses have gone up for us, they have probably gone up for Amazon too. It is still a good deal for me since I do not own a car.


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## Trish (Feb 19, 2022)

I have Prime but only because I don't pay for it.  I guess it might be worthwhile if you buy a lot of stuff from Amazon but I rarely find anything on Prime that I want to watch.  I also cancelled NOWTV for the same reason.  Most of my TV viewing is Netflix.


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## Alligatorob (Feb 19, 2022)

Just got a notice that my Netflix is going up to $19.99 a month...


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## Trish (Feb 19, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> Just got a notice that my Netflix is going up to $19.99 a month...


I haven't received any notification of a price rise but I guess everything is going to start going up.  If streaming services hike their prices too high, I guess subscribers could cancel their subscription during the warmer months when they are outdoors more and just have it during the winter months when they spend more time at home.


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## 1955 (Feb 19, 2022)

katlupe said:


> Mine went up a dollar a month but even if it went up more than that I would not get rid of Prime.


Don't give em any ideas


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## JustinCase (Feb 19, 2022)

I also benefited from free shipping.  Only reason I mentioned that I wanted to cancel my subscription was defensive.  I had asked Amazon to recap my account prior to the increase to find out my history.  The list was extensive & bothersome, the recap showed I had spent more on unnecessary items than I normally would have.  Sorry, but the Prime streaming selections were of no interest to me compared to others.

It's like having a $100 bill in your wallet, once it's cashed it's gone.  I've said those racks at the check stands were designed for customers like me - impulse buyers!   At my age I've heard many times about parents passing & their children having to dump all of their prized possessions.  I didn't want to burden my children with that task.   We hauled truck load after truck load away after my mother's passing.

And, it's not the large payments that reek havoc on your budget, it's the $10 payments that are sneaky.


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## Don M. (Feb 19, 2022)

Bezos is in the process of buying a huge $500,000,000 yacht...someone has to pay for it, and they will by shopping at Amazon.  I buy a few items online, and usually check Amazon, along with other sites.....and invariably I find a better deal elsewhere.


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## JustinCase (Feb 19, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> Just got a notice that my Netflix is going up to $19.99 a month...


My NetFlix is going up $1.50 to $15.49, I pay for my daughter's use in AZ.  It's cheaper than both of us having a subscription & I can help her a little with her monthly budget, have during the lock down for 2 years.


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## Signe The Survivor (Feb 19, 2022)

Everything seems to be going up with the exception of peoples salaries.


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## Irwin (Feb 19, 2022)

We use Amazon Prime and Netflix for streaming videos. I'm wondering if those still have the best selections of videos. Time to do a little research... right after my nap.


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## Alligatorob (Feb 19, 2022)

Irwin said:


> Netflix


Claims they will be increasing with the price hike, problem is now 95% of their stuff doesn't much interest me...


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## David777 (Feb 19, 2022)

Recall when amazon began the PRIME program for $50 annually and for those first few years, the fee stayed so. Yeah a worthwhile deal at the time...a carrot. Knowing how marketing bean counters think, expected that fee would rise when the rate of new signees each year fell off significantly signalling their other remaining members (me) were too resistant to be enticed.  So then began bean counter phase 2, quietly regularly raising annual fees with as little notice as possible while automating the annual fee payment renewal date they'd expect most would forget bothering to check.


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## Alligatorob (Feb 19, 2022)

David777 said:


> So then began bean counter phase 2, quietly regularly raising annual fees with as little notice as possible while automating the annual fee payment renewal date they'd expect most would forget bothering to check.


Yep, and it will continue so long as revenue continues to rise.  They will only stop or cut back when they believe they are losing lots of subscribers...  Its just how these things work.


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## JustinCase (Feb 19, 2022)

Alligatorob said:


> Claims they will be increasing with the price hike, problem is now 95% of their stuff doesn't much interest me...


With subtitles & my hearing aids, I've found a whole lot of content to watch in many different languages.  Most of which via streaming is less than 10 years old,  Prime's movies should be on the 'Classic' (oldies but goodies) sites.


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## Liberty (Feb 19, 2022)

If you don't have a Prime membership, do the shipping fees eat your lunch?  We never watch the "prime" videos, just renew for the "no shipping charges" feature.  Seems like hub is always needing a nut or bolt for something around the house, and don't get me started on the books...just got a new one in yesterday. Lately it was swimming pool hoses. Just wondered if they charged shipping for whatever you bought there, not just the certain "over 25 bucks free" items... like other online companies do.


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## JustinCase (Feb 19, 2022)

Capital One has an app that does comparison shopping also including free shipping for you,  I was checking on some items that are available on Amazon, one in particular was 1,000 piece puzzles that are my wife's weakness for winter.  Couldn't find the app on my Kindle then realized a Kindle is an exclusive device created by Amazon, so naturally they wouldn't have a venue to show you lower prices.  Go figure.  The app is available to install from Google's app store.  Hmmm!  Another reason to shed myself of anything to do with them.

I'm ordering a new 10 inch Android tablet from Amazon, while keeping my Kindle for TV shows & Movies.  Found most Amazon items now are within a few cents plus or minus from Walmart & others, they are not the money saving site they once were.  We pay for convenience, just look how 'doordash' has prospered during the lock downs.  The shopping app is also offered as an addon with Firefox, I installed it to test it, it came back as the best price was actually on Amazon/w free shipping.   $85.  The next 3 months will determine whether I keep Prime or not.  Right now I'm rethinking the tablet purchase, not buying would save me 62% of the new charges for Prime.  Could be sixes, keeping Kindle & Prime.


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## Packerjohn (Feb 19, 2022)

He, he!  I don't have Amazon Prime and I don't want it so no problem for me.  I just make sure that I get a minimum of $35 on each order and it is delivered right to the door of my apartment.  Come to think of it, I don't have Netflix because I don't like 98% of their movies.  My daughter wanted me to have Netflix but she is 35 and can relate to their kind of movies.  I relate to Gunsmoke, Rawhide, Law and Order, etc.  Perhaps, "Older and Wiser."

Yes, the prices on almost everything is going up.  I predicate a very hard time that's coming for a lot of people.  The gravy train ride is going to be over for all those people that bought all those toys!  I have noticed that the price of indoor parking for high ended apartments and condos is going to be $120/month.  It has been $100/month for the last few years.  That is an increase of 20% yet our government just keeps telling us that our inflation rate is around 5%.  I don't claim to know it all but I do know that saying the inflation rate of 5% is "just pulling my leg."


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## katlupe (Feb 19, 2022)

It is just like anything else, to some people it is well worth the cost and others it isn't. To me it is a valuable service and not for the Prime Video, though I did learn to watch them once my bf bought me a flat screen (not a big one) and hooked up the firestick. I am really a computer person and shopping online and doing just about everything online is what I do and like to do. I can't imagine living any other way.


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## JustinCase (Feb 19, 2022)

******


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## Devi (Feb 19, 2022)

We're keeping our Prime membership. We use it enough that the free faster shipping makes sense for us.

ADDED: we've been buying from Amazon since 1999. Since the time that Jeff Bezos said that they "lose money on every sale but make up for it in bulk" ... whatever that meant. But look at him now.

Anyway, it's still worth it to us.


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## RFW (Feb 19, 2022)

JustinCase said:


> Good points all, the bottom line is a little here, a little there., at some time you have to take a stand.  The last point is the only one I take exception to.  I get no pleasure from Prime itself.  Yes, I've changed my mind after seeing the numbers.  Thank You!


Every little bit adds up, that's for sure. I prefer to cut costs where I can and pay more for what I fully enjoy.


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## Ruthanne (Feb 19, 2022)

I pay for my Prime on a monthly basis so I think it's going up about $2 monthly.  I'll still keep it.


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## JustBonee (Feb 19, 2022)

I don't like the price increase either,  but plan on keeping my Prime  service.  I get grocery delivery from them quite often,
  and I don't want to give that up.


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## Jackie23 (Feb 19, 2022)

I don't have Prime, have debated on getting it and probably would if I lived close enough for grocery delivery.


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## JustinCase (Feb 20, 2022)

*********


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## bob22 (Mar 14, 2022)

Wondering if the folks who get grocery deliveries tip the delivery people, or are they just left on the porch? (Tipping is great, but of course adds another $5.00 to the Prime monthly fee each delivery.)


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## OneEyedDiva (Mar 14, 2022)

Lara said:


> $20 a year more is only 1.66 a month more.
> You can't get a bottle of water for that.
> You can't get a Taco at Taco Bell for that.
> You can't get a candy bar nor a pack of gum for that
> It depends on how much pleasure you get from Amazon Prime.


And @Devi For those who are using Prime just for free shipping, there's another way for many items they sell. As I mentioned above if you order more than (may be at) $35 per order now, shipping is free anyway if Amazon is fulfilling the order. And some of the enticement of one day shipping has gone away, because sometimes that just doesn't happen.


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## senior chef (Mar 14, 2022)

I don't use annual Prime.  I just try to order $25 at a time to get free shipping.
Seems to me that Amazon's Prime Videos has a pretty good selection of films. Certainly much, much better than Netflix. Here in Mexico, Netflix's selection of films is geared mainly to youngsters and lower I.Q. folks. Certainly waaaay too many drug dealer type films. Oh, yes, they do have a few excellent films but they are few and far between.


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## Mitch86 (Mar 14, 2022)

I'm homebound and very old so will pay any price for Prime just to get the free deliveries.


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## SeaBreeze (Mar 14, 2022)

I never joined Amazon Prime, I do order some things from Amazon, some I can get free delivery and for others I'll pay.  We have Comcast cable, and my husband is considering signing up for Netflix through them.  He mentioned having to join Amazon Prime to get the Netflix, and I understand the Netflix is a separate charge.  I assume if he does this, we will get free shipping for all Amazon purchases and other benefits from joining.  I'm not sure of the cost of either.


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## OneEyedDiva (Mar 14, 2022)

SeaBreeze said:


> I never joined Amazon Prime, I do order some things from Amazon, some I can get free delivery and for others I'll pay.  We have Comcast cable, and my husband is considering signing up for Netflix through them.  He mentioned having to join Amazon Prime to get the Netflix, and I understand the Netflix is a separate charge.  I assume if he does this, we will get free shipping for all Amazon purchases and other benefits from joining.  I'm not sure of the cost of either.


You won't necessarily get free shipping on everything you order....only on items that Amazon fulfills. And the way Amazon shows things on their site can be tricky so watch out. I subscribed to Paramount+ via Amazon Prime because of the great introductory offer that was shown on Amazon's site but I won't do that again. I had a few things in my Prime watchlist that got mixed with my Paramount watchlist, it became confusing. I don't like Amazon;s video interface anyway. Even after I temporarily cancelled Paramount plus, the shows and movies were still showing in my Amazon watchlist.  It just felt cluttered and got confusing. So when I re-subscribed to Paramount+, I did it through Paramount's website. I subscribe to all my other streaming services separately. Netflix used to offer a one month free trial, I don't see that they are doing that anymore.


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## old medic (Mar 15, 2022)

Was going to cancel, and they made me a yearly offer... so I extended ours for a year for $12/ month.


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## bob22 (Mar 15, 2022)

I had Prime for one year and don't really purchase that much stuff, so it wasn't a great deal for me. I'm lucky enough to still be mobile and I actually enjoy going to the grocery store to interact with people. I really disliked their video interface too. I think Netflix does a much better job there.


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## charry (Mar 15, 2022)

Everything has gone up, or going up..
but I don’t use prime ..I don’t have Netflix …..


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## garyt1957 (Mar 15, 2022)

Signe The Survivor said:


> Everything seems to be going up with the exception of peoples salaries.


I don't know, every place around here has help wanted signs for $3-$4 an hour more than the usual rate.


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## JustinCase (Mar 15, 2022)

My grandson got a job last year, good worker but lacks social skills.  He has worked into higher pay and the manager has promised him further advancement if he'll just stay,  He dependable, willing to work extra hours anytime.  Was told when they were staffing for the mandates that he will always have a job, so don't look else where.  Around here I've heard it said, *dependability & just showing up is rewarded over other skills!*


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## Sassycakes (Mar 15, 2022)

_I do a great deal of my shopping on Amazon. I have Amazon Prime and I love it. Just last week I bought a wheelchair for my friend. It cost $160.00. I called Amazon to see if I could return it. They said I didn't have to return it but they returned my money and said I could donate the chair to someone who needs one._


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## Jules (Mar 15, 2022)

Considering the price of gas, I’d be surprised in Amazon Prime didn’t raise their rates or put a minimum purchase.  Maybe they have long term, locked in contracts with the delivery folks.  They have the power to do whatever they want.


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## katlupe (Mar 15, 2022)

bob22 said:


> Wondering if the folks who get grocery deliveries tip the delivery people, or are they just left on the porch? (Tipping is great, but of course adds another $5.00 to the Prime monthly fee each delivery.)


The groceries I buy on Amazon are usually delivered by USPS delivery or sometimes FedEx. No tips.


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## JustinCase (Mar 15, 2022)

Jules said:


> Considering the price of gas, I’d be surprised in Amazon Prime didn’t raise their rates or put a minimum purchase.  Maybe they have long term, locked in contracts with the delivery folks.  They have the power to do whatever they want.


The cost for return shipping & handling were probably higher than the cost for the item.  If they put a minimum order limit on orders they will probably lose a lot of the fence sitters like me.  Again it's all about money (the bottom line) & has nothing to do with ethics, pollution or waste.

*We have become a disposable society, it's someone else's problem.*


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## OneEyedDiva (Mar 15, 2022)

JustinCase said:


> The cost for return shipping & handling were probably higher than the cost for the item.  If they put a minimum order limit on orders they will probably lose a lot of the fence sitters like me.  Again it's all about money (the bottom line) & has nothing to do with ethics, pollution or waste.
> 
> *We have become a disposable society, it's someone else's problem.*


I've never had to pay for returns of orders fulfilled by Amazon. They make it easy too...they send (or one can print) return labels that can be used at UPS and I guess USPS too. I happen to live within walking distance to UPS, so I've just taken the returns there. The last thing I returned was a pair of sweatpants. They have a system where you can try on and return what you don't like or doesn't fit. The return label and envelope came with the sweatpants so I didn't even have to wait. Usually if I see that there's a fee for returns from other sellers on Amazon and I'm not absolutely sure about the item(s), I just don't order them.


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## JustinCase (Mar 15, 2022)

>>>>>>


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