Amazon Hikes Prime Membership Fee 276
An anonymous reader writes with official news that, as expected, "Amazon officially announced that it is increasing Prime Membership fees from $79 to $99. Amazon Students will pay $49, and participants of Amazon Fresh (the grocery shopping service) will continue to have a $299 fee. The price hike in Prime Membership is attributed to rising shipping costs, but some wonder if the 'real question around Prime is whether it's sustainable at all, even at a higher price.'"
Turned off auto-renew today (Score:5, Informative)
I got the email today, just like everyone else that has Amazon prime.
First thing I did was go try to turn off auto-renew. It turns out that they've hidden that feature, and you actually have to attempt to cancel your membership to do it. Then it gives you an option to end immediately if you qualify for a rebate or end at the normal time (6 months from now in my case).
Re:Still worth it (Score:5, Informative)
They already have free shipping at the $35 order mark, so... no.
Re:Still worth it (Score:5, Informative)
Just so you aren't in a hurry. Free "super saver" shipping has gotten slower and slower over the last year or so. It's gotten so bad that I actually shop around again. They should not underestimate the effect this has on customers - I took a vacation from Newegg when they started occasionally using some bizarro shipping scheme that had my packages leaving my state for Kentucky and then eventually coming back after a hand-off to the USPS.
Re:Still worth it (Score:4, Informative)
Instant gratification is not worth a $30 surcharge.
Re:Still worth it (Score:5, Informative)
What on earth are you complaining about? (Score:2, Informative)
So are we no griping about Amazon Prime costs? Not me.
It's still a GREAT deal if you use their streaming video service. Netflix streaming only is about the same cost (a few bucks more for DVD's by mail) and they have a lot less stuff than Amazon, at least stuff I want to watch. The free shipping thing is of dubious value, at least for me, because most items are more expensive if they have prime shipping available. Some other Prime benefits help make my kindles more usable (Free books, downloadable video streams for off line viewing). But all these extras are over and above the video streaming.
Where $79 would be preferable $99 is still cheap so I'm not complaining. We are still under $10/month here.
Re:Still Worth It (Score:5, Informative)
No, it has nothing to do with paying to continue using something.
Every month, members get to borrow a book that they don't own and keep it for the month. When they pick out a book the following month, they have to return the one they borrowed the month before. They don't buy the book, so they don't own it.
Re:Still worth it (Score:4, Informative)
Theyre going to Kentucky because the shipper sent it there. Louisville is a major shipping hub.
Im pretty sure Newegg does not determine the route your package takes.
Lock in $79 for next year (Score:5, Informative)
Copied from Slickdeals.net forums:
INSTRUCTIONS TO LOCK IN $79 RATE
Quote from orick:
If your current Prime membership is scheduled to expire on or after April 17th, and therefore would auto-renew at the $99 price, you can effectively lock in the $79 price by taking the following steps:
(1) Look up your Prime expiration date. (Let's say yours is June 11th.)
(2) Purchase a Prime Gift Membership here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/prim... [amazon.com]
Set the delivery date as the date after your membership expires (in this case, June 12, 2014).
Enter your own e-mail address as the gift recipient. It is okay if this is the exact e-mail address already associated with your Amazon Prime account.
Place order (total will be $79).
(3) Turn off your Prime auto-renew. (End membership - at expiration)
(4) On the day after your membership expires, you will receive an e-mail from Amazon with the gift membership. Follow the instructions to apply it to your account.
This is a pretty straightforward way to save $20.
HOW TO CANCEL AMAZON PRIME AUTO RENEW:
Source: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help... [amazon.com]
Quote :
Go to Manage Prime Membership https://www.amazon.com/gp/subs... [amazon.com]
Review the renewal date listed on the left-hand side of the page.
If you currently have an Amazon Prime free trial, click Do Not Continue .
If you currently have a paid Amazon Prime membership, click End Membership .
Turn off your renewal using the link below the renewal date.
Note: Your membership will expire at the end of the current period. It will NOT end before your current paid subscription is over, nor can you cancel it early for a refund.
Re: Still worth it (Score:1, Informative)
This is called "scrubbing."