It was expected that Amazon Prime membership fees would get a kick soon, the company has now made the hike official. For the first time since its launch Amazon Prime is getting a price bump, that too of $20. Subscribers will now have to pay $99 per year. This gives them access to Prime’s massive video library as well as free two-day shipping. Amazon Student Prime subscribers will pay $10 extra per year, which brings it up to $49.
Subscribers won’t be hit with the price hike right away. April 17th is the cutoff date. Accounts up for renewal before this date will require members to pay the original $79 fee. Those accounts that are up for renewal after the cutoff date will then stick with the revised fee. All new subscribers will have to pay $99. Initially the hike was expected to be as steep as $40, taking in to account rising fuel and transportation costs. $20 just might be a bargain.
Amazon Prime membership fees has been revised at a time when rumors of a new music streaming service are going around. The company may be working on a service similar to iTunes Radio. Prime subscribers presumably won’t have to pay anything extra to get access. Rumor has it that Amazon won’t adopt an unlimited music streaming model. Rather it would place restrictions on the number of times a track can be played. As the limit ends, users would be prompted to buy the music from Amazon. The company hasn’t commented on these rumors up till now.
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