Is the price of Amazon Prime going to increase in the UK?
In the US, Amazon Prime is about to get more expensive for both monthly and annual subscription. The changes will come into effect on 18 February 2022 for new subscribers, and 25 March 2022 for existing ones.
The new prices for Amazon Prime in the US will be $14.99 per month (up $2) and $139 per year (up $20).CNBChas also reported that the student tier will rise to $69 per year.
Amazon says that the price rise is only in the USA right now, but the big question is whether there are plans to hike prices for UK subscribers as well. Here’s what we know so far.
Will there be an Amazon Prime UK price rise in 2022?
No price increase has been confirmed for Amazon Prime UK subscribers at the time of writing. However, that’s under “constant review” according toi news.
Amazon states that the price increase in the US is down to labour shortages and inflationary pressures in the country, as well as increased costs for shipping and creating content for its streaming service, Amazon Prime Video.
Amazon Prime in the UK has stayed at the same price for a long time, and there is now quite a sizable difference between the cost of a US and UK subscription prices, so it wouldn’t surprise us if one was on the horizon.
That’s partly because the UK is also facing similar issues, andanalysts believe that rising costs in fuel and energy in the UKcould prompt a price increase for Prime this side of the pond as well.
US prices rose by around 17 percent – here is how they will change in 2022:
If there were an equivalent increase in the UK, it would mean prices change from £7.99 to around £9.30 per month, and from £79 to around £92 per year. But as Amazon seems to prefer round numbers – or rather one penny less – it could end up being £8.99 and £89.99.
When will Amazon Prime UK raise its prices?
It’s hard to predict, as there is less of a correlation between US and UK prices changing than what we have seen withNetflix prices.
The last time that Amazon Prime UK changed its prices was in February 2014, when itintroduced film and TV streaming, plus Kindle rentals. And that was a fairly sizeable hike:
Conversely, Amazon US has had three price increases since then – one in March 2014, one in April 2018 and now one in February 2022.
As it’s been eight years since the last UK price increase, it adds to the likelihood of seeing one this year – but it’s impossible to predict exactly when that could be.
If we hear any new rumours, we’ll update this article.
Is there any way to avoid an Amazon Prime price hike?
In the US, Amazon has given notice of when the price increase will go into effect, giving subscribers the option tolock in for the lower price for longer. We imagine that if Amazon UK also increases its prices, a similar thing will happen.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
