Amazon hasn’t raised the price of their Prime membership in close to 4 years. Well, that’s all about to change folks. This price increase should serve as a great time to assess your membership and decide if all the perks of Prime are worth it for you. Here’s everything you need to know about the price increase as well as some clever ways to avoid it.

What Will the New Price of Amazon Prime Be?

$119 a year.

Up from $99, which has been the price of Prime since March of 2014 when Amazon increased it from $79 annually.

When Does the Price Hike Take Effect?

Glad you asked.

May 11th for new Prime members and June 16th for existing members.

With over 100 million current Prime members, it will be interesting to see how many continue to pay for the service and how many will say “Fuhgeddaboudit” and bail on Amazon.

3 Clever Ways to Avoid Paying $119/Year:

1. Prime Student – If you have a .edu email address be sure to take advantage of Prime Student.

You’ll get all the BIG perks of Prime and pay only $6.49/month (or $49/year) BUT not until you get to take advantage of a 6-month FREE trial first.

2. EBT Cardholder Discount – If you’re currently on government assistance you can also score a discount and get Prime for just $5.99/month. CLICK HERE for all the details.

3. Buy a “Gift of Prime” Now for Only $99 – Then redeem it once your current Prime membership expires.

I’ve been told this should work, but it may require you to cancel your current Prime membership right before it expires then redeem your “Gift of Prime” gift card for your new membership.

Worth a shot as you have nothing to lose and $20 to gain.

Visit the Amazon “Gift of Prime” page to buy your gift card before it’s too late.

See Also: Amazon Prime Discounts: 5 Ways to Pay WAY Less Than $119/year

Ask the Reader: Will you pay the $20 price increase when your current membership expires or will you say adios to Prime?

By Kyle James

The post Amazon is Jacking Up the Price of Prime (PLUS Tips to Avoid The Increase) appeared first on Rather-Be-Shopping.com.