Amazon Prime membership increases from S$2.99 to S$4.99 per month, but many Singaporeans still call it value for money

SINGAPORE: Amazon Singapore announced earlier this week that its monthly Prime membership fee would go up from S$2.99 to S$4.99.

This is the first price increase to be implemented since Prime was launched in Singapore seven years ago. The higher price was charged to new members beginning Wednesday, Aug 28.

For current Prime members, however, the price change will only take effect from Sept 28 onwards, on their next renewal date. Prime membership includes free and fast shipping, games, and streaming of the service’s movie and series offerings.

The company also said it is bringing in a yearly subscription plan costing S$49.90. Customers who avail of it get a 16 per cent discount over a monthly subscription.

The increase is being implemented “so that we can continue growing the offering,” the company said in its statement.

Posting about this on Reddit Singapore, one netizen wrote that the price increase means a yearly uptick of 40 per cent for the annual price package.

The increase is even higher for those who choose a monthly subscription, at 66.9 per cent.

The netizen added that Amazon Music is not included in the package for Prime Members in Singapore, unlike in other areas such as the US and the UK.

While any price increase is never welcome, many local Reddit users said they didn’t mind the Prime membership price hike too much, given what the membership entails.

One commenter wrote that he was even amazed that Amazon has been able to keep the membership fee at S$2.99 all this time. He added that when he first subscribed to Prime, he and his wife thought it was only for shipping and didn’t include the streaming service.

For comparison’s sake, Prime membership in the US is $14.99 (S$19.50) monthly and $139 (S$181) per year.

In the UK, meanwhile, it’s £8.99 (S$15.43) monthly and £95 (S$163) per year.

“$5 for express delivery, a streaming service, and free games (Prime Gaming) are unmatched, considering that most subscription-based services are priced above $10 these days,” another commenter pointed out.

One Reddit user said Prime membership also includes a free Twitch Prime subscription every month, adding that it’s “worth $4.49 SGD monthly.”

Others called it value for money, and one chimed in to say that S$4.99 won’t even pay for a kaya set at Ya Kun Kaya or Toast Box these days.

/TISG

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