PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

PCMag UK

Amazon Raises Prime Membership Fee to $99 a Year

Angela Moscaritolo
 & Angela Moscaritolo Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

Our team tests, rates, and reviews more than 1,500 products each year to help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.

Our Expert
LOOK INSIDE PC LABS HOW WE TEST
65 EXPERTS
43 YEARS
41,500+ REVIEWS

Free two-day shipping and access to streaming video from Amazon is going to cost you a bit more from now on.

The online retail giant on Thursday morning sent email to Prime members, informing them of a $20 price hike. This means the service will now set you back $99 a year, instead of $79. For existing members, the change will go into effect when your membership renews.

"Even as fuel and transportation costs have increased, the price of Prime has remained the same for nine years," Amazon wrote in the email. "Since 2005, the number of items eligible for unlimited free two-day shipping has grown from one million to over 20 million."

Recently, Amazon also teamed with the USPS to offer Sunday deliveries.

During that time, Amazon has also bolstered its Prime Instant Video library with more than 40,000 movies and TV episodes and added more than 500,000 books to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library, the company said. Some new additions to the Instant Video catalog include Pulp Fiction, Star Trek, and Storage Wars.

The price increase isn't exactly a surprise. During an earnings call in January, Amazon revealed that it was considering a Prime price hike in the range of $20 to $40 in the U.S.

In addition to free two-day shipping on millions of items, a Prime subscription gives you unlimited streaming access to thousands of movies and TV shows via Instant Video as well as one ebook to borrow each month from the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.

Meanwhile, Amazon delivery times might get even speedier in the future thanks to drones. The company in December said it is experimenting with drones that will provide half-hour, same-day delivery, though a formal introduction of the service, dubbed PrimeAir, is years away.

For more, check out PCMag Live in the video below, which discusses Amazon's price hike.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade. 

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes. 

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app. 

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth. 

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light. 

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

Read the latest from Angela Moscaritolo

Read full bio