Amazon to bump up Prime membership to Rs 999

BENGALURU: Amazon is set to increase its Prime subscription fee from the introductory offer of Rs 499 to Rs 999 in a matter of days, the company said. While Amazon Prime was originally priced at Rs 999, it was offered at half the price at the time of its launch last July.

Amazon is also set to add more benefits and features for Prime customers, said Akshay Sahi, head of Prime in India.

“Seeing the engagement on the Prime program and the value of benefits, we feel it is the right time to move away from the strike-through pricing and move to Rs 999. It will happen in a few days,” Sahi said, without mentioning the exact timeline for the pricing shift. The new pricing is likely to come into effect after the festive sales by the end of the month.

Amazon currently has 11 million products under Prime. About 40% of orders now comes from Prime customers.

Amazon currently has four benefits for Prime, including early deliveries, Amazon Prime Video, discounts and deals, and Amazon Family.

It also held a Prime Day earlier this year, while also offering Prime members early access to deals ahead of its Great Indian Festival sale.

In the United States, Amazon Prime offers music streaming, deliveries from preferred restaurants, membership sharing between family members and cashback on the use of Prime credit cards.

Sahi did not comment on the exact benefits that will be added for prime customers.

Prime membership is the biggest selling product on the platform, especially during sale periods.