Amazon Prime Is Now Available as a Monthly Subscription

Amazon Prime

Getting Amazon Prime is about to become a whole lot easier. This past Sunday, the internet retail giant rolled out a new monthly subscription plan that allows customers to receive some or all of the benefits of an annual Prime membership for a monthly cost. The services, called Prime Video and Prime Monthly respectively are part of a larger plan on Amazon’s part to step up its game in the live stream video market in order to compete with companies like Netflix and Hulu.

The New Amazon Prime Options

Subscribers to the traditional Amazon Prime program, which costs $99 annually, are no strangers to the many benefits this service provides. In addition to free 2-day shipping on millions of items from Amazon and select partners, Prime members enjoy access to free photo storage, millions of eBooks, and live stream music. Finally, and perhaps most notably, Prime members have access to Amazon’s extensive library of live stream videos, many of which are HD and HDR. This includes exclusive access to Amazon’s award-winning original series such as Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, and Alpha House.

Previously, the only way to access these exclusive shows, as well as the other movies and series available through live stream, was through the annual Prime membership. However, the introduction of the two new Amazon Prime payment and access options changes all that. Now, customers unwilling or unable to make the full year-long commitment to Amazon Prime can try out the services on a monthly basis with the ability to cancel anytime. These two new options cost more yearly, but provide an option for those with a tight budget or who are uncommitted to the company or its services. This chance to “try before you buy” is designed to appeal to a new market of video streaming households.

Here’s a breakdown of the new Prime membership options:

Making the Switch to Amazon Prime

Have you cut the cable cord yet? For many budget-conscious, busy consumers, the standard notion of television services via standard cable or satellite subscriptions is a thing of the past. Instead, live streaming on-demand shows and movies are all the rage since they offer the combined benefit of binge watching and doing so on your own time. For a long time, Netflix singularly dominated this market, but Amazon’s willingness to change its structure and the critical acclaim of such shows as Transparent have made it a major player in the live streaming market with room to grow.

The move to offer Prime Video as a monthly service is also especially well-timed because Netflix is set to increase its prices on long-time members from $7.99 to $9.99 per month as of May 1st. For those looking to save a few bucks, but who are unwilling to make a yearly commitment to Amazon Prime, this may be an appealing choice.