It started in the USA in February, and now the price adjustments for Amazon Prime have also arrived in Germany. From mid-September it will be more expensive.
As always, it was a matter of time. In February, Amazon began raising prices for Prime subscriptions. First in the US. As with almost all providers of subscription services, this is a relatively safe sign that prices in other countries are also about to rise. Even if it said at the beginning of the year: “The price increase only affects the USA. We have nothing else to announce at the moment.” Well, yes, because from September 15, prices will also rise in Germany.
All Prime prices go up, annual savings go down
The price increase affects all Prime offers. Starting with the monthly subscription, the cost of which increases from EUR 7.99 to EUR 8.99. If you pay annually, the current 69 euros will become 89.90 euros in the future – a good 30 percent more. If you add up the monthly costs, the price advantage that results from paying for a whole year soon shrinks. If you currently save around 27 euros, it will only be 18 euros from mid-September.
The costs for discounted Prime subscriptions are also increasing. In future, students and trainees will pay from EUR 3.99 to EUR 4.49 per month and from EUR 34 to EUR 44.95 per year.
The company justifies the price increases as follows: “We are making this change in light of general and significant cost changes due to inflation. These lead to an increase in the cost of the Prime service in your country and are based on external circumstances beyond our control.”
Secure the old price until September 15th
As expected, prices have not become as high as in the USA. Since the fees have been raised, Prime has cost the equivalent of around 120 euros a year or 13 euros a month there.
However, we recommend it again: If you sign up for an Amazon Prime subscription before the deadline, save yourself the old prices for the entire duration. In this way, the higher price can be avoided for a year at best. The Prime subscription currently includes services such as free premium shipping, Prime Video, Music Prime, Prime Reading, Prime Gaming, Prime Photos and occasionally exclusive offers, for example on Prime Day or when buying a Playstation 5.
If you just want free shipping, just buy more books. As soon as you add a book to an Amazon order, Amazon waives the shipping costs even if you buy cheaper items. If your order is worth more than 29 euros, the transport usually costs nothing anyway.
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