Amazon is raising the price of its Prime subscription across Europe in September by up to 43 percent a year. In an email to customers overnight, Amazon revealed its annual Prime cost will jump 20 percent in the UK from £79 to £95 from September 15th. In France the price hike is even more acute, moving from €49 per year to €69.90 — a 43 percent increase.
Amazon will also hike prices in Spain and Italy by 39 percent annually, with the company’s second-biggest market, Germany, seeing an annual 30 percent rise. Amazon’s Prime price increases in Europe come just months after the price of Prime in the US rose to $139 per year, up from the previous $119 annual fee. Amazon Prime typically includes fast shipping, access to sales, and free movie / TV streaming in most markets.
Amazon is also increasing the monthly cost of Prime in European markets, by £1 or €1 per month. The monthly rates don’t include the discount that’s applied to yearly subscriptions, and it’s clear from Amazon’s increases that most households subscribe annually. These are the annual Amazon Prime price increases across Europe:
- UK – £79 to £95, a 20 percent increase
- France – €49 to €69.90, a 43 percent increase
- Germany – €69 to €89.90, a 30 percent increase
- Italy – €36 to €49.90, a 39 percent increase
- Spain – €36 to €49.90, a 39 percent increase
This is also the first Amazon Prime increase in the UK, Amazon’s third-biggest market behind the US, since 2014. Amazon is hugely popular in the UK, and market research firm Kantar says more than 50 percent of households have an Amazon Prime subscription.
Reuters reports that Amazon blames the price increases on “increased inflation and operating costs.” The price change announcement comes just days before Amazon is set to post its Q2 earnings results. Amazon posted its first quarterly loss in seven years last quarter, with the company blaming part of the loss on the rising costs of fuel, transportation, and warehouse storage.
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