From CNET: The annual price of an Amazon Prime membership in the US is going up by 20 percent.
Amazon finance chief Brian Olsavsky said Thursday that his company will hike Prime's fee to $119 a year, from $99, on May 11. The new price will apply to existing Prime members' renewals starting June 16. Olsavsky made the comments during an earnings call with analysts. If your regular renewal is on or after June 16, you won't be allowed to prepay for another year at the currently lower rate, an Amazon spokeswoman said.
It's only the second time Amazon has increased the cost of its annual Prime membership since it was first introduced in 2005. In 2014, the company raised the price to $99 from $79.
Even so, the boost to Prime's fee -- particularly above the psychologically significant $100 level -- could threaten future renewals and new Prime customers. Prime is one of the company's most important businesses, helping build loyal, repeat customers who tend to spend about twice as much with Amazon as do non-Prime shoppers.
Prime's biggest customer base is in the US and most of those members sign up on an annual -- instead of monthly -- basis. That means tens of millions of US customers will be affected by the change.
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