Amazon Prime is going up again
5I don’t see any other notice here, so I’ll share the bad news:
"(Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O> on Friday raised the monthly fee for Amazon Prime, its fast-shipping and video-streaming service, to $12.99 from $10.99.
Existing monthly Prime and Prime Student members will pay the new price for renewals after Feb. 18, Amazon said on its website."
Considering our fairly heavy use of Prime, it’s still a good deal for us. We’re totally addicted to two-day delivery and not having to scrounge around for enough stuff to meet the $35 (?) minimum. We pay annually and just renewed last month, so we have another 11 months before it hits us.
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No change in price if you pay yearly, only if you pay monthly.
@Oneroundrobb Correct. No change - for now…
I enjoy prime’s free shipping, but I thought I’d get a lot of benefit from their photo storage. However, since it doesn’t load folders, just bulk photos, it’s all but useless for access. It’s nice to know they are safe someplace, but dumping them out of their folders into one big pile removes all their context. I take a lot more photos than most people, but still, it seems like this would be an issue for a lot of users.
@moondrake I found the folder issue to be a problem too. But since I only use their photo feature for a backup in case something happens to my phone, it’s not a huge issue. I haven’t had to use it to restore anything yet and that would be a problem with organization if I ever do. But again, this is just a backup.
One more thing I like is I can take a photo on my phone, then go to the computer and it has already uploaded to Amazon. I can then use that photo on the desktop without having to email it to myself. It’s always on the top of the list since the default sorting is current date on the top.
@moondrake You can minimize that issue by naming all your photos with the same structure, for example:
YYYYMMDD_Event_Name_001.jpg
So for example,
20180121_ARS_Bday_001.jpg
Most bulk naming utilities support this structure and auto-increment the serial number from 001, 002, etc…
So you bulk select the photos you want to rename using your convention, fill in the “Event_Name” part… and out come all those event photos with serialized and with date-in-filename.
@RedOak Even bulk naming 65,000 photos is quite a project, but you’re right, it would help. I’ve never made a habit of naming my photos, I save them in relevant folders and subfolders: Vacations, Europe 2014, Venice, Gondola tour. Vacations, Alaska 2015, Juneau, Whale Watching. Bulk naming might not be too awful.
What really hurts is that I lost thousands of photos in a HD crash, I think many of them are on Prime but finding them has been exhausting and mostly fruitless.
@moondrake yep after 65,000 photos is too late!
We’re up to a similar number but have been using that naming convention since very near the start of our digital collection.
We then store them in folders like “20180100_Misc” or replace “Misc” with a key event name.
Kids’ sports events go into a different collection since those photos can really pile up.
We’ve also been pretty consistently tagging and marking favorites using Adobe Photoshop Elements (actually the photo organizer was originally a separate program) since version 1.0.
We made a bet that of all the organizing and tagging alternatives at the time, Adobe was most likley to survive. So far so good.
Backing up is loads of fun. To preserve the tagging we have to use a rotating set of external hard drives. And the primary PC host has an extra internal drive that auto backs up as well.
Used to back up to DVD’s but that became cumbersome.
When I die it might be all for naught if nobody cares, but in the meantime…
@moondrake A development I didn’t anticipate at the start of my tagging obsession?
The latest organizers have become pretty good at auto-tagging people using facial recognition.
And location (landscape/architecture/etc) tagging will get better and better if not perfect. For photos that are not already geo-tagged.
Already you can take a photo of, say a Ferris wheel from a good distance, and using Google image search, identify what theme park it came from.
The monthly raise in price may be justified since people can turn it on or off all the time.
Some people only turn it in to binge watch something or binge read something, or at the holidays for the shipping, then kill it.
I woulk like to see amazon offer a cheaper monthly fee for those customers who want prime and who agree to a 6 month or 12 month commitment.
@f00l … and that would be the reason I suspect they raised the monthly price - to “encourage” more folks into the annual plan rather than turning it on and off.
@f00l Maybe I’m missing something, but doesn’t paying yearly get one a discount for a 12 month commitment? It certainly does for me.
Also, it is quite easy to get that 12 month commitment extended by a month or three at no extra cost, since it has become almost commonplace for Amazon’s two-day delivery to end up taking three days. Just have to write a polite but whiny email expressing great disappointment in how Amazon is slipping. I got an extra month earlier this month and I have a few friends who have gotten three or more months extra.
@baqui63
Some people are short of funds, so monthly payments may work better for them even at a slightly increased cost over annual.
(They may intend an annual, and just have trouble coming up with the larger payment all at once).
(Newly minted adults, for instance. Amazing wants these customers.)
Others want the monthly so that it only gets billed when it is needed. For these buyers, the higher monthly prime price is prob still attractive you them.
Anyway, I’m pretty sure Amazon knows their own customers pretty well.
@baqui63 Oh cool tip. I’ve actually had some shipping issues lately, I may take your suggestion and politely whine my way into a couple months of free Prime.
@baqui63 I could be wrong but I believe @f00l was referring to making monthly payments still rather than one lump sum payment.
Prime (the yearly benefit) is either cost effective for you, or it isn’t. I can understand Amazon getting rid of the monthly charge, since (as far as I know) it remained a loss-leader, and I don’t think that was their intent. There’s always the “let’s not buy this at Amazon” option, and I’m glad to see that Amazon waited to enact this until the mad rush spend (aka the holiday season) was over.
I doubt that Prime is cost effective for me, but I love it for other reasons. There are times when what I want is a few dollars, and it’s nice to be able to order it, and have it on the way, without concern. There’s a calendar that I order every single year, and I’ve never seen it in the local shops (which all have the same selections, far as I can tell). I go into Office Depot and get a larger Month-at-a-Glance, and get the other one from Amazon, and I’m content for the year.
There are other little odds and ends during the year, as well. Before there was Prime, I’d buy random items to up the amount (back when the requirement was $25, about a hundred years ago). It’s much better to just get what I need, and not get all the extras.
Dang. That’s a lot of words (but I’m leaving them). Here’s one of my favorite magazine advertisements:
{In case the print at the bottom’s not legible, it says “The blind are also color blind.”}
@Shrdlu
It might be worth it to Amazon to operate monthly prime as a slight loss leader. It helps to create or reinforce the “shop at Amazon” habit, which is an expensive and difficult achievement for retailers dealing with their customers.
(Target is, famously, expert at this, and spends a lot of money microtargeting habitual behavior, and trying to draw customers into making Target become the local shopping default).
Amazon makes it so easy to shop there that I consciously force myself to step away from them periodically. I want there is to be than one store in the world.
I imagine Amazon wants those who don’t wish to do “single-payment annual prime” to have the “reach for amazon” habit also.
@f00l @Shrdlu
I think it’s safe to assume that the entire Amazon Prime program is one giant loss leader.
@jbartus haha. Since Amazon has never made a respectable return on its huge capital for its entire history, one could argue the entire company, Amazon, is a loss-leader or “non-profit” entity!
@RedOak That was true up until the last year, or year and a half. It’s been profitable for at least that time. I read financial statements and stock reports and such. I have to admit that I do own small amounts of Amazon stock through a fund, perhaps two, but would NEVER buy their stock directly. On the other hand, I bought Apple a while ago at around $90. My only regret is not buying more.
@Shrdlu That’s fascinating! I don’t really keep up on those things, but that was long a defining feature of AMZN.
@Shrdlu first it was a long long time coming. And how do you define profitable in the context of capital invested or sales?
A 1.7% return on sales is hardly earth shaking. And one year at that rate does not prove much.
@RedOak
I have always assumed that Amazon’s short and medium goals were sustainable dominance. Profit seems secondary.
I presume this focus encourages “Hollywood accounting” within Amazon, to a notable degree, and also that they plow money into research and new ventures. And Bezos can pull this off.
Not so great for the ordinary shareholder looking for conventional publicly traded behavior. But Bezos surely seems to be able to sustain his vision. No one is calling for his head, and he’s eaten a lot of octopus so far.
@f00l yep. We’re loving it as consumers.
A couple thoughts I didn’t notice above regarding Prime…
You can save an additional 5% back in rewards with an Amazon Prime credit card. The card is available to non-Prime folks, but I think the reward drops to 3%.
If you buy a lot or bigger $ items, that can add up. You use the reward $ right on the checkout screen.
Since we detest auto-renewals, and a few years ago, Amazon removed the “Do not auto-renew” checkbox, I now contact Customer Service to have them manually turn off auto-renew.
This way we can take a brief break from Prime every year until we need something - then it is easy to flip it back on.
(Note: pointing the auto-renewal to an expired credit card in your Amazon acct does not block auto-renewal! The scoundrels search thru your cards until they find an active card! Got an extra month added when I exhibited displeasure at that shady technique.)
@RedOak Just found this from their Prime terms and conditions:
UNLESS YOU NOTIFY US BEFORE A CHARGE THAT YOU WANT TO CANCEL OR DO NOT WANT TO AUTO RENEW, YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR PRIME MEMBERSHIP WILL AUTOMATICALLY CONTINUE AND YOU AUTHORIZE US (WITHOUT NOTICE TO YOU, UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW) TO COLLECT THE THEN-APPLICABLE MEMBERSHIP FEE AND ANY TAXES, USING ANY ELIGIBLE PAYMENT METHOD WE HAVE ON RECORD FOR YOU… (emphasis mine)
@chienfou yep. I can confirm that from personal experience.
Although, as I recall their T&Cs did not say that when it originally happened to me. It surprised me enough that I went looking at the time.
@RedOak yep, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with changes/updates to the T&C for these things. Glad your case worked out for you.
@chienfou truly “working out” would be Amazon restoring the “Do not autorenew” checkbox that used to be on the Prime settings page.
So that folks who don’t want auto renew wouldn’t have to contact Customer Service every year (after renewing) to turn it back off!
Our original renewal date was somewhere around August/September… taking a break every year has now pushed it out into February. Although, admittedly, it might have been pushed back a month or two by late-delivery free month extensions.
Looks like my December 2018 budget just took a $2.00 hit.
FYI: If your Amazon Prime shipment is a day late (beyond the Guaranteed Delivery Date), you can email Amazon support and request a free month of Prime membership as compensation. One more late shipment for me, and I will have received 12 free months of Prime membership. And support doesn’t even contest it in any way. They apologize, and add the extra month to your membership.
@crow I complained about a delayed delivery this morning and the reply from CS offered my choice of a $10 promotional credit, or a 1 month extension. So, ya, apparently that is standard practise for Amz CS.
@ruouttaurmind
@crow
If you ask for lateness credit too many times, I’ve heard they may stop offering extra months to you.
Dunno if true.
@f00l I found it curious that I didn’t ask for any kind of compensation, I merely wrote to vent about paying for Prime service and getting sub-prime delivery. CS replied as quoted above.
The last time I complained about something they offered only a promotional credit, so perhaps the Prime extension has become a new tool in their arsenal. I had a poor experience with that promotional credit. I discovered if you make a purchase with a promo credit, then return the item (defective product in my case), they do NOT reinstate the promo credit. It’s just lost to the ages.
So from now on, if they offer the option to extend Prime, that’ll be my choice.
for student memberships it’s increasing, but still a pretty good deal
@Pantheist That was one of the perks of my wife going ‘back to school’ to work on her masters at 60 years old!
@chienfou
@Pantheist
You can only get the student prime deal once per account, right?
@f00l yeah, but they don’t care if you have multiple accounts with all the same info besides email and password
@f00l From the prime student terms and conditions:
To sign up for and use Prime Student, you must
(1) have an Amazon.com account DUH!,
(2) be a college student actively enrolled in at least one course at a college geographically located in one of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico, (you can be enrolled in on-line classes)
(3) be able to provide proof of enrollment upon request and
(4) have a valid e-mail address that contains the domain suffix .edu
Limit is 4 years, but you get a free 6 month trial period as well… Sweet!
Current annual fee is $49…almost half the new monthly rate.
@chienfou
I spoke to somebody who was in college for 5 years.
After 4 years they were told that if they could show proof that they were still currently in college, they could continue to get the Student rate.
So 4 years is extendable.
@PlacidPenguin
Nice.
@chienfou oooh. I’ve been using 6 month free trials, but in the summer when this one runs out I might have to switch to that yearly rate.
@PlacidPenguin good to know they will work with you on that… OTOH I hope my wife is not on the 5 yr plan for her masters!
@chienfou
Why not? You get to save $50/year.
@PlacidPenguin Do you know how this person did this? Just found out I’m going to expire in March but still in school. I can’t find anything about extending options on the Amazon website or anywhere really
@missline
They got an email around the time that they otherwise would have been removed from the student discount.
At the worst, if you don’t get an email by March, I suppose you could contact Amazon and explain you’re still a student.
@PlacidPenguin Yeah, just got an email and that’s what got me worried about trying to keep my student membership going. It said:
"Thank you for being a Prime Student member. Based on our records, your Prime Student membership will expire on Mar 9, 2018. You will continue to get FREE Two-Day Shipping and have access to hundreds of thousands of movies, TV episodes, Music and Kindle Books; and unlimited photo storage. The upgrade will be automatic, charging your default credit card (or another card on file) the annual Amazon Prime membership fee of $99/year*.
If you’re not interested in continuing with Amazon Prime, please visit Manage Your Prime Membership to cancel your membership. For more details, please refer to our Student Help section on expiration and the Prime Student Terms & Conditions"
But no other instructions on what I can do if I’m still a student… maybe they’ve changed their policies?
@missline
Verify continuing student status.
@PlacidPenguin Thanks so much for helping! It keeps looping me around to upgrading or cancelling, probably because I’ve hit 4 years already.
I can still try to call. But anyways, I really appreciate your help!
I just found out you can no longer upload music to your Amazon library. This means I can’t play any song not included with Prime music unless I purchase it through Amazon (mp3 copy) or pay for Amazon Unlimited. I just want to listen to the Moana album for Christ sake. So… Guess I’ll pay $79 a year in addition to normal Prime cost just to be able to play more songs?
Are there any skills that let you play your own music in addition to free streaming stuff?
@medz Are you sure? I’m pretty sure I uploaded stuff a couple of weeks ago. I uploaded a ton last summer when I got my Echo.
@craigthom Pretty sure. Couldn’t find where to do it in the web player nor on the Amazon Music program I have installed on my Windows desktop.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201379280
and
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201379330
@medz I just brought up my desktop application, and there are boxes on the lower right, one to download, one to drag and drop upload, and one to select files and upload.
But it wasn’t me to update the program. I’ve got the installation program for this one saved, so I think I can revert. Here we go…
@medz OK, I installed the new version, and they are still there, in the lower right under “Actions”, beneath “My Playlists”.
@craigthom hmm… l will take a screenshot later
@craigthom
Spouse was using the pc, so I snapped this over the shoulder.
@medz It looks like they quietly grandfathered the paid storage. The free storage not so much.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201379330
@sammydog01 I guess I didn’t know there was a paid music storage plan…
@medz My error. I forgot I’m paying $25 a year for up to 250,000 songs. The 250 limit just wasn’t useful to me.