Will Prime Video enthusiasts need to pay more to stream their favorite content from Amazon in 2022?
In the days following Amazon’s announcement that it will be raising the annual subscription price for its Prime service, that’s a question on the minds of many cord cutters.
The answer is: most likely. But you have some options to mitigate the increase and potentially avoid it as long as possible.
With Prime Video positioned as one of the top video on-demand (VOD) services thanks to a growing library of original shows and an already strong collection of movies, many users will be looking for the cheapest way to keep Prime Video.
In this article, Team Clark will help you sort through your options for getting the best value for your streaming buck — with or without Prime Video.
Changes Coming: Amazon’s Prime Pricing
Before we talk about solutions, let’s first understand what is changing.
Citing rising costs of wages and transportation, Amazon announced on February 3, 2022, that it will be raising prices on both its monthly and annual Prime subscription options. This is the first price increase for the service since 2018.
| Monthly Subscription Cost | Annual Subscription Cost | |
| Existing Pricing | $12.99 | $119 |
| Announced New Pricing | $14.99 | $139 |
Beginning February 18, new Prime members will be charged $14.99 per month or $139 annually for the service. Existing users will see price increases effective on the date of their next renewal after March 25.
While there are many reasons people choose to subscribe to Amazon Prime, access to Prime Video is the one I’ll be focusing on most in this article.
Options To Keep Prime Video at the Lowest Cost
Let’s next look at ways to keep Prime Video streaming on your devices as cheaply as possible for as long as possible.
1. Subscribe as A Prime Video-Only Member
Did you know that you don’t have to pay for all of the bells and whistles that come with Amazon Prime?
If it’s just Prime Video that you want, Amazon will sell it to you for $8.99 per month.
Amazon made no mention of altering this subscription offering during its price hike announcement, so we’ll have to work on the assumption that this will remain one of your cheapest ways to access the Prime streaming content.
Keep in mind that this option does not provide you with other Prime perks like free two-day shipping, and it does not have an option for annual subscription.
2. If There’s A Student In The House, Have Them Subscribe
Amazon announced that it’s raising the price of student subscriptions as well, but using Prime Student is still going to be cheaper than the new rates for non-students.
For Prime Student members, the price is currently $6.49 per month. The cost of the monthly membership will increase to $7.49 per month, and the price of an annual membership will increase to $69 per year.
You’ll need to have proof of active enrollment to sign up as a student; you can find more details about the perks here.
3. Sign Up as a New Prime User Before February 18
If someone in your household has not yet signed up for Prime, it might be a good idea to have them become an annual subscriber before February 18 to lock in another full year of Prime at $119.
Remember to cancel any duplicate subscriptions attached to your household so that you’re not paying more than once.
4. Gift Yourself Another Year of Prime Before the Price Goes Up
A popular strategy for locking in the $119 annual price before the increase hits existing users in March is to purchase a new annual subscription as a gift prior to February 18 and gift it to yourself.
If all of the above methods fail you, you may have to face the harsh reality of the price increase as soon as next month.
Prime Video Alternatives in the Video Streaming Space
At some point, we’re all going to have to decide if the increased cost of Amazon Prime is worth it for our households.
And if the answer is no, you may find yourself looking for streaming alternatives. Luckily, Team Clark has you covered here.
Here are our guides to help you understand your options for streaming live, on-demand and free content:
When it comes to Prime Video competitors like Netflix and Hulu, you’ll find that price hikes have become the industry norm. Both of those, along with Disney+, have raised prices in the last year.
And when you add all the other things an Amazon Prime subscription gives you along with Prime Video, you may find that you’re not getting as bad of a deal as it seems, even with the coming price increase.
Here’s a look at the cheapest basic price point for nine of the most popular video streaming services:
| Streaming Service | Basic Price |
| Netflix | $9.99 |
| Hulu | $6.99 |
| Disney+ | $7.99 |
| HBO Max | $9.99 |
| NBC’s Peacock Premium | $4.99 |
| Paramount+ | $4.99 |
| discovery+ | $4.99 |
| Apple TV+ | $4.99 |
It’s important to note that the prices listed above are for basic, introductory usage.
Final Thoughts
No one is happy that Amazon Prime is raising its prices, but the truth is many people will simply keep their subscriptions active and pay the extra $20 per year because they still Amazon Prime is worth it.
But if you’re looking for a way out of that price increase while keeping access to your favorite Prime Video shows, you actually have the option to keep the streaming service at only $8.99 per month.
For people who are looking to stream on a budget and have no use for Amazon’s other perks, that’s likely the most cost-efficient path.
If you’ve decided that even that isn’t worth it, you may find that a service like Paramount+ or Peacock offers you a good mix of original content, legacy TV shows, movies and live programming to be worth trying out at $5 per month.
What is your plan? We’d love to hear what you’re going to do with Prime Video as the Amazon price hikes take effect. Share your opinion in our Clark.com Community!
