Amazon announced this morning that the annual membership fee for Amazon Prime will be increasing from $79 to $99 a year.
In an e-mail sent out to members, Amazon says: “Even as fuel and transportation costs have increased, the price of Prime has remained the same for nine years. Since 2005, the number of items eligible for unlimited free Two-Day Shipping has grown from one million to over 20 million. We also added unlimited access to over 40,000 movies and TV episodes with Prime Instant Video and a selection of over 500,000 books to borrow from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.”
On the site, they add that “If your membership renews before April 17, 2014, you’ll be charged at a membership rate of $79. If your membership renews on or after April 17, 2014, you’ll be charged at a membership rate of $99.”
Amazon is encouraging users to sign up in the next seven days to get the $79 fee for the first year. The annual charge for Amazon Prime includes free two-day shipping, Prime Instant Video, and the Kindle Owner’s Lending Library.