Amazon raising Prime to $139 a year!

Amazon is raising their Prime membership to $139 this year.  I am a little surprised that they are raising their price, because I really feel that Walmart is good competition at this point.  Are people going to pay for both?  Even if you do … will you stay with both?

So, according to the NPR article that I read.  New members will see the increase starting February 18th.  So, if you have been wanting to sign up for Prime, but never have, you might want to sign up before the increase.  Existing members will see the increase when they renew March 25 or later.

NPR article:  Amazon Raises Prices of Annual Membership

The major attraction of Amazon Prime has always been fast shipping at no additional cost. Non-subscribers can get free shipping, too, but only for orders above $25. Other Prime perks include video and music streaming, Whole Foods deals and cloud storage.

Honestly, the only thing I care about with Amazon Prime is fast and free shipping on any order.  But that has changed a lot lately.  Shipping is slowing down and not just the time in transit, but the time that it leaves the Amazon facilities.  Some products even say that they won’t ship without an additional threshold.

Anyway, I guess we all need to decide if it is really worth it for the additional $20 a year.

If you are not aware of Walmart+ – Walmart’s version of quick shipping on any order, you might want to check it out here:

You can get a 90-day free trial of Walmart+ right now.

—-> Walmart+ 90-day Free Trial 

Some of the reasons that I like it:

Realtime prices for scanning while in store
Free shipping no minimum!
Free grocery delivery w/ $35 minimum
I find it easier to sort by retailer than I do with Amazon.

Just note that if you sign up through a link other than the one I have listed, you may be offered a shorter trial period.

Maybe give Amazon a break and see if Walmart+ is a better deal for you.  I have actually found better prices on Walmart’s site than on Amazon.

Whatever you decide … happy shopping!