About that Amazon Prime price hike...
Amazon Prime members get free two-day shipping and other perks, but is it worth the new $99 admission price?
Effective April 17, the price of an Amazon Prime renewal membership will jump from $79 to $99. That’s prompted a lot of people to ask me what I think about the price hike.
Prime members get free two-day shipping on most online purchases with no minimum order size, plus a free streaming service that's like a Netflix wannabe, and free Kindle e-book downloads. (With a limited streaming library, Prime is not a substitute for Netflix or Hulu Plus.)
So at $99 each year, you really have to assess the value of what’s being offered. The fact is that Amazon was once the cheapest place to shop, but that’s no longer the case in many product categories.
Amazon Prime is more about convenience if you’re not a price-sensitive shopper. On the other hand, if price is important to you, you may want to reconsider that membership. (I should note that students and anyone with an .edu address can generally join Prime for half price.)
Remember, though, “free shipping” is expensive if you pay too much in the first place because you’re not comparison shopping.
Meanwhile, there is a would-be competitor to Amazon Prime in Shoprunner.com. This rival loyalty program has one year of free two-day shipping to Amazon Prime members who don't want to renew at the new higher rate.
There are nearly 100 participating retailers. With so many competing players in the co-op, you may be able to get lower prices than you could from Amazon.
Consumer expert Clark Howard's column appears here each Thursday in conjunction with Deal Spotter, a weekly print section in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Find more answers to your consumer questions at Clark's website.
-- Clark Howard -- Save More, Spend Less, Avoid Rip-offs -- for the Atlanta Bargain Hunter blog
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