Amazon Is Discounting Prime for People on Government Assistance

They also accept food stamps (in some states).

As you might remember, Amazon began accepting food stamps (in certain states) earlier this year.

Good News for People Receiving SNAP Benefits

Now, Amazon is offering Prime membership discounts to people on food stamps and other forms of government assistance.

I just listened to a Marketplace podcast arguing that Amazon is offering this discounted membership in order to compete with Walmart.

Amazon takes aim at the low-income shopper

However, although undercutting the competition may be one factor, I feel like this statement from Marketplace’s Adrienne Hill is much closer to the truth:

Amazon wants everyone. At least, everyone who needs things. Everyone who has a dollar to spend.

Amazon wants all of our dollars and all of our information and all of our needs, and if they can get that while simultaneously helping out an underserved population (in a way that significantly benefits Amazon), more’s the better.

The discounted Prime membership runs at $5.99 a month, while a non-discounted Prime membership costs $10.99 per month or $99 if you pay for an entire year. $5.99 per month feels a lot cheaper than $10.99 per month, but the $99 per year option breaks down to $8.25 per month, which… doesn’t make $5.99 seem like that great of a deal anymore.

Still, it’s more affordable, and that’s a start. At $5.99/month, it still probably won’t be affordable enough for everyone, but there are enough benefits to Amazon Prime—free shipping, free streaming music, free streaming television and movies, free Kindle books—that I bet people will take advantage of the offer.

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