Amazon’s lower-cost Prime Video-only plan, which was already less well-known in the UK, has been made even harder to find this week.
- Update: In the original article, we said that the £5.99/month Prime Video-only option had been axed. Apparently, that is not the case, and the option still exists – if users know to search for it. However, it no longer appears on Amazon Prime’s primary sign-up pages for new subscribers.
The standalone Prime Video option, which allows access to Prime Video without the added benefits of a full Prime membership, costs £5.99/month in the UK (and $8.99/month in the US).
As we previously reported, even before this recent change, Amazon had made it increasingly difficult for users to find and sign up for the standalone Prime Video subscription – and starting this week, that plan no longer appears on Amazon Prime’s main signup page.
With this change, new subscribers are now directed to get the full Prime subscription – which is more expensive, though according to Amazon the Prime Video-only option is still available as an option during the Prime Video sign-up process.
These changes come hot on the heels of the introduction of adverts on Amazon’s streaming platform earlier this year.
Wait, What’s A Prime Video-Only Subscription?
Amazon’s streaming service, Prime Video, has long been a strong competitor in the streaming scene, giving Netflix and Disney+ a fight for their money, with original programmes and films.
It offers a vast library of TV shows and films, including Prime Video originals such as Jack Ryan, The Boys, and the recent Fallout TV series. The service is available on most streaming devices, Smart TVs, and mobile devices through the Prime Video app.
While most people know that Prime Video is available as a “benefit” of the full Amazon Prime subscription (which also gives you free Amazon shipping and other benefits), many didn’t know that a cheaper option always existed alongside the full subscription.
Therefore, users who primarily use Amazon Prime for its Prime Video streaming service and don’t care about free shipping could save money by opting for the standalone Prime Video subscription.
In the UK, that option costs £5.99/month, while the full Amazon Prime membership is normally priced at £8.99 per month or £95 per year.
In the US, the Prime Video-only subscription costs $8.99 per month instead of $14.99/month for the full Prime subscription.
In the past couple of years, it became almost impossible to find that plan on mobile devices, and it was quite hidden on desktops as well, under a tiny “See more plans” link.
Where Is The Prime Video Subscription Option?
Starting this week, however, the £5.99 / $8.99 per month option has been removed from Amazon’s main Prime sign-up pages for new subscribers, and that option is presented only during the actual sign-up process.
This is true both in the UK and in the US, where the Prime Video-only option also doesn’t appear on the main sign-up page.
On Amazon’s UK site, the help pages no longer list the Prime Video-only subscription either, and the Prime Video storefront pages only promote the £8.99/month full Prime trial.
The Adverts Factor: Pay Even More For Ad-Free
At the £5.99/month option, subscribers can save up to £36 over the monthly Amazon Prime membership (over a full year).
Since its inception, Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service has been known for its ad-free experience – but earlier this year, Amazon pushed advert breaks into Prime Video.
Don’t want to watch adverts? You now have to pay an additional £2.99 or $2.99 per month on top of the existing subscription fees.
This new model means a total cost of approximately £130/year for Amazon Prime with an ad-free Prime Video service, compared to the ad-supported £95/year for Amazon Prime (or £72/year for the Prime Video-only option).
The move has been met with criticism from subscribers who have grown accustomed to Prime Video’s once-ad-free experience – and the frequency of adverts on Prime Video ad breaks seems to be increasing as the weeks and months go by.
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Have prime full membership but no longer watch prime video picture quality is poor and sound is now stereo instead 5.1 surround sound
I quit my annual subscription last year and I’m glad that I did – it was entering a phase that content was becoming limited and other third party streaming service subscriptions were becoming an all time high. Not sure if they have changed, but I have no regrets in canceling. I still purchase the odd digital content now and then.
I got Amazon prime without adverts for six months free Inc Amazon shopping free also with 02 mobile ends may, but most of the films are rubbish if you want Outlander and really good films it’s all Extra. After all you can get Amazon freebie with adverts for nothing if you install the Amazon App on your TV you just scroll down and it’s there.
You allowed them to correct your original story, and yet I tried for 20 minutes to find this supposed Prime Video plan and never did. You also don’t have a link or any steps to find it anywhere. I’m surprised Amazon managed to convince you to correct this without providing some sort of direct link that proves to your readers they still offer the plan.
Technically it’s still available, which is why I changed the headline – but yes, you have to jump through hoops to find it or even learn it exists. Are you currently a Prime / Prime Video subscriber? As I don’t think existing subscribers can see the Prime Video-only option at all
I have been on the video option for years now, and I also don’t mind the ads too much
Signed up to Prime Video only a couple of weeks ago. Took me 90 minutes on phone with Amazon to gt it done.