Some Shoppers Can Now Buy Amazon Prime by the Month, But There's a Catch

Sprint is now offering its customers month-to-month access to Prime. However, they'll be paying more in the long run.
Published
Amazon Prime

Sprint recently announced it will offer customers the ability to buy a single month of Amazon Prime, as opposed to subscribing to the premium service for a whole year as is usually required.

It'll be the same Prime that regular Amazon customers receive, with a mix of music and video services, and free two-day shipping, as well as other benefits that users love. As a convenience, customers will be able to pay for the monthly service on their Sprint bill.

Aside from the fact that this option is only for Sprint customers, it sounds great. So what's the catch?

The Catch is You'll Pay More

This month-to-month flexibility will come at a cost. It's $11 per month to be exact, which is $2.75 more than Amazon's usual price (if calculated monthly). This is still a good deal if you're only buying in for a couple of months or so. And that's exactly the sort of customer Sprint hopes to capture.

SEE ALSO: Some Shoppers Claim That Amazon Has Accused Them of 'Prime Abuse'

Some shoppers will undoubtedly want to buy in just for a month or two to binge watch shows and then cancel. Others are bound to find this option immensely useful during holidays and other busy shopping periods.

Still, it's definitely not for long-term subscribers. Under Sprint's plan, a year's worth of Prime is $132, compared to the $99 customers pay directly to Amazon for the same service.

No Exemptions On Music Or Video

Unlike T-Mobile, Sprint is not planning to exempt music or video from customers' data caps. This practice is known as zero rating, and basically it means that in T-Mobile's case, music and video don't count against customers' data. Yet Sprint has decided it's not a priority for its customers, only saying they tend to have a large or unlimited data plan.

Readers, what do you think? Would you be willing to pay for a monthly Prime service if it meant paying more in the long run? Sound off below!


Julie Ramhold
Senior Staff Writer/Consumer Analyst

Julie's work has been featured on CNBC, GoBankingRates, Kiplinger, Marketwatch, Money, The New York Times, Real Simple, US News, WaPo, WSJ, Yahoo!, and more. She's extolled the virtues of DealNews in interviews with Cheddar TV, GMA, various podcasts, and affiliates across the United States, plus one in Canada.
DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

Comments

Leave a comment!

or Register
7 comments
dealnews-bglaser (DealNews)
@Ashlynn0130

Thanks for the warning. Do you have a source for that claim? I checked the Sprint website, and curiously, it doesn't specifically say "2-day" shipping, just "fast" shipping.

https://www.sprint.com/.../amazon-prime/index.html

I'll keep looking, but every other source I've seen says the Sprint deal does include free 2-day shipping on all orders, just like a normal Prime subscription.
Ashlynn0130
Hey All!! Just an FYI... with this Sprint month to month deal, it does NOT include free 2 day shipping either!!!!! (Which is the main reason I would pay for Prime in the first place...) Hope this helps!!
Ashlynn0130
Hey All!! Just an FYI... with this Sprint month to month deal, it does NOT include free 2 day shipping either!!!!! (Which is the main reason I would pay for Prime in the first place...)
Lindsay Sakraida (DealNews)
@LonnieMcClure Agreed
Timzilla
Not the first time monthly payments for Prime were offered, I am still on the monthly plan they offered several years ago. At the time it was slightly more expensive than the $80/year but now I'm actually saving a few dollars a year as the rate hasnt changed from the $7.99/m pricing.
LonnieMcClure
I'll wager this month-to-month option will see the highest number of subscribers in November and December.
mtlmn1971
I could also see this as helpful for folks that are cash strapped and unable to come up with the full $99. I have Prime and was about to not renew it because I actually get better deals locally but won a free year of Prime from Sprint. Speaking of data caps and streaming, I do use Amazon Music along with Spotify premium and with having unlimited data, I have never had an issue steaming on Sprint. As long as the signal is good. That's another story. I live close to a Sprint tower. :)