What Amazon Prime's Australian Price Rise Means for Monthly and Annual Members
Amazon Prime is a subscription that bundles fast delivery on eligible purchases with streaming video, music, reading, cloud gaming and access to member-only sale events. In Australia, that bundle is about to cost more. Amazon is raising the monthly price from $9.99 to $12.99 and the annual price from $79 to $99, according to Nine.com.au and Information Age. New subscribers pay the higher rate straight away. Existing members keep their current price until their first billing renewal on or after 25 November.
The numbers, and the break-even point
| Plan | Old price | New price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $9.99 | $12.99 | 30% |
| Annual | $79 | $99 | 25% |
The monthly rise is larger in percentage terms, but the annual plan still carries the bigger upfront cost. For anyone who keeps Prime for a full year, the annual plan remains the cheaper option: $99 works out to about $8.25 a month, compared with $155.88 for twelve monthly payments. The saving is $56.88. For casual users who subscribe for a few months around sales or a particular show, the monthly plan may still make sense, even at the higher rate.
What the membership still includes
Amazon says the price change does not alter the features included in Prime. Members retain free delivery on eligible orders, including same-day shipping where available, plus Prime Video, Amazon Music Prime, Prime Reading, cloud gaming through Amazon Luna and access to events such as Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days. The company has defended the increase by pointing to the growing range of products and benefits available through Prime, although Information Age notes that Amazon has not identified any major new service accompanying this particular rise.
Why the timing matters
The renewal date is the practical detail to watch. Existing subscribers who renew before 25 November stay on the old rate for that billing cycle; those who renew on or after that date pay the new one. Anyone considering a switch between monthly and annual billing should check their account settings before the change takes effect rather than after the first higher charge appears.
The regulatory backdrop
The increase comes against a separate consumer-law dispute. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched Federal Court action alleging Amazon breached Australian Consumer Law. The regulator alleges that more than 850,000 Prime Video subscribers paid $79 upfront for an annual subscription before Amazon introduced ads in July 2024, without any contractual entitlement to a pro rata refund or other meaningful redress. Subscribers who wanted ad-free viewing were told to pay an additional $2.99 a month. Amazon is contesting the matter, and the allegations have not been finally determined.
For households already juggling streaming and delivery subscriptions, the practical question is less about the headline percentage than about use. A membership that pays for itself in delivery savings and video viewing can still be good value at $99 a year. One that sits mostly unused is easier to justify at $79 than at $99.