Amazon Prime Membership's Rs. 499 Introductory Offer to End Soon

If you're planning to get an Amazon Prime subscription in India, now would be a good time. The introductory price of Rs. 499 for the yearly Prime membership will be discontinued in the country in a few days, the company told Gadgets 360.

Amazon India said it would soon require customers to pay the full price - Rs. 999 - for the yearly subscription of Prime membership. The company didn't share a specific date when the introductory offer will expire.

"Prime membership is available for only a few more days at the special introductory price of ₹ 499 ₹ 999 a year, an incredible value for members. Prime is designed to make your life better every single day. Tens of millions of members around the world enjoy the many benefits of Prime," an Amazon spokesperson told Gadgets 360.

"In India, Prime members enjoy unlimited free 1 day and 2 day delivery on over 11 million products online, free standard delivery without minimum purchase, exclusive deals on bestselling products and instant access to latest movies and TV shows," the spokesperson added. 

The Indian arm of the e-commerce giant launched the Prime membership in India, which includes unlimited one-day and two-day delivery with no minimum order size, last year. The sticker price for the yearly subscription for Prime membership was Rs. 999 at the launch, but the company said customers who signed up early would be able to avail the yearly membership at Rs. 499. The company also offered customers access to Prime membership at no charge for 60 days.

That introductory price was never pulled by the company, even as it expanded Prime's offering by including access to Prime Video on-demand streaming service. In India, and other places where Prime membership is available, Amazon said Prime Video will be offered in a bundle.

In other regions, Prime Video was available as a standalone feature at $2.99 or EUR 2.99 per month for the first six months after which the company would charge customers $5.99 a month. In June, Amazon told Gadgets 360 that it was extending the introductory offer for Prime Video in those regions till the end of the year.

Amazon is pulling the introductory offer in India as the company prepares to expand Prime's offerings in the country. Gadgets 360 reported in August that the company was planning to launch the Echo Dot and Prime Music streaming service in the country this year. The launch could happen as soon as Diwali, people familiar with the matter told us.

Amazon's aggressive bet on Prime membership has worked swiftly for it. Last Diwali, the company began to offer exclusive deals to Prime customers, a strategy that it has maintained in all sales since then. It has also lured customers to get the Prime subscription in the country by offering them cashback through Amazon Pay service. The company says Prime membership has grown by "over 2x" since January, and it has found that Prime customers tend to shop on Amazon more frequently than those customers who don't have the membership.