Australian Amazon Prime customers have been hit with a 30 per cent subscription fee increase just weeks away from Christmas.
Australian subscribers were sent a text message from the e-commerce behemoth that its membership price would change from $9.99 to $12.99 per month from November 25.
New subscribers are now being charged $12.99 per month.
Customers were advised the price hike reflected an increase to the range of products and benefits available through the online retailer and streaming service.
“Only the price is changing. All other parts of your Prime members stay the same,” customers were told.
An annual membership fee will also increase from $79 to $99.
An Amazon Prime spokesman said they were committed to growing value for their members, stating they had introduced free overnight delivery before 8am on hundreds of thousands of products across four cities in the last six months.
The retailer said it also expanded its free same-day delivery in nine regions across the nation, added new series, movies and sport to its streaming services, as well as offered exclusive deals to its members.
“With the continued expansion of Prime member benefits, and so we can continue growing the offering, we will change the price of Prime to $12.99 per month or $99 per year,” a spokesman said.
“Prime has never offered as much value for members as it does today.”