Amazon Offers 45% Discount on Prime Membership to Customers Receiving Government Assistance

Amazon is now offering subscriptions to their Prime membership at a discount of 45 percent to customers that are receiving government assistance.

Recode reports that e-commerce giant Amazon announced on Tuesday a 45 percent discount on Prime memberships for low-income shoppers, bringing the monthly fee from $10.99 to $5.99. The discount is applied to shoppers that possess an Electronic Benefits Transfer card and they must requalify for the discount every year for up to four years.

Access to Amazon Prime gives shoppers a number of perks, notably free two-day shipping on millions of items and access to Amazon’s video and entertainment library at no extra charge. The $10.99 per month price point for Prime was previously only available on a one-off payment of $99, but was made available on a monthly payment plan last year. Since this change, Prime usage growth has been strongest amongst homes that make less than $50,000 annually, according to an R.W. Baird study.

The Prime discount for customers with an EBT card comes shortly after an announcement from Amazon earlier this year which stated that they would be accepting food stamps in exchange for grocery items starting this summer. Amazon charges a grocery delivery fee on top of their Prime membership; it’s unclear whether or not a discount will also be applied to grocery deliveries.

Amazon’s Prime feature is one of the most profitable programs that the website offers as Prime users tend to spend more and shop more than regular Amazon shoppers. CEO Jeff Bezos has publicly stated that he wants to improve the Prime program to the point where it becomes irresponsible not to use it.