Newsletter
Joining Amazon Prime just got a bit cheaper for Indian residents thanks to a new offer from the American e-commerce giant. Anyone joining the service between June 14th and June 28th are eligible to get a 20 percent cashback when adding Amazon Pay balance, although, the maximum cashback amount will be limited to Rs. 300, which is just under $5 at today’s exchange rates. To take advantage of the offer, the minimum amount of Amazon Pay balance you’ll have to add is Rs. 500 (around $7.50), so even though you’ll technically still have to pay the full Rs. 499 to become a member, the Rs. 300 cashback will, for all practical purposes, reduce your actual membership cost to just Rs. 199 ($3). It’s worth noting here that existing Amazon Pay subscribers are excluded from the offer, so if you are already a paying member, this offer isn’t for you.
As mentioned already, Amazon Prime normally costs Rs. 499 for a one year membership in India, although that in itself is an ‘introductory offer’ that has been in place since last year when the service was first launched in the country. The eventual pricing, according to Amazon, will be Rs. 999 (around $15) for a one year membership. The Seattle, Washington-based e-commerce giant has already become one of the two top online retailers in India alongside Flipkart, and is now pushing for a larger slice of the media-streaming pie in the country. The company has to compete with the likes of Netflix and Hotstar in a relatively small market, but has been pulling out all stops of late to get more subscribers, which is why this latest offer assumes greater significance.
Amazon Prime, in case you’re unaware, is a media streaming service that is often thought of as Amazon’s answer to Netflix, but it offers a lot more than just streaming videos. Prime members are also eligible to get priority shipping on a vast array of products available on Amazon, and also get early access to discounted products, all of which makes it a fairly popular service among Amazon customers worldwide. It is also gaining a large fan following in India, although, as Netflix and other streaming service providers are finding out to their dismay, competing with big cable is still a tough task in the country. It remains to be seen how popular Amazon Prime will become in India eventually, but offers like these will certainly go a long way in persuading those sitting on the fence.
