Amazon Prime Sharing Changes
08-03-15, 11:53 AM
#1
DVD Talk Godfather
Thread Starter
Amazon Prime Sharing Changes
http://lifehacker.com/amazon-prime-w...paign=mondayAM
I noticed this Household option the other day and thought it would be neat since it actually let you share other Prime features like Instant Video, but didn't realize it would affect the existing shared shipping. Glad I didn't make any changes yet.
Before August 1st, you could share the cheap shipping benefits of Amazon Prime with up to four other adults. Now, the company will limit sharing Prime benefits to two adults and four children—unless you already signed up—in a new feature called Amazon Household that shares all Prime benefits, and even payment methods.
The new feature, dubbed Amazon Household, seems to be aimed at treating Prime as a family service, rather than a communal pool of benefits. In other words, you and your three best friends can’t pitch in to split it, but you and your spouse can. The two adults will share all benefits, including cheaper shipping, Instant Video, Kindle Lending Library, and more. The four children (who don’t need their own accounts) will only be able to use non-purchase related features, like streaming movies or sharing books.
The new feature, dubbed Amazon Household, seems to be aimed at treating Prime as a family service, rather than a communal pool of benefits. In other words, you and your three best friends can’t pitch in to split it, but you and your spouse can. The two adults will share all benefits, including cheaper shipping, Instant Video, Kindle Lending Library, and more. The four children (who don’t need their own accounts) will only be able to use non-purchase related features, like streaming movies or sharing books.
The good news is, if you were sharing Amazon accounts before, you won’t be affected by the change unless you specifically opt-in. So, if you were sharing your Prime shipping benefits with a roommate or partner, that arrangement will still be in place, and they won’t suddenly have access to your credit cards.
However, any future sharing will use this new system. So, if you were planning to add someone to your plan, keep in mind that sharing your Prime benefits now is a much different affair than it was a week ago. Additionally, do not remove anyone from your account unless you want their benefits gone forever, as you won’t be able to add them back under the old system.
However, any future sharing will use this new system. So, if you were planning to add someone to your plan, keep in mind that sharing your Prime benefits now is a much different affair than it was a week ago. Additionally, do not remove anyone from your account unless you want their benefits gone forever, as you won’t be able to add them back under the old system.
08-05-15, 03:59 PM
#3
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Amazon Prime Sharing Changes
Amazon's tightening the net even more... so they can make more profit off the Prime service.
08-07-15, 05:56 PM
#4
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Amazon Prime Sharing Changes
I had Prime once a few years ago. It was $79 but I got it for $59 with a $20 off code. Never renewed it again. I buy $35 worth of stuff to get free shipping. Which they kept it at the $25 price.
They had that big thing about black friday Prime sale a few weeks back. Since then buy Amazon has been taking for ever shipping my items to me. Yes I know it says 7-10 days. But before even with the jump to $35. Item would ship out in 2-4 days. Now it's taking sometimes 10-14 days more to ship something out. Okay usually when they do finally ship the item out it's 2nd day air.
It seems like they are really trying to force me to join Prime. Reason I did not renew was yes the cost. But bigger reason was we don't 2nd day air shipping like people on the mainland do.
Heck get free shipping from BB because I am a elite member. I got a blu-ray in 2 days from them.
They had that big thing about black friday Prime sale a few weeks back. Since then buy Amazon has been taking for ever shipping my items to me. Yes I know it says 7-10 days. But before even with the jump to $35. Item would ship out in 2-4 days. Now it's taking sometimes 10-14 days more to ship something out. Okay usually when they do finally ship the item out it's 2nd day air.
It seems like they are really trying to force me to join Prime. Reason I did not renew was yes the cost. But bigger reason was we don't 2nd day air shipping like people on the mainland do.
Heck get free shipping from BB because I am a elite member. I got a blu-ray in 2 days from them.
08-07-15, 06:09 PM
#5
DVD Talk Godfather
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Re: Amazon Prime Sharing Changes
Addressing these specific changes rather than general complaining about Prime...
It seems like the intent was always to share the benefits among households, but they didn't really police whether people were sharing it with random friends. It's a downer for people who want to start using it like that, but it seems like a plus that you can now share streaming with another adult rather than it being restricted to the primary account holder. (YMMV on the appeal of streaming, of course.)
Not sure how you "share" it with children who don't have their own accounts, though. Wouldn't they just be using your account if they didn't have their own?
It seems like the intent was always to share the benefits among households, but they didn't really police whether people were sharing it with random friends. It's a downer for people who want to start using it like that, but it seems like a plus that you can now share streaming with another adult rather than it being restricted to the primary account holder. (YMMV on the appeal of streaming, of course.)
Not sure how you "share" it with children who don't have their own accounts, though. Wouldn't they just be using your account if they didn't have their own?
08-16-15, 12:43 AM
#6
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Amazon Prime Sharing Changes
If you let your Prime lapse, I believe you lose the ability to "share" with the four members you once had. The move was probably overdue but Amazon was very sneaky about this change, implementing it in early August when the company would suffer the least backlash.
