Amazon increases the prices of its Prime subscription in Europe, including France, in September

Amazon, which had increased the prices of its Prime subscription in the United States at the beginning of the year, will do the same from September 15 in France, Germany, England, Spain and Italy, the group in France announced to AFP on Tuesday. .

In detail, prices will increase in France from 5.99 to 6.99 euros per month and from 49 to 69.90 euros per year. In the United Kingdom, from 7.99 to 8.99 pounds (about 10.6 euros) and from 79 to 95 pounds (about 112 euros). In Germany, from 7.99 to 8.99 euros and from 69 to 89.9 euros. In Spain and Italy, from 3.99 to 4.99 euros per month and from 36 to 49.90 euros per year.

Subscribers must be notified from Tuesday at 1 am, according to an Amazon France spokesman with AFP.

The group claims to have to deal with “increasing shipping costs”, in particular with the rise in fuel prices, energy or even “packaging costs”.

200 million Prime subscribers

Amazon France also explains that it has “greatly expanded the service since its launch in 2008”, referring in particular to the number of products eligible for fast delivery or the ultra-fast food purchase service in partnership with Monoprix, offered in a dozen cities in France. .

Amazon does not communicate the number of its subscribers by country and limits itself to indicating that it has “more than 200 million” Prime members worldwide. The US giant announced in February to increase the price of Prime in the United States, a precedent that allows it to have confidence in the face of a downside risk in a context of strong consumer concern about their purchasing power.

“From what we’ve seen in the United States, there hasn’t been an opt-out phenomenon (disconnection, editor’s note) because we’re providing more and more services through Prime, and yet this service allows consumers to make savings extremely significant,” a source told AFP.

At the beginning of July, the group simplified the procedure to unsubscribe from “Prime”, “after a dialogue with the European Commission and the national authorities for consumer protection”, Brussels had indicated at the beginning of the month. An approach that followed a complaint from several consumer associations.