Amazon on Tuesday announced that it is lowering the price of its Prime subscription service for US customers participating in select government assistance programs.
A monthly subscription to Amazon Prime regularly sells for $99 per year or $10.99 per month but under Amazon's new program, those with a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card can sign up at a rate of $5.99 per month.
An EBT card is typically used to disburse funds for multiple government assistance programs including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Amazon said it will add additional ways to quality in the future for those on programs that do not use an EBT card.
It's worth noting that EBT funds cannot be used to pay for a Prime membership.
The e-commerce giant announced earlier this year that beginning this summer, it'll accept food stamps to pay for online grocery orders as part of a pilot program with half a dozen other companies.
Greg Greeley, Vice President of Amazon Prime, said they designed the membership option for customers receiving government assistance to make their everyday selection and savings more accessible including the many conveniences and entertainment benefits of Prime.
Qualifying customers can lock in the $5.99 rate every 12 months for a total of four times. As with standard month-to-month users, there is no annual commitment and members can cancel at any time.
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