Amazon is justifying Primes 20 percent price hike to 119 a year by saying it is more a valuable service than when the fee last rose four years ago The value of Prime to customers has never been greater Brian T Olsavsky Amazons chief financial officer said in a Thursday earnings call with analysts when the company announced the May increase There are all kinds of new features that weve continually added to the Prime program Its much different than it was in 2014 and this is a reflection of that But among Amazons 100 million Prime members some may be cash-strapped customers Others might not feel a more expensive Prime is worth it Jeffrey P Bezos the founder and chief executive of Amazon also owns The Washington Post For those shopping around for a better Prime deal here are some alternatives 1 Share with a friend or family member Amazon Prime users can share their memberships with one other adult through the companys Household feature which allows family members and roommates to tap into a number of Prime benefits including Prime Photos and album sharing streaming videos and free books through Amazon First Reads But theres a catch Users must agree to share payment methods including credit cards and gift cards Each Household account can accommodate two adults as well as four teenagers and four children 2 Head back to school Students with an edu email address are eligible for a half-price student membership for up to four years Prime Student will cost 59 beginning next month up from the current 49 and includes special discounts on items such as snacks and school supplies Students can also sign up for a free six-month trial 3 Pay by the month In addition to the annual program Amazon offers a monthly membership for those who dont need or want Prime year-round Monthly memberships will continue to cost 1299 thats 156 a year while students pay 649 or 78 a year 4 Pick and choose what you want Want to stream movies but dont care about free shipping on orders less than 25 Then you might consider paying 899 a month or about 108 a year for Prime Video 5 See if you qualify for discounted rates Shoppers who receive certain types of government assistance including Medicaid may qualify for a discounted rate of 599 per month or 72 a year which will not increase as part of the overall hike To check eligibility you can upload a photo of your Medicaid or EBT card which is given to recipients of programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families TANF Women Infants and Children WIC and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP Amazon notes on its website that funds on EBT cards cannot be used to pay for Prime memberships 6 Shop somewhere else instead Walmart and Target among Amazons largest rivals now offer free two-day shipping on orders over 35 Amazons current threshold for free shipping is orders over 25 Nordstrom Apple and Neiman Marcus meanwhile ship all orders gratis Need something now Google Express offers free same-day delivery on a number of items from stores like Costco PetSmart and Lowes A growing list of retailers also offer unlimited free shipping for an annual rate Think Prime on a smaller scale A 10 Sephora Flash membership for example gets you free shipping on a years worth of beauty products while a similar pilot program at Bed Bath Beyond costs 29 Read more