Prime monthly subscription

Amazon is always looking for ways to drive more Prime sign-ups, and its latest effort may be offering cheap, and even free, cell phone plans to Prime subscribers as a new perk. According to (Opens in a new window), Amazon is in talkswith US carriers—including Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Dish Network—to offer the wireless plans, which could cost $10 per month for Prime subscribers, or even be free. Talks have been going on for six to eight weeks, with Amazon trying to secure the lowest possible wholesale price for resale to consumers. However, it could take several months for the e-commerce company to launch the cellular service, which could also be scrapped if the talks fall through, according to Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter. For now, Amazon tells PCMag: “We are always exploring adding even more benefits for Prime members, but don’t have plans to add wireless at this time.” Still, offering (Opens in a new window) "Prime membership has essentially stopped growing in the US, after many years of extremely fast growth.” In February, Amazon also (Opens in a new window) Amazon has about 167 million Prime subscribers in the US, down from 170 million a year earlier. “The return to in-person shopping and current economic uncertainty put further pressure on membership,” the research firm added. Introducing the cellular plans could also help Amazon Prime compete against Walmart’s subscription program, T-Mobile also denied it was in talks to offer a cellu...