If you have Amazon Prime don’t freak out, but, the price is about to go up. Starting on May 11th, Amazon will hike up the price of Prime membership from $99 to $119 for new members and June 16th for existing members.
But don’t panic, there might be a last-ditch effort to secure the $99 price for one more year. The trick to getting one more year of Amazon Prime for $99 could be as simple as a gift card. Amazon sells a gift option that includes a 12-month Amazon Prime membership for $99.
You’ll need to purchase a Prime gift card membership (HERE) before May 11th, but don’t redeem it just yet. If you add it to your existing account it will count as a credit and not a new year of Prime. You’ll need to cancel your account before it renews. To do that go to “Account Settings,” click “Manage Prime Membership,” and select “Remind Me Before Renewing.” Amazon will notify you three days before your account renews. You’ll cancel the day before your account renews and then sign back up using the Prime gift card, which should save you 20%.
In 2014, the last time Amazon raised the price of Prime from $79 to $99, this genius lifehack worked. However, there’s definitely a chance that Amazon closes the loophole. There is a risk, but you can still apply the $99 to the $119 membership should Amazon not honor it. Amazon probably will honor the $99 gift card because they could alienate new members who were legitimately gifted the Prime membership and don’t expect to pay $20 more for a new account.