Why Amazon Prime Stopped Offering Free One Month Subscription?

Amazon has stopped offering access to free services and a one-month plan subscription of Rs. 129 per month. This means users will only get three months and an annual plan subscription Notably, this comes at that time after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines asked all banks and financial firms to add authentication process of online transactions.

The RBI has announced September 30, 2021, as the last date of implementation of these guidelines. However, the e-commerce company has already updated its website and mentioned the same that banks will discontinue the automated deducting procedure from credit and debit cards.

"We have temporarily discontinued: (i) new member sign-ups for Amazon Prime Free Trial and (ii) new member sign-ups for Monthly Prime Membership until further notice. You can continue enjoying Prime membership benefits by renewing/signing up for the Three Month or Annual Prime Membership here," Amazon said.

Amazon Prime Video Plans: Details

After removing the free one-month trial and Rs. 129, Amazon Prime Video offers two packs of Rs. 329 along with an annual plan of Rs. 999. However, Rs. 999 pack seems good as it is quite less than the three-month plans and one-month pack.

Apart from these two packs users can also look for some prepaid plans, which ship Amazon Prime access for one month to one year.

What Is Reserve Bank Of India New Transaction Order?

As per RBI orders, all automatic transactions will need to go through an extra procedure of Authentication. It is also worth noting that RBI has introduced these regulations in 2019. However, extended the deadline, so users can remain safe from any inconvenience.

It was introduced for cards and wallets, but now, these new frameworks include UPI transactions. RBI also said that this framework has been launched for the safety and convenience of customers while making online payments.

Other OTT Platform Might Remove Free Trials

Notably, Netflix and other apps are also offering one month of free services to their customers, similarly to the Amazon Prime Video app. This means other apps might follow the same soon. However, we believe that removing a pack of Rs. 129 might affect the company's subscriber base as everyone is not willing to pay Rs. 999 and Rs. 329 for three months.