Amazon Prime is about to get more expensive—here’s when the price will change and how to lock in your lower rate

When it comes to subscriptions, Amazon Prime is one of the best. Not only do you get access to its wealth of original movies and shows, but you also get fast, free shipping, exclusive Prime Day deals, and more. All these perks come with a price, and that number is about to go up.

Currently, you can pay for an Amazon Prime plan in three different ways: a $13 per month plan ($156 over 12 months), a $119 annual plan, and $6 per month ($72 over 12 months). There’s also the $59 student plan. However, Amazon just announced that all these prices will be increasing on Friday, February 18, and existing members will have to pay the new fees after March 25, when the next renewal is due. The new plan prices will be $15 per month ($180 over 12 months), $139 per year, and $7 per month ($84 over 12 months) or $69 per year for the student plan.

However, according to Lifehacker, existing Amazon Prime members can lock in their memberships and avoid this rate increase. To do this, you’ll need to buy a gift membership before February 18. The only options available are the three-month plan at $39 and the annual plan at $119 (sorry, students). Once you’ve done this, toggle over your Account & Lists button and click Memberships and Subscriptions, then navigate to Prime Membership Settings and then to Manage Membership and cancel the auto-renewal if it’s set to renew at the higher rate after March 25. Make sure you know your membership’s expiration date. When it ends, use the gift membership you bought to re-subscribe to Amazon Prime.

If you don’t have a membership yet, head over to Amazon now to get Prime at a lower rate before it increases on February 18, or check out the gift memberships to see if you can lock in your existing rate.

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