Should You Cancel Amazon Prime in 2026? The Real Math
Updated 2026-02-14 · 7 min read
Amazon Prime now costs $14.99/month or $139/year. That's $180/year on monthly — a 100% price increase since 2018. With ads now on Prime Video and free shipping thresholds rising, is it still worth it? Here's the honest math.
Or: Amazon → Account → Prime Membership → "End membership"
Amazon shows 3-4 retention screens highlighting what you'll lose
Click "Continue to cancel" on each
Choose: end now or at end of billing period
Confirm cancellation
💰 Refund Option: If you select "End now," Amazon prorates your refund based on how much you've used Prime benefits that billing period. If you haven't ordered much this month, ending now gets you money back.
The Real Break-Even Math
Prime costs: $139/year ($11.58/month)
Free shipping threshold without Prime: $35 (most items)
Tubi (free), Pluto TV (free), or Netflix/Disney+ ($8-10)
Amazon Music
Spotify free, YouTube Music free
Prime Reading
Libby (free library ebooks)
Amazon Photos
Google Photos (15GB free)
Rx discounts
GoodRx (free, often same discounts)
🔄 The Cancel-Rejoin Strategy: Cancel Prime, batch your Amazon orders to hit the $35 free shipping threshold, and rejoin for one month ($14.99) before Prime Day. Cancel again after. Annual cost: ~$30 instead of $139.
Cheaper Prime Options
Student Prime: $7.49/mo ($69/year) — half price with .edu email
EBT/Medicaid Prime: $6.99/mo — discounted for qualifying recipients
Annual vs. Monthly: $139/year saves $41 vs. $14.99/month
Amazon Prime is just one subscription. How many do you have total?
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