Medicaid and EBT cardholders get a 50% discount on Amazon Prime Membership, paying only $6.99 per month instead of $14.99.
The 50% discount can be a significant savings for EBT card holders who already self pay for Amazon Prime. In some situations it can also be beneficial for those who don’t have Amazon Prime to go ahead and get it at this discounted price. There are several factors to weigh carefully when making this decision.
Two factors to consider are how much an individual or family spends on groceries, and how much they spend on grocery transportation. Amazon accepts EBT for grocery purchases, and provides free delivery of groceries purchased through them, that total over $150. So for individuals and families who purchase more than $150 in groceries at a time, $6.99 per month may be worth it for the free grocery delivery alone. It is less than purchasing rides from Uber, and could also be less than one spends on metro bus fare monthly for grocery shopping.
Amazon Prime Membership provides a number of benefits, including free two-day delivery on most items, and discounts on diapers and baby food. Recreational benefits include access to movies, TV shows, Kindle books, and music to stream online.
The application form for the discount is available online. One will need to provide proof of eligibility. In addition to SNAP and Medicaid recipients, those who receive WIC or TANF EBT benefits, or SSI, are also eligible for the discount. Proof that one is receiving one of these benefits will need to be uploaded.
When approved, one can receive the discounted price for up to 48 months, but will need to re-qualify after 12 months. The offer only applies for a single amazon account, not linked accounts. If one currently has linked accounts, prime benefits will stop being granted on the connected accounts, and will only be available on the discounted account.
A permanent link to the application for this discount is available in our resource library. You can find more resources related to food security and financial assistance by visiting our Social Service “Utilization Library” page.
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