Amazon Prime Plan Changes - Upgrade and Downgrade Guide

Amazon Prime in Japan comes in two flavors: a monthly plan and an annual plan. The annual plan works out substantially cheaper per month, so if you expect to stay subscribed for six months or more, it is the rational choice. If your usage is unpredictable or you only need Prime for a short stretch, the monthly plan gives you more flexibility.

There is also Prime Student, a special plan at half the regular price. It is open to university, graduate school, junior college, vocational school, and technical college students, who verify eligibility with a student ID or an educational institution email address. Prime Student converts automatically to regular Amazon Prime after graduation, so it is well worth using for as long as you are enrolled.

Picking the right plan directly affects how much you pay each year. Getting an accurate picture of your own usage pattern and choosing accordingly is the first step to using Amazon Prime wisely.

• Monthly to annual: Under Manage Prime Membership in your account settings, choose the option to switch to the annual plan. The annual plan takes effect from your next renewal date
• Annual to monthly: From the same screen, choose the option to switch to the monthly plan. You move to monthly billing after the remainder of your annual term ends
• Moving on from Prime Student: After graduation you are transitioned to regular Amazon Prime automatically. A notice arrives before the transition, so you can decide in advance whether to continue

Every plan change is completed online and takes about 2 to 3 minutes. Whatever remains of your current plan stays valid after the change, so there is never a bad time to do it. No penalty or processing fee applies to plan changes.

When switching from monthly to annual, keep in mind that the full year is charged in one lump sum, so check that your credit card has enough available limit beforehand. If you cancel after moving to the annual plan, a partial refund may apply depending on how much you have used the benefits.

When moving from Prime Student to the regular plan, your fee doubles, so it is worth calculating the impact on your budget ahead of time. Take a sober look before graduation at whether Prime is still worth it at full price. If you use it only occasionally, canceling and re-subscribing on the monthly plan just when you need it is also a strategy worth considering.

The decision rule is simple: if you are confident you will keep using Prime for six months or more, take the annual plan; otherwise take the monthly plan. If you are unsure, the safe path is to start monthly, watch your usage for 2 to 3 months, and switch to annual once it stabilizes.

If you only want Prime for the big sales, there is also the strategy of signing up on the monthly plan just before Prime Day or Black Friday and canceling after the sale ends. That said, if you use the shipping benefits or Prime Video day to day, the annual plan is generally cheaper in total.

If you live with family, factor in the family membership feature as well. One Prime account lets you add up to two family members who share the shipping benefits. On a per-person basis, an annual plan shared through family membership is the most cost-effective option of all.