Amazon offers cut-price Prime membership to anyone claiming benefits

Amazon is offering a sizeable discount on its Prime membership for people who receive government assistance.

Customers that possess a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer card, used for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Programs, or food stamps, will pay $5.99 per month.

The typical monthly payment for Prime membership is $10.99, but users can also pay $99 per year up front, which equates to $8.25 per month.

Prime members get free shipping on goods and unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows, as well as other perks.

Amazon said Tuesday (6 June) that it wants to make the program more accessible. The discount is only available to those in the US at the moment.

According to figures released in March 2017, around 80 million US households have an Amazon Prime membership. The average Amazon Prime account holder spends $1,300 a year with the online superstore. On Prime Day 2016 (12 July), more than 90,000 TVs and one million pairs of shoes were purchased in 24 hours from Amazon in the US.