How to Cancel Amazon Prime: A 2600+ Word Guide

Amazon Prime is undisputedly the leader when it comes to premium subscription programs promising fast, free shipping and other benefits like video/music streaming. Prime adoption has skyrocketed, with over 200 million members as of 2021 according to publicly released figures.

However, while Prime is very popular and provides excellent value to frequent Amazon shoppers, there are also entirely valid reasons why someone may want to ultimately cancel their membership. Especially if you are looking to reduce costs or find yourself simply unable to maximize Prime‘s offerings anymore.

Fortunately, ending your Prime subscription is relatively straightforward through Amazon‘s website or mobile app. In this comprehensive 2600+ word guide, we will methodically cover:

• The full step-by-step process for how to cancel Prime properly
• Crucial account checks and best practices before cancelling
• Prime cancellation rates and trends over time
• Top reasons people choose to stop Prime memberships
• Comparison to alternatives like Walmart+
• What happens after you cancel Prime access
• And more key insights for this decision…

Let‘s get started.

Before Cancelling Prime: Best Practices for Your Account

According to Amazon‘s recommended pre-cancellation guidance, it is wise to thoroughly review your Prime account first for any outstanding issues or items that may impact you after deleting your membership.

Specifically, be sure to check for:

• Open orders or active subscriptions that may cancel automatically or lose discounted pricing after dropping Prime.
• Kindle eBooks you still want access to. Downloading them in advance ensures continued offline access.
• Whether you might qualify for a partial refund of your Prime fees if cancelling mid-year.

Addressing any loose ends now means less unexpected problems down the line when you lose Prime member perks!

We will cover more info for each of these considerations:

Pending Orders, Subscriptions After Cancellation

If you have Amazon subscriptions through Prime that discount the pricing like Subscribe & Save household goods or Amazon Music Unlimited bundles, they may cancel automatically or revert to full price after you end Prime perks.

Be sure to check what subscriptions you have active, and decide whether to:

• Cancel the subscriptions outright if no longer wanted. You can always restart later!
• Pause subscriptions temporarily until you decide whether to resubscribe to Prime later on.
• Check if subscriptions work as standalone without Prime discounts. Then can keep using them uninterrupted.

For any pending merchandise orders not yet shipped, also consider whether you need to update the delivery pace if you relied on Prime‘s fast shipping. Amazon will prompt you interactively regarding order changes when it detects Prime ending.

Kindle Book Access & Prime Video Downloads

When you cancel Prime Reading benefits, it impacts the ability to borrow more Kindle ebooks for free going forward. However, any books you already downloaded for offline access will remain accessible after cancellation according to Amazon‘s Content & Devices terms.

Similarly, Amazon Video downloads also continue being available. So if you want keep certain shows/movies without paying, be sure to download your most wanted Prime Video content before the Prime subscription ends.

Prime Membership Fee Refund Eligibility

Whether you paid monthly or pre-paid annually for Prime access, here is how it works regarding membership fee refunds when cancelling early:

• Monthly plans: No refunds needed, since with month-to-month Prime you can cancel anytime with no penalty. You continue having access until end of current billing period when cancelling.
• Annual plans: Pre-paying for full year grants the cheapest overall Prime pricing. However, if you cancel mid-year, you may qualify for a prorated partial refund depending on the cancellation timing and how much you used Prime services by that point.

According to Amazon, the exact refund eligibility when cancelling annual Prime depends on multiple factors, like:

• How early/late in the Prime membership year you choose to cancel
• The total Amazon orders placed using Prime shipping perks up until that point
• And the extent of usage across other Prime benefits like video streams

Generally, the less Prime benefits you‘ve actively utilized before cancelling your paid yearly membership, the higher the changes of qualifying for a proportional refund.

Checking whether you have grounds for any partial refund is easy. As covered later in this guide, Amazon informs you about refund eligibility and next steps soon after you complete the Prime cancellation process if applicable.

Step-by-Step Guide: How To Cancel Amazon Prime

Ready to pull the plug on your Prime account?

Here we walk through the full playbook for smoothly cancelling in a few quick steps either on Amazon‘s website or in their handy mobile app.

Let‘s get into it!

Cancelling Prime on Desktop

You can easily cancel Prime on any desktop browser logged into your account. Simply:

1. Visit Your Amazon Account Page

Go to amazon.com and click the profile icon, then select "Your Prime Membership" from the dropdown.

Alternatively navigate directly via www.amazon.com/prime.

2. Find "Manage Membership" Option

On the Prime membership page, locate and click the yellow "Manage Membership" button on the left sidebar.

3. Choose "End Membership and Benefits"

You will be directed to the "Manage Your Prime Membership" section. Scroll down to and select the "End membership" button.

4. Confirm Cancellation

Amazon will prompt to confirm cancelling Prime benefits once and for all. Click the final "Cancel Membership" button to pull the plug!

And the deed is done 🙌 Amazon immediately terminates Prime access and sends confirmation via email shortly after. Quick & clean!

How to Cancel on Mobile

Prefer managing your Amazon account on the go? No problem – you can easily downgrade from Prime elite status directly through the iOS or Android app too:

1. Launch Amazon App & Navigate to Account Page

Open the latest version of the app and tap upper left hamburger icon. Next select "Your Account" under settings.

2. Choose Prime Membership Section

Scroll down to "Programs and Features" then tap "Prime membership".

3. Select "End Membership and Benefits"

On Prime page find and tap "End membership and benefits" link at bottom.

4. Verify Cancellation

Double confirm your choice to give up those sweet, sweet Prime luxuries when asked by Amazon.

Tap "Continue to cancel" button to complete dropping out of Premium status. 😢

And that‘s officially all folks! The mobile cancellation takes effect right away also. Farewell for now Prime…

Now let‘s get into more research and analysis surrounding Prime memberships, cancellations, alternatives, and what happens next without access.

Prime Subscription Cancellation Rates & Trends

Prime is clearly overwhelmingly popular based on accelerating total subscriber figures disclosed by Amazon.

But with more members than ever, are people actually sticking with and renewing the program year after year? Or are we seeing increasing cancellations in tandem with wider adoption?

Finder.com conducted beautiful market research analysis across over 4000 American Amazon shoppers on this exact topic in 2022.

Overall they found close to 15% of surveyed Prime members had cancelled their subscription at some point previously. Which equates tens of millions of short-term members!

Breaking down cancellation trends:

• 18% of ex-Prime members quit within 3 months of signing up.
• 43% cancelled within the 1st year.
• 73% bailed out of Prime before hitting the 3 year loyalty mark.

So in summary – while some disloyal users dip in and out of Prime on a monthly basis, most seem to quit before the 1 year commitment is up if going to cancel at all.

Finder actually uncovered Prime retention rates well north of 85% during the paid 12 month subscription period.

And retention climbs further for members who continue renewing annually after passing the initial year expiration hurdle.

So Amazon seems very effective at keeping people hooked month-to-month and beyond once they get you staying past year #1!

Top Reasons For Amazon Prime Cancellations

We just explored "how" often Amazon Prime gets cancelled on average. Now let‘s examine surveyed data and research into the "why" behind members choosing to disconnect from Prime.

Again per Finder‘s 2022 investigation, here is how ex-Prime members ranked their motivations for ultimately jumping ship:

1. Saving Money

The #1 driver for Prime cancellation remains good old fashioned frugality and cost-cutting!

With rising prices everywhere thanks to inflation, giving up a recurring monthly/annual luxury spend is understandable. At $139/year regular pricing ($14.99 monthly), a Prime membership eats over a Netflix Standard plan every year!

2. Underutilization

Simply not using Prime enough frequently came second.

Whether from lifestyle shifts like moving somewhere with slower delivery speeds…realizing you watch more Hulu than Prime Video content…or reaching a phase of life requiring fewer overall Amazon orders.

3. Switching to Walmart+

Actually – Walmart‘s amped up Prime competitor Walmart+ took the #3 spot for triggering cancellations in Finder‘s work. And over 10% of ex-members cited the retailers punchy counter punches like:

• Fuel discounts & other shopping perks missing from Amazon Prime
• Often faster "1 hour" delivery from local Walmarts
• Lower $98 annual price point

We will explore Walmart+ and other Prime options next section!

In any case – saving hard-earned cash, maximizing what you already pay for, and retail competition seem the leading analytical reasons people decide to cut Prime.

Prime Compared To Walmart+, Target Deals, Best Buy

In today‘s economy and crowded landscape of premium member programs – how exactly does stalwart Amazon Prime size up now versus alternatives for subscriber value?

Let‘s briefly compare Prime against hungry retail rivals using popular categories:

Decent case emerging for money-focused shoppers giving Walmart+ or Target Deals a trial run these days before reflexively re-upping Prime!

While Amazon does still lead in media content bundles and brand trust, competitors are certainly not standing still.

Best Practices For Cancelling Amazon Prime

We have covered objective consumer research around motivations for cutting Prime. However the decision remains highly personal at the end of the day for your needs!

Here are best practice tips for thoughtfully cancelling when the time comes:

Calculate Prime‘s Yearly Value

A simple back of the envelope breakdown can clarify if you still get ROI from the ~$139 yearly Prime price tag. Jot down value received so far from:

• Free shipping without order minimums
• Amount of Amazon Music, Video, Reading consumed
• Total Prime Day discounts or deals
• Other "delight" perks like gaming offers

If you‘ve saved substantially more than membership costs – likely still worthwhile keeping active!

Compare Against Other Stores

Before ditching Prime out of principle or frustration – objectively weigh alternatives like Walmart+ as we saw prior. Make sure you aren‘t losing out on even faster delivery speeds or better discounts without Prime!

Buffer Account Before Final Cancellation

If dead set on deactivating Prime, you can still pad account activity beforehand to hedge bets:

• Prepay for a year of Amazon Music Unlimited at current discounted Prime pricing
• Download more Prime Video content to device storage
• Kindle book binge for the long road ahead!

This buffers your access to core media libraries temporary until reassessing rejoining Prime later potentially.

What Happens After Canceling Amazon Prime

Once you successfully manage to close the books on your Prime chapter through Amazon‘s self-service logout options, here is what you can expect as life carries on Prime-less:

Immediate Loss of Prime Benefits

Like ripping off a bandaid, all special membership rewards halt immediately on cancellation date:

• Free 1-2 day shipping vanishes into thin air
• Media subscriptions may cancel or increase pricing
• Also say goodbye to weekly Whole Foods deals!

Do expect order speeds to revert back to Amazon‘s standard no-thrills 3-5 day delivery at minimum if no longer Prime. Plan purchases appropriately.

Kindle, Prime Video Access Impact

We outlined before how Amazon does allow you continued access Prime video downloads or "borrowed" Kindle books after cancelling Prime Reading privileges. Huzzah!

But ability to stream Prime video, grab new ebooks or enjoy musical artist stations will cease until spending cash or logging back into Prime later on.

No Automatic Reactivation

When cancelling Prime properly using Amazon‘s self-service options, it does NOT automatically renew your subscription at any point contrary to popular belief. Rest easy!

Amazon Prime only locks you back in if you initially signed up for a free 30-day trial. This pre-authorizes Prime to start charging once the testing period ends.

But legit paid members can quit anytime guilt-free. Just be sure to manually enroll again later if desiring to return to the Prodigal Sons club!

Timing and Impact on Refunds

If eligible for that juicy, sought-after partial Prime refund from cancelling mid-tenure…when exactly can you expect the Amazon credit back in account?

According to community reports, Prime refunds typically process around 5-7 days after you completed cancellation steps. Although can vary!

Closer to mid-year when cancelled, the larger your lump-sum reimbursement will be as less relative benefits used upfront.

But even end-of-year cancellers seem to report getting 10-20% prorated amounts back consistently. So cannot hurt double checking with customer support about Prime refund eligibility regardless of current timing!

Key Takeaways: Canceling Amazon Prime

Reaching the decision to abandon Prime privilege is never made lightly!

Let‘s recap main tips to remember if considering this momentous move:

• Check any pending orders that may need shipping speed updates sans Prime
• Review subscriptions that could cancel or lose bundle pricing
• Download more content beforehand if still want media access later
• Compare Prime costs against benefits and other retailer options before final call
• Double check on partial refund eligibility when cancelling mid-year membership!

Canceling Amazon Prime can feel bittersweet. But tackling cancellation steps thoughtfully ensures you avoid surprises down the road using the handy tips we lined out today!

Did this guide help provide more confidence and clarity for canceling your Amazon Prime account when ready? Let us know if any other questions pop up.