Customers with a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer card - used for programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as food stamps - can now pay $5.99 a month for Prime membership, which offers free shipping, as well as streaming of certain movies, TV shows and other entertainment.
Prime’s typical monthly price is $10.99, but standard users can instead pay $99 per year up front, which equates to $8.25 a month.
Amazon said last week that it wants more people to have access to Prime.
“We designed this membership option for customers receiving government assistance to make our everyday selection and savings more accessible,” Greg Greeley, vice president of Amazon Prime, said in a statement.
Customers would not use food stamps to pay for Prime, and in most places, people can’t even use food stamps to buy food from Amazon. In January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a pilot program enabling food stamp participants in a few states to buy their groceries online through Amazon, along with six other companies.
