‘Just the beginning’.

Amazon has made its Prime membership program available to Australian consumers just six months after launching its local marketplace. Amazon Prime International vice president, Jamil Ghani says it is just the beginning for Prime in Australia.

“We will keep making it better, adding even more selection and benefits,” he said.

But how does it currently compare to its US counterpart?

The Australian program offers free two business day delivery to almost 90% of the population. A free 30-day trial is available and Prime can then be purchased for $6.99 per month, or an annual payment of $59. Until 31 January 2019, there is an introductory promotional price of $4.99 a month.

Amazon Prime in the US offers free same day and one day delivery on over one million products and in select cities, Prime Now guarantees two hour delivery on tens of thousands of items including household essentials, Amazon Kindle, Echo, Fire and more. Following the free trial, Prime can be purchased for $12.99 per month or an annual payment of $119.

Amazon claims that Prime members in Australia have access to ‘the widest selection of Prime benefits at launch for any country ever’, including:

  • Free delivery on millions of local and international items with no minimum purchase
  • Access to Prime Original series and other popular movies and TV shows with Prime Video
  • Access to over 1,000 e-books with Prime Reading
  • Benefits for gamers with Twitch Prime
  • Access to discounted priority delivery and more

Free two business day delivery is available to customers in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and regional cities such as Albury-Wodonga, Bendigo, Gold Coast, Gosford, Newcastle, Shepparton–Mooroopna, Toowoomba, Wagga Wagga and more.

Prime members in more remote or rural locations will receive free expedited shipping in four or five days.