People receiving government assistance can now purchase an Amazon Prime membership at a discounted monthly price, the company announced Tuesday.
People who buy food with Electronic Benefit Transfer cards, and people on the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program are eligible for Prime memberships that cost just $5.99 per month.
EBT cards, which are given out under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps, can’t be used to purchase memberships.
A normal Amazon Prime membership runs $99 each year, but the company announced a monthly subscription in April for $10.99 per month, which is still higher than the $5.99 being offered to people who get government help.
“We designed this membership option for customers receiving government assistance to make our everyday selection and savings more accessible, including the many conveniences and entertainment benefits of Prime,” Greg Greely, vice president of Amazon Prime, said in a statement.
Amazon has slowly been attempting to steal lower-income customers away from Wal-Mart. In addition to launching its monthly Prime subscriptions, the company announced in January it would soon allow customers to use food stamps to pay for online grocery orders.
The online retailer is expected to begin accepting food stamps as part of a pilot program with the Department of Agriculture this summer.
