Amazon raises monthly Prime price in US

Amazon has raised the price of monthly Prime memberships in the US by $2.0 to $12.99 (£9.40), in a bid to push more people to an annual plan, reports BBC.

The annual cost of Prime, which includes two-day shipping and video streaming, was unchanged at $99.

Amazon said the change does not affect the UK or other countries.

Amazon has focused on boosting Prime subscribers, which its chief financial officer has called its "most important customer base".

Prime subscribers tend to do more shopping with the company. The service is available in 16 countries.

While Amazon has declined to say how many members it has, analysts estimate that it boasts almost 90 million in the US and has rapidly growing international numbers.

Amazon said it has invested in making Prime more valuable to its members.