Amazon May Be Offering Free Cell Phone Service to Prime Subscribers
Amazon is reportedly in discussions with several US-based carriers to provide a valuable benefit to its Prime subscribers: complimentary mobile phone service. Bloomberg reports that the company is exploring the possibility of offering low-cost or even free phone service, with a monthly fee of approximately $10, to its Prime customers. Amazon is said to be in talks with the three major US carriers, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, as well as the Dish Network. However, negotiations with AT&T appear to have stalled in recent weeks.
It will likely take some time for this potential offer to be announced, as Bloomberg reports that negotiations have only been ongoing for six to eight weeks and could still be called off. But considering how much cell phone bundles can be had, this could be an interesting proposition for Amazon customers. Of course, that would require an additional commitment to Amazon, which already has its fingers in an absurd number of different companies.
There’s no word yet on what Amazon’s service might look like — whether it’ll offer the same level of service as going straight through Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T. In particular, carriers tend to offer more data at 5G speeds depending on which plan their users choose; Today, operators also offer many benefits, such as T-Moble’s Netflix, Apple Music or Disney+ on Verizon.
But it’s not hard to imagine many customers switching to some of these benefits, or even a lower speed, to get mobile service for free. That’s assuming they can connect another part of their digital life to Amazon — but if you’re already hooked on Prime, this could lead to an attractive new Amazon subscription plan.
