How do I gift an Amazon Prime membership?
December 20, 2011 8:50 AM Subscribe
How do I gift an Amazon Prime membership?
For Hanukkah, I would like to buy my father his own Amazon Prime membership. He uses my account all the time, so I know he'd use it, and he'd get more benefits if it were his own account. The problem with this plan is that there is currently no way to gift a Prime membership (silly, I know). I would still like the gift to be a surprise, so can someone suggest a way for me to sign him up for a Prime membership in secret? I don't know his password, so I can't sign onto his account and buy it on there, but also, he would get a notification email and it wouldn't be a secret. Any suggestions?
For Hanukkah, I would like to buy my father his own Amazon Prime membership. He uses my account all the time, so I know he'd use it, and he'd get more benefits if it were his own account. The problem with this plan is that there is currently no way to gift a Prime membership (silly, I know). I would still like the gift to be a surprise, so can someone suggest a way for me to sign him up for a Prime membership in secret? I don't know his password, so I can't sign onto his account and buy it on there, but also, he would get a notification email and it wouldn't be a secret. Any suggestions?
Best answer: Gift cards can't be applied toward Prime membership fees.
I think the best plan would be to give him a token something and let him know that's what your gift is so you can set it up.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 8:54 AM on December 20, 2011
I think the best plan would be to give him a token something and let him know that's what your gift is so you can set it up.
posted by Nimmie Amee at 8:54 AM on December 20, 2011
I agree, your best bet is to get him a prime rib, or Optimus Prime toy, or printout of a Prime Spiral, and a note mentioning the membership.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 8:58 AM on December 20, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 8:58 AM on December 20, 2011 [5 favorites]
If you live at the same address as your father, you can buy an Amazon Prime membership under your account and then add him as a family member:
posted by muddgirl at 9:01 AM on December 20, 2011
Prime members under a free trial or paid subscription can share their shipping benefits with up to 4 additional family members living in the same household, or up to 4 coworkers to shop for the related account.I don't know how they verify that you live at the same address - perhaps they use the billing address for your credit card?
posted by muddgirl at 9:01 AM on December 20, 2011
You can share your membership with other accounts.
You can wait until the gift day to do it and just make a little card and put it in a box.
posted by rich at 9:01 AM on December 20, 2011
You can wait until the gift day to do it and just make a little card and put it in a box.
posted by rich at 9:01 AM on December 20, 2011
If you share a membership, I don't think the secondary can have the same benefits as the primary (Kindle lending library, free streaming video). If they will just be using Prime for shipping, then sharing the membership would work.
posted by hotelechozulu at 9:07 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by hotelechozulu at 9:07 AM on December 20, 2011
Beware the "share your membership with other accounts" thing. We do that at our house.
It works for shipping.
It does *not* work for the streaming movies and TV. Only the main account owner has that.
posted by Gucky at 9:08 AM on December 20, 2011
It works for shipping.
It does *not* work for the streaming movies and TV. Only the main account owner has that.
posted by Gucky at 9:08 AM on December 20, 2011
Ah, I wasn't aware of those restrictions! Giving a stand-in gift with a note is what my family would do in this situation.
posted by muddgirl at 9:22 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by muddgirl at 9:22 AM on December 20, 2011
Response by poster: Right. The reason I want to buy him his own membership is so that he can have all the benefits that the main account owner has. For example, Prime members can borrow one kindle book per month, but people you share it with cannot. Same for streaming. Also, we don't live at the same address, though I'm not actually sure that matters as my mother is the account holder on mine and we don't live at the same address either (they aren't married, btw).
posted by RUPure at 9:22 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by RUPure at 9:22 AM on December 20, 2011
Also if you can make the note rhyme or be humourous in some way, that sometimes makes the gift seem less weird (I don't know why - it's just true).
posted by muddgirl at 9:23 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by muddgirl at 9:23 AM on December 20, 2011
Yeah, in my family, we do an envelope with a letter or printout of the gift, and we don't bother with a stand-in gift if the recipient is an adult. Adults know that envelopes can contain fun and exciting presents!
posted by aabbbiee at 10:03 AM on December 20, 2011
posted by aabbbiee at 10:03 AM on December 20, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by remthewanderer at 8:52 AM on December 20, 2011