Amazon has launched its Prime membership programme in South Africa, bundling unlimited free delivery, video streaming and cloud gaming into a single subscription as the US e-commerce giant deepens its push into a market it entered just two years ago.
Prime will cost R59/month or R399/year — an annual saving of R309, or 44%, over the monthly plan — with a 30-day free trial for new members, Amazon said on Tuesday. Customers can sign up at amazon.co.za/prime and pay using a South African debit or credit card.
The launch brings Amazon’s flagship loyalty programme, already available in 26 other countries, to South Africa for the first time. It also means local shoppers will be able to take part in Prime Day, Amazon’s annual global discount event, which runs from 23-29 June.
Prime members get unlimited free same-day delivery on orders placed before midday in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria, with no minimum spend, as well as unlimited free next-day delivery elsewhere. Eligible categories span everyday essentials, groceries, electronics, home, kitchen and sporting goods.
The subscription also bundles Prime Video — previously sold as a standalone service in South Africa — giving members access to Amazon Originals and licensed international titles including Reacher, Duplicity and The Summer I Turned Pretty, alongside local productions such as Rise: The Siya Kolisi Story. Members additionally get Amazon’s Luna cloud gaming service, free downloadable PC games each month and a monthly Twitch channel subscription.
‘Milestone’
“We are thrilled to offer South African customers world-class shopping and entertainment benefits in a single membership through Amazon Prime,” said Robert Koen, MD for sub-Saharan Africa at Amazon, in a statement. He said the company had spent two years building a local store with a mix of local and international products before adding Prime, describing the launch as “the next exciting milestone on our journey in the country”.
Read: Amazon set to take another shot at the smartphone market
The move sharpens Amazon’s competition with local incumbents. Takealot, widely seen as Amazon’s most formidable South African rival, has built its own subscriber proposition, while the free-delivery hook puts Prime in direct contention with grocery services such as Checkers Sixty60. On the entertainment side, the Prime Video bundle ratchets up pressure on Showmax and Netflix in a crowded local streaming market.
Amazon launched its e-commerce store in South Africa in May 2024 but had until now withheld Prime, the logistics-and-content engine that underpins its dominance in mature markets such as the US, where the programme counts well over 100 million subscribers. — © 2026 NewsCentral Media
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