Amazon's Prime membership program is highly popular among consumers but the cost can be prohibitive for some. The company has just launched a low-cost version to address this issue. This new offer will be provided to US residents who hold a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer card. The EBT card is often used for the disbursal of various government assistance funds. Now it can discount the use of Prime, though not cannot be used to pay for membership or make purchases on the site.

Prime's regular cost is $10.99 per month. The card can slash this to just $5.99. Despite the discount, membership will still come with full perks such as free photo storage, content streaming, Kindle library access, and many more. The goal is to take Prime closer to low-income households, breaking the notion that the Amazon membership program is a luxury. The company believes that it can provide value to this segment of the population, particularly when it comes to shopping for essential items.

This is also part of a bigger partnership with the government and other online retailers that aims to allow food stamp usage on e-commerce websites. Qualifying items may be obtained this way as early as next year. With 44.2 million participants in SNAP per month, the potential is enormous. Another of the company's attempts to reach out to the underserved is Amazon Cash. This lets people use a debit or credit card that they can load in any participating brick-and-mortar store. To learn more about the low-cost Amazon Prime, go to Amazon.com/qualify and sign-up for a 30-day free trial.

Amazon Drops Prime Membership Fee for Low-Income Families