Amazon Prime Archives - Amazon Prime abroad

Is Netflix bigger than Amazon Prime in the USA?

Posted on September 13, 2019 | by Christine Wilson | Leave a Comment

Which company has most subscribers in the United States? Is it Amazon Prime, or is it Netflix? Here you will find the numbers, and if you react the same way we did, you will be surprised at what we discovered.

Netflix is the leading streaming service in the world, and it has more than 150,000,000 paying subscribers worldwide in 2019. That is a very big number, and for some reason, I always thought it meant that it was way bigger than Amazon Prime. But, that is when I understood that Amazon Prime is way more than just about streaming movies and TV shows. In fact, I believe most of the people subscribing to Amazon Prime in the USA do so in order to get faster shipping and early access to items on sale. It can clearly be seen that Amazon Prime members in the USA spay way more money on Amazon.com that those without a Prime membership. In other words, Amazon Prime isn’t only about streaming, but about an overall shopping experience (which includes streaming) for people who love to shop. And believe me, shopping is an even more popular activity than streaming. And again, if you combine a subscription that lets you both shop and stream, it has a big advantage to the subscription which only lets you stream.

And that is what I have been thinking about since writing the article about the number of Amazon Prime subscribers in the United States yesterday.

Let us take a look at the numbers

To see which streaming provider has most subscribers, let us take a look at the numbers first.

How many people subscribe to Amazon Prime in the USA?

Based on the latest stats, more than 105,000,000 people in the USA have a subscription to Amazon Prime. That is just one crazy number, and after I read it, I had to think about why. It isn’t because of the Amazon original series, that is for sure. They are good, but they aren’t good enough to bring more than 100 million subscribers to the platform. In other words, it has got to do with the shopping opportunities and all the other stuff that comes with the Prime subscription.

More than 105 million people have access to the Prime movies at Amazon.com

Amazon doesn’t gladly give out these numbers, so there is some uncertainty about whether the 105 million number is the amount of global Amazon Prime subscribers or if the number is for the United States. Please take that into consideration before you keep on reading.

How many people subscribe to Netflix in the USA?

Based on numbers from mid-2019, Netflix currently has a bit more than 60,000,000 subscribers in the USA. The total number is 150 million people worldwide, but in the USA, the number is a bit more than 60 million people. As you can see, Amazon Prime doesn’t have twice as many subscribers, but they have 45,000,000 more subscribers than Netflix. That was a number that shocked me, and I have thought a lot about it.

Netflix has more than 60 million subscribers in the USA

Why is Amazon Prime more popular than Netflix in the USA?

I don’t really think it’s about popularity, but it is about what people need. And trust me, most of those people with a Netflix subscription probably own an Amazon Prime subscription to. And that is not only because of the streaming but because of the shopping opportunities and the chance to get faster shipping. More and more people do their shopping on Amazon. You can see it by the dash buttons which you can simply press, and an order is placed on Amazon without using any computers or mobile devices. Amazon is everywhere, and Amazon Prime makes it all easier.

There is, of course, a competition between the two providers, but I believe Netflix will never manage to get even close to Amazon Prime. If the latter was all about movies and TV shows, I believe they would lose to Netflix. But, the key to the success of Amazon Prime is that it is so much more than a streaming experience. It is an overall experience that people need to be happy (at least that is what they think).

Considering the fact that there are more than 105 million Amazon Prime subscription in the USA, it is no wonder why so many people come here to amazonprime.fromabroad.org every day to find out how they can stream Amazon Prime content during their time abroad. After all, I believe one can safely say that several hundred thousand Prime members are constantly outside the United States, and as a result, they will see the 4601 error message when they try to stream Amazon Prime content. Luckily, this website is here and here they can all find advice that will help them access Amazon Prime abroad.

In the same way, those 60,000,000 Netflix subscribers in the USA often get sad as they go abroad only to discover that their favorite shows cannot be streamed on Netflix at their present location. That is why I created netflix.fromabroad.org to help them find information on which VPN is worth using if they want to stream Netflix encrypted while accessing the content at other locations than where they are currently at.

When will the amount of Netflix and Amazon Prime subscribers start to decline?

The number of subscribers to both Netflix and Amazon Prime is growing every single day. Based on approximately 10 million new Amazon Prime subscribers in one year, it means that Amazon Prime gets about 27,000 new subscribers every day. Is this ever gonna stop?

I cannot see a decline coming, and even though Netflix has adjusted their prices several times in the last years, the subscribers seem to be faithful to the service. There is, of course, a limit considering the number of people living in the USA and how many of them are actually able to purchase a subscription. But, we are not thereby the limit yet, so I can easily see the growth will continue for some more years. But, stagnation will most likely come, either because of financial trouble or because our environment says stop and we simply cannot live the way we have used to live in the last years.

What do you think? Will both Amazon Prime and Netflix continue their steady growth? For how long do you believe the streaming providers will be able to keep up in the tempo they do now?

How many people subscribe to Amazon Prime in the United States?

Posted on September 12, 2019 | by Christine Wilson | Leave a Comment

Would you like to know how many people subscribe to Amazon Prime in the United States? Do you have a guess? When I first created this page, the number was 10,000,000 people. Do you know how many people subscribe to Amazon Prime in the USA as of June 2019? You are about to know!

It is quite amazing to see that the number in June 2018 was 95,000,000 subscribers. That is a stunning number and considering that these all pay 10 USD per month (or more) for the service, it is amazing. But, the stagnation hasn’t started, because Amazon Prime seems to be growing and growing.

As a matter of fact… numbers from June 2019

The truth is, in June 2019, Amazon Prime in the United States had more than 105,000,000 subscribers. If all these numbers are correct, Amazon Prime had an increase of 10,000,000 subscribers in the USA in one year. That means, almost 30,000 new subscribers come to Amazon Prime every day (by average). That is just a crazy number!

There is no wonder why so many people come to this page to discover how they can watch Amazon Prime abroad. After all, with more than 105,000,000 subscribers, thousands and thousands of these reside outside the USA at all times, meaning that they need to find other ways to access Amazon Prime videos and content abroad.

What is even more interesting about these numbers is that an average Prime member spends 1400 USD on the platform every year. So, if they spend 150 USD on average paying for their Amazon Prime subscription, that is only 10% of the actual amount they spend on Amazon.com every single year.

How much did Amazon earn from Amazon Prime member subscriptions in 2018?
Would you like to know how much money was paid to Amazon in Amazon Prime membership fees in 2018? The number is 14.2 billion U.S. dollars.

It can also be seen that Prime members spend more, maybe because they are Prime members, or maybe they are Prime members because they spend more… I am not sure about that. However, those shopping at Amazon.com without a Prime subscription spend 600 USD on the platform on average annually, which is a much lower amount than those with a Prime subscription.

There is a trend that Amazon customers do most of their shopping from Amazon. That is why many people order groceries and daily necessities from Amazon, leading to several orders from the online store per weak. That is a very different mentality compared to those who only visit Amazon when they want to buy a certain product or something like that.

When will the amount of Amazon Prime subscribers start to decrease?

There is no sign of decrease when it comes to Amazon Prime subscription yet. The general trend is that the biggest get bigger, and it gets harder and harder to come forth with a little store in this world.

I will pay attention to what’s going on and write more articles in the future!

Can I watch the same content on Amazon Prime Video and Prime Video?

Posted on August 14, 2019 | by Christine Wilson | Leave a Comment

Have you heard about Prime Video? Have you heard of Amazon Prime Video? Are these products the same product, or are there differences? If yes, what are the differences?

If you live in the United States and have an Amazon Prime membership, you will get access to a lot of movies and TV shows, and in addition, to Amazon Prime music, faster shipping as you shop, and several other products including Prime Reading, free photo storage and more. But, are the movies and TV shows available with the Amazon Prime membership in the United States the same as the movies and TV series you can watch with a Prime Video subscription in Europe or somewhere else?

Which is the best, Prime Video or Amazon Prime Video?

Prime Video vs Amazon Prime Video?

First of all, it is important to notice that what you can stream with an Amazon Prime subscription will differ greatly between the countries in which such a subscription is available. In other words, the movies and TV shows available on Amazon Prime in the United States are not necessarily the same as those that you can stream with an Amazon Prime subscription in Germany or in the United Kingdom.

While you can use the same Netflix subscription all across the world, an Amazon Prime subscription can only be enjoyed in the actual country of your subscription. So, if you have an Amazon Prime subscription in the United States and go to the United Kingdom, you will not be able to stream the content available on Amazon Prime in the UK (like you would with Netflix). As a result, you will have to buy an Amazon Prime subscription in the UK to stream the content available there.

So, if you want to stream your Amazon Prime content in the United States while abroad, follow these instructions.

But, what will happen if you buy a Prime Video subscription in the Czech Republic? What will you be able to stream there?

What can you stream with a Prime Video subscription?

You will at all times be able to stream the original Amazon content with any Prime Video subscription. That is the main profile of Prime Video, meaning that it is, first of all, a platform for streaming the original Amazon content. This can also be streamed with any Amazon Prime subscription.

But, what about all the other movies and TV series available on Amazon Prime?

Based on my experience, you will only find a very small amount of movies and TV series available with a Prime Video subscription. There are some great movies and TV shows available, but in general, this is a platform all about the original Amazon content. That is also why the subscription price is much lower. Currently, you can buy a subscription with a locked price of 3 Euro per month for six months if you sign up for this service. That is less than half the price of an Amazon Prime subscription in Germany (currently costing 7,99 Euro per month).

As you probably understand, this also has to do with the limited amount of movies and TV shows actually available with the service, and also because there are no other “offers” coming together with the Prime Video subscription. This is all about streaming and nothing else!

Is Prime Video worth the money?

If your goal is to stream Amazon Original content, the answer is yes. In fact, it might be even better than an Amazon Prime subscription since the price is much lower. But, if you want to stream much more than just original Amazon content, you will probably end up disappointed at the poor variety of content available on Prime Video!

If you end up buying a Prime Video subscription, make sure to watch the popular and very good Amazon series The Boys, Jack Ryan, Hanna, and all the others!

What is your experience? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Can I watch Amazon Prime content abroad without a VPN?

Posted on July 5, 2019 | by Christine Wilson | Leave a Comment

I have read that a VPN is needed to watch Amazon Prime abroad. Is that really so? Do I need to use a VPN for all the content included with my Amazon Prime subscription, or is it all a lie? Can you please tell me what’s up with stream Amazon Prime abroad and whether I need a VPN or not?

First of all, if there wasn’t a need for a VPN, you probably wouldn’t have heard about it. How come? Lots of people go abroad and as they try to stream Amazon Prime content, they discover that it cannot be done. They get all sorts of error messages, and as a consequence, they turn to Google, Ecosia, or Presearch, and ask for help. What can they do to stream Amazon Prime abroad? And yes, that is when the VPN solution comes as an answer.

So a VPN is needed… but!!!

Yes, a VPN is needed, but there is a big but to this answer as well. Because, just like Netflix is getting bigger and bigger at producing original content themselves, Amazon is moving in the very same direction. What is the result?

There is a lot of content you can stream with your Amazon Prime content that is original content, and do you know what? Amazon has the rights to broadcast this material in other nations as well. The result is, you will be able to watch this content also when abroad.

Examples of Amazon original content that you can enjoy with your Amazon Prime subscription when abroad, even without a VPN.

As you can see on the image above, there is quite a lot of content available on Amazon.com that you can stream with your Amazon Prime subscription, also when abroad. This is all Amazon original content, and Sneaky Pete, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Hanna, Forever, Good Omens, The Grand Tour, Chasing Happiness, Jack Ryan, Goliath, The Man in the High Castle, and Transparent are only some examples of such series.

In other words, you can simply start streaming these when abroad, without a VPN. But, if you want to get access to the non-Amazon original content as well, a VPN is needed. However, you cannot just pick any VPN, as most VPN providers are blocked by Amazon.com. That is why I do frequent tests in order to always be able to recommend VPN providers really working with Amazon Prime in the USA. To find my latest recommendations of VPN providers working with Amazon Prime, check out the main article here at https://amazonprime.fromabroad.org/

In other words, you only partly need a VPN

If you need a VPN or not depends entirely on what you would like to stream on Amazon Prime. Give it a try first, and if you can stream whatever you are interested in without a VPN, be happy about it. But, if you start getting error message 4601 or some other geo-restriction message, follow the instructions here at this site and sign up for a VPN service that actually helps you unblock Amazon Prime.

I hope this answer will help you. If you or anyone else has questions or comments or something to add to the information in this article, write a comment. I always love hearing from you, learning from you, and helping out (whenever that is needed)!

Does PureVPN work with Amazon Prime?

Posted on November 26, 2018 | by Christine Wilson | 1 Comment

Maybe you have heard about PureVPN, one of the leading VPN providers on the market. But, can you use PureVPN with Amazon Prime? Does PureVPN work with Amazon Prime?

If you have an Amazon Prime subscription in the United States, then you will for sure be eager to take advantage of that, also when abroad. Maybe you are out on a work trip to Europe, or maybe on a beach holiday in Brazil. It is evening, you are tired, and you want to watch a new episode of Jack Ryan, Mozart in the Jungle, or maybe Bosch. The only problem is that you get an error message as you try to stream Amazon Prime abroad, telling you that it cannot be done.

Now you are out there looking for a VPN provider that will work with Amazon Prime, and the question is whether PureVPN might be the right provider to pick! Well, this is the case!

PureVPN and Amazon Prime

PureVPN has servers in lots of nations worldwide, and it is quite obvious, that you need to connect to a server in the USA to stream Amazon Prime abroad. But, even if you connect to a server in the USA, you are very likely to get an error message on Amazon Prime using PureVPN. How come? Most of the PureVPN servers in the USA are blocked by Amazon.com. But, there is a very easy way to fix this, and it is done this way.

Now, this is very easy. First, you need to make sure that you enter Streaming Mode on PureVPN. Then you need to select Channels, and from the list of channels, click Amazon Prime US. Once you click the Amazon Prime US text, you will connect to a US PureVPN server working with Amazon Prime, and once connected, your browser will automatically open the website of Amazon Prime. You are now ready to watch Amazon Prime content all across the world using PureVPN.

You got to agree, it wasn’t that hard. But, if you just try to connect to any server in the USA, you are likely to get an error message. That is why you need to follow these instructions, and you can watch Amazon Prime in a couple of minutes from now.

Don’t have a PureVPN subscription yet? Visit the PureVPN website first!

Want to see how it works in practice?

Would you like to see how I unblock Amazon Prime with PureVPN? Check the video beneath!

Have you given it a try? Did it work? Of course, it will work, but I am just asking to be polite. Should you have a comment or a question related to streaming Amazon Prime abroad using PureVPN, write a comment. I will do my best to answer any questions you might have as quickly as possible.

Amazon Prime vs YouTube TV

Posted on April 11, 2017 | by Christine Wilson | Leave a Comment

YouTube TV is the brand new streaming product from Google, and it definitely is a great service. But, can it compete with Amazon Prime? Are they even fighting for the same customers?

It is always interesting to compare products and it becomes especially interesting when a new product enters the market. YouTube TV is such a product, and with Google financing the project, there is both money, creativity and power in the product. But, can YouTube TV cause trouble for Amazon? Can YouTube TV make Amazon Prime customers cancel their subscriptions and sing up for YouTube TV instead? I have tested YouTube TV for a couple of days and based on my testing period, these are my thoughts!

Should Amazon Prime members cancel their subscription and move on to YouTube TV?

I always have to emphasize this, but it is important to know that Amazon Prime is much more than just streaming. With Amazon Prime you get access to free video storage, free music streaming, faster delivery on products ordered online and lots of other stuff. But, if you have a valid Amazon Prime subscription for the purpose of streaming, should you consider cancelling your subscription in order to use YouTube TV instead?

My first answer is no!

Based on my experience of both products I would say that Prime Video is very different from YouTube TV, meaning that they are actually playing on two different ground, making the comparison in vain. YouTube TV is about watching live streams from some of the best TV channels in the USA like Fox, CBS, NBC, ABC and several other networks. That is simply brilliant. You can also record TV shows and watch TV shows on demand from the same networks, meaning that you can watch 24: Legacy live, but if you miss out on the most recent episode, then you can have it recorded so that you can watch it whenever you want to. There are a few movies available on YouTube TV, but those are very few, so I do not even take those really into consideration.

Amazon Prime is not about live content at all. Amazon Video is about movies and TV series, but not the most recent ones. You do not get to watch brand new episodes on Amazon Prime anyway, you either have to buy the newest episodes, or you will have to wait a couple of years before the season is made available on Amazon Prime. The Amazon Original Content works somewhat differently, but such content will never be made available on YouTube TV anyway, so that is yet another battle played on different grounds.

My seconds answer is no!

My first answer to the question was no, and it still is a no. I do not believe that you should cancel your Amazon Prime subscription because of YouTube TV. But, there might be some subscription you want to cancel after subscribing to YouTube TV, but that is not your Prime subscription. Products that however might stand in danger are your current Hulu subscription, DirecTV subscription, your CBS All Access subscription and also your Fubo TV subscription. With the arrival of YouTube TV these have gotten a new opponent that is strong (in all ways) and that might make their currently offered products in vain.

There are of course differences between YouTube TV and the mentioned products, but there are also lots of similarities. I believe that I would cancel my Hulu subscription if I decided to go with YouTube TV on the long run. The same is true about my Fubo TV subscription. But, probably I will skip my YouTube TV subscription instead, as I like the Fubo TV and the Hulu interface way better than YouTube TV. It should also be mentioned that it is way easier to watch Hulu and Fubo TV and CBS All Access overseas, compared to streaming YouTube TV overseas. That might not be true on Windows computers online, but if you want to watch YouTube TV on Chromecast, Apple TV, Fire Stick and similar devices abroad you will have a lot of trouble doing so.

What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter!

Can’t renew my Amazon Prime subscription with Gift Card balance. What to do?

Posted on January 23, 2017 | by Christine Wilson | Leave a Comment - Last update: September 18, 2018

There is a normal problem on Amazon that people want to pay for services with their international cards, but can not. Amazon will often only let you pay for services with a US based payment card.

When you do an international purchase of a book or maybe a DVD this doesn’t really matter. You can pay with cards from all across the world. But, if you want to rent a movie on Amazon.com or maybe purchase an Instant Movie you will get into trouble. You will get an error message telling you that your payment method is not valid.

Two years ago when I first signed up for Amazon Prime I could use my international payment card to do so. But, since then things have developed and now I can not use my international card to pay for Amazon Prime anymore. What is the solution? Well, for a long time I thought the solution would be to delete all international cards and instead buy an Amazon Gift Card and apply it to my balance. In that way I would have a “US Balance” with my gift cards, but then I just realized that it doesn’t work either for paying for your Prime subscription.

So, what can be done if a US payment card is required to pay for your Amazon Prime subscription, but you do not have one? I just paid for my Amazon Prime subscription today and to get it done I used this US Payment Card which you can get all across the world.

Pay for Amazon Prime all across the world

If you want to pay for Amazon Prime, but can not do so at the moment because you do not have a US Payment card, do as follows:

Visit US Unlocked and sign up for their services.
Transfer amount to your US Unlocked account.
Use the US Unlocked Payment Card which will be issued to you as soon as your transferred money has arrived.

If you need an American address in addition I recommend that you use Shipito which also cooperate with US Unlocked.

Now you can pay for Amazon Prime easily

So yes, with this solution you can pay for Amazon Prime from all across the world. You can also use it to rent movies on Amazon, to buy Instant Videos and to pay for whatever US service you want to. I have for example used this also to pay for CBS All Access and it works great.

If you have comments or questions related to this, use the comment field beneath.

How can I give an Amazon Prime subscription as a gift?

Posted on April 18, 2016 | by Christine Wilson | 2 Comments - Last update: June 9, 2016

I would like to give an Amazon Prime subscription as a gift to a family member. Can it be done? Can I have it delivered on his birthday by email?

That is a brilliant question and a really nice present to someone you care for. A Prime subscription gives the person you want to give it to access to thousands of films and TV series, unlimited storage of photos, access to free music with Amazon Music and even a free Kindle book every month. That is a really thoughtful and fantastic present.

How to give an Amazon Prime subscription as a gift?

If you want to give an Amazon Prime subscription as a gift you need to visit the link beneath:

At that site you will be able to purchase an Amazon Prime Gift Card which will be delivered to the lucky recipient on the date of your request. In that email they will also find instructions on how to actually redeem the gift card and how to get started using and enjoying the Amazon Prime subscription. If for some reason the person you are buying to already have an Amazon Prime subscription then the value of the gift can be redeemed as a gift card instead, but hopefully the person does not have a subscription and it will be a 100% match and joy in the home!

Do not forget to follow this site for information on new films and TV series added to Amazon Prime regularly, and if the person should be abroad for some time (or maybe you will travel abroad) you can also find instructions here on how you can watch Amazon Prime overseas.

Happy birthday from me as well to the lucky upcoming owner of an Amazon Prime subscription.

If you should have any comments or questions, just write them down in the comment field beneath.