All Amazon Prime and Prime Video subscribers now see ads when watching Prime Video content, including Amazon Originals. The only way to skip these ads is to pay an additional $3 on top of the cost of a Prime membership or standalone Prime Video subscription.
According to Amazon, Prime Video users only encounter “limited advertisements” with the company previously stating “meaningfully fewer ads” than competing streaming services and linear TV providers. However, for those that still find the ad load to be too heavy, and especially after years of watching without the ads, here’s how to upgrade and remove the ads again.
The easiest way to upgrade to ad-free Prime Video is through the Amazon website. The option can be found and subscribed to through the Account & Settings section of the website under Ad Free.
Upgrade to Ad-Free via Amazon website
- Head to Account & Settings
- Select the Your account tab.
- Select Go ad free (under Ad Free)
- Select Start subscription
It is important to keep in mind that performing the upgrade will result in an additional $2.99 a month charge and the first monthly payment will be taken immediately after clicking Start subscription and using the Amazon account holder’s default payment method.
Upgrade to Ad-Free via Prime Video app
While it is technically possible to begin the upgrade process from within the Prime Video app, subscribers will still need to complete the change on the Amazon website. To begin the process on Fire TV devices, as well as supported smart TVs, streaming players, and game consoles, open up the side menu and click on the Go ad free option,
If no Go ad free option is visible in the main menu, it is also possible to begin the upgrade via the Settings section of the app.
- Open the Prime Video app
- Go to Settings
- Select Prime
Once in the Prime section of the Settings, the user will be required to scan a QR code that redirects them to the Amazon website. As a result, we recommend heading directly to the Account & Settings section to speed up the process of upgrading to an ad-free subscription.
What happens after upgrading to ad-free
Regardless of whether upgrading via the website or the Prime Video app, the upgrade applies to all Prime Video profiles associated with the main Amazon account. In other words, only the main account needs to perform the upgrade once to unlock an ad-free viewing experience for everyone sharing the subscription.
Once upgraded, Prime Video users will immediately get access to an ad-free viewing experience. As a result, they will no longer see ad breaks while watching on-demand movies, shows, Amazon originals, and any other on-demand content available to watch with a subscription.
However, it should be noted that not all of the content available in the Prime Video app is available to watch without ads. This is not a new change, so those that were previously subscribed to Prime Video will find they have the same ad-free access as before. Basically, anything that’s streamed live, including live sports and other events, will still show ads. Likewise, all of the content available to watch through Amazon Freevee will continue to include ads as well.
Lastly, Amazon does tend to show promotional trailers before the start of a movie or TV show, and while these can be skipped, they can’t be avoided with an ad-free Prime Video subscription. These promotional trailers tend to be for Prime Video content so some homes may find them useful, even if they are technically ads.
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