Best Buy is piloting a new paid membership service that would provide exclusive perks, including concierge-style tech support and exclusive pricing. The subscription service, which will cost $200 a year or $180 if you have a Best Buy credit card, bears similarities with Amazon’s Prime subscription as Best Buy looks to expand its services outside the sale of consumer tech products.
The new membership, called Best Buy Beta, grants members access to a slew of benefits, including free standard shipping, unlimited Geek Squad technical support, exclusive member pricing, and a 60-day extended return window. Best Buy confirmed that Beta members will also have 24/7 access to a concierge team, which they can contact by phone, email, chat, or through the Best Buy mobile app.
Best Buy already has a $200 membership program called Total Tech Support that provides similar services, but it will be unavailable in the pilot markets. In fact, based on how similar both services are, there’s a possibility that Best Buy will discontinue Total Tech Support.
Best Buy is not the first retail giant to roll out a service to compete with Amazon Prime. Last September, Walmart released its own subscription service for $98 a year, offering minimal benefits such as free delivery on orders over $35 and fuel discounts at select gas stations.
Best Buy is piloting the new Beta membership in three states: Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma, but the retailer says it plans to expand the annual subscription to select stores in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Tennessee sometime this month.
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