Prime Day is on the horizon, with sales taking place on October 8 and 9. To have access to those Prime deals—as well as other Prime benefits like free delivery and streaming content via Amazon Music, Amazon Video, and Prime Gaming—you’ll need a Prime membership.
Amazon offers a 30-day free trial for new subscribers who haven’t had a Prime membership in the last 12 months, which is a good option if you want to access Prime Day deals and then cancel. Just remember to cancel before your subscription renews at the monthly or annual rate.
How to sign up for an Amazon Prime account
To get started, go to the Amazon Prime landing page and click Start your free 30-day trial or Try Prime free for 30 days. If you're not logged in, you'll be directed to log into your existing Amazon account or create one if you don’t have one already. To make an account, you’ll need to enter your name, email address, and a password.
Once you hit Create your Amazon account, Amazon will send a one-time password (OTP) to your email address to verify your account. Copy the OTP from your email, enter it on the next page, and click Verify. You’ll then need to enter payment information (a debit or credit card) to complete the sign-up.
How much does an Amazon Prime membership cost?
If you don’t qualify for a 30-day trial, or if you know that you want to keep your Prime membership active for more than a month, you’ll need to select a billing plan. Amazon has four options:
Prime Monthly: $14.99 per month
Prime Annual: $139 per year (which comes out to just under $12 per month)
Prime Student Monthly: $7.49 per month (students are also eligible for a six-month free trial)
Qualified government assistance recipients: $6.99 per month (with eligibility letter or EBT card)
Once you have a Prime account, you'll be able to sign up for Invite-Only Prime Deals, share your Prime benefits with your family (even if they don't live with you), and set price alerts for the products you're interested in.