Amazon Prime Free Trial: Eligibility, Catches and Cost

Amazon gives most US shoppers a 30-day Prime free trial, and adults aged 18 to 24 get six months. The trial is real Prime: fast free shipping, Prime Video, Amazon Music Prime and member-only deals, including the Prime Big Deal Days sale on October 6 and 7, 2026. The catch is that it turns into a paid plan on its last day unless you stop it, and Amazon only lets you take one trial every 12 months.

This guide covers who qualifies, what the trial does and does not unlock, how to cancel so you never pay, and the harder question: whether Prime is worth $14.99 a month or $139 a year once the free part ends.

Who can get an Amazon Prime free trial

Amazon runs three trial tracks in the US. Which one you see depends on your age and whether you qualify for government assistance.

The 12-month rule is the one people trip over. If you cancelled Prime in March, you will not see a free trial until next March, even on a new device. Amazon checks the account, and making a second account at the same address and card is against its terms and often gets the trial refused at checkout anyway.

Other ways people end up with free Prime:

• Amazon Household. One paying adult can share shipping and Prime Video with a second adult, plus up to four teens and four kids. If someone in your home already pays, you do not need a trial at all.
• Prime Video channels and carrier deals come and go. Some phone and internet plans have bundled Prime Video (not full Prime) in the past; check your carrier's perks page before paying.
• Student offers on cards. A few student credit and debit cards refund part of Prime. These change often, so treat them as a bonus, not a plan.

What the trial actually includes

During the trial you get the same core Prime benefits as paying members. The fine print matters more than the headline list.

The Prime Video fine print

Prime Video is the benefit most people quote, and it has changed the most. Since January 2024 every Prime member watches with ads unless they pay extra. In April 2026 Amazon renamed the ad-free add-on to Prime Video Ultra and raised it from $2.99 to $4.99 a month. Ultra is also now the only way to get 4K, Dolby Atmos, five simultaneous streams and up to 100 downloads.

Base Prime Video still includes HD, HDR and Dolby Vision, four streams and up to 50 downloads. For most phones and 1080p TVs that is fine. If you have a 4K TV and hate ads, budget $19.98 a month for Prime plus Ultra, not $14.99.

How to start the trial and cancel without paying

1. Go to amazon.com/prime on a computer or open the Amazon app and tap the Prime banner.
2. Pick Start your free trial. If you are 18 to 24, choose the Young Adult option instead; it is a separate page.
3. Add a card. Amazon will not charge it during the trial, but it may run a small authorization that drops off.
4. Right away, go to Account, then Prime membership, then Update, cancel and more, then End membership. Choose the option to end at the close of the trial.

Ending early does not cut your trial short. You keep shipping, Prime Video and deal access until the last day, and Amazon will not bill you. This matters more than it used to: in September 2025 Amazon agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle the FTC's case that it made Prime hard to cancel and signed people up without clear consent. Part of the deal was a simpler cancellation flow and clearer renewal notices. Expect one or two "are you sure" offer screens before the final confirmation; keep clicking through until you see the end date.

Is Prime worth paying for after the trial?

The free trial is an easy yes. Paying is a maths problem. Here is the yearly cost of each way to pay, and when annual beats monthly.

$139 divided by $14.99 is 9.3, so the annual plan pays off once you would have kept Prime for ten months. If you only want Prime for the holiday season and one sale, pay monthly for two or three months and cancel; that is $30 to $45 instead of $139.

A rough value test

Prime makes sense if at least two of these are true for you:

• You place two or more Amazon orders a month that would otherwise cost $6 to $7 in shipping or need a $35 minimum basket.
• You watch Prime Video weekly and would otherwise pay for another $9 to $13 streaming service.
• You share with a second adult through Amazon Household, which halves the effective cost to about $70 a year each.
• You use Whole Foods, RxPass or unlimited photo backup often enough to count.

If none of these apply, the trial is the most Prime you need. Track deals with our Amazon price tracker guide and buy outside sale windows without a membership.

How Prime compares with Walmart+ and Target Circle 360

The two real alternatives are Walmart+ and Target Circle 360. Both cost less, and Walmart+ throws in a streaming service.

Price per useful feature: Walmart+ at $98 includes a streaming plan that costs $12.99 a month on its own (Peacock Premium), so its shopping part effectively costs nothing if you would pay for Peacock anyway. Prime's edge is selection and speed. Amazon still has the largest catalog of items that arrive tomorrow, and Prime Video's library and Thursday Night Football are stronger than anything Walmart+ bundles.

Prime price history and what is next

Amazon raised Prime roughly every four years until 2022. It is now more than four and a half years since the last increase, and analysts at JP Morgan have predicted a move to about $159 a year. Amazon has announced nothing. If you are sure you will keep Prime, an annual plan bought now locks today's $139 for 12 months.

What Reddit and forum users say

The same themes come up again and again on r/amazonprime, r/frugal and r/cordcutters, and the split follows how people shop.

The complaints:

• Paying for ads. The most common gripe since 2024 is that Prime Video added ads to a service people already paid for, then raised the ad-free price again in 2026. Several long-time members said this is what finally pushed them to the monthly plan so they can quit at will.
• "Two-day" that is not two days. Users outside big metros report 3 to 5 day delivery on many items, especially from third-party sellers, and feel the shipping promise has slipped.
• Trial auto-renewal. Plenty of "I forgot to cancel" posts. Amazon will usually refund an unused renewal if you contact support within a few days and have not used any benefits.

The praise:

• Returns. Free, drop-off returns at Whole Foods, UPS and Kohl's come up again and again as the real reason people stay.
• Same-day in cities. In metro areas, same-day and overnight delivery is the feature members say they cannot go back from.
• Household sharing. Couples splitting one membership see Prime as cheap compared with any single streaming service.

Our verdict

If streaming is the main reason you want Prime, compare it with the others first: our guides on Netflix plan prices, HBO Max cost and the Disney+ student discount break down every tier. For free options, see our list of legal sites to watch free movies, and plan your sale shopping with our Black Friday deals guide.

FAQs

How long is the Amazon Prime free trial?

The standard trial is 30 days. Adults aged 18 to 24 get a 6-month trial through Prime for Young Adults, and Prime Access members (income-verified) get 30 days before paying $6.99 a month.

Can I get a second Amazon Prime free trial?

Only after 12 months. Amazon offers a trial to accounts that have not had Prime or a Prime trial in the past 12 months. Creating extra accounts with the same card or address usually gets the trial blocked.

Will I be charged if I cancel the trial early?

No. If you end the membership during the trial and choose to end it at the close of the trial, you keep the benefits until that date and are not billed. Purchases, rentals and channel subscriptions are billed separately and are not refunded.

Does the free trial include Prime Video?

Yes. Trial members get the same Prime Video catalog as paying members, with ads. Ad-free viewing and 4K need the Prime Video Ultra add-on at $4.99 a month, which is charged even during the trial.

Can trial members shop Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days?

Yes. Trial members count as Prime members for member-only sales. Prime Big Deal Days runs October 6 and 7, 2026, so a trial started now covers it with weeks to spare.

Is the annual or monthly Prime plan cheaper?

Annual is $139, monthly is $14.99, or $179.88 over a year. The annual plan saves $40.88 and pays off if you would keep Prime for ten months or more. For a two or three month stint, pay monthly.

Is Amazon Prime going up in price?

Nothing has been announced. The US price has been $139 a year since February 2022, and analysts expect a rise to about $159. Amazon historically raised the fee about every four years.