We’re just days away from Amazon Prime Day 2022. The annual sales event runs July 12-13 and will offer the best deals you’ll find outside of Black Friday thanks to a nearly endless supply of deals. Last year, there were more than two million deals. But in order to snag any of this year’s deals from Amazon, you need to be an Amazon Prime member. While other major retailers will also have sales of their own to compete with Amazon, none of those sales will be anywhere close to as large as Prime Day 2022. Amazon raised the price of an annual Prime membership to $139 and the monthly price to $15 earlier this year. If you want to shop the sale but aren’t a member, there are ways to get an Amazon Prime membership for free or drastically discounted. We’ve rounded up your free Amazon Prime options below.
For more on the big sale, check out our Amazon Prime Day hub. And if you’re looking for specific deals, take a peek at our roundups of the best early Prime Day deals:
Sign up for Amazon Prime’s free 30-day trial
If you’ve never been an Amazon Prime subscriber, the simplest thing you can do is sign up for a free trial . Amazon offers 30-day free trials to new members.
After your 30-day trial ends, you’ll be charged $139 for an annual membership or $15 per month–whichever billing option you choose when you sign up.
Sign up for the Prime Student free trial
Students with an active university email address can sign up for a free six-month Amazon Prime trial . After the six-month trial ends, students pay $69 per year for Amazon Prime benefits.
Use Amazon Household
If one of your family members has an Amazon Prime membership, you could ask to get added to their account. Amazon Household lets up to two adults and four kids share the benefits of Prime across multiple Amazon accounts for no extra charge. The catch here is that you have to agree to share payment methods, so there has to be a high level of trust between Amazon Household users.
Use credit card reward points
While not exactly free, credit card reward points feel free. And if you’re a lapsed Prime member who currently isn’t eligible for a 30-day free trial, the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature card may be a good option. This card, which can be used anywhere Visa is accepted, gives you 5% cash back on every purchase you make at Amazon. You can then use the rewards points to buy items on Amazon.
The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card gives you a $100 Amazon gift card when approved, which pays off the bulk of an annual Prime membership. Couple that with the 5% cash back on every purchase at Amazon, and the cost of a Prime membership could be paid off by the time Prime Day is over.
Amazon also offers a standard Amazon Rewards Visa card for non-Prime members that features 3 percent back on purchases made at Amazon. You also get a $50 Amazon gift card when approved for this card. But if you’re looking for the best bang for your buck, you’ll want to go with the Signature version.
Select groups get discounts on Prime memberships
As mentioned above, some people are eligible for discounted Prime memberships directly through Amazon. Those on government assistance (EBT) can get Prime for $7 per month.
Editors Note: Article updated on July 10, 2022
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
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