How to Get Amazon Prime

In our step-by-step guide, we show you exactly how to sign up for a free 30-day trial membership.
Published
Stephen Slaybaugh
BY:
Contributing Writer
How to Get Amazon Prime

We talk a lot about Amazon Prime and the benefits you get with your membership. But how do you sign up?

Don't worry — there aren't any hazing rituals or secret handshakes in this club. You simply visit the website, pay your membership fee, and then start enjoying free 2-day shipping and tons of other perks. Here's a handy step-by-step guide to doing exactly that.

SEE ALSO: How to Add Roommates and Family to Your Amazon Prime Account

How to Get Amazon Prime

1. Go to Amazon.com and sign in. If you don't already have an Amazon account, you'll need to create one.

2. On the front page, hover over "Try Prime" and click on "Start your free trial."


How to Get Amazon Prime

3. The default payment plan is $10.99 a month, but if you want to save money by paying annually, click "See more plans" and select that option. Then click "Start your 30-day Prime free trial."


How to Get Amazon Prime

4. If needed, add your payment information and billing address. Then click "Start your 30-day free trial."


How to Get Amazon Prime

There you go! If you decide you don't really like or need Prime, you can always cancel before the end of your trial to avoid being charged.

How to Get Amazon Prime for FREE

Your easiest way to get Prime for free is through the free trial that all new users have access to. If you've already maxed that out, you can also get free months added to you account when Amazon is late to delivery your packages.

As we recounted here, Amazon guarantees specific delivery times for Prime users. If Amazon misses that cutoff — even by an hour — you can write to a customer service rep and request a free month to be added to your account. Some users have had varying experiences with this option, so you can read our full writeup about it here.

Readers, what are your thoughts on Amazon Prime? If you're a longtime user, what are some of your favorite perks? If you haven't joined, what's held you back? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Stephen Slaybaugh
Contributing Writer

Stephen has been writing for such national and regional publications as The Village Voice, Paste, The Agit Reader, and The Big Takeover for 20 years. He covered consumer electronics and technology for DealNews from 2013 to 2018.
DealNews may be compensated by companies mentioned in this article. Please note that, although prices sometimes fluctuate or expire unexpectedly, all products and deals mentioned in this feature were available at the lowest total price we could find at the time of publication (unless otherwise specified).

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7 comments
yoda-sama
I see both sides, but still, this is by no means a highlight in your journalistic endeavors. Go to Amazon, click on Try Prime, then try Prime... oh and then try to screw the system--which we've established you, the simplistic reader, don't understand--by demanding free service. Really could have done without including that last part, it is as if you're suggesting their shipments are so inconsistent that people will be getting free service out the wazoo (and that Amazon sucks at the services they provide), and really just setting up people to be bad customers, plus promoting the risk of ruining an actually nice contract stipulation through wholly unnecessary abuse. [continued]
April 12, 2017
yoda-sama
[continuation] Telling people how to do something that's normal but they don't care to figure out on their own, that's one thing, telling them how to do something nuanced which can skirt the line of good taste (when you know the people you're aiming this at are a bit slow on the uptake [as Lindsay more than alludes to]), that's wrong and you're just setting up bad expectations for some pretty dumb people and customer service headaches for Amazon. These are people that are best left to only get Prime service when someone local and more knowledgeable than they can assist them as needed.
April 12, 2017
yoda-sama
I see both sides, but still, this is by no means a highlight in your journalistic endeavors. Go to Amazon, click on Try Prime, then try Prime... oh and then try to screw the system--which we've established you, the simplistic reader, don't understand--by demanding free service. Really could have done without including that last part, it is as if you're suggesting their shipments are so inconsistent that people will be getting free service out the wazoo (and that Amazon sucks at the services they provide), and really just setting up people to be bad customers, plus promoting the risk of ruining an actually nice contract stipulation through wholly unnecessary abuse. [cont.]
April 12, 2017
boilers
If it were not so multi-tentacled, ridiculous amount of services/options, I might try to sign up. But I swear I have no idea if it's worth it or not because I hear people say it does not apply to all things. I can't buy it based on MAYBE it will benefit me.
April 11, 2017
Lindsay Sakraida (DealNews)
@joneslb35@gmail.com
@pmurray63

Hey there, we realize a lot of DealNews readers don't need this level of detail for subscribing to Amazon Prime, but there are indeed shoppers who are confused by Prime. And as much as we commend Amazon for making everything so easy, their website is a little tricky to navigate when you're trying to find a specific page or functionality, rather than just searching for a product. Since our readers have a variety of needs, we wrote this for those that are struggling to find what they want.
April 10, 2017
joneslb35@gmail.com
This is they most worthless article ever.
April 10, 2017
pmurray63
Thank goodness for this article, since Amazon tries so hard to keep Prime a secret.
April 10, 2017