Amazon wants college students to have a shot at Prime Day deals even if they’re not currently Prime members — a requirement for most deals. Amazon is also promoting a 30-day trial Prime membership, but the Prime Student trial lasts for six months and continues at a reduced monthly or annual rate for up to four years.
During the 6-month trial, Prime Student members get free two-day shipping, unlimited movies and TV shows on Prime Video, unlimited reading on any device, free unlimited photo storage, and free same-day delivery in eligible areas. Note that unlimited music streaming is not included during the trial period, but if you continue as a paid Prime Student member, then music streaming is part of the package.
The Prime Student membership trial is six times as long as a regular trial membership, but once the trial period ends the student membership fee is only half as much as the regular membership annual or monthly fees. After six months, your default payment method (a card you’ve registered with Amazon) is billed $6.49 each month (plus taxes) if you chose monthly payments when you signed up, or $59 a year. The annual plan is the better deal because it equates to $4.92 a month. Regular Prime members pay $12.99 a month or $119 per year, so the Prime Student plan is discounted 50%.
Prime Student memberships last up to four years or until your graduation date, whichever comes first. The four-year countdown includes both the free trial and paid membership months.
What if you are already a Prime member and you’re also a college student? Amazon allows current Prime members to convert to Prime Student memberships beginning with six months free. Amazon will also refund any unused pro-rated portion of you annual feel. When regular members switch to student membership, they lose specific Prime benefits during the trial period including access to the Kindle Owners Lending Library, Prime Music, 20% off diapers, and household benefit sharing.
Assuming you have an email address that ends in .edu, signing up for a Prime Student trial is a snap. All you have to do is provide your .edu email address, expected graduation date, preferred payment method, and billing address. If you don’t have a .edu email address, Amazon lets you sign up with other documentation — details here.
If you continue a Prime Student membership for four years or until your expected graduation date, at that time, you will convert to a regular Prime membership billed at then-current standard annual or monthly rates until you cancel the account.
According to Amazon, the 6-month trial is “courtesy of Sprint,” with no further details about that relationship. You can assume Sprint will start sending ads immediately.
Amazon wants more Prime members, and the company wants huge sales numbers during Prime Day 2019, so the 6-month Prime Student plan is a win-win for the merchant. Even if you cancel your Student membership immediately after Prime Day, it’s a potential big win for you if you’re able to score awesome deals during Prime Day 2019.
