If you’re hoping to watch Jake Gyllenhaal throw down in the Road House remake or binge the upcoming 4th season of The Boys for free, you’re in luck. There’s not only a Prime Video free trial, it’s arguably the best deal in streaming.
In a time when a lot of streaming services—like Disney+, Peacock, and Max—are following Netflix’s lead and nixing their free trials, it’s good to know that there still some try-before-you-buy services out there.
Read on for all the details about what you get, how to get it, and how long Prime Video’s free trial lasts.
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Does Prime Video offer a free trial in 2024?
Yes.
Well, it’s not specifically a Prime Video free trial, but rather an Amazon Prime free trial. And Prime includes Prime Video.
And as noted in the intro above, Amazon’s offering is the best streaming service free trial on the market today. Or tied for best. The Hulu free trial is also 30 days and you’re similarly allowed to sign up for it more than once.
How long is the Prime Video free trial?
30 days!
Yep. The free trial of Prime Video lasts a full month. That’s over 4 times longer than most of the other streaming free trials out there (except Hulu, as noted above).
However, we looked for a way to sign up without using the free trial first but couldn’t find one. Amazon really pushed people into the full Prime membership. So if you want only Prime Video, you’ll need to mark your calendar and downgrade before your Prime Membership kicks in.
To see how Prime Video stacks up against other streaming free trials, take a look at this convenient table:
| Streaming Service | Free Trial | Repeatable |
| AMC+ | 7 Days | No |
| Apple TV+ | 7 Days | No |
| Disney+ | None | - |
| Hulu | 30 Days | Yes |
| Max (HBO) | None* | - |
| MGM+ | 7 Days | Yes |
| Netflix | None* | - |
| Paramount+ | 7 Days | No |
| Peacock | None* | - |
| Prime Video | 30 Days | Every 12 Months |
| Starz | None* | - |
| * The service does not offer a free trial directly, but there might be promotions and other ways to get a free trial. | ||
What does the Prime Video free trial include?
Because there is no standalone Prime Video free trial, you’re stuck with getting all of the Amazon Prime benefits. That means you get:
- Complete access to Prime Video’s on-demand library
- Prime Music, Prime Gaming, Prime Reading
- Shopping benefits like free 2-day shipping, exclusive Prime deals, and more
💰 TIP
If you’re looking for shopping deals, plan your Amazon Prime free trial for July, when the company has its annual Prime Day event.
Does the Prime Video free trial require a credit card?
It depends.
You might not need a credit card, but you need to add a verified payment method. These payment methods vary depending on which country your account is in, but credit cards are the one constant.
In the United States, you can use credit and debit cards, personal checking accounts, and Venmo. However, in Canada, credit cards are the only acceptable payment method.
Can you use the Amazon Prime free trial more than once?
Yes!
While many streaming services have no free trial and others only let you try it once, you’re eligible for a new Prime Video free trial every 12 months. (That’s after 12 months have passed since your last free trial, not 1 free month out of 12 every year.)
Amazon might even start sending you reminders with email invites asking you to try Prime for free again.
If you haven’t been an Amazon Prime member in the last 12 months, you can sign up for a free trial. To be eligible, your account must have a current, valid credit card or a Venmo account. Payment options, such as an Amazon.com Corporate Line of Credit, checking accounts, or pre-paid credit cards can’t be used.
Amazon Help
How to cancel your Prime Video free trial
Cancelling your free trial is fairly straightforward and far less convoluted than some services <cough cough> DirecTV Stream. Simply head to your Manage Prime Membership page (while logged in, of course) and click on End Membership.
They’ll give you a chance to stick around by offering options to Remind Me Later and Keep Membership. But remain strong, remember why you’re there, and click Continue to Cancel.
To get to the Prime membership management page via menus, click Account & Lists in the top-right corner of Amazon’s main header. The Prime box should be the top-right option on the next page.
What happens if you cancel your free trial before it ends?
Some services, streaming or otherwise, immediately block your access if you cancel their free trial. It’s cheap for them to get at least a month’s subscription out of you.
Amazon doesn’t do that. So the best thing to do is cancel your Amazon Prime free trial right after you sign up. If you decide to keep it, it’s easy enough to restart. But if you miss your free trial’s expiration date, you’ll be automatically billed for the plan.
âš KNOW THIS: If you want to keep only Prime Video (and not the total benefits package), there is no way to downgrade from the full Prime membership. You’ll need to cancel your Prime membership before it kicks in, then sign up for Prime Video on its own.
How to sign up for Prime Video on its own
Amazon lets you try Prime for free every 12 months because it wants you to sign up for Prime. And it wants you to sign up for the Prime annual plan and just set and forget.
Therefore, there are places left, right, and center for you to sign up for Prime. But finding the Prime video-only plan on Amazon is about as easy as finding lost tribes on the river of the same name. Clicking Explore Other Plans usually gives you 2 options — monthly or annual — plus links to discount plans for students and those receiving government assistance.
There is no Prime Video Only option!
But there is a way to get there. So grab your bullwhip and don your fedora.
After you’ve enjoyed (and canceled) your 30-day free trial of Prime, do the following:
- Navigate to the Prime Video home page.
- Find a video that requires Prime Video to watch and click on it. (Make sure it’s not on Freevee or one of the Prime Video Channels.)
- Click Join Prime Watch Now
- Beside Plan in the table, click Change
- Select Prime Video (monthly) and click Continue
How to pay less for Prime Video
Sign up as a student
If you’re currently enrolled in a 2-year or 4-year college program, you’re probably eligible for Amazon’s Prime Student plan. It gets you everything a regular Prime membership does but costs half the price. Not only that, the free trial for Prime Student is six months long!
Students also get a bunch of deals on Prime Video Channels, Amazon Music, and other subscription services that can be added to a Prime account.
Use your EBT or Medicaid card
If you receive assistance from SNAP, Medicaid, or other select government programs, you can be eligible for Prime Access. It gets you all of Prime for half the price.
Check the Prime Access page for an up-to-date list of all the qualifying programs.
Take a break
Prime Video is only available as a monthly subscription, so you don’t even have the option to commit to an entire year. You can cancel your Prime Video subscription and when you restart, all of your watch history and favorites will still be there. Even a year later or longer, as long as you don’t cancel your Amazon account.
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Final thoughts
In the aftermath of 2023’s so-called “streamflation“, Amazon Prime Video remained one of the only on-demand streaming services with an ad-free plan for under $10/month. (The other is Apple TV+.)
It doesn’t have an extensive library full of must-see originals like many of its competitors. But it does have an exclusive deal for Thursday Night Football until 2033 and some high-caliber original shows you won’t want to miss. However, it doesn’t require a full year to watch it all.
But one thing’s for certain, the Prime Video free trial is the best there is and it’s worth signing up for every 12 months.
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