I LOVE having the benefits of Amazon Prime’s free 2-day shipping. I shop a lot on Amazon.com because their prices are almost always better than those I find at my local retail stores PLUS shopping on Amazon saves me time–something that, as a single head-of-household mom, I have far too little of. Even for Amazon’s $79 fee for Amazon Prime, the benefits seem worth it. But if you can get it free for a while, why not do it?

How to get Free Amazon Prime

1. Sign Up for Basic Free 30-day Amazon Prime Trial

Anyone who hasn’t enjoyed a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime can sign up. (Amazon.com may even let you sign up again if it’s been long enough since you had your trial. I did this… I think it had been about a year since I had received my last free Prime trail.)

Sign up here for a Free 30-day Amazon Prime Trial.

2. Join Amazon Mom, Get 3-12 Months Free Amazon Prime

Not only does joining the Amazon Mom program get you 3 free months of Amazon Prime, you’ll also be able to extend you free Prime for up to 12 months. (Each time you purchase $25 of items from Amazon’s baby store in a single order, you’ll earn an additional free month of Prime. Certain other non-baby-related items can also count towards a month of free Prime–see my article on getting up to 12 months free Amazon Prime.

**Update: For my readers’ convenience, I’m now keeping a complete, up-to-date list of non-baby items that extend Amazon Mom Free Prime Shipping.**

Join Amazon Mom to get free Amazon Prime, as well as other mom-related benefits.

3. Join Amazon Student, Get 6 Months Free Amazon Prime

Students who join Amazon Prime after their free trial expires can sign up for a paid Amazon Prime membership for $39/year–half the price of a regular Prime membership–for up to 4 years.

To get free Amazon Prime under the Amazon Student program, you must have a valid .edu address–the kind given to students at major universities. This requirement differentiates the Amazon Student program from the Amazon mom program because it requires evidence; currently, Amazon doesn’t require evidence that you’re the caretaker of a child.

Join Amazon Student for 6 free months of Amazon Prime.

One thing to remember for all Free Amazon Prime accounts:

Amazon doesn’t let you watch free  streaming TV and Movies with free Prime trials; free streaming videos are a benefit reserved for paying Prime members.

Also:  I’ve you’ve received free Amazon Prime under one qualifying program, you can still receive free Prime through another qualifying program, too. (For example, if you’ve already gotten free Amazon Prime as a member of Amazon Mom, Amazon will still let you sign up for Amazon Student and get free Prime through that account, as well.)