Prime Early Access Sale is coming up — here’s how to get Amazon Prime membership for free

An Amazon Prime truck pulls away after a delivery in Washington, DC, on February 17, 2022.

For the first time ever, Amazon is hosting a second Prime Day-like mega sale in one year. Amazon’s first-ever Prime Early Access Sale will take place on October 11 and 12, meaning the highly anticipated 48-hour sales event is right around the corner.

Loyal Prime Day shoppers know the rules: To take advantage of the deep discounts offered over the course of these two days, you have to be an Amazon Prime member. As of earlier this year, an annual Prime membership now costs $139 or $14.99 per month.

While we think Amazon Prime is worth having year-round for avid online shoppers, here are some ways to skirt around paying the membership fee in time to score Prime Day and Prime Early Access Sale deals.

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Sign up for a free 30-day trial

If you want to just sign up to take advantage of Prime Early Access Sale discounts (including early Prime Early Access Sale deals that are already live) and that’s it, a free 30-day trial is the way to go.

Those totally new to Amazon Prime membership, or anyone who hasn’t been a member in the last 12 months, are eligible for a 30-day trial. Be sure to set a reminder for when your trial ends so you can cancel before it’s up and you’re charged for more time.

Note that you’ll need to use a credit card to set up your trial membership.

If you’re eligible, sign up for a free Prime Student trial

If you’re a college student, you’re in luck, too, as you can sign up for a free six-month Amazon Prime Student trial. You must be enrolled in at least one course at an institution in the United States or Puerto Rico, have a working.edu email address and be able to show proof of enrollment if requested.

While the same cancellation reminder as above applies here, the six-month stretch is definitely more generous than just 30 days. You may even discover you want to hold onto Amazon Prime in your student years, which, in that case, would be more affordable than when you are a Prime member in “adult life.” An Amazon Prime Student membership costs about half the price of a regular Amazon Prime membership, at $7.49 per month or $69 annually, and that rate is valid for four years.

You might also want to consider signing up for the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students, which includes a complimentary one-year Prime Student membership among its benefits.

Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students

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Information about the Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer of the card prior to publication.

• Rewards

  1% cash back on all purchases

• Welcome bonus

  None

• Annual fee

  $0

• Intro APR

  None

• Regular APR

  22.99% variable

• Balance transfer fee

  N/A, balance transfers are not available

• Foreign transaction fee

  None

• Credit needed

  N/A

Terms apply.

‘Borrow’ a family member’s Amazon Prime account

Thanks to Amazon Household, you can share the Prime membership access that your spouse, sibling or parent already pays for. Hey, that’s what family’s for, right? When shopping this October 11 and 12, maybe you’ll find a Prime Early Access Sale deal they can enjoy, too.

Amazon Household just requires that two adults (ages 18 and over) each have their own Amazon account, though only one must have a Prime membership. Thanks to this benefit, household members, including teens and children, are able to share Amazon Prime benefits such as free one-day Prime Delivery and Prime Video.

Through Amazon Household, your Amazon account will be connected to give you access to, say, your spouse’s Amazon Prime membership perks, but you’ll still have your own respective accounts.

Apply for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

Now, might be a good time to apply for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card. Right now, new cardholders can earn a $100 Amazon.com gift card instantly upon approval.

While there’s no minimum spending requirement needed to earn the bonus, you must be an Amazon Prime member to get the credit card — the $100 bonus will almost fully take care of the first year of your Prime membership, which costs $139.

Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card

• Rewards

  5% cash back at Amazon.com and Whole Foods Market; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores; 1% back on all other purchases

• Welcome bonus

  $200 Amazon.com gift card upon approval

• Annual fee

  $0 (but Prime membership is required)

• Intro APR

  None

• Regular APR

  17.24% to 25.24% variable

• Balance transfer fee

  5%, $5 minimum

• Foreign transaction fee

  None

• Credit needed

  Excellent/Good

Terms apply.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

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• Rewards

  $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5X points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3X points on dining, 3X points on select streaming services and online grocery purchases (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs), 2X points on all other travel purchases, and 1X points on all other purchases

• Welcome bonus

  Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.

• Annual fee

  $95

• Intro APR

  None

• Regular APR

  20.74% – 27.74% variable on purchases and balance transfers

• Balance transfer fee

  Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater

• Foreign transaction fee

  None

• Credit needed

  Excellent/Good

Terms apply.

Citi® Double Cash Card

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On Citi’s secure site

• Rewards

  2% cash back: 1% on all eligible purchases and an additional 1% after you pay your credit card bill

• Welcome bonus

  None

• Annual fee

  $0

• Intro APR

  0% for the first 18 months on balance transfers; N/A for purchases

• Regular APR

  18.74% – 28.74% variable

• Balance transfer fee

  For balance transfers completed within 4 months of account opening, an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies; after that, a balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies

• Foreign transaction fee

  3%

• Credit needed

  Good/Excellent

Terms apply.

Or, get a Prime membership discount with an EBT card

If you have an EBT card or any valid qualifying government assistance documents, you’re eligible for an Amazon Prime membership discount of $8 per month, bringing the total to $6.99 per month.

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Information about the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card has been collected independently by Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication; if you purchase something through Select links, we may earn a commission.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.