How to Sign Up for an Amazon Prime Membership

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Joining Amazon Prime can unlock a host of perks, including fast, free shipping and exclusive discounts. If you’ve been considering signing up but are not sure where to start, you’ve landed in the right place. This guide includes easy-to-follow instructions on how to sign up for Amazon Prime.

Good to know: learn how to delete purchases from your Amazon order history.

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What Is an Amazon Prime Membership?

Amazon Prime is a subscription service offering various benefits for a monthly or yearly fee. If you’re a frequent shopper on Amazon, it’s truly worth it to consider signing up for Prime. Amazon offers a 30-day free trial for anyone who is interested. Read on for a comprehensive view of what features are part of the Amazon Prime package.

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To sign up for Amazon Prime, first create an Amazon account, either from your PC or the mobile Amazon Shopping app (Android, iOS).

Create an Amazon Account

Navigate to the Amazon main page, and click on the Hello, sign in button in the upper-right corner. If you’re on mobile, tap the New to Amazon.com? Create an account option.

As a new user, click the Create your Amazon account button.

Start filling out the signup form by adding your name, address, and email (phone). Press the Continue button when you’re done.

Amazon will verify your account by sending you an OTP (one-time password), which you’ll receive either in your email or on your phone. Type the OTP on the Amazon page to continue.

Amazon will ask you to input your credit card information, then create your account.

Sign Up for Prime

You’ll be automatically redirected to the main Amazon page, where you will appear logged in.

PC

If you’re using your browser, click the Hello, name button in the upper right.

Click on Prime on the Your Account page.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page, select a subscription type attached to a membership fee, then click the Start your 30-day trial button. There are four options:

Prime Monthly – $14.99/month
Prime Annual – $139/year
Prime Student – $7.49/month
Prime Access – $6.99/month (for qualified government assistance recipients)

Note: if you are an active student, you can unlock a six-month trial.

Add a payment method if you haven’t yet (note that you can use your Amazon Gift Card balance to pay in the future), and press Continue.

Amazon will verify your card but won’t charge anything yet. That will happen only after the 30-day trial expires.

Mobile

Signing up for a Prime membership from the Amazon mobile app is a little tricky. We recommend using a mobile browser and navigating to the Amazon Prime page. Tap on the Start your free 30-day trial button to start the process, then follow the instructions above to subscribe.

Going this route will help you bypass any issues that the apps throw up. For instance, in our case, the iPhone app clearly states that we couldn’t sign up with Prime from the mobile application.

As for Android, you can try switching to the Shopping tab at the bottom and tapping the Join Prime button. This should open a browser page for you to continue the signup process.

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How to Log in to Your Amazon Prime Account

To access Amazon with the benefits of Prime, make sure you’re logged in to your Amazon account. (It must be the same account you used to activate Prime.) You’ll know you’re in the right account if you see the Amazon Prime badge appear on the left side of the search bar at the top.

When it comes to signing in to Prime Video to stream video, you may need to log in again using your Amazon email/phone number and password. You can access Prime Video via your browser or from the mobile app (Android, iOS).

To access Amazon Music as a Prime member, do so directly in your browser while you’re logged in with your Amazon account. However, if listening on an Echo device, you will also need to log in again with your Amazon credentials in the Amazon Music mobile app (Android, iOS) or the Amazon Alexa app (Android, iOS).

If you’ve logged in with your Amazon account, you should have no problem accessing Prime Gaming to start claiming titles or playing any of the free games.

To get Prime access for Amazon Photos, you’ll need to press the Sign in button, then get the Amazon Photos app on your phone (Android, iOS) and/or your desktop.

Tip: get up to speed with the best ways to track Amazon price drops, and save big bucks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I renew my Amazon Prime membership?

The Amazon Prime membership renews automatically. You don’t have to do anything. The fee will be charged to the card you’ve attached to your Amazon account. If you need a reminder that the subscription is due, it’s possible to enable and get a notification of renewal three days before the payment goes through.

Is there a free trial of Amazon Prime?

Yes, Amazon offers a 30-day trial for the majority of its Prime subscription tiers. Students can access a more generous offer. Even if you don’t have to pay anything when you sign up, keep in mind that you still have to input a valid credit card, and Amazon will verify it before you’re granted access to all the Prime benefits.

When can I cancel my Amazon Prime membership?

Whenever you want. There’s no restriction as to when you can cancel Amazon Prime. To avoid paying for another month of Amazon Prime, make sure you cancel your subscription well before the renewal date, which is listed under Account -> Prime.

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Alexandra Arici.

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Alexandra Arici –
Staff Writer

Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.