Amazon Prime Student is a more affordable version of Amazon Prime. It's designed specifically for college students giving them access to free 2-day shipping and a variety of other Amazon-specific services at half the price of the company's traditional Prime membership.
One of the biggest perks was just announced in time for the holidays. StudentUniverse is offering Prime Student members a limited number of $25 flights to and from home for the holidays. To get the deal, you'll need to be an Amazon Student member (you can sign up for free at Amazon) and visit the Prime Student x Student Universe portal starting at 6 a.m. (PT) on December 5 to book tickets on select domestic flights (while supplies last).
Travel must be for made between mid-December and early January. A total of 3,000 $25 flight tickets will be available during this promotion — with 1,000 tickets dropping each day, starting at 6 a.m. (PT) on December 5, and at 12 a.m. (PT) on December 6 and 7.
- Not a Prime Student member? You can sign up for a free 6-month trial
- Prime Student subscribers can save $7 per month on Prime Music Unlimited, the full-featured upgraded version of Prime Music.
Amazon Prime Student costs $69 annually. The monthly subscription costs $7.49. However, membership is handy if you frequently buy from Amazon and use — or are interested in using — its other online services.
Amazon Prime Student includes other benefits like free GrubHub food delivery, discounts on Amazon Music and Prime Vide Channels, up to 10% off flights and hotels via StudentUniverse, and more. Below is a breakdown of what is Amazon Prime Student and the perks it includes. (For more ways to save, check out our guide to the best Amazon promo codes).
Amazon Prime Student cost
Even though Amazon raised the annual cost to $69 (monthly membership also jumped to $7.49), Amazon Prime Student is still indispensable. Plus, students get a free six-month trial, which is substantially longer than the 30-day trial standard Prime members receive. Here's a break down of Amazon Student's main features.
Q.: What is Amazon Prime?
A.: Amazon Prime is an annual subscription program that provides several benefits for members. Subscribers are eligible for free two-day (and, in some cases, one-day) shipping on most items and other delivery perks. Members also get unlimited streaming video and music, as well as special offers on other digital media. (For all of the details on Prime, see our Amazon Prime FAQ.) Prime benefits include the following:
- Prime Now: Free 2-hour delivery (and discounted 1-hour delivery) for tens of thousands of products from local stores (including Whole Foods) in select cities.
- Prime Photos: Unlimited photo storage in Amazon Cloud Drive.
- Amazon Music Unlimited: Unlimited, ad-free access to more than 1.5 million songs. Users can stream on demand or allow Amazon to select songs based on their taste. One year for $0.99/month (was $4.99/month).
- Prime Gaming: Exclusive in-game loot, free games, free sub to Twitch.tv
- Prime Early Access: 30-minute early access to Lightning Deals on Amazon.com and new sales on MyHabit.com.
- Kindle: Two free months to Kindle Unlimited
- Kindle Owners' Lending Library: Hundreds of thousands of Amazon's Kindle e-books are available for a free one-month checkout. (Note: This perk is not available to Amazon Student members during the six-month free trial.)
- Prime Instant Video: Unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including Amazon's original shows and older HBO content. (Note: This is not available to Amazon Student members during the six-month free trial.)
Q.: What is Amazon Prime Student?
A.: Amazon Student offers the same benefits as regular Amazon Prime ($99 per year), at a discount. It is available to students enrolled in at least one class in a college or university in the United States (including Puerto Rico as well as online universities).
Q.: How much does Amazon Prime Student cost?
A.: Amazon Student costs $59 per year or $6.49 per month, after a free (limited) six-month trial period. Verified students (you have to have an .edu email address) are eligible for four years or until graduation — whichever comes first. After that, the membership will auto-renew itself at $119 per year. Students must pay tax on the membership if they live in Arizona, California, Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia or Wisconsin.
Q.: Are there other special benefits for students?
A.: Amazon Student has a referral program that pays $5 to both the student being referred and the student who refers them. Amazon has requirements for how you deliver the invite to a fellow student, by sharing a link on social media or by using Amazon's email form to send the invite.
Q.: Are there other budget options for Amazon Prime?
A.: Amazon Households allows two adults to share membership benefits. So it could be an option for student roommates, but it saves only one extra dollar over Amazon Student. Alternatively, you can opt for the $6.49/month plan and cancel it the months you don't plan to use it.
Q.: Which items get free shipping with Amazon Prime?
A.: Most items that Amazon sells directly or through "qualified sellers" are eligible for free two-day shipping with Amazon Prime. Some of those products are also eligible for free one-day shipping. Oversize items, such as heavy furniture or larger TVs, get free standard shipping. Items sold through third parties (via Amazon Marketplace) are ineligible for Prime shipping discounts.
Q.: Is there a catch?
A.: You can't share your membership with others in your household, as you can with a standard Prime subscription. Though Prime Photos and discounts on new video game releases are included in the six-month free trial period, students do not have access to Amazon's Prime Music, Prime Instant Video or Kindle Lending Library.
Q: What if I want music, video and Kindle offerings now?
A.: You can sign up for a full Prime paid subscription at any time; you don't have to wait for the six-month trial to end.
Q.: What's the argument against subscribing to Amazon Student?
A.: You may not need Amazon Prime for the free shipping benefits. Purchases that exceed $35 already get free delivery.
As far as the additional benefit of streaming services goes, if you are happy with other streaming video or music services you already subscribe to (such as Hulu, Netflix, Apple Music or Spotify), Amazon's media offerings may not provide you with anything new. (Check Amazon Prime's video and music listings to see.) The same is true if you don't read e-books, or if you use another reader, such as Apple iBooks or Google Play Books.
Q.: How can I sign up for Amazon Student?
A.: If you don't have an Amazon account, start by setting one up here. It's free, but you will have to register a credit card so that Amazon has a way to charge you for purchases.
You'll also have to verify that you are a student. A college-issued email address ending in .edu qualifies you. (It's just for receiving a confirmation email from Amazon and doesn't have to be the address you use for your Amazon account.) Otherwise, you'll have to email Amazon a scan of a document proving you are a student, such as a transcript or a student ID. Amazon.com explains the details.
If, during the trial period, you decide that Amazon Student isn't worth paying for, go to your account (before the trial period ends), select Manage Prime Membership and click Do Not Continue.
