Prime Student vs. Prime (Benefits of Prime Student)

Hand holds Amazon icon printed on paper.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. Purchases made through my affiliate links provide a small commission for me at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I know/use.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know about Prime Student when I was a student, or I could have saved a bunch of money! When I found out about it, I thought it was just Amazon Prime but with a student discount. However, this is not the case.

When comparing Prime Student vs. Prime, it is important to realize that there are several differences.

Prime Student has all of Prime’s benefits, except it cannot be shared.

Prime Student has a 6-month free trial compared to Prime’s 30-day free trial, it is half the price of Prime, and it offers exclusive deals, such as 6 months of free LinkedIn Premium, discounts on textbooks and flights, and an extended free trial and then discount on Course Hero and Calm.

Let’s take an in-depth look at what Prime Student and Prime are and their differences.

What is Prime Student? 

Amazon Prime Student is Amazon’s Prime membership for students. It gives students the same benefits as Amazon Prime, plus extra benefits and discounts, at half the price.

Prime Student pros: 

  • 6-month free trial
  • Half the price of Prime 
  • Free two-day shipping 
  • Prime Video 
  • Prime Reading
  • Prime Music
  • Prime Gaming
  • Amazon Fresh (Grocery delivery)
  • One year of free Grubhub +
  • Access to Prime Day
  • Discounts on textbook rentals
  • Exclusive deals 
  • Free trial and discount on Course Hero
  • LinkedIn Premium 6-month free trial

Prime Student cons: 

  • No sharing

How much does Prime Student cost? 

Students receive a six-month free trial of Prime if they are a new member and then pay half-price for Prime for four years or until graduation (whichever comes first). This makes Prime Student $7.49 a month or $69 a year compared to Prime’s $14.99 a month or $139 a year. 

Amazon Prime Student after 4 years

When you graduate or your four years are up (whichever comes first), your Prime Student membership is automatically converted to a regular Prime membership (with normal rates) at the time of your next membership renewal. You will start paying $14.99 a month or $139 a year.

Who is eligible for Prime Student?

Anyone 18 or older, enrolled in at least one course at a college or university in the United States, and has a .edu email address is eligible for Prime Student. Eligibility includes online college students and students from Puerto Rico. 

College students can part-time or full-time. They can be at a community college, getting their Bachelor’s, or at graduate school. High school students using dual enrollment to take college courses are eligible for Prime Student if they are over 18 years old. 

Prime Student eligibility continues for four years or until you graduate (whichever comes first). Prime Student members should be prepared to provide additional proof of enrollment if Amazon requests it.

Amazon does not allow students to share their Prime Student accounts with anyone.

How to sign up for Prime Student 

To sign up for Prime Student, you first need to have an amazon account or create an accountOpens in a new tab. (you don’t have to use your school email address for this step). 

Once you are signed into your account: 

  1. Go to the Prime StudentOpens in a new tab. page
  2. Select “Try Prime Student”
  3. Enter your information about your name, date of birth, school, and graduation year. Put a credit card on file. Submit form. 
  4. You will get a verification email to your .edu school email address. Click to confirm your email.

How does Amazon verify student status?

Amazon verifies student status by sending a verification email to the student’s .edu email address.

Alternate verification process

If you don’t have a .edu email address, you can verify your student status by sending an email to [email protected]Opens in a new tab. with proof that you are a student, such as your current: 

  • Acceptance letter 
  • Transcript
  • School schedule 
  • Tuition bill
  • Student ID (that shows an expiration date or recent issue date)

These documents must show a current date, your name, and your school’s name.

They will use these to verify that you are a student and enroll you in Prime Student.

How do I switch from Prime to Student Prime?

Current Prime members can switch to Prime Student.

To transfer your membership to Prime Student, go to the Prime StudentOpens in a new tab. page and sign up for Prime Student. You do not have to cancel your Amazon Prime membership.

After your student status is verified, Amazon will issue you a refund for the remaining extra balance on your current membership. 

Amazon Prime Student sign up not working (no email verification)

If you don’t receive a verification email, first check your spam folder. 

If you still can’t find the verification email,  you can go to Amazon’s Verify your Email Opens in a new tab.page and request them to resend the verification email. 

How do I cancel Prime Student?

Canceling your Prime Student membership is very easy. 

To cancel Prime Student, click on your name and select your “Prime Membership”:

Amazon Prime Your Account Drop-down list with a red arrow pointing to "Prime Membership"

From there, click on the drop-down arrow that says “Update, cancel, and more” under “Membership”. 

You can select “End membership”: 

Prime Membership page with a red arrow pointing to "End Membership"

Can I cancel Amazon Student at any time?

Students can cancel their Amazon Student membership at any time. 

Amazon should send you a reminder email about your free trial ending and subscription charge, so to avoid any charges, make sure that you cancel it before your free trial ends if you don’t want to pay for Prime Student.

If you cancel Prime Student, can you get it back?

If students cancel their Prime Student membership, they won’t get another 6-month free trial, but they will be eligible to restart their Prime Student membership again (as long as they can verify they are a student).

Find out more about student ID numbersOpens in a new tab. and cards!Opens in a new tab. 

What is Amazon Prime? 

Amazon Prime is a membership program where members pay a monthly/yearly fee and receive benefits such as free two-day shipping, exclusive deals, and prime video and reading.

Amazon Prime Pros: 

  • Free two-day shipping 
  • Prime Video 
  • Prime Reading 
  • Prime Music
  • Prime Gaming
  • Amazon Fresh (Grocery delivery)
  • One year of free Grubhub +
  • Access to Prime Day
  • Share with household 

Amazon Prime cons: 

  • More expensive
  • Doesn’t include certain exclusive discounts that Prime Student offers

How much does Amazon Prime cost? 

Amazon Prime offers a 30-day free trial and then charges $14.99 a month or $139 a year.

How to sign up for Amazon Prime 

To sign up for Amazon Prime, you first need to have an amazon account or create an accountOpens in a new tab.

  1. Go to the Amazon PrimeOpens in a new tab. page
  2. Select Try Prime
  3. Enter your credit card information and submit the form.

Differences between Prime and Prime Student

Here is an overview of the differences between Prime and Prime Student:

Feature:Amazon PrimePrime Student
Free-trial time period1 month6 months
Membership cost$14.99 a month or $139 a year $7.49 a month or $69 a year
Free shipping Yes, for eligible purchasesYes, for eligible purchases
Prime VideoYesYes
Prime ReadingYesYes
Prime GamingYesYes
Amazon Photo StorageYesYes
Can be sharedYesNo
Prime MusicYesYes, and discount on Amazon Music Unlimited
Access to Prime DayYesYes

Prime Student members also get a free trial and discount for Course Hero and Calm, a 6-month LinkedIn Premium free trial, and additional exclusive discounts.

Now let’s look at the benefits that Amazon Prime and Prime Student members share and which are exclusive to each membership.

Benefits for both Amazon Prime and Prime Student members 

Most benefits are available to both Amazon Prime and Prime Student members.

Free Shipping 

All members get free shipping on eligible purchases with no minimum order size. Free two-day, one-day, or even same-day shipping is available on eligible offers. 

Exclusive deals 

All Prime members (including Prime Student members) get access to exclusive deals. They also get early access to certain Amazon lightning deals. 

Prime Day 

Prime members and Prime Student members get access to offers on Prime Day. These deals can beat Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. 

Amazon Photos

Members get free unlimited photo storage in Amazon’s cloud drive. They also get 5 GB to store documents or videos.

Prime Video

Both Prime members and Prime Student members get access to Prime Video and the thousands of movies and TV shows they have. 

Prime Video has immensely improved in the past few years. They now have a lot of series and shows that I love. I particularly recommend Upload and The Boys (though fair warning, this show is mature content and graphic).

Amazon Fresh (Grocery delivery) 

Both Amazon Prime and Prime Student members get access to Amazon Fresh which provides free 2-hour grocery delivery (including from Whole Foods) in select cities. 

Check out Amazon’s grocery deliveryOpens in a new tab..

One year of free Grubhub +

Members of Amazon Prime and Prime Student get one year of Grubhub + for free (it is normally $9.99 a month). This comes with $0 delivery fees on eligible orders and exclusive savings.

Check out the Grubhub + dealOpens in a new tab..

Prime Gaming

Both Amazon Prime members and Prime Student members get access to Prime Gaming. However, during the 6-month free trial of Prime Student, members receive only one 30-day free channel subscription (instead of the normal one each month). 

Prime GamingOpens in a new tab. consists of free games, in-game loot, and a free channel subscription on Twitch each month. Members also get discounts on video games.

Prime Reading  

Prime Reading is available to both Amazon Prime members and Prime Student members. 

With Prime Reading, members have access to more than 1,000 ebooks, audiobooks, comics, and magazines. You can read on your computer, phone, tablet, or Kindle through the Kindle app.

Members also get one free pre-release ebook each month that the editors pick. 

Check out Prime Reading hereOpens in a new tab..

Prime Music

Both Prime members and Prime Student members get access to Prime Music which has more than 2 million songs and podcasts.

Prime Student members also get a discount on Amazon Music UnlimitedOpens in a new tab.— just $0.99 a month compared to $8.99/month for Prime members.

Audible discount

Prime members and Prime Student members get a 60% discountOpens in a new tab. on their first 4 months of Audible Premium Plus.

Benefits of Amazon Prime Students only 

The deals you get with Prime Student are a 6-month free trial, 50% off membership cost, free trial and discount for Course Hero and Calm, LinkedIn Premium free trial, and exclusive discounts on flights, textbooks, and streaming services.

Amazon Prime Student 6 months free trial

Amazon Prime members get a 30-day free trial, but Prime Student members get a much longer 6-month free trial. 

This saves you money and gives you longer to decide if you want to buy a membership. 

The free trial includes almost all of the Prime Student benefits, but Prime Video and Prime Music are not available during the free trial.

Prime Student is half the price

The Prime Student membership is half the price of the Prime membership— $7.49 a month or $69 a year compared to $14.99 a month or $139 a year. 

How long does Amazon Prime Student discount last?

Prime Student lasts 4 years or until the student graduates (whichever comes first). Every year the student must renew the membership and verify that they are still a student. 

When you receive an email from Amazon saying your membership will renew at the regular rate (normal Prime membership), go to the Manage your MembershipOpens in a new tab. page and re-verify that you are still a student. 

If you don’t do this, your membership converts to regular Prime, and you will be charged accordingly. If this happens, students have 60 days to show that they are still a student, and Amazon will refund them to difference. 

Amazon Prime Student Course Hero free trial and discount 

Prime Student members get a one-month free trial of Course Hero and then a 60% discount of only $9.95 a month after that. 

Course Hero provides access to textbook solutions, practice problems, and 24/7 tutoring.

Find out more about the Course Hero discountOpens in a new tab..

Prime Student LinkedIn Premium

Members of Prime Student get a 6 month free trial of LinkedIn Premium, which comes with InMail credits, more information about who’s viewed your profile, and over 17,900 LinkedIn Learning courses. 

LinkedIn Premium is great for helping students find internships and jobs. 

Check out Prime Student’s LinkedIn Premium free trialOpens in a new tab..

Amazon Prime Student flight discounts

Prime Student members can save up to 10% off already discounted flights, get an Amazon gift card worth 10% of their hotel price after their trip, and get premium customer support through StudentUniverse. 

Amazon Prime Student partners with StudentUniverseOpens in a new tab. to offer up to an additional 10% off all the (already discounted) flights booked on StudentUniverse deals on their already discounted.

Amazon also sends students an Amazon gift card worth 10% of the hotel price (excluding tax) to the student’s email address 5 days after the trip. 

Prime Student members need to Activate StudentUniverseOpens in a new tab. to unlock the exclusive deals.

Note: StudentUniverse only offers their free membership and deals to students under 26.

Amazon Student discounts

Students apart of the Prime Student membership get exclusive discountsOpens in a new tab. on college essentials, including textbooks, computers and accessories, and health and personal care items.

Amazon Prime Student rentals 

Renting textbooks can be a great option to help students save money (but make sure that you don’t need the online access code because this doesn’t normally come with rentals). 

Students can rent used, new, or digital textbooksOpens in a new tab. on Amazon. 

While anyone can rent textbooks on Amazon, Prime Student members get extra discountsOpens in a new tab.

You can rent and save up to 90% on some textbooks.  

You also get free prime two-day shipping which can come in handy if you wait too long to order your textbooks and need to get them before classes start but don’t want to pay the bookstore’s crazy prices.

Check out When, Where, and How to Buy Cheap TextbooksOpens in a new tab. for more tips on saving on textbooks.

Longer free trial of Kindle Unlimited 

All Prime members get a 30-day free trial of Kindle UnlimitedOpens in a new tab., but Prime Student Members get a 2-month free trial of Kindle Unlimited.

Amazon Prime Student Calm app free trial and discount 

Prime Student members in the United States get access to a three-month free trial of the Calm app (a meditation and sleep app) compared to the regular one-week free trial. After that, they get a discounted rate of $8.99 a year compared to the normal $69.99 a year price for as long as they are a Prime Student member. 

Go to the Calm student discount pageOpens in a new tab. to redeem this offer. 

Remember to cancel this free trial at least 24 hours before it ends, or you will be charged the $8.99 a year price.

Prime Student discounts on other streaming services

Prime Student members get access to Showtime, Lifetime movie club, Sundance now, The Coda Collection, Epix, Allblk, Motortrend, Shudder, Acorn, History channel vault, and Pantaya for $0.99 a month each for up to a year.

Benefits of Amazon Prime members only

The main benefit that only Amazon Prime members get is sharing their membership.

Amazon Prime can be shared

Amazon Prime gives you the option to share your membership with other people that live in your home. You can share with up to 2 adults and 4 teens and children.

To share your account, go to the Manage Your HouseholdOpens in a new tab. page and click Add Adult, Add Teen, or Add Child. 

Parents are also able to use parental controls, and the kid’s accounts do not have a shopping feature.

Prime Student memberships are for the student only and cannot be shared.

Bottom line: Which is better: Amazon Prime or Prime Student?

Prime Student is better if you are eligible. There is a 6-month free trial. Plus, it includes almost all of the same benefits of Amazon Prime for half the price and additional benefits like exclusive discounts and Kindle Unlimited, Course Hero, Calm, and LinkedIn Premium free trials.

Sign up for Prime Student todayOpens in a new tab.!

For more student discounts, check out Apple Student Discounts (Best Deals and Apple Music Tips)Opens in a new tab..

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts