Amazon Prime Plans Compared: Monthly, Annual, Student and Access
The main Amazon Prime plans in the US cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year. Two discounted plans cover all of Prime for less: Prime for Young Adults (ages 18 to 24 and students) at $7.49 per month or $69 per year, and Prime Access at $6.99 per month for government assistance recipients and income-verified customers. Prime Video only costs $8.99 per month, and ad-free viewing (Prime Video Ultra) adds $4.99 per month.
This page compares every US plan, shows when the annual plan pays off, explains who qualifies for the discounts, and tracks how Prime prices have changed since this article first reported the monthly plans in April 2016.
Amazon Prime plans at a glance
Amazon sells four Prime membership plans in the US, plus a video-only membership and an ad-free video add-on. Prime and Prime Video Ultra prices come from Amazon's March 2026 Ultra announcement, which confirmed that Prime itself stayed at $14.99 and $139; the discounted plans are described on Amazon's Prime for Young Adults and Prime Access pages. All prices are before tax; confirm the final price on Amazon's Prime page before you sign up.
| Plan | Price | Free trial and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prime Monthly | $14.99 per month | 30-day trial for eligible new members |
| Prime Annual | $139 per year | 30-day trial; works out to about $11.58 per month |
| Prime for Young Adults | $7.49 per month or $69 per year | 6-month trial; ages 18 to 24 or students |
| Prime Access | $6.99 per month | 30-day trial; eligibility check required |
| Prime Video only | $8.99 per month | Video library only, no shipping or other Prime benefits |
| Prime Video Ultra (add-on) | $4.99 per month or $45.99 per year | Ad-free and 4K; annual option for annual Prime members |
Every plan continues as a paid membership when the trial ends unless you cancel, so set a reminder if you only want the trial.
Monthly vs annual: which saves more
Prime Annual is the cheaper choice if you keep Prime for 10 months or longer. Twelve monthly payments of $14.99 add up to $179.88, so the $139 annual plan saves $40.88 a year, roughly 23 percent.
The break-even point sits between 9 and 10 months:
- 9 months of Prime Monthly cost $134.91, slightly less than one year of Prime Annual.
- 10 months of Prime Monthly cost $149.90, already $10.90 more than Prime Annual.
- 2 or 3 months, for example around Prime Day or the holidays, cost $29.98 or $44.97.
The same logic applies to Prime for Young Adults: 12 months at $7.49 cost $89.88, so the $69 annual option saves $20.88. Prime Access is listed as a monthly plan only.
The original case for monthly billing from 2016 still holds. If you only want Prime for a short burst, such as one season of a show or a few big shopping weeks, pay monthly and cancel. If you order from Amazon all year, the annual plan is the better deal.
Prime for Young Adults and Prime Access
Prime for Young Adults and Prime Access both include the full set of Prime benefits at about half the regular price, but they serve different groups.
Prime for Young Adults (the plan formerly marketed as Prime Student) is open to 18 to 24 year olds and students. Age is verified with a driver's license, passport or ID card, and students at two- or four-year colleges can sign up with a .edu email address. It starts with a 6-month trial, then costs $7.49 per month or $69 per year, and Amazon adds 5 percent cash back on selected items for members.
Prime Access costs $6.99 per month after a 30-day trial for eligible new members. You qualify in one of two ways:
- Household income within 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline, confirmed through Amazon's income verification.
- Enrollment in an eligible program, proven by uploading documentation. Amazon lists SNAP (EBT), Medicaid, SSI, SSDI, TANF, WIC, LIHEAP, the National School Lunch Program, Direct Express, tribal assistance, Puerto Rico's NAP, federal public housing assistance and veterans and survivors pension benefits.
Eligibility must be reverified every 12 months; members who no longer qualify move to the regular $14.99 monthly price. Prime Access members can share many benefits with their household through Amazon Family.
Prime Video only and the ad-free Ultra add-on
Prime Video only is a $8.99 per month membership that includes the Prime Video streaming library and none of the shopping benefits. It suits people who want Amazon's shows and films but rarely order online, and it is the cheaper path if video is all you use: $8.99 versus $14.99 per month.
Prime Video streams with ads by default. Ads arrived in the US on January 29, 2024, together with a $2.99 per month ad-free add-on. In March 2026, Amazon renamed that add-on Prime Video Ultra, and its price rose to $4.99 per month from April 10, 2026. Annual Prime members can choose an annual Ultra plan at $45.99. Ultra requires a Prime or Prime Video membership, is US only, and adds:
- Ad-free streaming (live events, sports and some other content can still show ads)
- 4K UHD video and Dolby Atmos audio
- Up to 5 simultaneous streams and up to 100 downloads
At current rates, Prime Monthly plus Ultra costs $19.98 per month, and Prime Video only plus Ultra costs $13.98. For a cost comparison with the main rival, see our breakdown of Netflix plans and prices.
What Amazon Prime includes
A full Prime membership bundles shipping, streaming and savings benefits. Amazon's own overview of Prime shopping benefits and its benefit pages list:
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video with films, Originals and live sports
- Amazon Music with Prime
- Amazon Photos with unlimited high-resolution photo storage and up to 5 GB for videos
- Prime Reading with a rotating selection of books and magazines
- Member-only deals and access to savings events such as Prime Day
- Free Same-Day Delivery on grocery and essentials orders over $25 where available, plus an extra 10 percent off sale items at Whole Foods Market
- Prescription savings of up to 80 percent without insurance at more than 60,000 pharmacies, and 10 cents off per gallon at more than 7,500 bp, Amoco and ampm stations
Amazon Photos is a strong extra if you are moving away from another cloud library; if you stay with Google, our guide to the Google Photos Locked Folder covers keeping private pictures separate. Prime members can share benefits with one other adult at the same address, plus up to four child profiles, through Amazon Family (formerly Amazon Household).
Amazon Prime price history since 2016
Prime has become steadily more expensive: the annual fee rose from $99 in 2016 to $139 today, and the monthly fee from $10.99 to $14.99. The 2016 monthly launch shown below was the starting point for the flexible pricing Amazon still uses.
| Date | Change | Price |
|---|---|---|
| February 2005 | Prime launches as an annual membership | $79 per year |
| March 2014 | Annual fee increase | $99 per year |
| April 2016 | Monthly Prime and standalone Prime Video launch | $10.99 and $8.99 per month |
| June 2017 | Discounted Prime for EBT recipients (Medicaid added 2018) | $5.99 per month |
| January 2018 | Monthly fee increase | $12.99 per month |
| May 2018 | Annual fee increase for new members | $119 per year |
| February 2022 | Annual, monthly, Student and assistance plans rise | $139 per year, $14.99, $7.49 and $6.99 per month |
| January 2024 | Ads on Prime Video, ad-free add-on introduced | $2.99 per month |
| March and April 2026 | Ad-free add-on renamed Prime Video Ultra, new price from April 10 | $4.99 per month |
In 2022, the new prices applied to new members from February 18 and to existing members at their first renewal after March 25.
FAQ
Can I switch from monthly to annual Prime?
Yes. Amazon lets members switch between Prime plans from the Prime membership settings in Your Account, and its help page "Switch Amazon Prime Membership" covers the process. Check the date the new plan starts before you confirm, since that is when the annual fee is charged.
Is there an Amazon Prime family plan?
There is no separate family plan. Amazon Family (formerly Amazon Household) lets a Prime member share benefits with one other adult at the same address and up to four child profiles.
Does Amazon Prime come with a free trial?
Eligible new members get a 30-day trial of Prime Monthly, Prime Annual or Prime Access, and Prime for Young Adults starts with a 6-month trial. The plan renews automatically at the listed price unless you cancel before the trial ends.
Is Prime Video ad-free with a Prime membership?
No. Prime Video shows limited ads by default, and ad-free viewing requires the Prime Video Ultra add-on at $4.99 per month.
Related: YouTube Premium Family plan household rules, how Netflix prices its plans and extra members
I was hesitant to sign up for Amazon Prime initially, because I wasn’t ordering enough online to justify the cost savings in shipping. But when I found out they include unlimited photo storage as part of the package, that sealed the deal for me. So far I’ve got 64GB of image files safely stored away. Now I go out of my way to look for stuff on Amazon first.
Amazon offered monthly subscriptions as a test a few years ago, and I signed up. I have been paying a monthly fee for years. Yes, $99 a year would be cheaper, but having $99 pulled out of my bank is inconvenient with my paycheck to paycheck income. I love seeing all the new features that they keep adding.
Wouldn’t touch Amazon Prime with a bargepole.
I’d like to say I wouldn’t touch Amazon either – imho almost a criminal organisation (I live in the UK where they’ve made billions and paid almost zero taxes.) Unfortunately I live in a rural area where – if I ignored Amazon – I’d have almost no suppliers. Frankly I’m ashamed of myself (though I haven’t actually used Amazon in half a year.)
I live in Scotland. A neighbouring local authority gave Amazon no end of financial and legal encouragement to set up a warehouse (sorry – ‘customer fulfilment centre’ – mealy-mouthed or what) where ‘associates’ (aka shit-on employees on ‘zero-hour’ contracts) are virtual wage-slaves. That authority now openly declares they now wish they’d had nothing to do with Amazon.
If a competitor to Amazon arose tomorrow I’d leap at the chance.
I have a Amazon Fire Stick ($39) that I use with my Amazon Prime. For $99.00 a year, it’s been a terrific deal. Books, movies, shipping, all kinds of fun stuff.
I love prime, I order a ton from amazon. Saves me a lot of car rides (and parking fees).
We’re avid users of it too. It has saved a lot of money over the last few years. However, prime shipping has changed in the last month. The free 2-day shipping is now taking up to 4 days.
Nice tip Jeff-FL, thanks. I’m sure there are some other readers who will appreciate that too.
If you call them and complain about that, they’ll credit your account, either with store credit, or by extending your Prime with a free month.
No probs
‘Prime for $99 per month’- that should read,’Prime for $99 annually,’ which is equivalent to $8.25 per month as advertised.
Right, thanks Joe ;)