Well I have been loving this instant video service this week. I don’t know why I didn’t use it before but I just discovered it myself and happily they are offering a free 30 day trial for everyone right now.
Amazon Prime is a service that costs $79 per year. That works out to $6.58 per month. If you do a lot of online shopping it is really something to consider. I love Prime because you can get free shipping on any order from Amazon directly (not 3rd party merchants). You get your order in 2 days and if you want it shipped overnight, it is only $3.99.
That really adds up over a year because I can say grab a children’s book for $8- the same book would cost me $18 in retail stores. I get it shipped free and don’t have to fuss with finding $25 in merchandise.
The other perk to Prime membership includes free instant streaming of movies and tv shows. Not everything is free but they have lots of things available right now and they are adding more all the time.
This can really come in handy to catch up on older seasons of tv shows. I just did a marathon of Downton Abbey over the holidays and caught up on Season 1 and 2. (Loved it!) I have watched movies I paid for from Amazon for a few years now but I have never really paid attention to the free movies and shows with Prime.
I downloaded the free Amazon Instant Video app to my iPad and then the episodes are super easy to stream.
They also offer access to the Kindle library. You can borrow one free Kindle book per month with your Prime membership. I read a lot and I find new books typically run $10-15 on Kindle- so I usually feel that one free book I would have otherwise spent $10 on justifies my membership.
One last little perk is the new Kindle Free Time app for kiddos. I haven’t tried this app out yet but I think it only works on a Kindle. If you also have Prime, you will pay $2.99 per month for free access to children’s games, books and shows. You can set limits on screen time for each item so it allows for a lot of control over what your kiddos are doing. If you don’t have Prime, it is available for $4.99 per month.
So if you want to try a free 30 day membership to see what you think, head over here to get started.
Please be sure to read the fine print. I can not test this offer myself because I pay for Prime service already. I believe that once the 30 days expires, you will be charged $79. If you decide you don’t want the Prime service, you can go into your account and click on manage Prime membership. Click on “do not upgrade” and you will not be charged once the 30 days expires.
I must be doing something wrong but when I click the link it takes me to sign up and charge my card immediately. How do you get the free 30 day trial?
Julie,
Everything I can see indicates a free 30 day trial. You shouldn’t be charged until the 30 days has ended and you decide to keep the service. If you have had a free trial before they won’t let you have it again. Otherwise, if you are clicking the links that say free 30 day trial and it is telling you that you don’t get 30 days free and that you need to pay $79 right now, I would suggest clicking the contact us button and they have instant online customer support to help. I can’t see what you are seeing because I already have Prime on my account. Perhaps they are telling you that after the 30 days you will need to pay $79 and you misunderstood? You will be charged for the service unless you go in and cancel it. You can see all the details about that in the post.
Thanks Charlene! I think I did have a free trial a year or so ago so they probably won’t let me do it again. No worries though because I had planned to buy a membership with an Amazon gift card I received for Christmas. Just thought if I could get 30 days free first it would stretch my membership out a bit 🙂
Happy New Year!!
Ok- you know I think I tried to pay with a gift card once and they wouldn’t let me :(. I hope it works for you!
FreeTime is AWESOME!! So much better than download apps on iPad! It’s like an age-appropriate library of videos, games, and books kids can watch/read anytime without needing to download anything to the device. LOVE IT!!
Oh great Ashley! I can’t wait to check it out.