Every Amazon Prime discount, and who gets one
People search for a Prime discount for teachers, veterans, seniors, nurses and a dozen other groups. Amazon's own answer is shorter than the search list: two discounted memberships, each with published entry rules.
The short answer
Amazon names exactly two discounted Prime memberships. Prime for Young Adults — $7.49 a month or $69 a year — is for anyone aged 18-24 or enrolled in higher education. Prime Access — $6.99 a month — is for people in one of 13 government assistance programs, or who verify their income. There is no teacher, military, senior, nurse or employer rate on Amazon's price list. Plenty of people in those groups still qualify, through one of the two doors.
The reason for the long list of searches — "Amazon Prime discount for seniors", "for veterans", "for teachers", "for nurses" — is that other retailers do run discounts by occupation or age, so it is a reasonable thing to expect. Amazon's pricing works differently: it prices Prime by age band, enrollment and assistance status, and nothing else. The upside is that the rules are published, so you can check your own situation in a minute.
In addition to Prime Access, which starts at $6.99 per month, higher education students and young adults ages 18-24 can join Prime for Young Adults for $7.49 per month or $69 per year.
Figures on this page checked against Amazon’s own pages on — About Amazon's discounted Prime memberships article. How we check.
The two discounts, side by side
| Prime for Young Adults | Prime Access | |
|---|---|---|
| Rate | $7.49 a month or $69 a year | $6.99 a month (no annual rate published) |
| Who qualifies | Aged 18-24, or enrolled in higher education at any age | In one of 13 named assistance programs, or income-verified |
| What you submit | Age: passport, driving license, identity card. Student: the signup form, a .edu address, or proof of enrollment | The program's card or eligibility letter, or income verification with no upload |
| Free trial | 6-month | 30-day |
| How long it lasts | Until 25 (age route), or four years / end of studies (student route) | As long as you re-verify every 12 months |
Group by group
| If you are… | Discount? | Through which door |
|---|---|---|
| A college or university student | Yes | Prime for Young Adults, student route — any age. Who qualifies |
| Aged 18-24 | Yes | Prime for Young Adults, age route — no enrollment needed. The age route |
| A graduate student | Yes | Student route. Grad school and part-time study |
| A teacher | No teacher rate | Student route if you are enrolled; age route if under 25; Prime Access if eligible. Teachers |
| Military or a veteran | No military rate | Age route, student route, or Prime Access — which names a VA pension. Military and veterans |
| A nurse or nursing student | No nurse rate | Nursing students: student route. Nurses and nursing students |
| A senior | No senior rate | Prime Access, if you receive SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, SNAP or another listed program |
| Living with a disability | Through Prime Access | SSI and SSDI are both on Amazon's list |
| On SNAP / EBT, Medicaid or WIC | Yes | Prime Access. Prime Access against the student rate |
| A parent whose child gets school lunch | Yes | Prime Access — the National School Lunch Program is on the list |
| On a low income, no program | Yes | Prime Access, income-verification route |
| None of the above | No | Regular Prime — $139 a year beats monthly. The cheapest way to pay |
The 13 programs that open Prime Access
This is the list most pages get wrong, usually by leaving half of it out. Amazon's Prime Access help page names these, in this order:
- SNAP
- Medicaid
- Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC)
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)
- Veterans & Survivors Pension Benefits (VSPB)
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- Direct Express Debit Card
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- TTANF (Tribal assistance)
- NAP (Puerto Rico's Nutrition Assistance Program)
Plus the route that needs no program at all: "Income-verification : No document upload is necessary. Your information added to will be used to validate." Amazon also offers income verification by tax transcript through a third-party verifier. Whatever you upload has a freshness rule: "Images should be legible. It must show the issue date (must be within the last 12 months) or the expiry date (must be valid), and the beneficiary's name."
Figures on this page checked against Amazon’s own pages on — Amazon's Sign Up for Prime Access help page. How we check.
Seniors: the one age rule runs the other way
The only age condition on Amazon's price list is 18-24. There is no senior rate. What many older customers do have is a qualifying program: SSI, SSDI and Medicaid are all on the Prime Access list, as is SNAP. Medicare is not — it is a different program from Medicaid and it does not appear among the 13. Amazon's help page is specific that SSI "is different from Social Security and SSDI", and it lists SSDI separately, so both count on their own.
What does not count
- A Pell Grant. It is not on Amazon's list of thirteen. A Pell recipient enrolled in college qualifies through the student route instead — which is cheaper anyway.
- Medicare, VA disability compensation, unemployment benefits. None of them is named. The VA pension (Veterans & Survivors Pension Benefits) is.
- Your employer or union. Amazon publishes no employer, occupation or membership-organization rate for Prime.
- A code. No promo or coupon code discounts the membership. Why not.
Prime for Young Adults
The discount with the longest trial
If you are 18-24 or enrolled in higher education: 6-month at no cost, then $7.49 a month.
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If you qualify for both
A 20-year-old student on SNAP qualifies for both discounts. It is one membership per account, so it is a choice rather than a stack. On price the young-adult annual plan wins — $69 a year against $83.88 for a year of Prime Access — and it carries a longer trial. On duration Prime Access wins, because it does not end at 25 or after four years. The sensible sequence for most people is the young-adult rate first and Prime Access when it runs out. The two, head to head.
Two notes on the young-adult name, because it confuses the search results. The program was called Prime Student and was renamed; what the new name means and whether the old one still exists each have their own page.
Common questions
Does Amazon have a senior discount on Prime?
No age-based rate for older customers. Seniors who receive SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, SNAP or another listed program qualify for Prime Access. Medicare is not on Amazon's list.
Is there a military or veteran discount on Amazon Prime?
No military rate appears on Amazon's price list. Service members aged 18-24 qualify by age, anyone enrolled in college qualifies as a student, and the VA's Veterans & Survivors Pension Benefit is one of the Prime Access programs. The details.
Do teachers get a discount on Amazon Prime?
There is no teacher rate. Teachers enrolled in a degree program, student teachers, and teachers under 25 can use the young-adult rate. How each works.
Can you get Amazon Prime cheaper with EBT?
Yes. SNAP is one of the 13 Prime Access programs: $6.99 a month after a 30-day trial, re-verified every 12 months.
Does a Pell Grant qualify for Prime Access?
Not on Amazon's current list. A Pell recipient enrolled in college qualifies for the young-adult student rate instead, which is cheaper on the annual plan.
Prime for Young Adults
Ready to start?
Six months at no cost, then half the regular Prime price. Cancel anytime.
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