Switching between the monthly and annual plans
The annual plan saves a specific, knowable amount. Whether you should take it depends on something the arithmetic cannot see: how long you will still be eligible.
The short answer
Annual is 20.88 dollars cheaper over twelve months — $69 against 89.88 in monthly payments. It is also a single larger charge, and it is a worse deal if your eligibility ends partway through the year.
| Plan | Charge | Twelve months |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $7.49 per month | 89.88 dollars |
| Annual | $69 once | 69 dollars — 20.88 less |
Figures on this page checked against Amazon’s own pages on — Amazon's signup page. How we check.
That saving is about 23% of the yearly cost. Real, but not enormous — which is why the non-financial arguments below carry more weight than they usually would.
The argument for annual
- It is cheaper. 20.88 dollars a year, every year you stay.
- One charge instead of twelve. Fewer line items to reconcile, and one date to remember instead of a monthly cadence.
- It removes the monthly decision. If you know you want it, deciding once is better than reconsidering every month.
The argument against it
- $69 at once is a real amount of money on a student budget, and cash flow beats arithmetic when the arithmetic is worth 20.88 dollars.
- Your eligibility might end mid-year. Graduating in May having paid through December is the case where annual stops being cheaper.
- Monthly keeps the exit cheap. If you are unsure whether you use it enough, twelve small commitments are easier to stop than one large one.
That middle point is the one specific to this membership rather than to subscriptions generally, and it is the one worth thinking about hardest. When the discount ends.
The eligibility test, in one question
Will you still qualify twelve months from today? If yes, take annual. If no, or if you are not sure, the monthly plan costs you 1.74 dollars a month for the flexibility — which is a small price for not prepaying a membership you will lose.
Take annual
Two or more years to run
A sophomore on the student route, or a 21-year-old on the age route.
20.88 dollars a year, compounding across the remaining years.
Stay monthly
Under a year to run
A final-year student, or anyone turning 25 within twelve months.
The saving does not survive a conversion partway through the term you have prepaid.
How to switch
Through the same Amazon membership settings that show your renewal date. The plan you are on and the option to change it sit together. Finding your renewal date.
What we cannot tell you is exactly how Amazon prorates a mid-cycle change, because that is not published on the pages we track. Check what your own membership settings state at the moment you switch, and what Amazon does say about refunds.
Prime for Young Adults
Either plan, half the regular price
$7.49 a month or $69 a year — against $14.99 and $139 for regular Prime.
#ad — this is a tagged Amazon link. If you sign up through it we may earn a flat referral fee, at no cost to you. How this site is funded.
One thing the annual plan does not change
It does not extend your eligibility. Paying for twelve months does not stop Amazon converting you at graduation, at four years, or at 25 — those conditions are about eligibility, not about billing.
That is precisely why the "will you still qualify" question matters more than the 20.88 dollars. The three end conditions, and the full cost picture.
Common questions
Is monthly or annual cheaper for Prime Student?
Annual, by 20.88 dollars over twelve months — $69 against 89.88 in monthly payments.
Should I switch to the annual plan?
If you will still qualify in twelve months, yes. If you graduate or turn 25 within the year, the saving may not survive a conversion partway through what you have prepaid.
How do I change plans?
Through the Amazon membership settings that also show your renewal date. The plan and the option to change it sit together.
What happens if I switch mid-cycle?
Amazon does not publish its proration rule on the pages we track, so we do not state one. Check what your own membership settings say at the moment you switch.
Prime for Young Adults
Ready to start?
Six months at no cost, then half the regular Prime price. Cancel anytime.
#ad — this is a tagged Amazon link. If you sign up through it we may earn a flat referral fee, at no cost to you. How this site is funded.