The best Amazon subscriptions for college students
Amazon sells more subscriptions than most students realize, and prices several of them differently for members. Ranked by what each costs a student and what it replaces, half of them are already included or a poor deal.
The short answer
1. Prime for Young Adults ($7.49 a month or $69 a year) is the one to buy, because it is the base the others discount from. 2. Music Unlimited at $5.99 is worth it only if you would pay for full-catalog music anyway. 3. Prime Video channels at $0.99 each suit one show, not a habit. Skip the $8.99 Prime Video membership (full Prime is cheaper for you) and do not pay separately for Grubhub+, Music Prime or photo storage — they are included. Audible and Kindle Unlimited publish no student rate.
"Best subscriptions for college students" usually means streaming, music and study tools from a dozen companies. This page covers Amazon's own, because those are the prices we check at source and date. Streaming services beyond Amazon are compared on the blog, and the subscription audit is the place to start if you are not sure what you are already paying for.
Figures on this page checked against Amazon’s own pages on — Amazon's Prime for Young Adults help page (member rates). How we check.
Figures on this page checked against Amazon’s own pages on — Amazon's Prime membership fee help page (Prime Video membership). How we check.
The ranking
| Rank | Subscription | A student pays | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prime for Young Adults | $7.49 a month / $69 a year | Buy. The base every member rate hangs off. |
| 2 | Amazon Music Unlimited | $5.99 a month, as a member | Only if it replaces a music subscription you pay for now. |
| 3 | Prime Video channels | $0.99 a month per channel, as a member | One channel, one show, then cancel. |
| — | Grubhub+, Music Prime, Amazon Photos, Prime Gaming | Included | Do not pay for these separately. |
| — | Audible | $8.99 a month (Standard); no student rate | Only for heavy listeners. Why |
| — | Kindle Unlimited | No member or student rate published | Check the free reading first |
| — | Prime Video membership | $8.99 a month | Skip. $1.50 more than full Prime at the student rate. |
1. Prime for Young Adults: the only one to buy first
Every other line on this page either comes with the membership or is priced lower because of it. On its own it carries delivery, Prime Video, Music Prime, photo storage, Prime Gaming, Grubhub+ and 5% cash back on eligible items. The 6-month trial is free, and the annual plan at $69 is the cheapest year of Prime Amazon sells. Every benefit, in full.
2. Music Unlimited at $5.99
The membership already includes Amazon Music Prime. Music Unlimited is the full catalog, and Amazon lists it for members "at a discounted rate" of $5.99 a month. Together that is $13.48 a month for Prime and full music. The test is simple: if what you pay for music today is more than that, the bundle is cheaper and brings everything else; if it is less, keep what you have and take Music Prime as a free extra. Music Prime vs Music Unlimited.
3. Prime Video channels at $0.99
Channels are add-on subscriptions inside Prime Video, and Amazon lists them for members at $0.99 a month per channel. That is a discount, not an inclusion. The student way to use it: subscribe for the month a show you want is on, watch it, cancel — $8.48 for Prime plus that channel that month. Stacking several and forgetting them is how a cheap membership stops being cheap. Prime Video on the student plan.
Included: do not pay for these twice
- Grubhub+. Included, and Amazon values it at $120 a year. If you pay Grubhub for a delivery membership now, link the two and stop.
- Amazon Music Prime. Included. Only the full catalog costs extra.
- Photo storage. "Enjoy unlimited full-resolution photo storage and 5GB for video storage." Amazon Photos.
- Prime Gaming. Free games and, after the trial, a monthly Twitch channel subscription. Prime Gaming.
- Alexa+. "Alexa+ is free with Prime". What that covers.
- One free book a month. "Choose one featured book for free every month" First Reads.
Audible and Kindle Unlimited: no student rate
Audible is an Amazon company with its own pricing: $8.99 a month for Standard and $14.95 for Premium Plus, each with a 30-day trial. There is no student price — the student address people are sent to, audible.com/ep/students, redirects to Audible's homepage. At $8.99 it costs $1.50 a month more than the whole Prime membership at the student rate, so it earns its place only if you listen a lot. The Audible question in full.
Kindle Unlimited is not among the subscriptions Amazon lists as discounted for members, and we have no dated source for a student or member rate, so we quote none. Before paying for it, use the free monthly book that comes with the membership. Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading.
Skip: the Prime Video membership
Amazon sells Prime Video on its own at $8.99 a month. For anyone who qualifies for the student rate that is the worst line on this page: full Prime at $7.49 includes the same Prime Video and costs $1.50 a month less. Prime Video membership vs full Prime.
Prime for Young Adults
Start with the subscription the others discount from
6-month at no cost, then $7.49 a month — member rates on music and channels included.
#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.
A student stack that stays cheap
Most students
Membership only
$69 a year after the trial. Music Prime, Prime Video, photos, gaming and Grubhub+ included.
Music every day
Membership + Music Unlimited
$13.48 a month at member rates — if it replaces a music subscription.
One show
Membership + one channel, one month
$8.48 for the month you watch it. Cancel the channel after.
Common questions
What subscriptions are worth it for college students?
On Amazon: Prime for Young Adults first, at $7.49 a month. Add Music Unlimited at the $5.99 member rate only if it replaces a music subscription you already pay for.
Does Amazon have a student subscription?
Yes: Prime for Young Adults, the program formerly called Prime Student. It is $7.49 a month or $69 a year after a 6-month free trial.
Is Amazon Music Unlimited cheaper for students?
Members pay $5.99 a month, per Amazon's Prime for Young Adults help page. That is a member rate on top of the membership.
Is Audible free with Prime Student?
No. Audible is a separate subscription at $8.99 a month for Standard, and it publishes no student rate.
Is Prime Video cheaper for students?
There is no student Prime Video plan. The student membership at $7.49 includes Prime Video and costs less than the $8.99 video-only membership.
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.