Prime for Young Adults: price, free trial and 5% cash back
Prime for Young Adults costs $7.49 a month or $69 a year after six months free, half of Prime, and pays 5% cash back on badged items. It is for 18- to 24-year-olds and college students; the cash back covers Beauty, Apparel, Electronics, Personal Care and Personal Computers, up to $100 a purchase and $500 a year, for as long as Amazon runs the offer.
Updated · BasketPrice editorial
Who can join
Anyone aged 18 to 24, and college students of any age. Amazon checks one or the other at sign-up: your age, from a passport, driving license or identity card, or your student status, from a .edu email address or proof of enrollment such as a student ID or an acceptance letter for the coming term.
The membership is yours alone. Its benefits cannot be shared with another adult in the household, and a Prime member who switches gives up the sharing they had; Amazon refunds whatever is eligible of the regular Prime fee already paid.
Six months free, then half of Prime
The trial costs nothing for six months; Amazon’s sign-up page says it is “courtesy of Grubhub”. Then the membership renews at $7.49 a month or $69 a year until cancelled, against $14.99 and $139 for regular Prime, whose own trial is 30 days.
The trial includes free two-day shipping on eligible items, but Amazon’s help page says some Prime benefits are left out until it ends.
Paid by the month it costs $7.50 a month less than Prime, $90 over a year; paid by the year, $70 less.
How the 5% cash back works
It applies to items that carry the cash back badge in Amazon’s search results and on their product pages, in Beauty, Apparel, Electronics, Personal Care and Personal Computers. The 5% is worked out on the price paid after any discount, without shipping or tax.
It is capped at $100 a purchase, which one item reaches at $2,000, and at $500 a calendar year, 5% of $10,000 of badged buying. It shows in a balance on amazon.com/prime 24 to 48 hours after delivery and can be spent on eligible orders once it reaches $5. A return takes back the cash back on what was returned.
Amazon calls it a limited-time offer and can change the categories, the rate and the caps without notice. It stops as soon as a member no longer qualifies.
When it ends
Amazon moves a member to regular Prime, monthly or yearly to match the plan they had, once it believes they no longer qualify, judged from the age, academic level and expected graduation date given at sign-up. It emails several weeks before that renewal, and a student who still qualifies can verify continuing student status to stay.
Prime for Young Adults against Prime
As Amazon describes them on October 8, 2026, before any sales tax.
| Terms | Prime for Young Adults | Prime |
|---|---|---|
| A month | $7.49 | $14.99 |
| A year | $69 | $139 |
| Free trial | Six months | 30 days |
| Cash back | 5% on badged items, for a limited time | — |
| Who can join | 18 to 24, or a college student | Anyone |
| Shared in a household | No | Some benefits, with one other adult |
Free trials, on Amazon: Prime for Young Adults
Questions people ask
- What is Prime for Young Adults cash back?
- 5% back on items with the cash back badge in Beauty, Apparel, Electronics, Personal Care and Personal Computers, worked out on the price after discounts and before shipping and tax. It is capped at $100 a purchase and $500 a calendar year, appears 24 to 48 hours after delivery, and can be spent once the balance reaches $5. Amazon runs it for a limited time.
- How much is Prime for Young Adults?
- $7.49 a month or $69 a year after a six-month free trial, about half of Prime’s $14.99 and $139.
- Who qualifies for Prime for Young Adults?
- 18- to 24-year-olds, and college students of any age. Amazon verifies one or the other at sign-up: age with an ID, student status with a .edu email address or proof of enrollment.
- Is Prime for Young Adults the same as Prime Student?
- It takes college students as Prime Student did, and Amazon’s help pages still file its terms as “Prime Student Terms & Conditions”. It also takes 18- to 24-year-olds who are not students.
- What happens to Prime for Young Adults when you turn 25?
- Amazon moves you to regular Prime, monthly or yearly as before, once it believes you no longer qualify, and emails several weeks ahead. A college student of 25 or older can stay by verifying continuing student status.