If you qualify for Amazon Prime Access, you can get a full Prime membership for $6.99 a month instead of the regular $14.99 monthly price. That cuts the monthly cost by more than half and can save you $96 a year compared with paying for standard Prime month to month.

Amazon offers Prime Access to people who participate in certain government assistance programs or qualify through its income-verification process. Eligible customers also get a 30-day free trial before the discounted monthly price begins.

Here’s how Prime Access works, who can get it, how to sign up, and whether it’s the right Prime membership for you.

What is Amazon Prime Access?

Prime Access is Amazon’s discounted Prime membership for qualifying customers. It costs $6.99 per month after the 30-day free trial.

Unlike a limited version of Prime, Prime Access provides the same core Prime membership experience, including Prime delivery, Prime Video, exclusive deals and other Prime benefits.

The main difference is the price and the eligibility requirement.

At $6.99 a month, Prime Access costs $8 less per month than the standard $14.99 Prime membership.

That works out to:

	Standard Prime	Prime Access
Monthly price	$14.99	$6.99
12-month cost	$179.88	$83.88
Annual savings	—	$96
Free trial	30 days for eligible new members	30 days

So if you’re already paying for Prime every month and qualify for Prime Access, switching can make a meaningful difference to your yearly bill.

Who can get Prime Access?

Prime Access isn’t available to everyone. Amazon requires you to either participate in one of its qualifying government assistance programs or verify that you meet its income requirements.

Amazon currently lists these qualifying programs:

• SNAP EBT
• Medicaid
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Direct Express Debit Card (DE)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• National School Lunch Program (NSLP)
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
• Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TTANF)
• Puerto Rico’s Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP)
• Veterans and Survivors Pension Benefit (VSPB)
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
• Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA)

Amazon also allows customers to verify their income directly instead of qualifying through one of these programs.

That means you don’t necessarily need to receive government assistance to qualify for Prime Access.

How to sign up for Prime Access

Signing up is a matter of going through Amazon’s eligibility verification process.

1. Go to Amazon’s Prime Access page

Open Amazon’s Prime Access signup page and start the eligibility process.

2. Choose how you’ll verify your eligibility

Amazon lets you establish eligibility through a qualifying government assistance program or through income verification.

If you’re qualifying through a government program, Amazon may ask you to provide documentation showing that you’re currently enrolled.

If you’re using income verification, follow Amazon’s instructions to provide the requested information.

3. Complete the verification process

Amazon will review the information you provide to determine whether you qualify for Prime Access.

Make sure your documentation and information are current. Eligibility isn’t based simply on being able to afford the discounted membership; you need to meet Amazon’s requirements.

4. Start your Prime membership

Once you’re approved, eligible new members can begin a 30-day free trial.

After the trial, Prime Access costs $6.99 per month.

If you’re already a Prime member, Amazon also allows eligible customers to switch to Prime Access rather than maintaining the regular membership price.

What do you get with Prime Access?

The biggest reason to choose Prime Access is that you’re not giving up the main benefits of Prime to get the lower price.

Prime Access includes benefits such as:

• Fast, free delivery on eligible products
• Same-Day and Next-Day Delivery where available
• Prime Video
• Prime-exclusive deals
• Savings on eligible grocery purchases
• Prescription savings
• Fuel savings
• Other Prime shopping and entertainment benefits

Specific delivery, grocery and other services can vary by location and eligibility, so the exact benefits available to you may differ.

In other words, Prime Access is primarily a discounted way to pay for Prime, rather than a separate, stripped-down membership.

How much does Prime Access save?

This is where Prime Access makes the biggest difference.

Standard Prime costs $14.99 per month. Prime Access costs $6.99 per month.

That’s an $8 monthly difference.

Over a year:

• Standard Prime paid monthly: $179.88
• Prime Access: $83.88
• Annual savings: $96

So Prime Access reduces the monthly Prime price by about 53%.

If you’re currently paying $14.99 every month, qualifying for Prime Access could cut your Prime spending almost in half.

Is Prime Access cheaper than annual Prime?

Yes, but there’s an important comparison to make.

Standard Prime also has an annual membership option. At $139 per year, paying annually is already cheaper than paying $14.99 every month.

Prime Access costs $6.99 every month, which comes to $83.88 over 12 months.

So if you qualify for Prime Access, the discounted monthly membership is still considerably cheaper than standard Prime’s annual price.

Prime option	Cost
Standard Prime, monthly	$14.99/month
Standard Prime, annual	$139/year
Prime Access	$6.99/month
Prime Access for 12 months	$83.88

The important thing to remember is that Prime Access is billed monthly rather than through a discounted annual Prime Access plan.

Can existing Prime members switch to Prime Access?

Yes. You don’t necessarily have to wait for your existing Prime membership to end.

If you become eligible for Prime Access, Amazon allows eligible existing Prime members to update their membership.

If you’re currently paying the regular monthly Prime price, checking your Prime Access eligibility could therefore be worthwhile before continuing with the standard membership.

Prime Access vs. Prime for Young Adults

Amazon has another discounted membership called Prime for Young Adults, but the two programs are designed for different customers.

Prime Access is based on qualifying assistance programs or income verification. Prime for Young Adults is available to eligible 18- to 24-year-olds and qualifying higher-education students.

	Prime Access	Prime for Young Adults
	Prime Access	Prime for Young Adults
Monthly price	$6.99	$7.49
Free trial	30 days	6 months
Eligibility	Qualifying assistance or income verification	Eligible young adults and higher-education students
Annual price	Not advertised	$69
Prime benefits	Yes	Yes

If you qualify for both, compare the pricing based on how you plan to pay. Prime Access has the lower monthly price, while Prime for Young Adults has a $69 annual option.

Is Prime Access worth it?

If you qualify and normally pay for Prime monthly, Prime Access can substantially reduce your membership cost without requiring you to give up the main Prime benefits.

It’s particularly worth checking if you’re currently paying $14.99 every month.

The calculation is simple:

$14.99 standard monthly Prime − $6.99 Prime Access = $8 saved every month.

That’s $96 saved over a year.

If you don’t qualify for Prime Access, you can’t simply choose the $6.99 price. You’ll need to use another Prime membership option you’re eligible for, such as standard Prime or Prime for Young Adults.

How to check if you qualify for Prime Access

The easiest way to find out is to go through Amazon’s official Prime Access eligibility process.

Amazon will guide you through the available verification options and tell you whether you qualify.

If you’re eligible, Prime Access gives you a way to keep the core Prime experience while paying $8 less every month than the standard monthly membership.

And unlike a temporary Prime promotion, the $6.99 price is tied to the Prime Access program itself, subject to Amazon’s eligibility requirements and pricing.

How often do you need to verify Prime Access eligibility?

Prime Access eligibility needs to be verified periodically.

Amazon requires members to reverify their eligibility every 12 months. You’ll receive a reminder when it’s time to complete the process again.

If you continue to meet the requirements, you can continue using Prime Access at its discounted rate.

Bottom line: Should you switch to Prime Access?

If you’re eligible for Prime Access and currently pay $14.99 a month for Amazon Prime, yes, it’s worth checking your eligibility.

You could pay $6.99 instead, saving $8 every month or $96 over a year, while retaining the main benefits of Prime.

The only catch is that you must meet Amazon’s eligibility requirements and continue to verify your eligibility when required.

If you think you qualify, check Amazon’s Prime Access page before paying another month at the regular Prime rate.

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Disclaimer: Prices and promotions mentioned in this article are accurate at the time of writing and are subject to change based on the retailers’ discretion. Please verify the current offer before making a purchase.