Get Prime Day deals, even if you don't pay for Prime. Here's how

It seems somehow unfair. Some of Amazon's very best deals of the year are available during its annual Prime Day events, but access to those deals requires paying $139 for a year's membership.

But does it? We're going to show you how you can avoid that $139 fee and get full and complete access to all the Amazon Prime Day deals and discounts just in time for Prime Day's official kick-off on Tuesday.

Also: The best Amazon Prime Day 2024 deals so far

Free trial 

Good news! If you haven't been an Amazon Prime member in the past 12 months, you qualify for a free 30-day trial. Just look for the big yellow "Start your 30-day free trial" button. 

Buy for one month only

If you don't qualify for the free trial, one approach is to buy a Prime membership for just one month. After all, if you really just want access for a few days, a month's membership should be enough. A month's membership will set you back $14.99. That's low enough that if you just get free shipping on a few products, it will pay for itself.

But you can do better.

Qualify for a student discount and free trial

If you're a student and a new member, you can sign up for a Prime Student membership (here's how). Prime Student gets you a six-month free trial, and then you pay $7.49 per month if you decide to keep the service, or $69 per year compared to $139 for a regular membership. (And you wonder why adults are always saying, "Stay in school.")

Discount for government assistance recipients

If you're on one of the qualifying government assistance programs, including SNAP, WIC, and TANF, you can get a Prime membership for half off. That brings the cost down to $6.99 per month. That might still be a lot to bite off, but at least it's something.

Don't forget

If you don't want to become a member, just remember to cancel any free trial before your 30 days are up. Otherwise, you will be helping to pay for Bezos' rocket fuel.

So there you go. A few different ways to save money on Prime. By the way, while you have a Prime membership, be sure to check out Prime Video, which comes free with your trial membership.