October Prime Day: Shop Like a Prime Member Without Paying for a Subscription – CNET [CNET]

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No need to stress about missing out on deals just because you don’t pay for Amazon Prime. Here’s a secret you’ll want to know.

Katie is a writer covering all things how-to at CNET, with a focus on Social Security and notable events. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing in golf scrambles, practicing yoga and spending time on the lake.

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We’re now on day two of Amazon’s second Prime Day of the year, with deals still soaring today. And even if you aren’t a Prime member, you can still access these deals without paying for a subscription. However, there’s a small catch — we’ll explain below.

Amazon’s big shopping event started Tuesday and ends Wednesday this week, with exclusive savings for Prime subscribers. But you don’t have to be a paying subscriber to enjoy its benefits. Instead, you can get around the cost of an Amazon Prime membership by signing up for a 30-day free trial.

We’ll walk you through the process of signing up for your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial to gain entry to the Prime Big Deal Days and, importantly, how to cancel your subscription so you don’t end up paying a dime for it. For more, check out our guides for avoiding shipping fees, finding hidden Amazon coupons and making the most of all of Prime’s perks. (Also, don’t forget about Amazon’s new layaway program.)

Sign up for Amazon Prime from your laptop or phone

New subscribers can sign up for a Prime free trial via Amazon’s website with just a few taps. If you haven’t saved your payment details with Amazon through another purchase, you’ll need to have your credit or debit card handy.

1. Head to Amazon.com and sign into or create your Amazon account.

2. Select Prime in your account menu bar.

3. Tap or click Start your 30-day free trial.

4. Make sure your credit or debit card on file is up to date (your billing address too) — if it’s not, this is the time to do it.

5. Tap or click Start your 30-day free trial. 

6. That’s it! You can start shopping any time and get Prime membership benefits like expedited shipping and of course, those Prime Day deals.

Cancel your Prime membership before being charged

To avoid being charged, you’ll need to cancel your membership before the 30 days are up. Here’s how.

1. Sign in to your Amazon account at Amazon.com.

2. Go to your account menu.

3. Select Prime (computer) or Manage Prime membership (phone), then tap Manage membership.

4. Select End Membership.

5. Tap or click End My Benefits.

6. Select Continue to Cancel.

7. That’s it. Your Prime account should be canceled. You can double-check by adding an item to your card and seeing if you have the option to ship it next day or within two days with Prime. If you can’t, you’ve successfully canceled.

For more Amazon shopping tips, check out our guide to scoring a discount with subscribe and save, scoring steep savings with Amazon Warehouse deals and how to get free returns on Amazon.

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