Amazon Prime for the holidays

By Mir
October 15, 2009

It’s baaaaaa-aaaaack!

Once again, Amazon is offering 3-month trials of Prime when an eligible textbook is added to your cart. You do not have to buy the textbook in order to get in on the deal; simply place it in your cart and go to checkout, where you’ll be given the option to sign up for your free 3-month Prime trial.

Important: If you have ever had a trial of Prime before on your email address, you will be ineligible to sign up for this deal. It’s not like it’s hard to get a new email address, so either use an alternate you already own or go find a new one.

Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for this deal; sign up today and enjoy free Prime through January 15th, which is plenty of time to do all of your holiday shopping and take advantage of some clearance deals after the first of the year.

I have to say, when I did this last year it completely rocked my world. It was so nice to be able to get that guaranteed 2-day shipping for free. Not nice enough for me to pay to have it all the time, but I won’t lie… there were a few oops-I-almost-forgot gifts that got purchased the second (or third) week of December. Ahem.

Enjoy!

37 Comments

  1. Yay! Good call on the new email address 🙂 I’m shipping free for the next 3 months!

  2. Excellent! Thanks, Mir!

    I really have to say that I admire Amazon for providing the “do not upgrade” option that you can choose immediately, instead of having to remember to cancel the membership right before you get charged!!

  3. I thank you, and Colin thanks you for his DS I just ordered! 🙂

  4. bwaa-haaa-haaa…so awesome…

  5. Thanks for the awesome tip on using another address and I agree, excellent that you can opt out of auto upgrade immediately. But I only got a 1 month Prime membership? I’ll totally still use it, but just an FYI for anyone counting on having December.

  6. Loved Amazon Prime last year and thought I’d have to miss it this year since I’d done it before. Like you said, I used a different email and I’m now good to go for three months! I had assumed it was based on mailing address, not email address — FAN-FRIGGIN-TASTIC!!

    Thanks, sensationally beautiful Mir!

  7. I only got one month too. 🙁

  8. Gennie — I only got the one month at first…but it’s because it led me in a round-a-bout way after my computer automatically logged me in to my “old” account and then I signed out of it. BUT if you then come back here and click on Mir’s link, it will take you straight to the 3-month trial offer. You might want to try again. 🙂

  9. Not trying to be creepy…but I think I just fell a little deeper in love with your, Mir. Thanks 🙂

  10. I have kept my prime too. I guess Amazon comes out ahead in the long run!

  11. I got 3 months using a different email address and I was able to “invite” my regular account to share the membership. Thank you so much Mir for the heads-up. This ensures that Amazon will be getting most of my end of year gift purchases!

  12. Looks like I only got 1 month as well. Oh well, it’ll get some CD’s that I’ve been wanting here by Saturday, anyhow.

    Thanks, Mir!

  13. I felt kinda guilty signing up with a new email address, but not guilty enough to stop me from doing it! I love Prime!

  14. But I actually have to buy something, right? darn.

  15. LOVE YOU!

  16. I tried to invite myself to use my normal email address and my free trial was canceled. It was either that or they figured out that I was the same person/card/address.

  17. Woohoo! I think it worked. Thanks, Mir! 🙂

  18. Ohhhh I’m so glad this is back this year! We made such great use of it last year! I figure it’s definitely to Amazon’s benefit, even if I don’t upgrade in January. Ultimately, it makes me buy a lot of stuff from Amazon that I might otherwise buy elsewhere.

    LOVE this promotion! Probably the best Want Not discovery ever!

  19. WOOHOO!!! Looks like I got it for 3 Months!! THanks Mir!

  20. @Julie: It’s showing you that your old trial was canceled. This trial is controlled by the new account but will apply to both accounts. I thought the same thing at first. =)

  21. Thank you!!! Now I’m ready to Christmas shop!!

  22. To ANNA: It appears that you have to buy something, but actually YOU DON’T HAVE TO BUY ANYTHING! =) Add the textbook, create your account with a new e-mail address and different credit card than what they might already have on file, check your e-mail to make sure you received the Prime confirmation, go back to your cart to REMOVE the textbook and wa la!!! You have a FREE Prime membership for 3 months without buying anything! I hope this helps! Good luck to you! =)

  23. Thank you Mir!! Now I don’t have to spend $25.00 to get free shipping, just in time for the holidays!! You’re the best!

  24. Darn it, I just signed up for the free 1-month trial yesterday! Oh well

  25. You really made my whole day with this tip. I did this last year (thak you!) and I was able to snag a ton of deals made even better with free shipping. I saved so much money not constantly padding my order to hit the $25 mark. Thank you!

  26. You really made my whole day with this tip. I did this last year (thak you!) and I was able to snag a ton of deals made even better with free shipping. I saved so much money not constantly padding my order to hit the $25 mark. Thank you!

  27. Qualifying text book? I need a teacher book for a study group soon. I wonder if it “qualifies.”

  28. As always, you’re awesome! Makes the holiday season just a little easier! Thanks Mir!

  29. Wahoo! Thanks for the great tip-
    I was able to invite my old account also –
    How many shopping days until Christmas??

  30. Guys, you have to order an expensive textbook for three months. I only had the $15 dermatology pocket guide I need for my clerkship in my cart and they offered me only one month. Went back and put in Harrison’s textbook, and then I got three months.

  31. MEANT to say– you have to put a more expensive one in your CART. I didn’t actually order the expensive one, only the one I needed…

  32. Woo Hoo!!! Thanks so much for this!! I did it last year also and did ALL my shopping thru Amazon. I never stepped foot in any stores for Christmas.

  33. LOVE YOU MIR! MUAH! MUAH! MUAH!

  34. How do I choose the “do not auto renew” option? It wasn’t offered on anything I saw. I did get the 3 months, but want to make sure it’s not renewed. Help! 🙂

  35. Jenn: Go to “Your Account” in the top right corner, then “Manage Prime Membership” in the settings section. There should be a “Do not renew automatically” button to click.

  36. UGH!!!! I went away for the weekend and totally missed this deal. I am so upset…I did ALL of my holiday shopping through Amazon last year using this prime membership.

    I am so bummed!

  37. Well, I went and tried — and it’s still available! happy day! Thank you so much for this great tip!

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