In this article, our experts tackle the most common questions about Amazon's Prime program. We cover the Prime trial membership, exclusive discounts, and whether the exclusive Lightning Deals are really worth it.

 

Your Most Common Prime Questions, Answered

Let's start with the most common questions and work our way deeper into the program.

Can You Get Prime-Day Deals Without Prime?

Yes, no, and kind-of. Only Prime members get access to the Prime-exclusive deals (and there are many) during Prime Day. Third-party sellers do offer tons of discounts during the sale though. So you can score discounts on Amazon, just not all the splashiest offers we love so much.

The workaround? If you don't have a Prime membership yet, just sign up for the free trial. Trial members still benefit from all of the best Prime Day deals.

Can You Sign Up for the Prime Trial Twice?

Yes, you can sign up for Amazon's Prime trial membership again. The only catch? It needs to have been at least 12 months since your last membership.

Are There Discounts on the Prime Program?

Save money on Prime by signing up for the annual payment instead of the monthly payment. We also found discounts for students and for some government-assistance recipients.

Are Lightning Deals Really Any Good?

Our experts found many, many "lightning deals" with better prices elsewhere on Amazon (or elsewhere online). Some of the products highlighted on the Amazon Daily Deals page are sold by multiple sellers on their site, featuring different brand names. Different sellers and brands could have lower prices on the same item. It always pays to do a quick search for the product to see if another brand has it for less! That's why we vet our recommended deals before we post them. If you find something you love on Brad's Deals, it's the best price we found anywhere.

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How Do You Get Deals Before They Sell Out?

We recently wrote about how early-bird shoppers snag the best deals. Sign up for the free Brad's Deals newsletter or download our free mobile app to get all the latest deals as soon as they become available.