Amazon Prime is one of the most popular online subscriptions, and it’s easy to see why.
For a single monthly fee, you get free next-day delivery (on many items), access to the Prime Video streaming service, free photo storage and much more. See the full range of benefits in our Amazon Prime explainer.
But Amazon Prime is more expensive than it once was, costing $14.99/£8.99 per month or $139/£95 per year.
You might prefer to sign up for the 30-day free trial, which is available for all new customers. If you just want Prime for exclusive Black Friday or Prime Day discounts, it makes a lot of sense.
However, to avoid being charged at the end of the trial, you’ll need to manually cancel. Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to use the benefits until they expires. Here’s how it’s done.
How to cancel Amazon Prime on mobile
On mobile devices, it’s easiest to cancel via the Amazon Shopping app. It’s free for iOS and Android, although we’ll be using the latter for the purposes of this tutorial.
Sign in to your account if you haven’t used the app before, then follow these steps:
- Tap hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right
- Tap ‘Prime’, then ‘Prime’ again
- Scroll to the bottom of the page, then tap ‘Manage Prime membership’
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- Tap ‘Manage membership’ at the top of the screen, then ‘Update, cancel and more’
- Tap ‘End membership’
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- Scroll to the bottom of the page, then tap ‘Continue to cancel’
- Tap ‘End on *date*’ to confirm
As mentioned above, your Prime benefits will still be available until the end of your subscription or trial.
Of course, you can also use the web browser on your mobile device to cancel Prime, but it’ll look similar to the desktop method.
How to cancel Amazon Prime on desktop
On desktop, you’ll need to cancel via the website. The method is consistent across all web browsers and devices:
- Open a web browser and head to the Amazon website in your country (such as the US or UK)
- Sign in to your account if you haven’t done so already
- Hover over ‘Account & Lists’, then click ‘Your Account’
- Click the ‘Prime’ button
- Click the ‘Manage Membership’ button
- Click the ‘End membership’ button
- From the bottom of the next screen, click ‘Continue to cancel’
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- Click ‘End on *date*’ to confirm
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If you have paid for Prime but have not used any of its benefits, you can request a refund.
How to check if you are subscribed to Amazon Prime
You might think you’re not signed up for Prime, but Amazon’s approach means it might have slipped under your radar. Plenty of unwitting Amazon Prime customers have complained they had no idea they were signed up and had already been charged.
First, check your credit card or bank statements to see if Amazon has charged you $139/£95 for the annual Prime membership, or $14.99/£8.99 per month (if you signed up for the monthly plan).
You can also find out via the Amazon website. Head to the Prime hub page (Amazon US/Amazon UK).
If you see a summary of your membership and management options at the top of the screen, you have a subscription. But you just see the benefits or free trial advertised, you aren’t
When you sign up for Amazon Prime, your membership is set to automatically renew each year. You can turn off this automatic renewal at any time – even during a free trial period.
How to change an Amazon Prime membership to Prime Video
If you enjoy the TV shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video but don’t want the other benefits, there is a way to just sign up for the streaming service.
Previously, Amazon would let you adjust this directly in your Prime Membership management settings, but now the only way is to cancel your Prime account and then sign up separately for Prime Video again, which costs $8.99/£5.99 per month.
However, this only appears to be available in the UK at the time of writing:
- Head to the main Amazon Prime page
- Below the ‘Try Prime’ button, click ‘See more plans’
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- Select ‘Prime Video’ from the three options that appear, then click ‘Try Prime’
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
- Sign in or create an account if you haven’t done so already. If you’ve already had a free trial before, you’ll have to pay straight away
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the sign-up process
How to get an Amazon Prime refund
Paid members who haven’t placed an Amazon Prime order are eligible for a full refund. When you cancel a paid Prime membership, you may automatically receive a refund.
You can also apply for a refund by visiting the Amazon customer service page (US/UK) and making a request via phone, email, or online chat.