12 Amazon Freebies You Gotta Capitalize On

As anyone who’s shopped on Amazon knows, you can find nearly anything there. But did you know there are even freebies you can take advantage of?

Some freebies may come with a stipulation—being a Prime member, for one—but they give you a way to try something out at low- or no cost. Many Amazon users overlook these perks simply because they don’t know about them.

We’ve scoured through Amazon’s offerings to highlight some free things you might be missing out on.

1. Prime Trial

You’ve heard of Prime, no doubt, but did you know you can actually get a free trial of it before you commit to a monthly or annual fee?

If you’re a new user, you can try out all Prime has to offer for 30 days without any hits to your wallet. If you’re a student or receive government assistance, Amazon offers its subscription at a 50% discount.

2. Shipping

This one is a given, but it’s worth mentioning, because it’s not just prime stuff you get free shipping on. You can actually get free shipping if you spend $35 or more—and that’s without Amazon Prime.

With Prime, you’ll also enjoy one- or two-day shipping on millions of products, but not all.

3. Try Before You Buy

If you’re interested in trying on some wardrobe items, but don’t want the commitment of buying them first, you should give the “Try Before you Buy” program a shot.

I’ve used this program before and it’s very well orchestrated from the selection and delivery of clothing and accessories to the return or purchase of items you choose. Think of it as a more convenient dressing room.

4. Self-Publishing Platform

Are you a writer? If so, you have a perfectly free platform to publish your books right on Amazon through its Kindle program. You can choose to sell it directly as an eBook, paperback, or hardcover, or you can enroll it in the KDP Select program, which is Kindle Unlimited.

It’s free to upload your books, though you will have to pay fees when a book is sold. The good news is it all comes out of the purchase price and there’s a robust dashboard to track all sales and fees.

5. Kindle Unlimited

Speaking of Kindle Unlimited, if you’re an avid reader, you may have heard of Kindle Unlimited. It’s a platform where readers can check out up to 20 books at a time and read to their hearts’ content.

There is a fee attached to this service, $11.99 per month, but new users can score a free trial, and if you look for deals, you can get your first three months at a dramatically reduced cost.

6. First Reads

Also for readers… First Reads is a program that allows Prime users early access to specific Kindle books chosen by editors. They are totally free of charge.

If you don’t have Prime, you can still get access to the books, you’ll just have to pay $2 each, which will still save you some money.

7. Grubhub+

Do you order takeout a lot? If so, you could save up to $300 per year with Grubhub+. Just having a Prime membership gives you unlimited access to the service.

Plus, you’ll get $0 delivery fees and have access to other special promotions and savings, which will only add to your freebie pile.

8. Photo Storage

If you’re a Prime member looking for a free place to store your photos, Amazon has a free storage program. It’s unlimited, so you can add as many as you want and then order prints with the simple click of a button.

Plus, if you have videos, Amazon offers 5 GB of storage for your films.

9. Audible Trial

If you prefer to hear your books or listen to podcasts, Amazon also offers an Audible subscription. Like its Kindle Unlimited subscription, Amazon makes this service available to new users for a free trial.

If you like the service, you can continue one of its two plans, plus or premium plus, for $7.95 or $14.95, respectively.

10. Games

Here’s another perk many Prime members miss out on: games. Amazon has a variety of PC games available for free, just for being a subscriber.

You can find them in two places: its Gaming page or through its Luna page, which is dedicated to cloud gaming and has a subscription tier as well. The ones that are free are clearly marked.

11. Music

Move over Spotify and Apple Music, Amazon has its own music streaming service. You do need to be a Prime member to take advantage of it, but you get to listen to the tunes ad-free.

There’s also a paid option, Amazon Music Unlimited, which resembles its competition and is priced similarly at $11 per month if you don’t have Prime, or $10 per month if you do.

12. Rewards with Visa Card

Okay, so we cheated a little here, but it’s a valid perk many may not consider. If you have the Amazon Visa, you can earn rewards and points, and then apply those toward your purchase.

If you rack up enough? You could get your products for free. Make sure you read the credit card terms for the fine print.