Buying guide · Updated ·
Amazon Prime free trial for Black Friday 2026: when to start it
Short answer: most Amazon Black Friday deals are open to everyone, but Prime gets you free fast delivery, member-only offers and early access to some deals. If you're not a member, start the 30-day free trial on the day Amazon's sale begins (probably around 19–20 November), and it will cover Black Friday, Cyber Monday and most of your Christmas shopping. After the trial, Prime costs £8.99 a month or £95 a year.
Amazon hasn't announced its 2026 Black Friday dates yet. We'll update this guide when it does. Prices and terms were last checked on 24 October 2026.
Amazon Prime 30-day free trial (then £8.99 a month)
Free for 30 days for eligible new members, then £8.99 a month unless you cancel. Start it when Amazon's Black Friday sale opens, not before, so the trial doesn't run out early.
Amazon Prime annual membership
£95 a year works out at about £7.92 a month, saving £12.88 compared with paying monthly. Only worth it if you'll keep Prime all year; you can switch to annual at the end of the trial.
Kindle Unlimited 30-day free trial (then £9.49 a month)
Not included in Prime. Borrow up to 20 ebooks at a time from the Kindle Unlimited catalogue. Worth a free month if you've just bought a Kindle, then cancel if you don't read enough to justify £9.49.
Audible Standard: £0.99 a month for 3 months (then £5.99)
Audible's current offer runs until 28 December 2026. You get one audiobook a month to keep. Prime members can instead get two free audiobooks on the Premium free trial. See our Audible guide.
Do you need Prime for Amazon's Black Friday deals?
No, not for most of them. Amazon's own Lightning Deals page says Lightning Deals are only Prime-exclusive during Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days. During Black Friday, anyone can buy them. The bulk of Black Friday prices on Amazon are open to every customer.
Prime still helps in four ways:
- Delivery. Free fast delivery on Prime items, and same-day delivery on over a million items in many areas. Without Prime, smaller orders can carry a delivery charge.
- Member-only offers. Last year Amazon promoted early access to some deals and Prime-exclusive savings during Black Friday Week, along with grocery offers for new customers at Morrisons, Iceland and Co-op.
- Christmas delivery. If you're still ordering presents in mid-December, fast free delivery is the bit you'll miss most.
- The extras. Prime Video, Amazon Music, Prime Reading and free games through Amazon Luna, which are handy over the holidays.
When to start your Prime free trial
Amazon ran Black Friday Week from 20 November to 1 December in 2025, and from 21 November to 2 December in 2024. Both years it announced the dates one to two weeks before the sale began. Black Friday 2026 is on Friday 27 November and Cyber Monday is 30 November, so we expect Amazon's sale to start around 19 or 20 November.
A 30-day trial started on 19 November runs until about 19 December. That covers:
- The whole Black Friday Week sale.
- Cyber Monday.
- Most of your Christmas shopping, with free delivery.
Start it today and it ends around 23 November, before Black Friday itself. Unless you need Prime right now, it pays to wait.
What Prime costs after the trial
- Monthly: £8.99.
- Annual: £95, which saves £12.88 a year compared with monthly.
- Ad-free Prime Video: an extra £2.99 a month. Since 2024, Prime Video in the UK has adverts unless you pay for this.
- Students and 18–24s: Amazon offers a six-month free trial, then half-price Prime. Check the current price on Amazon's sign-up page, as Amazon's own pages haven't been consistent this year.
How to cancel the trial
Go to Your Account → Prime Membership → Manage → Update, cancel and more, and choose to end your membership. If you signed up on an Android phone through Google Play, cancel in Google Play subscriptions instead. Set a reminder a couple of days before the trial ends so it doesn't roll on to £8.99.
If you're charged for a month and change your mind, Amazon's help pages say members who haven't used any benefits get a full refund, and those who've only used delivery may get a partial one.
Can I get the Prime free trial more than once?
Amazon decides who sees the offer, and it's mainly for people who haven't had Prime before. Some former members do get offered another trial after a gap, so it's worth checking your account.
Are Amazon Lightning Deals Prime-only on Black Friday?
No. Amazon says Lightning Deals are Prime-only during Prime Day and Prime Big Deal Days. On Black Friday, anyone can buy them.
Does Prime include Kindle Unlimited or Audible?
No. Prime Reading gives you a smaller rotating selection of ebooks. Kindle Unlimited (£9.49 a month) and Audible are separate subscriptions, each with its own free trial. Prime members do get two free audiobooks on the Audible Premium trial instead of one.
Is Prime Big Deal Days the same as Black Friday?
No. Prime Big Deal Days is a two-day, Prime-only sale that ran on 6–7 October 2026. Black Friday is a longer sale open to everyone.
More Black Friday guides
Amazon is the cheapest place for many Black Friday products, including its own devices. See our Kindle Black Friday guide, Ring doorbell Black Friday guide and every Black Friday 2026 guide.