Free Shipping with Amazon Student

Just in time for Back to School shopping, Amazon is offering free Amazon Prime for one year to college students. The service gives students one full year of free 2-day shipping with Amazon Prime and email alerts for special discounts. Non-students have to pay $79 per year for Amazon Prime.

To sign-up for Amazon Student, students need to be enrolled in a college or university and have a valid .edu email address to confirm the verification email.

This is a very smart move on Amazon’s part, as it should get young people to start using Amazon for most of their online shopping.

I am curious as to whether students who enroll in Amazon Student will automatically have to start paying for Amazon Prime after the first year is up. I would hope not, as $79 is a lot of money for a college student.

Do you think competitors like Sears will follow suit and offer free ShipVantage to college students?