By Robert Anderson

Copyright

But the best freebie of all? That’s reserved for younger shoppers. Amazon’s “Prime for Young Adults” deal is basically a cheat code if you’re between 18 and 24, or a student.

You get a six-month trial for $0, then a half-price subscription at just $7.49 per month or $69 per year. No stripped-down version either, this is the full Prime experience.

That means Prime Video with upcoming tentpoles like Fallout Season 2 (December 17) and Gen V Season 2 (September 17), all the usual fast shipping perks, and Prime Gaming bonuses like monthly freebies, in-game loot, and a Twitch sub for whichever streamer you’ve irrationally decided to support this month.

Do the math and that free trial alone saves you almost $90. Honestly, it’s one of the best Prime deals Amazon ever offers. And yeah, I’m bitter I aged out of it.

But also, be smart about signing up for any subscriptions: Turn off auto-renew, set a reminder if you need to, and make sure you’re not paying a penny more than required.

Shop October Prime Day or Wait for Black Friday?

Black Friday might still seem like the king of sales, but which is actually better: Prime Day or Black Friday? There’s only one way to find out, FIGHT!!! (While I hate explaining a joke, that was a Harry Hill’s TV Burp reference, for those too young or too American to understand my sense of humor).

Er, yeah so October Prime Day! Amazon, Target, Walmart, and the rest of the retail Avengers are lining up right now to swing the discount hammer before November even arrives. But here’s the big question: are these “Prime” deals actually worth it, or is Black Friday still the heavyweight champ?

Both sales events love dangling shiny big-ticket temptations, think Apple Watches, iPads, and 4K TVs, and it’s not always obvious which one cuts deeper. Tariffs bouncing back into play this August haven’t exactly helped either, making deal-hunting feel like a contact sport.

The catch with Prime Day is, well, you need Prime. That’s $14.99 a month or $139 a year (or £8.99 per month or £95 a year in the UK) unless you’re a fresh-faced newbie who can grab the 30-day free trial and scoop up all the October 7–8 bargains (or, as I mentioned, even a fresh faced under-24 y/o who can bag zero-cost six month trial as well).

Black Friday, meanwhile, simply wins out on scale. Everyone piles in, from mega-retailers to random shops desperate to clear stock, which means fierce competition and sweeter prices on big-ticket tech like gaming consoles and laptops. That’s why Black Friday still tends to edge out Prime Day in that department, even if rival sales have started muscling in on Amazon’s turf.

On the flip side, Prime Day is laser-focused on Amazon, which makes it perfect for grabbing the retail giant’s own toys. Fire TVs, Echo speakers, Kindles, and they’re typically discounted ahead of time as well. So if you’re already paying for Prime (or you’re happy to burn that free trial), you can bag some hefty savings without waiting for Black Friday chaos.

Prime Video’s 2025 Champions League Fixtures Confirmed

Only for the UK, or access via a VPN

Amazon has also nailed down its UEFA Champions League broadcast schedule for the rest of the year in the UK, just ahead of the opening round of fixtures:

September 16 – Tottenham Hotspur vs VillarrealSeptember 30 – Galatasaray vs LiverpoolOctober 21 – Arsenal vs Atlético de MadridNovember 4 – Liverpool vs Real MadridNovember 25 – Chelsea vs BarcelonaDecember 9 – Inter Milan vs Liverpool

As with previous seasons, one match will air exclusively on Prime Video every Tuesday of a Champions League gameweeks, with Prime members getting access at no extra cost.

Of course, if you’re outside the UK, this is where a VPN comes in handy. Got one? You’re sorted. Don’t? Then check out our top VPNs for streaming in 2025.

Amazon’s first live game of the League Phase will see Thomas Frank make his European debut with Europa League champions Tottenham Hotspur facing Villarreal on September 16. Liverpool follows on September 30 in their opener against Galatasaray.

And if you’re in the US, you also can catch Champions League action on Paramount+, which is currently running a limited-time deal: 50% off an annual subscription until September 18, available to both new and existing subscribers.

Robert Anderson is Senior Commerce Editor and IGN’s resident deals expert on games, collectibles, trading card games, and more. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter/X or Bluesky.