Should You Cancel Your Free Amazon Prime Trial Once Prime Day Is Over?

You may not need the service for the long haul.

Amazon Prime Day is one of the most highly anticipated shopping events of the year. This year's two-day event is slated for July 12 and 13, and during that time, shoppers can expect hundreds of items to be made available at a discount.

If you're not already an Amazon Prime member, here's some good news. You can sign up for a free 30-day trial and see if Prime is right for you, while taking advantage of Prime Day specials as they drop.

But is an Amazon Prime membership worth keeping beyond Prime Day? Ask yourself these questions to find out.

1. Can I afford it?

Amazon Prime recently raised its price to $139 a year. Considering that a membership gives you access to unlimited free two-day shipping, among other perks, that could be a price worth paying if it saves you many trips to the store (and makes it so you don't have to fill up your gas tank as frequently).

But ultimately, you'll need to make sure you can swing that $139 outlay before deciding whether to keep your membership or cancel it once Prime Day is over. If money is tight, you may want to wait or pay month by month. 

Granted, there's a disadvantage to going that route, because the monthly fee for Prime is $14.99. Charging a full year of Prime on your credit card at once will save you $41. But it's not worth doing that if you'll wind up carrying a balance and paying interest on that charge.

2. Will I actually use it?

If you have several big-box stores nearby and love in-person shopping, then Amazon Prime may not offer the most value for you. And if so, there's no sense in paying for a service you're unlikely to use. 

But if you live in a rural area where your closest big-box store isn't close at all, then you may end up getting more use out of Prime. And if so, it may be worth keeping the service.

3. Is there a cheaper alternative?

Amazon Prime offers plenty of perks. But before you commit to keeping it, it pays to do some research to see if there's a less costly alternative that similarly serves your needs. 

Walmart+, for example, also offers unlimited free shipping, only at a cost of $98 per year, as opposed to $139 for Prime. Granted, you won't get access to streaming content like you will with Prime, but if that's not a priority, then it could be worth saving that money.

What's the right call?

The fact that Amazon Prime offers free trials is a great thing for consumers. If you're getting a free trial to take advantage of Prime Day, think carefully about whether the service is worth hanging onto. One final way to gauge its value is to see if you end up using it once Prime Day is over. If not, then it may not be a good thing to spend money on.

On the other hand, you might spend so much money on Prime Day that you need to curb your spending for a few weeks afterward, thereby creating a scenario where you actively stay off of Amazon for the duration of your free trial. If you decide to go that route, use these questions to help decide whether Prime is something you ought to keep versus cancel.