How to Earn More Than $50 in Amazon Credits Ahead of Prime Day

Amazon Prime Day deals are just one benefit that comes from being an Amazon Prime member. Here's another: Amazon is offering at least $52 in credits to Prime members ahead of the big sale event, which runs on July 12 and 13.  We've highlighted the best promotions below. These are an easy way to rack up money to spend on Amazon, especially if you want to treat yourself (responsibly!) during Prime Day. 

We want to stress that most of these promotions require you to spend money to earn the credits. If you don't plan on paying to watch Lightyear, for example, then you shouldn't pick that promotion. Think hard if the promotion is worthwhile to you.  

Be sure to check out our Amazon Prime Day coverage to catch up on all the sales—there are tons of great early deals already. Our Prime Day Tips guide will also help you figure out when a discount isn't worth your time. 

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Before we dive in, there are a few things you should know. First, you need to be a Prime member to take advantage of this feature. Second, credits are automatically added to eligible accounts upon completion of the applicable offer's criteria. Amazon will send you an email when those credits have been added. Frustratingly, there's no way to view the total balance of your promotional credits in your Amazon account, but once they're added, they'll apply automatically during checkout for purchases on eligible items shipped and sold by Amazon. 

Note: Credits can take a day or two to be added to your account, so it's best to jump on these sooner rather than later if you want them in time for Prime Day.

Amazon is offering Prime Members $10 in credit for completing a promotional stamp card. (One activity involves spending $5, so one could argue that it's actually a $5 credit.) The four activities include purchasing a Prime-eligible item worth $5 or more, streaming a show on Prime Video, listening to a song on Prime Music, and borrowing a free ebook. Redemption instructions and details are below. Note that if you browse the page without completing step 2, you may become ineligible for the promotion. 

1. Log in to Amazon with your Prime account. There's a free 30-day trial available for new members.
2. Head to this page. Click Activate Stampcard. Amazon says, “If you browse this promotion page and do not confirm your participation by clicking ‘[Activate] your Stampcard’, you will not be eligible for this promotion.”
3. Collect all four stamps by the end of the day on July 13 to receive your credit. Your credit will be applied directly to your Amazon account within 48 hours of completing the stamp card.

Scroll to the bottom of this page and click the button to get a free $2 credit. There's a limited quantity of credits available each day, but more are added at 8 pm Eastern time (5 pm Pacific time). Keep an eye on this page and refresh quickly to try and secure yours. 

You can get $5 in credit when you purchase an Atom movie ticket for the movie Lightyear or purchase select Lightyear merchandise. You may also automatically get $5 off concession purchases if you check out using Amazon Pay. For the merchandising route, head here to view the eligible items, which start at $6.

To purchase the movie ticket, you'll need to create an account with Atom and use the coupon code LIGHTYEAR at checkout. For the merchandise route, head here to view the eligible items, which start at $6. You may also automatically get $5 off concession purchases if you check out using Amazon Pay.

To get this credit, buy a ticket to see Baz Luhrmann's Elvis at Atom and use promo code ELVIS at checkout. The credit expires at the end of the day on July 13th. Purchasing concessions? You might get another $5 off by checking out with Amazon Pay. 

This promotion starts on July 12. We're not fans of buy-now, pay-later services as they can be predatory. But if you regularly use Affirm and you're planning on spending $100 or more on Prime Day, then this is an easy way to snag $25 in Amazon credit. 

The following deals are either targeted to certain kinds of accounts or by invitation only. Your mileage may vary, but if you're eligible, these could be good ways to rack up additional benefits. 

This offer is only valid for Prime members making a first-time gift card or balance reload purchase. It begins on July 12 at 12:01 am Eastern time. Add a $50 Amazon gift card to your cart and use the promo code during checkout to get a promotional credit worth $12.50. Alternatively, you can reload $50 to your Amazon account here. If you're not reloading, you can email a gift card to yourself. This is only worth it if you plan on spending at least $50 at Amazon on Prime Day. 

If you've never signed into the Amazon mobile app before, you may be eligible for this promotion. You'll get $15 off your first purchase of $25, and $15 off your second purchase of $15 or more. This deal expires on July 31. 

Select accounts can get $20 off a purchase of $40 or more by uploading a photo to Amazon Photos for the first time. It's important to back up your photos, and Amazon Photos is a decent alternative to our favorite photo storage service, Google Photos. This credit can only be used on Prime Day, and it's only worthwhile if you were planning on switching to Amazon Photos anyway.

If you've got a Discover card, you may be able to add it to your Amazon wallet and use code 22DISCOVER20 to get $20 off a purchase of $20.01 or more. After adding it to your wallet, pay with the newly added card and use the promo code at checkout to get your discount. 

I cannot emphasize this enough: Do not apply for a credit card simply to get a $200 gift card. But if you've thoroughly researched this card and have thought about applying for one, this promotion gives eligible customers a free $200 gift card upon approval.