LinkedIn Premium doesn’t have to cost you money if you know where to look
LinkedIn Premium costs $39.99 per month, but the platform regularly offers free or discounted access through employer partnerships, alumni networks, and promotional trials. If your subscription lapsed, you have at least four concrete paths to reactivate without paying.
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Check Your Employer’s Benefits First
Start by asking your HR department whether your company negotiated LinkedIn Premium as an employee benefit. Major corporations—including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and most Fortune 500 companies—bundle LinkedIn Premium into their professional development packages. Your HR portal likely lists these perks, but many employees never check.
If you’ve changed jobs recently, contact your former employer’s HR department. Some companies extend LinkedIn Premium access for 30 days after departure. If you worked for a company with 500+ employees, odds are stronger that Premium was included in your benefits package.
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Professional associations in your field often negotiate group rates or free access for members. The American Marketing Association, Project Management Institute, and similar organizations frequently include LinkedIn Premium in membership dues. Check your association’s member benefits page or email their admin team directly.
Claim Your Alumni LinkedIn Offer
Universities partner with LinkedIn to provide free or heavily discounted Premium access to graduates. Schools including Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and the University of Pennsylvania offer this benefit. Even smaller state universities often participate in these programs.
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Log into your university’s alumni portal and search “LinkedIn” or “professional development.” If you don’t have portal access, email your alumni association. Provide your graduation year and degree. Many universities send alumni benefit emails quarterly—check your spam folder, as these often get filtered.
Some schools grant two to three years of free Premium access, while others offer perpetual 50% discounts. A few offer lifetime free Premium to all graduates. If your university isn’t currently offering LinkedIn Premium, ask the alumni association to negotiate a partnership—they track member requests and use them to justify new vendor relationships.
Use LinkedIn’s Trial Periods Strategically
LinkedIn frequently offers one-month free trials to users who’ve gone inactive. Check your LinkedIn notifications and email inbox for trial invitations. These typically target accounts that haven’t logged in for 3-6 months.
If you don’t see an offer, here’s the direct approach: start a fresh LinkedIn account using a different email address. New accounts almost always qualify for a 30-day free Premium trial. After the trial ends, you can delete the new account and return to your original profile.
During any trial period, prioritize high-value Premium features: use the salary tool to benchmark your market rate, set up job alerts filtered by seniority level, and send InMails to recruiters in your target companies. These actions generate concrete career value from the free access period.
Explore Group Memberships and Certifications
Professional certification bodies sometimes bundle LinkedIn Premium with membership. If you hold or are pursuing certifications through organizations like Coursera, Google Career Certificates, or industry-specific bodies, check whether Premium access is included.
Facebook Groups, Slack communities, and specialized networking platforms occasionally run promotions where members get free LinkedIn Premium codes. Search your industry or function name plus “LinkedIn Premium free” in group directories. These offers appear and disappear monthly, so checking directly is faster than waiting.
Some business schools and professional development programs grant Premium access to participants. If you’ve enrolled in any online courses, bootcamps, or executive programs in the past year, contact the program coordinator and ask whether Premium is part of the curriculum or alumni benefits.
Your Next Step
Call your HR department today—don’t email. Ask directly: “Does our company offer LinkedIn Premium as a benefit?” This 60-second conversation resolves your reactivation instantly for most employees. If that doesn’t work, check your university alumni portal within the next two hours before you forget. If you have relevant professional certifications or memberships, verify their benefits pages while you have your account information handy.
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