My daughter is a big fan of Avatar. The Aang version, not the blue aliens one.
With the new Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender movie arriving on Paramount+ on July 25, I started looking for a way to watch it without signing up for yet another streaming subscription.
It turns out Paramount+ has made that a little harder in 2026. The service has phased out the standard free trial it used to offer directly to new subscribers.
But there are still a few ways to get Paramount+ free, or nearly free, at least for a while.
Here’s what I found:
Check Walmart+ first
This may be the easiest option, particularly if you already have Walmart+.
Walmart+ members can choose either Paramount+ Essential or Peacock Premium as their included streaming benefit. There is no additional charge for the streaming service as long as you maintain the Walmart+ membership.
Paramount+ Essential is the ad-supported version of Paramount+, but it includes the regular Paramount+ movie and TV library, including Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender.
If you’re already paying for Walmart+, check your benefits before paying Paramount directly. You may already have access and simply haven’t activated it.
You can activate it through the Video Streaming Choice section of your Walmart+ account.
There’s another possibility if you aren’t a member.
Walmart is currently offering new customers a 30-day Walmart+ trial for $1. Trial members are eligible to select the Paramount+ streaming benefit, so while it isn’t technically free, $1 can get you 30 days of Walmart+ and Paramount+ Essential.
Walmart says trial members are eligible for the included streaming service, although paid upgrades such as Paramount+ Premium are limited to paid Walmart+ members.
One catch: Walmart now makes you choose between Paramount+ and Peacock. You can change your choice after 90 days.
Check the current Walmart+ offer
T-Mobile customers may already get Paramount+ free
This one requires a little more qualification.
T-Mobile doesn’t currently give Paramount+ to every wireless customer. The current offer is tied to its All-In Home Internet plan.
Eligible All-In Home Internet customers can receive Paramount+ Essential at no additional cost while they maintain the qualifying internet plan.
If that’s your T-Mobile internet plan, you can activate the benefit through the T-Life app. Look under your plan’s add-ons for Paramount+ ON US.
This isn’t a temporary free trial. It’s an ongoing benefit for eligible customers, which makes it one of the better deals if you already have the qualifying service.
T-Mobile’s Paramount+ ON US instructions
Amazon Prime Video may offer a 7-day Paramount+ trial
There’s another route worth checking if you’re an Amazon Prime member.
Paramount+ is available as a subscription through Prime Video Channels, and eligible customers may be offered a seven-day free trial of the Paramount+ channel.
Unlike the old Paramount+ free trial, you’re subscribing through Amazon rather than directly through Paramount+.
The important word here is eligible. Amazon’s channel promotions can vary by account, and previous subscribers may not receive the trial.
If you have Prime, search for Paramount+ inside Prime Video and look at the offer shown before subscribing. If your account is eligible for a free trial, Amazon should show it there.
Just remember that the subscription automatically becomes paid unless you cancel it.
DIRECTV has a five-day free trial, but there’s a catch
DIRECTV currently offers a five-day free trial of its streaming TV service to new qualifying customers.
The PREMIER package includes premium services, including Paramount+ with SHOWTIME.
That potentially gives you another short-term way to get access without paying.
However, I wouldn’t sign up for DIRECTV solely to get Paramount+ unless you’ve confirmed that the Paramount+ content you want is available through the trial. DIRECTV is primarily a live-TV service, and its premium-channel integration isn’t as straightforward as simply signing up for Paramount+ itself.
It’s more useful if you were already considering trying DIRECTV.
See DIRECTV’s current five-day trial
Paramount+ itself no longer advertises a free trial
This is where a lot of older advice online is now wrong.
Go directly to Paramount+ and you won’t find the familiar seven-day free trial that the company offered for years.
Instead, Paramount currently takes new subscribers directly to its paid plans.
As of July 2026, those are:
- Paramount+ Essential: $8.99 per month. It has ads and includes more than 40,000 episodes and movies, live sports and select SHOWTIME series.
- Paramount+ Premium: $13.99 per month. It adds the full SHOWTIME library, downloads, 4K on supported content, a live local CBS stream and largely ad-free on-demand viewing.
For someone who just wants to watch a movie or catch up on a particular series, Essential is probably enough.
See the current Paramount+ plans
Look for Paramount+ promotional deals, too
Paramount+ also periodically runs heavily discounted promotions.
Those aren’t technically free, but they can be close enough to make hunting for a free trial unnecessary. We’ve seen short promotional periods that cut the monthly price to a dollar or two.
These deals come and go, so it’s worth checking the Paramount+ signup page before subscribing through another service.
Don’t assume a coupon or promotional price you find in an older article is still valid. Streaming deals change constantly.
So what’s the best way to watch Paramount+ free?
Start with services you’re already paying for.
If you have Walmart+, Paramount+ Essential can be included at no additional cost. If you have T-Mobile All-In Home Internet, you may also have Paramount+ Essential sitting there waiting to be activated.
If you don’t have either, check Prime Video Channels to see whether Amazon is offering your account a seven-day Paramount+ trial.
And if none of those work, the current $1 Walmart+ trial may be the cheapest reliable option I found. It gives eligible new Walmart+ customers 30 days to use the Paramount+ Essential benefit, along with the other Walmart+ benefits.
That’s probably enough time to watch one Avatar movie.
Or, knowing my daughter, watch it 14 times.
