Are you excited for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days?
This now-massive sale event kicked off on July 15, 2015 as a 24-hour sale. Each subsequent year through 2019, Prime Day occurred in the second week of July and the sale grew from 24 to 48 hours.
Then the Pandemic hit in 2020, flipping retail on its head in myriad ways. Prime Day 2020 was postponed until October and occurred over 48 hours, serving as an unofficial start to the holiday shopping season that year.
These days, there are two annual Prime Day sales; one in July and one in October, and the dates are often a mystery until a couple of weeks before.
With Prime Big Deal Days just a few days away on October 8+9, I wanted to share some savings tips when shopping this sale.
1. Amazon Prime Membership
Prime Big Deal Days sales are for Amazon Prime members only. If you are not a member, now is a great time to join so you can take advantage of all the discounts and benefits, like access to Amazon Video, Amazon Music, one free Kindle book per month, exclusive Amazon discounts, a free Grubhub+ membership, and lots more.
After a 30-day free Amazon Prime trial, Prime membership is $139 per year (or $14.99 per month) and includes unlimited two-day – or in some cases, next-day or same-day shipping – all year long. If you don’t intend to continue after the trial, remember to cancel within that 30-day window. And if you’ve done a free trial before, don’t worry – you’re eligible for a free Amazon Prime trial every 12 months!
Students with a valid ID can get a 6-month free trial, and then it’s $7.49 per month, or $69 a year, plus a slew of perks from other providers, like access to the Calm app and Grubhub.
If you are on public assistance and can provide an EBT or Medicaid card, you can get Amazon Prime for $6.99 per month.
2. What will be on sale
Every Prime Day, millions of items across more than dozens of categories will be on sale. The deepest discounts are typically on brands Amazon owns, like Kindle, Ring, Fire, etc. We also see discounts on small tech, like headphones and smartwatches, and small home appliances, like air fryers and robotic vacuums.
Some of my favorites: The deals are excellent if you need Amazon devices. You can save up to 60 percent off Blink security cameras, 58 percent off of select Fire Tablets, and up to 50 percent off Fire TV Sticks. There are also great deals on other brands, like up to 45 percent off FOREO facial cleansing devices, including the LUNA Mini that I use.
You can also save 50 percent on the Bruvi Bundle. Bruvi makes delicious coffee, and the bundle includes coffee pods and the Bruvi brewer, which is super stylish. It’s also a good time to stock on on favorite essential items, like your go-to shampoo or your family’s favorite paper towel brand.
3. Regular shopper? Consider the Amazon Prime Visa card
If you are a regular Amazon shopper, consider applying for the Amazon Prime Visa. Periodically, Amazon offers an instant bonus upon approval. Right now, you can receive a $150 gift card upon approval!
This card has no annual fee and allows you to earn 5 percent back on your Amazon and Whole Foods purchases, and 1-2 percent back on other purchases. These earnings can be applied to future Amazon purchases.
During Prime Day, you can earn extra bonuses on select eligible items just by using your Prime Rewards Visa. This often applies to Whole Foods purchases as well.
You can earn up to 10 percent back on select items throughout the year through Prime Bonus offers. There are also benefits for foreign travel, like no transaction fees and travel insurance. Like many store cards, this card has a fairly high APR, so use it only for what you can pay off each month.
4. Tips for Deal Spotting on Amazon
USE LISTS. You can use Lists on the Amazon site and app to look for deals and track discounts. Once you have added an item to a List, you can ask Alexa to notify you if it’s going on sale (you can also ask Alexa to add an item to a List). You can even create multiple lists for things like Prime Day, birthdays, and other occasions. You can share lists with others to let them know what you are interested in.
SIGN UP FOR EMAILS. You’ll be notified of available deals once you sign up for Amazon’s emails.
INVITE-ONLY. When browsing, you might see an option near “add to cart,” where you can sign up for an invite-only deal. Select customers will receive an invitation by email and through the app for exclusive savings.
TODAY’S DEALS. Click Today’s Deals for deal intel during the Prime Day event. Some items will be on sale before Prime Day, so visiting this page before the 8th could be a good move.
LIMITED TIME DEALS. Amazon is known for its “Lightning Deals,” which come and go very quickly. If you download the Amazon app, you’ll be able to see upcoming Lightning Deals before they are available.
SAVE FOR LATER. Another smart thing to do is add things you want to your cart before Prime Day and click “Save for Later.” That way, on Prime Day, you can easily view all those items in one place and see if they are on sale. I’ve had success doing this!
5. Don’t forget other retailers!
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days isn’t the only game in town. Here are just some of the retailers who are hosting sales the same week:
Target Circle Week, October 6-12
Best Buy 48-hour Flash Sale, October 8-9
Walmart Holiday Deals Event, October 8-13
MyLowe’s Rewards Week, October 10-16
