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Amazon Prime Day is set to return in October in what Amazon has dubbed 'Prime Big Deal Days' for a Prime members-exclusive sale. Think back to last year's Prime Early Access Sale but with a better (kind of) name.
You can expect something of a Prime Day 2 event with a wide range of deals across all your favorite categories in a 48-hour sale. It's a warm-up to Black Friday, but if you're in the market for an Amazon device like a Kindle, Echo speaker, or Fire Stick, you'll likely get the last lowest price of the year. Cheaper than Black Friday even, as this is a flagship event for Amazon.
We don't have the exact dates yet, but Amazon has confirmed it will happen in October. If past year's events are anything to go by, expect it to happen around the middle of the month.
During this Prime Day-esque event, thousands of items see massive discounts. We saw plenty of excellent deals across TVs, headphones, makeup, fashion, kitchen, home, garden, laptops, and many more categories in the summer version.
Our experienced team of deal hunters will be busy rounding up the best deals throughout the 48-hour event to let you know which ones are genuinely worthy of your attention. We also keep an eye out for items we've previously highlighted in our buying guides to ensure you're saving money and saving it on the best products.
Take a look at the list below for examples of some top highlights during summer's Prime Day. These deals have since expired, of course.
We have a dedicated "What is Prime Day?" guide if you'd like to see a deeper dive into the event, along with many shopping tips to ensure you get the best out of the sale. The short version is that it's a sale with exclusive discounts for Amazon Prime members.
It's often up there with Black Friday as far as the discounts go, and it's the best time, bar none, to get the lowest prices on Amazon's own devices like Echos, the best Kindles, and Fire Sticks. If you're not a Prime member, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial if you haven't used the service before.
How to prepare for the Prime Day sale
Sign up for Prime: As a reminder, only Prime members can participate in these sales. That said, you can sign up, take advantage of the free 30-day trial, and cancel it after the event. If you plan to cancel your Amazon Prime account after Prime Day, be sure to set a reminder.
Consider maximizing your rewards: The Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature credit card could be a good option if you're in the market for a new credit card, especially if you do a lot of shopping on Amazon. In addition to a $200 Amazon gift card, you'll get a range of other bonuses as listed below. For a more comprehensive roundup of options, be sure to take a look at our best credit card guide.
Plan before you shop: With big sales events like Prime Day, filling your cart with things you don't need is easy. That's why we recommend setting a budget and a shortlist of specific items you want to buy in advance. Take the time to outline what things you want to buy, research them in advance, and then save them to your Amazon Wish List so you're ready to go if those items go on sale.
Check out Amazon's gift guides: For gifting inspiration, Amazon has released various lists of the most giftable items:
Tips for finding the best deals during the Prime Day
Check the price history: We always make a note of comparing historical prices with Prime Day's prices. To understand if we're actually getting a good deal, we often use the free tool CamelCamelCamel. It is the most trusted Amazon price tracker available, and you can get notifications for price decreases for any product listed on Amazon.
Monitor lightning deals: Lightning Deals — flash sales that only last a few hours — are a big part of Prime Day, and you'll need to be ready to buy right away due to limited quantities. However, if the item you want does sell out, you can join the waitlist. If someone doesn't complete the purchase within 15 minutes, the deal is made available to the next person on the waitlist. For more, check out our guide on how to find Lightning deals on Prime Day.
Set up deal notifications: This is where creating a plan for specific items you want to buy pays off. If you download the Amazon mobile app, you can set up deal alerts for what you care about. First, you'll want to add the items to your Amazon Wish List. Then, all you have to do is open the Amazon app and navigate to your Settings. From the drop-down menu, click Notifications. From there, turn on Your Watched & Waitlisted Deals.
Double-check the specs: If you're hunting for gadgets and tech devices specifically, look closely at the specs, especially if you're looking at refurbished older models. The general rule of thumb: It's a good idea to buy tech with specs with the future in mind, not just right now.
Follow Insider Reviews: We've been covering Prime Day since its inception, and if you don't have time to prep, we've got you covered. We'll be surfacing the best deals across the entire sale with real-time coverage.
When is Prime Day 2023?
The original Prime Day took place on July 11 and 12. The 48-hour deal event began at midnight PT / 3 a.m. ET. That's when the largest number of deals go online, but some deals are held back for the second day, too, so it's worth checking in on our roundups a few times. Lightning deals will also come and go at all hours of the day.
For this October version, Prime Big Deal Days, or Prime Day 2, as the rest of us will call it, Amazon has only confirmed it to happen over 48 hours in October. We're thinking sometime around the 10th, going off past form.
How long do deals last?
While the Prime Day sale lasts 48 hours, it's important to understand that many deals sell out quickly. For example, Lightning Deals are limited-time, limited-inventory discounts. They are Amazon's version of a flash sale — complete with a countdown clock — and last for just a few hours or until the item sells out. We've seen Nintendo Switch bundles sell out in seconds in the past.
We wouldn't assume all deals you see on day one will be the same price the day after. For example, a lot of the really good Prime Day Apple deals in the summer were day one only.
Are Prime Day deals the same on both days?
Over the 48-hour event, Amazon will release thousands of deals. Some span both days, but some will sell out quickly. If you shop on the first day of Prime Day, you can expect a new set of fresh deals on day two. As someone who's covered every single Prime Day event, though, I can safely say I've generally found the deals launched on the first day are the best ones, so be sure not to casually drop in halfway through day two, or you might be disappointed. The cheapest Amazon devices can often sell out by that point, too.
What about the Amazon Prime Early Access Sale?
Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale was what Amazon officially named the October 2022 Prime-members-only event. The aim was to give Prime members exclusive "early" access to holiday deals, hence the name. While technically not another Prime Day, there were lots of similarities. Just like the annual Prime Day shopping event in the summer, you had to be a Prime subscriber to get access to all the deals during the two-day event.
There were some fantastic deals, especially on Amazon devices. Still, it didn't feel as strong as the summer event, and its closeness to the Black Friday season and the seriously naff branding made many deals a hard sell when potentially bigger discounts were just around the corner. And in many cases, that turned out to be true. Perhaps this rebranded version will be a bit stronger this year.