Get your laptops, wallets and online shopping carts ready, because Amazon Prime Day is coming up. Here’s what to know about one of the biggest sales of the year.
What is Prime Day?
According to the online retailer’s official site, “Prime Day is Amazon’s annual deal event exclusively for Prime members, featuring epic deals on top brands and small businesses.”
Amazon’s first Prime Day was in 2015, in honor of the company’s 20th birthday. It lasted 24 hours and spanned nine countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Spain, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, Canada and Austria. This year, Prime Day will be a two-day event and is being promoted in over 20 countries around the world, per NBC News.
When is Prime Day?
The two-day sale will go from Tuesday, July 12, to Wednesday, July 13, per USA Today. However, there are some early sales going on that you can snag before the official Prime Day deals arrive. This year, Amazon started its own deals ahead of Prime Day on June 21, with other manufacturers like Samsung, Garmin and Motorola quickly following suit with their own deals, CNET reported.
Do I have to be an Amazon Prime member to access the deals?
According to Amazon’s website, you do have to be a member of Amazon Prime in order to shop Prime Day deals. Anyone can participate in Prime Day by becoming a member of Amazon Prime. A Prime membership costs $12.99 per month, or about $155 a year, per Nerd Wallet. If you receive qualifying government assistance, you can get a Prime membership for $5.99 per month.
How can I shop Prime Day deals if I’m not a Prime member?
Pro tip: sign up for a 30-day free trial of a Prime Membership. Like Amazon’s site says, “Amazon Prime Free Trial members enjoy all the same benefits as paid members.” Score! The trial will include all of the Prime Day deals that Amazon Prime members are able to access.
Best early Prime Day deals
Whether you’re looking for new electronics, kitchen tools or furniture, Prime Day offers great deals on whatever it is you’re shopping for. Below are 10 of the best deals you can get before Prime Day, according to CNET, USA Today and CBS News.
- TVs: Save up to $700 on select TVs that run Amazon’s Fire TV OS. Sizes range from 24 to 65 inches.
- Grills: Weber Spirit three-burner grill is $100 off and comes with free expert assembly (a $200 value).
- Furniture: Serta Palisades upholstered sofa starting at $382 (save $250).
- Tech: Echo Dot (3rd Generation) for $29.99 (Save $10).
- Headphones: The best Apple AirPods deals on Amazon ahead of Amazon Prime Day.
- Air fryers: Customer-favorite air fryers.
- Android phones: Save as much as $550 on Samsung’s latest 5G phones.
- Security: Best deals on Ring security cameras at Amazon ahead of Amazon Prime Day.
- Vacuums: Best deals on robot vacuums at Amazon ahead of Amazon Prime Day.
- Gaming: Best Nintendo Switch game deals on Amazon (and elsewhere) ahead of Amazon Prime Day.