Amazon Prime Day events are some of the most confusing shopping occasions in existence: It’s not even a single “day" anymore. Amazon promises “millions of deals”—but the displayed discounts are often misleading, and while it’s advertised as a members-only event, some deals are available to people who don’t subscribe to Prime. Add in the frenzy of limited-time Lightning Deals and you’ve got a perfect recipe for spending too much money on stuff you don't even really want.
Fear not! I've been covering deals for over a decade and am here to help. WIRED’s Reviews team is familiar with common shopping pitfalls, and we closely track the best Prime Big Deal Days prices. What time do sales start and end? How do you tell whether a deal is actually a deal? We pooled our collective expertise to get you prepared for the latest Amazon Prime Day Event, which is technically dubbed “Amazon Prime Big Deal Days” and will be on October 6 and October 7 this year.
Table of ContentsAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevron- When Is Amazon Prime Day?
- When Do Prime Day Deals Start?
- Are Prime Day Deals Only for Prime Members?
- Is Prime Day Worth It?
- How Do I Know Whether a Deal Is Good?
- What’s a Lightning Deal?
- How Do Invite-Only Deals Work?
- Are There Other Ways to Make Sure a Deal Won’t Sell Out?
- Should I Buy It?
When Is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day has a main sale in the summer and a secondary sale—called Prime Big Deal Days—in the fall. This year, Prime Big Deal Days will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 6 and October 7.
When Do Prime Day Deals Start?
The event kicks off at 3:01 am Eastern time (midnight Pacific) and runs for 48 hours. New deals will drop three times each day of the event, at 3 am, 11 am, and 4 pm ET, with Lightning Deals going live sporadically as well. WIRED will cover the best deals from both Amazon and retailers that have competing sales.
Are Prime Day Deals Only for Prime Members?
That's the official line: You need to be an Amazon Prime member to shop Amazon Prime Day deals. There is a free 30-day trial available for eligible new accounts. (Prime membership comes with a lot of perks, and we've rounded up all of them here.) The trial will let you get in on the sale—just remember to cancel your membership to avoid any subsequent $15 monthly renewal charges.
However, there are usually plenty of discounts available if you're not a subscriber. Other major retailers like Best Buy, Target, and Walmart typically hold competing sales during Prime Days. The prices are often close to what Amazon is offering on the same products, and sometimes the competing sales match the Prime Day price exactly. This is a good way to save even if you object to shopping on Amazon.
Is Prime Day Worth It?
It depends. For some items, Prime-exclusive event prices tend to be among the lowest we see all year. That's especially true for Amazon hardware, like Kindles, Fire tablets, Fire TV sticks, and Echo devices. The kicker is that prices on nearly everything fluctuate throughout the year, and some products are discounted on a frequent basis. Even if the price is good, a deal on a product that goes on sale all the time diminishes the overall quality of that offer.
The sheer volume of deals promoted by Amazon during sales like Prime Day is a blessing and a curse. The truly standout discounts can be difficult to pinpoint—there's so much stuff on sale that just browsing the site can feel overwhelming. But if you're in the market for something specific, there's a good chance the item you want will be discounted. We've seen some fantastic Prime-exclusive discounts in the past, ranging from dirt-cheap Kindles and video doorbells to elusive price drops on gaming consoles and office furniture. The tricky part is finding the diamonds in the rough.
WIRED covers legitimately good deals all year long, including during Prime Day. Our policy is to only cover deals on products someone from our team has personally used and would buy or has bought themselves, to avoid promoting cheap junk. Maybe it'll be a product we've reviewed or an item we use in our day-to-day lives. We also only cover actual deals—if the price isn't lower than it normally is, we don't include it. We aim to provide pricing context as well. Our tips below will help you find those great discounts on your own—in the same ways that we would. No gatekeeping here.
How Do I Know Whether a Deal Is Good?
ABC: Always be checking (prices, that is). Researching an item's price is the most important aspect of determining the quality of a discount. Don't fall prey to deceptive marketing language and inflated MSRP prices. The easiest step is to take a second to Google the items you're considering so you can see the price across multiple stores. Amazon product pages now feature a Price History link to see up to 365 days of pricing history, though it may not always be accurate.
One tool we use is CamelCamelCamel, which tracks Amazon's prices over time. Paste the Amazon link or ASIN (found in the Product Information section on the Amazon product page) into CamelCamelCamel's search bar to see the item's lowest recorded price and its average price, and how frequently the price fluctuates. Some deals, such as Lightning Deals, are excluded from the pricing history, but this works for most items. It's useful to see what an item has sold for in the past. And while Amazon's Alexa for Shopping chatbot has price history information, it isn't always reliable and often misses context (as evidenced by our personal testing). We also like Keepa, which has an extension (available for multiple browsers) that shows the recent price history for products directly on the Amazon page so you don't have to open a new tab. When in doubt, check multiple sources.
Keep in mind that these services may not work all the time. But being able to see how much a product costs right before the sale starts (and whether the MSRP happened to increase) can be helpful. Putting these tools together can help you deduce whether a deal is worth your money.
WIRED always fact-checks deals to determine their quality. Of course, I'm biased, but you can check out our ongoing deals coverage to find roundups of the best discounts available—during Prime Big Deal Days and beyond.
What Are Lightning Deals?
Lightning Deals are limited-time deals that Amazon runs for only a few hours. They're not restricted to Prime Day, but they're especially prevalent during major sales events. Once an item sells out, you may be able to join a wait list, but not always.
Put bluntly, the Lightning Deals selection is often full of impulse buys, like makeup, skin care products, or toys. Prime members can browse upcoming deals on Amazon's website and in the mobile app. The app can also alert you before a Lightning Deal begins. We'll share some of our favorite Lightning Deals in a live blog during the event this year.
Be sure to also keep an eye on Amazon Haul, Amazon's discount page featuring novelties, fashion accessories, and gadgets starting at $1. Additional discounts are rumored to be dropping on holiday decor and tailgating items.
Are There Other Ways to Make Sure a Deal Won’t Sell Out?
If you know what time a deal begins, make sure to pay attention to the product page around the starting time. You may also be able to add an item to your cart before the sale starts, so you can refresh the page and snag it right away. With the Amazon app (Android, iOS), you can set up personalized deal alerts to get notified when items you have searched for recently are on sale, but only if you're a Prime member.
It's smart to create an account at trusted retailers so you can save your credit card information and shipping details ahead of time. This will make the checkout process as fast as possible. It's also a good idea to clear your web browser cache before you start shopping during sales events like Prime Day. Just be sure to log back in to those retailers afterward.
If a deal does sell out, there's a high chance another store will be offering a similar or matching discount. Check other stores, especially big-box merchants like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy. Sometimes expired deals can come back in stock, too.
You may also be able to use Amazon's Alexa for Shopping AI assistant to set deal alerts. But keep in mind that sometimes the notification system is dodgy. It can be useful, but if you're set on getting something specific, you should keep a close eye on it regardless of any AI tools you use.
Should I Buy It?
It's easy to fall into a trap during events like Prime Day. You might see a great deal on a product you don't really need. Don't do it. Make a list of items you've actually been wanting to buy ahead of the event and save those links. When Prime Day begins, take a look around to see whether they're on sale, and use the aforementioned practices to make sure it truly is a good deal. Don't buy a product just because it has a nice price.
This isn't your last chance to score a great deal this year—there's always Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which take place around Thanksgiving weekend. You might see even bigger price drops then.
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