When Is Prime Day? | Best Prime Day Deals | Prime Day Shopping Tips
Amazon Prime Day 2024 (according to Amazon) will take place in July. No dates have been officially announced yet. Last year, Prime Day took place July 11 and 12. See ALL the best Prime Day deals in one place right here.
Our Editors’ Favorite Deals:
- Prime Day gift card deals
- Prime Day toy deals
- Prime Day electric toothbrush deals
- Prime Day Roomba deals
- Prime Day TV deals
- Prime Day beauty deals
- Prime Day back-to-school deals
- Prime Day sneaker deals
The retail industry has seen a lot of upheaval and “new normals” over the past couple years. The pandemic. Supply-chain issues. Inflation.
But Amazon has been there through all of it. And Prime Day has still happened every year (even though Amazon’s moved it around the calendar the past several years to adjust for the pandemic and the Olympics before planting it right back in the second week of July in 2022 and keeping it right there in 2023).
Prime Day offers a bright spot for summer shoppers to snag some of the best deals of the year. Need some examples? Check out our roundup of all the best Prime Day deals our editors are finding. And see Amazon’s latest updates here.
When Is Amazon Prime Day 2024?
Prime Day 2024 (the 10th annual Prime Day) takes place in July (no dates announced yet). Amazon announced this news in a press release.
Past Amazon Prime Day Dates
- 2023: Prime Day kicked off 3 a.m. ET on July 11 and ran 48 hours through July 12. Amazon announced these dates in a June 21 press release.
- 2022: Tuesday, July 12 (midnight PT) to Wednesday, July 13 at midnight PT. Plus, Amazon threw a “fall Prime Day” in October for early holiday shoppers, called Prime Early Access (it ran Oct. 11 and 12).
- 2021: Tuesday, June 21 (midnight PT) to Wednesday, June 22 (midnight PT).
- 2020: Tuesday, Oct. 13 (midnight PT) to Wednesday, Oct. 14 (11:59 p.m. PT). Amazon moved Prime Day to the fall due to the pandemic.
- 2019: Monday, July 15 (midnight PT) to Tuesday, July 16 (11:59 p.m. PT).
- 2018: Monday, July 16 (12 p.m. PT) to Tuesday, July 17 (11:59 p.m. PT).
- 2017: Monday, July 10 (6 p.m. PT) through Wednesday, July 11 (11:59 a.m. PT).
- 2016: Tuesday, July 12 (midnight PT to 11:59 PT).
- 2015: Wednesday, July 15 (midnight PT to 11:59 p.m. PT).
What Time Does Amazon Prime Day Start?
Amazon is headquartered in Seattle, so it starts midnight Pacific Time. That’s 3 a.m. Eastern. So, to get the first stab at deals, you’ll need to stay up late. The good news is, plenty of deals will be available the entirety of the 48-hour event, so while you might miss out on some lightning deals, you can start fresh on Tuesday morning without pulling an all-nighter.
What Is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime Day is basically Amazon’s birthday party. The first Prime Day in 2015 commemorated Amazon’s 20th birthday.
And that party is a massive sale. You must be a Prime member to take part, but if you are, you’ll get some of the best deal of the year on tech, clothing, home goods, subscriptions and much more. It’s also a chance to get an early start on back-to-school shopping or a SUPER early start on holiday shopping.
While it’s called Prime “Day,” the event actually runs 48 hours. And the event has a big gravitational pull. According to our 2023 Prime Day shopping survey, 63% of shoppers have a Prime membership, and 86% of those members have shopped Prime Day in the past.
You can think of Prime Day as a sequel to the previous Black Friday (with plenty of items being offered at their Black Friday lows) or as a precursor to the coming Black Friday. Either way, it’s a big sale situated in what’s normally a bit of a retail-sale dead zone in the middle of summer.
Amazon switches up Prime Day a bit every year, in terms of what’s on sale. But for the past couple years, it’s tried a few new things. In 2023, it introduced travel deals, in the form of 20% off select hotel bookings on Priceline. New for 2023, it also launched “invite-only” deals that shoppers have to sign up for in advance (and not everyone who signs up for a deal gets it).
It has also highlighted small businesses in past years by offering incentives to those who shop small makers on Amazon. In 2022, for example, every dollar spent with small businesses on Amazon entered you in a sweepstakes to win prizes, like a pre-game experience at Super Bowl LVII, VIP passes to concerts and more.
What Goes on Sale During Amazon Prime Day?
The short answer: Everything! Many deals are a surprise, dropping from the deal gods throughout the sale in the form of lightning deals. Plenty of items stay discounted for the whole 48 hours until they sell out. You can definitively expect Amazon’s own products (Kindles, Echo devices, Fire TVs) to be the most dramatically discounted.
Will the Nintendo Switch Be on Sale for Prime Day?
It’s not likely. But we would love to see this console on sale. The Nintendo Switch came out way back in 2017 but remains stubbornly popular — and stubbornly at its full price tag of $299. We’ve seen some Black Friday bundles (with gift cards and accessories thrown in) but no outright discounts. So we don’t expect to see any Prime Day discounts on the Nintendo Switch. You can get $30 off if you buy it refurbished, though.
Will Apple Products Be on Sale for Prime Day?
Yes, Apple Products are a Prime Day staple, and Amazon usually discounts them for Prime Day. However, which products and how much they’ll be discounted will be revealed only when the sales drop. Keep a particular eye on Prime Day AirPod deals, Prime Day MacBook Deals and Prime Day Apple Watch deals.
In addition to Prime Day being a tech-heavy holiday, Amazon is also leaning more into back-to-school deals, hence generous discounts on MacBooks during Prime Day. By the way, if you’re shopping back-to-school deals, check out these offers from Apple itself.
Will Fire Tablets Be on Sale on Prime Day?
Absolutely. Fire Tablets are an Amazon product, Prime Day is Amazon’s event, and you can bet that Fire Tablets will be front and center on the deals stage. In fact, the week before Prime Day, we just saw Amazon discount its Fire HD 8 Tablet by 45%!
Will Ring Be on Sale for Prime Day?
You bet it will. Amazon acquired Ring in 2018, so it’s part of the Amazon family — and that means discounts. In the past, we’ve seen Amazon bundle smaller products (like Echo Dot speakers) with Ring video doorbells. So let’s just say Prime Day is an excellent time to beef up your home security with video doorbells and Ring cameras.
Will Fitbit Be on Sale for Prime Day?
Almost certainly. Fitbit trackers have been a Prime Day fixture for years now. You’ll likely also find deals from Fitbit itself if you don’t have an Amazon Prime membership.
The Best Prime Day Deals
Here’s a sampling of the deals we saw on Prime Day 2023. There’s a more complete list of the best Prime Day Deals here. Note that these are last year’s deals — we’ll update with this year’s deals as Prime Day 2024 rolls out.
Prime Day Invite-Only Deals
Brand new for 2023, the invite-only deals program lets Prime members request an invitation to some of the top deals. Requesting an invite enters you for a chance to get the deal. You’ll need to wait for an official email during Prime Day from Amazon with a link (good for just 72 hours) to officially snag it. And not everyone who requests an invite gets the deal. Here are some of the best invite-only deals for 2023 (you’ll need to be logged in to your Amazon Prime Account to see the invitation):
- 75% off Amazon Fire TV 43-inch Omni Series.
- 60% off Bulova Men’s Marine Star Chronograph.
- 55% off JBL Live 660NC Noise Cancelling Headphones.
- 50% off FOREO LUNA 3 Facial Cleansing Brush.
Up to 60% off Amazon Devices
No surprises here: Amazon is massively discounting its Echo devices, Fire tablets, Fire TVs and Ring doorbells. In addition to 31% to 60% off individual devices, you’ll find bundled deals as well (for example, 62% off when you buy a Ring video doorbell (wired version) with the all-new Echo Pop speaker. Some deals are live already:
For real-time updates on the best Prime Day deals during Prime Day, check out our roundup.
Deals on Amazon Fresh, Grubhub and More
You might not think of Prime Day as a time for deals on food. But, for 2023, you can get:
- $20 off your Amazon Fresh order.
- $15 off Grubhub orders of $25 or more with code GRUBHUBPIRIME during Prime Day. Remember, Prime members get a year of Grubhub+ for free. Make sure your Grubhub and Prime accounts are all linked up here, so you can pounce on this deal.
Shopping Tips for Prime Day
Prime Day is massive, with thousands of deals and a ton of hype. So follow these tips to have the best Prime Day ever.
1. Remember That Prime Day Always Starts Early
Prime Day is officially 48 hours, but like any great event, there’s a pre-party. Expect Amazon to offer some deals in the week leading up to Prime Day. In past years, we’ve seen Amazon launch some of the deals on its own device (like Echo speakers and Fire TVs) a couple days early. For 2023, there are already some great Echo deals live, as well as a way to earn a $5 shopping credit for Prime Day.
2. Look for Ways to Earn Prime Day Shopping Credits
Amazon often lets you earn shopping credits in advance of Prime Day. In 2022, for example, you could earn $10 to take shopping on Prime Day if you explored four different benefits of Amazon Prime. Amazon also offered other pre-Prime Day promos to help shoppers earn shopping credits for Prime Day. You can probably think of a few things to do with an extra $10 on Prime Day, so these pre-Prime Day promos are usually looking into. We’ve also seen Amazon offer various promos over the years, including Prime Day shopping credits when you spent a certain amount on Amazon.com and at Whole Foods. So keep an eye out (we sure will be).
3. Let Alexa Help You
If you’ve got an Alexa device, that little speaker might have some deals for you. In the past, shoppers have gotten exclusive deals when asking Alexa, “What are my Prime Day deals?” And we’ve also seen offers that give new Prime members who sign up via Alexa an extra $5 to shop on Prime Day.
In 2023, Prime members can ask Alexa to add products to their wish list, cart or “save for later” items — then ask Alexa to notify them when deals on those items go live.
You can also ask Alexa to “set a reminder for Prime Day.”
4. Know the Different Types of Prime Day Deals
There are different types of deals on Prime Day. Some deals last the entire event. But Prime Day also offers Amazon’s famous Lightning Deals, which drop seemingly at random and last for only a short amount of time — or until they sell out. If you see a status bar with “number claimed” and/or a ticking clock next to a deal, you’re dealing with a lightning deal. Here’s an example:
Lightning deals always require you to act fast, but that’s especially true on Prime Day, when everyone is trying to capture them.
5. Get a Sneak Peek at Upcoming Deals
Amazon gives Prime members an advance look at lightning deals before they strike.
1. Go here.
2. Select “Upcoming” and see the deals that are coming up soon. You’ll then see exactly when deals go live.
3. Hit the “Watch This Deal” button for any deals you want to keep an eye on.
6. Put Deals on Your List in Advance
You’ve probably already heard the advice to add items to your cart early. However, in your rush to check out, you might accidentally buy something you didn’t intend to.
So consider following the advice of our friends at Mashable and adding items to your Amazon wish list instead. That keeps everything you ever wanted on Prime Day neatly organized so that you can pounce when the price drops.
7. Use the Amazon App to Get Deal Alerts
On the Amazon app, you get another benefit: The ability to activate push alerts when items that you’ve added to your wish list go on sale. Here’s how it works. It’s easy, with no need to keep hitting “refresh.”
For Prime Day 2022, Amazon also allowed Prime members to receive deal alerts related to recent searches or recently viewed items. Just visit the Prime Day event page in the Amazon app before Prime Day to create those alerts. Then sit back and wait for those push notifications.
8. Remember That the Best Deals Aren’t Just on Physical Stuff
Amazon Prime Day offers plenty of savings on subscriptions, including Amazon Music Unlimited, Audible, Kindle Unlimited and its other paid services. Expect to get the first few months for basically free if you sign up during Prime Day. We’ve seen some pretty sweet deals on Prime Day for grocery orders via the Amazon Fresh grocery delivery service, too.
More Useful Tools to Prep You for Amazon Prime Day
Have these sources at your finger tips as you prep for (and shop) Prime Day:
- The Amazon Prime Day page will be updated as the event draws closer. Check it regularly for announcements. Also keep checking back here. We will update this post as we get more insider details on the event.
- Keepa is a free Amazon price tracker that gives shoppers a quick understanding about how the price of the product has changed over time.
- CamelCamelCamel is an Amazon price history tracker that tells you if a Prime Day deal is truly the best Amazon’s ever offered, or if the item frequently drops in price.
Don’t Forget: You Must Be a Prime Member to Take Advantage of Prime Day
This annual blockbuster event is designed to boost, promote and celebrate Amazon’s Prime subscription service ($139 per year). We also frequently see limited-time specials that let you try out Prime for less, including a recent offer for a week of Prime for just $1.99. If you’re not already a member, sign up here and enjoy access to members-only sales prices with the rest of the subscribers. Rather than cancel your subscription after Prime Day, our advice is to stick around for the free two-day shipping, music and movie services, and early access to regular flash sales and lightning deals.
If you have a Prime membership, share your benefits with an adult or teen in your household at no additional cost. Here’s how.
Remember: Amazon Isn’t the Only One Offering Deals on Prime Day
Yes, Prime Day is an Amazon-exclusive event, but competitors are eager to tap into the wallets of shoppers who are already online that day looking to spend. In recent years, RetailMeNot has noted more than 300 retailers getting in on the Prime Day action.
Shopping competitors’ sales lets you ride the Prime Day wave without signing up for Prime membership. But, even if you do have Prime, look at competitors’ deals as well — you might find something better that what you see on Amazon.
The post Your Official Amazon Prime Day 2024 Guide appeared first on The Real Deal by RetailMeNot.
