How to Get the Most Out of Amazon Prime Day

Image: Julie Clopper/Getty Images

Amazon has officially announced its dates for Prime Day 2021 — so you can put June 21 and June 22 on the calendar for 48 hours of shopping. Deals kick off at 12 a.m. PT on June 21 and run through 11:59 p.m. on June 22. In the meantime, check out our tips for how to save the most while getting the best products before they sell out.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Prime Day is Amazon’s annual sales party. Aside from its holiday/Black Friday sales, it’s the biggest Amazon sales event of the year. And it’s open only to Prime members.

Since starting Amazon Prime Day in 2015 (originally to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary), Amazon has seen sales skyrocket past the previous year’s totals. The ever-growing success of this member-exclusive sale prompted Amazon to extended Prime Day to 30 hours in 2017, to 36 hours in 2018, and to 48 hours in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, Prime Day will, once again, last 48 hours.

How to save the most on Amazon Prime Day

If you want to save on everything from TVs to groceries, it’s important to understand each aspect of Prime Day to get the most bang for your buck. Read on for how to make the most of this year’s Prime Day.

Get an Amazon Prime account

As its name suggests, Amazon Prime Day is available only to Amazon Prime members. Not a member? There are ways to get in on the action without paying full price for Prime.

• Start your free trial. Amazon allows users to try out a Prime membership for 30 days. This free-trial membership includes all of Prime’s perks, such as free fast shipping. Because 76% of users on a free, 30-day trial turn into full subscribers, Amazon encourages signing up for Prime Day in the hopes that you’ll stick around. Note that, if you’ve ever had a free trial for Prime on your account before, you won’t be eligible for another one.
• Use your .edu email for an extended free trial. Students are eligible for a free six months of Amazon Prime, and 50% off the regular subscription cost once the trial period ends.
• Government assistance discount. Low-income shoppers who have a valid Electronic Benefits Transfer or Medicaid card can get a Prime membership for just $5.99 a month.

Learn all the ways to shop on Prime Day if you don’t currently have Prime.

Download the Amazon Shopping app

Shop from anywhere on your mobile phone with the Amazon app, available for both Apple and Android devices. With the Amazon Shopping app, you can use the “deal notifier” feature to subscribe to products you are interested in — and receive notifications when a Prime Day deal on that item becomes available.

Image: Amazon.com

Use the Amazon Assistant browser extension

“Assistant” is an apt name for Amazon’s browser extension, and you can think of it as your Prime Day helper.

The extension lets you view deals, see personalized recommendations, organize your wish list and see the price history of an item. That can help you tell, at a glance, if a potential Prime Day buy is at a good price, at the best price ever or at a not-very-exciting price.

Image: Amazon.com

Keep an eye out for gift card discounts

Gift card discounts are a smart buy. Instead of buying stuff you don’t need, you can snag a gift card for less than face value and buy things you do need later. In previous years, Amazon has offered $50 iTunes gift cards for $40 as well as $5 credits (for future use) to those who bought Amazon gift cards on Prime Day.

Get familiar with the types of Prime Day sales

While Amazon Prime Day sales stretch across a wide range of categories and products, the sales themselves can typically be classified into several distinct types. Getting familiar with these deals beforehand can help save you time and learn what to look for first.

• Prime Day spotlight deals: These spotlight deals have often been dubbed the best deals of Prime Day, in terms of the amount of the discount. But Spotlight deals last only until they run out of stock, so make sure to act fast.
• Amazon lightning deals: Disappearing even faster than the spotlight deals, lightning deals aren’t new to Amazon Prime aficionados — they’re offered all the time, in addition to on Prime Day. These deals last for just hours at a time (new ones pop up as often as every 10 minutes), and shoppers can track the stock number and timer of each lightning deal before they buy.
• Prime savings and deals: Prime members can browse discounts on various items that will last the length of Prime Day itself (unless they sell out). With Prime Day getting longer every year, be sure to check this page often for new additions. Pay special attention to deals on Amazon products (like the Echo, the Ring Doorbell and Fire tablets), and you’ll find some of the lowest prices you’ll see all year.

Don’t forget about Amazon subscriptions and services

Prime Day isn’t just a day to buy a lot of physical stuff. It’s also one of the only times each year that Amazon offers discounts on subscriptions and services. In past years, we’ve seen Amazon Music Unlimited trials for $0.99 per month for four months, and huge discounts (40% to 60%) on Audible. Plus, Amazon has been known to offer discounts on Amazon Fresh orders for new customers ($15 off orders over $50 last year), as well as discounts on two-hour delivery orders.

This year, Amazon will offer this early subscription deal to Prime members: four months free of Amazon Music Unlimited.

Check for Prime Day deals at Whole Foods

Now that Amazon owns Whole Foods, it brings special deals to Prime members who shop there. Last year, in the lead-up to Prime Day, Prime members who spent $10 or more at Whole Foods received a $10 credit to use during Prime Day. It also offered exclusive food discounts to Prime members.

Shop at small businesses on Amazon

Amazon is once again offering a free $10 credit to those who shop small businesses during Prime Day. From June 7 until Prime Day kicks off, spend $10 at a qualifying small business and get $10 to spend on Prime Day.

This type of deal was new to Prime Day in 2020 (when Amazon wanted to show support to small businesses during the pandemic), and now it appears to have become a staple.

Image: Amazon.com

Consider the Amazon Prime Credit Card

Sign up for the member-exclusive Amazon Prime Rewards credit card to get a $50 Amazon gift card upon approval. You’ll also earn 5% back at Amazon.com and at Whole Foods; 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores; and 1% back on all other purchases. Use your card on Prime Day to increase your savings.

Even if you’re not a Prime member, you can still take advantage of Amazon’s credit cards with the Amazon Rewards Visa Signature Card. Want to know which one is right for you? Here are the pros and cons of both cards on our credit card blog.

Ask Alexa about Prime Day deals

On Prime Day, just ask, “Alexa (or your wake word), what are my Prime Day deals?” to get a rundown.

This year, you’ll be able to get Amazon device deals early (starting June 18) by asking an Echo device, “Alexa, what are my deals?”

In previous years, Prime Day has offered a variety of Alexa-exclusive deals and discounts, such as $10 off orders over $20 through Alexa and unique discounts on certain items as well. In previous years, Prime Day deals on Amazon smart products were still available via Alexa the day after Prime Day for late shoppers.

Keep up with social media

Follow Amazon on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for deal announcements leading up to Prime Day.

Check competitor prices and Prime Day alternative sales

Part of being a savvy shopper is realizing that the best deals might not all be at one store. While Amazon promises Prime Day will offer some of the best deals of the year, many competitors, such as Target and Walmart, are likely to hold sales to compete with Prime Day. Walmart is also known to price match Amazon on popular products, such as the Instant Pot and air fryers (if not during Prime Day, then shortly after).

During the week of Prime Day, be sure to check which sales other retailers are offering. These can make great alternatives, especially if you don’t have Prime membership.

Check an item’s price history before you buy

If you need help with quick research, websites such as Camel Camel Camel can track prices of items you want and they’ll let you know when it drops, or even give you a history of prices on similar items.

Amazon’s browser extension, Amazon Assistant, will also give you an item’s price history.

Checking the price history of an item is important because it will tell you if a Prime Day price is truly remarkable — or if a seller (or Amazon itself) is trying to cash in on the Prime Day hype.

Even better, make a Prime Day shopping list and research items’ prices beforehand. Amazon Prime Day promises sales on items from hundreds of categories, so it can be easy to end up making impulse purchases that you don’t need or that aren’t even that deeply discounted. Going into this sale with an idea of what you are looking for will help keep you focused. If you want to save time, we suggest looking up an item’s price history on Camel Camel Camel beforehand. That way you don’t have to rush to research on Prime Day. Save that stress for items you didn’t know you wanted — like an impulse buy you don’t need but will buy anyway.

Make your Amazon returns at Kohl’s after Prime Day

If you make a Prime Day impulse buy you regret, make the return process easier by returning your item at Kohl’s. No more hunting for packing tape, running to the post office, arranging a pickup or finding a nearby Amazon Locker. Kohl’s is also known for offering Kohl’s coupons to those who drop off Amazon returns.

How do Amazon returns at Kohl’s work?

Start your return process online at Amazon’s return center. Select the Kohl’s dropoff option and Amazon will send you a QR code. Bring the item to Kohl’s, and an associate will pack, label and ship your return for free. Some locations even have designated parking spots for Amazon returns customers.

Become a Prime Day expert

While this list will get you prepped for Prime Day, it can never hurt to do more research. Check out our Prime Day predictions as well as additional ongoing Amazon Prime Day coverage. We also have 36 tips to saving money on Amazon.

Do you have any additional shopping tips for Prime Day? Let us know in the comments and check back here for more updates as the day approaches.

WATCH: How to save the most when shopping Prime Day