10 Tips for Getting the Best Deals During Amazon Prime Day

As you now know, Amazon Prime Day is this week — tomorrow, in fact (with some bonus deals already taking place). With all the hoopla surrounding the company’s made-up holiday, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. What can I get the best deals on? Will something expire or go out of stock before I get a chance to buy it? Should I just take off work to surf Amazon all day? Before you start spiraling, just read this handy guide.

Here’s how to totally win at Amazon Prime Day (read: get all the best deals on the things you need).

Although it’s technically called Amazon Prime Day, the company has added a bunch of extra deals leading up to the 11th. And the official Prime Day deals will actually begin at 9 p.m. EDT today (Monday, July 10) and run all day through 2:59 a.m. EDT, Wednesday, July 12. New deals will start as often as every five minutes during these 30 hours.

You probably already know this, but it’s important to point out: You have to be a Prime member in order to take advantage of these deals. If you are not a Prime member yet, you can totally just sign up now and use the free 30-day trial to take advantage of all the upcoming deals. That said, we love using it to save on groceries year-round.

Take some time today to make a list of all the things you need for your house (essentials, things you’ve been coveting, etc.). It’s also worth thinking about any upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, and even the holidays at the end of the year (Christmas is five months away!). Who will you be shopping for and what might you want to give? Make a comprehensive list on Amazon and you’ll get notifications if any of those items become a Prime Day Deal.

You can use the Amazon app to set alerts and view Prime Day deals 24 hours before they’re live. Just go to “Today’s Deals,” click “Upcoming,” and tap “Watch this deal” for anything you’re interested in. The app will send you an alert to let you know when the deal is starting. Yes, you can do this through the site too, but if you’ve never downloaded the app before, you’ll get a $10 credit to your Amazon account once you sign in.

If you have an Amazon Echo, ask her “Alexa, what are your deals?” Alexa-enabled devices — such as an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot — will have access to exclusive voice shopping deals. It never hurts to ask, right?

In addition to the Prime Day deals, there are some special deals. Here’s a quick explanation.

• Prime Day Spotlight Deals: These deals have the most inventory and some of the best savings. The discounts are deep and last until the stock is gone. The good news: Spotlight deals that start today (July 10) may return tomorrow (July 11). Product detail pages will indicate which spotlight deals may return, while supplies last.
• Prime Day Lightning Deals: These are the deals that will launch as often as every five minutes. They’ll run for a limited time with a limited number of quantities. You’ll see a timer on each deal and a status bar showing availability until the deal is claimed.

If you don’t need your items right away, you can choose free no-rush shipping and get a $5 credit for Prime Pantry or a $1 credit for eBooks and more (your options may vary).

If an item says it’s been “100% claimed,” click the “Join Waitlist” button on the product page. If additional items become available, you’ll receive a notification on your mobile device.

Just because Amazon invented Prime Day doesn’t mean the site will be the only one with deals tomorrow. Shops like Target and Walmart have also notoriously held sales around the same time to compete with Prime Day. We’ll be covering those, too, as soon as they are announced.

We’ll have lots more Amazon Prime Day coverage, including great bargains on all things for your kitchen — and the single best deal of the day!

What are you hoping to buy during Amazon Prime Day?