What is Amazon Prime Day? What to know about the summer’s biggest sales event coming this July

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Prime Day has gotten so big that it’s commonly referred to as “Black Friday in July.”

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• Prime Day is Amazon’s mega two-day annual sale event exclusive for Prime members.
• Amazon Prime Day is confirmed for July 2022, but the exact date is still to be announced.
• In addition to thousands of deals on everything from tech to fashion, expect Amazon devices to drop to record-low prices. 

When it comes to the sport of hunting for excellent deals, there are few shopping holidays bigger than Amazon Prime Day. What once started as a small event to celebrate Prime members has grown into a full-scale shopping holiday with sales updated constantly, ending quickly, and spread out across hundreds of categories.

Despite its name, Prime Day is held over two days with 48 hours worth of exclusive discounts and limited-time savings. With thousands of deals, you’re bound to find something worth buying — and that’s where we come in. 

With Prime Day 2022 set for July, it’s time to get prepped. Here’s everything we know so far and our best tips so you don’t miss out on any deals.

When is Amazon Prime Day 2022?

Amazon Prime Day 2022 will take place in July in more than 20 countries, but an exact date hasn’t been announced yet. Amazon confirmed Prime Day’s July 2022 timing in its Q1 financial report. 

Based on previous years, we suspect Prime Day to fall in the middle of July. Here’s a quick rundown of the history of Prime Day dates: 

History of Prime Day dates

Is Prime Day only for Prime members?

Amazon’s Prime Day deals are exclusive to members of Amazon Prime and are one of the service’s major benefits. Official Prime Day Lightning Deals, Deals of the Day, and Amazon device discounts all require a Prime membership during the event.

Amazon Prime costs $15 a month or $139 a year and you can sign up for the service through the Amazon website. In addition to Prime Day deals, Amazon Prime includes tons of other perks, like free two-day shipping on many items, Prime Video streaming, Prime Music, and more. 

If you’re a new subscriber, you can get free Prime Day access by signing up for a 30-day Amazon Prime trial. To maximize your savings, we suggest enrolling after the official Prime Day date is announced so you can make sure your trial lasts during the sale. 

Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial$0.00 FROM AMAZON

For non-members, there’s also a slew of competing sales from other retailers to consider. Walmart, Target, Best Buy, and more all offer their own deals during Prime Day. Though these sales aren’t as expansive as Prime Day, they deliver similarly low prices on tech and home goods and don’t require a Prime subscription. 

Prime Day is the best time to stock up on Alexa-enabled devices like the Echo Dot.

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The best Prime Day deals

Amazon Prime Day is the best time of year to find deals on Amazon-branded devices. Products from other companies get huge discounts too, with tons of savings on electronics, home goods, and small appliances. 

Many items can often be found on sale on Prime Day for all-time low prices that typically match what you’d find on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Here are some products that typically get big discounts on Prime Day:  

• Smart speakers: Smart home gear will be worth watching, including Google Nest (available at non-Amazon retailers) and the fourth-generation Amazon Echo. Last year we saw all-time low prices, including $40 off the Echo Show 8. We’ll be keeping an eye on every form of Echo, from the modest Dot to the full-featured Show. 
• Video doorbell cameras: Brands like Eufy, Google Nest, Arlo, and the Amazon-owned Ring often drop their prices. For last year’s event, we saw deals like the Ring Video Doorbell Pro for only $130. We’ll be watching all of these brands this year. 
• Fire TV sticks: Streaming devices of every brand tend to see discounts for the event, especially Amazon’s Fire TV devices. The already-affordable Fire TV Stick dropped to only $20 last year — a 50% discount. This year we’re expecting to see major price drops on every model of Fire TV device, including our pick, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
• Fire TV branded displays: You can expect all Amazon-branded products to see discounts for Prime Day, including Fire TV displays. We’ll be watching the Fire TV Omni Series and the more affordable Fire TV 4-Series for price drops this year.
• Kindle e-readers: Kindles are one of Amazon’s most popular devices, and they see some major discounts for the deal holiday. Last year we saw Amazon’s premium e-reader, the Kindle Oasis, at $75 off. We’ll be sharing deals on every Kindle model this Prime Day.
• Fire tablets: As with the rest of Amazon-branded products, Fire Tablets often drop to all-time low prices for Prime Day. Last year, the Fire HD 8 Tablet was discounted by 50% and cost only $45. Expect to see deals on every type of Fire Tablet.
• Instant Pots: Typically $110, the Instant Pot Duo Nova was down to only $60 for Prime Day. Instant Pots are one of the most popularly discounted items across retailers for the event, with models of every type and size down to all-time lows. 
• Robot vacuums: Prime Day is a great time to buy a robot vacuum. For Prime Day 2021, we saw discounts like $100 off the Eufy RoboVac 11s and the iRobot Roomba 692 models. We’ll be keeping an eye on these models and more from brands like Roborock, Ecovacs, and Bissell.
• Apple devices: Apple gear sees regular discounts throughout the year, but they drop to even better prices during Prime Day. We saw deals like $70 off the Apple Watch Series 6, $30 off the 8th Gen iPad, and $70 off the Apple TV 4K. 
• Wireless earbuds: If we’re lucky, we’ll see drops on the ever-popular Apple AirPods, but far more likely are discounts on brands like Beats, Jabra, and Sony. 
• TVs: Smart TVs of every price point, from Vizio to LG drop to great low prices for Prime Day. We saw the 32-inch TCL Roku drop by $80 and the 55-inch Samsung QN90A drop by $200. 

How to shop the best Prime Day deals

There are a few steps you can take right now to help prepare for Prime Day and ensure you’re set to find all the best deals. Here are some tips to to shop Amazon Prime Day 2022:

• Subscribe to Amazon Prime: To take advantage of Amazon’s Prime Day deals, you’ll need to be a subscriber. If you sign up for the free 30-day trial in time, you can skip the $15 monthly fee. 
• Download the Amazon App: Amazon’s mobile app is a great way to personalize your shopping experience by previewing upcoming deals and adding them to your watch list for notifications when they go live. It’s also helpful for claiming bonus credits ahead of the festivities. 
• Collect bonus credits: In years past, Amazon has offered shoppers the chance to snag extra cash towards Prime Day with early promotions. Though none have been offered for 2022 yet, last year we saw savings for shopping at small businesses, and promo credits with Amazon gift cards. 
• Prepare a shopping list: It’s smart to go into Prime Day with at least some idea of what you want to buy (and save on). If you need some inspiration from your fellow Insider readers, these were the 30 top-selling products from last year’s Prime Day.

Do other retailers have their own sale?

Though no retailers have announced anything official yet, we expect several other stores to offer competing sales during Prime Day 2022. 

Historically, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy are the major contenders to keep an eye on during the event, as they match some of Amazon’s all-time low prices without the subscriber barrier to entry.