Early Prime Day deals live NOW – and a sneak peek at next week’s sales

As Prime Day edges closer, it’s smart to prepare your shopping strategy. After all, deals will be dropping — and possibly selling out — constantly during the 48-hour event.

If you’re an Apple fan you don’t have to wait for the big day. Amazon has activated early Prime Day deals on some of the most popular Apple gadgets around. Tap or click here for great deals on AirPods and the latest iPad.

While Prime Day can be overwhelming, amid the chaos you’ll find some of the best savings of the year, especially on tech. Here’s what to know to get ready and have the best Prime Day ever.

First, make sure you’re a Prime member

There are some jaw-dropped deals to be had, but remember — you must be a Prime member ($119 per year) to shop Prime Day deals.

Luckily, you try Amazon Prime out for 30 days free with this special link. Tap or click here to start your trial, then time to get shopping.

1. Some Prime Day deals are already live

Amazon has a Prime Day tradition of releasing some “teaser” deals early. These tend to be mostly deals from Amazon’s own brands, and this year is no different. Here are some of the early deals that have already gone live before Prime Day 2020. Note that these deals are subject to sell out, end or change at any time. 

$45 off the Echo Show

That brings the price of this small but mighty smart display to $44.99. The screen is just 5.5 inches, making it a good fit for small spaces, such as a nightstand. Use it to conduct video calls with friends and family, watch videos, display photos or follow any command you’d give a smart speaker.

$30 off Echo Auto

That puts this little gadget under $20. Use it for hands-free control in your car, whether you want to listen to music or make a phone call.

Fire TV Edition smart TVs

Before Prime Day, you can get $100 off an Insignia 43-inch 4K Fire TV Edition Smart TV.

Want something bigger? Save $80 on a Toshiba 55-inch 4K set.

Shopping early can also earn you extra cash to spend on Prime Day. If you spend $10 with a small domestic business from this page, you’ll get $10 to spend on Prime Day.

To stay in the loop as more deals go live, check Amazon’s Prime Day page.

2. Some of the best deals will be on Amazon’s own products

Prime Day is Amazon’s party, so it’s no surprise that it will put its own brands in the spotlight. The stars of Prime Day will be Amazon’s Echo smart home devices, its Kindle e-readers, its Fire TV devices and Ring video doorbells. It won’t be hard to find 50% off on some of these gadgets.

Amazon also has a slew of in-house brands — and its AmazonBasics line is one you’ll want to pay particular attention to on Prime Day. This line spans a great many things that may not be the glamorous items you may seek. But, unlike a Prime Day impulse buy, you’ll use them every day. Think batteries, charging cables, adapters, phone cases, chargers, computer mice and laptop sleeves. Tap or click here to see all the AmazonBasics products.

Amazon brands encompass not just physical items, but subscriptions and services, too. So look for deals and trial offers on:

• Audible membership (there’s already an early deal live for 50% off your first year)
• Amazon Music Unlimited
• Prime video channels
• Kindle Unlimited
• Amazon Fresh deliveries

3. There will be plenty of deals on non-Amazon products, too

Many of these items will be discounted as limited-time Lightning Deals and many will sell out quickly, so be ready to act fast!

Prime Day isn’t just about Amazon. In fact, it’s products from Apple, Samsung, Garmin, Dyson, iRobot and others that often generate the most hype. This year, keep your eyes peeled for deals on the Apple Watch, iPads, AirPods, Samsung phones, Beats headphones, Roomba robotic vacuums, Instant Pot pressure cookers and Ninja air fryers.

4. It’s best to go in with a plan

Part of acting fast is having a plan. Given Prime Day’s timing this year, consider shopping with your holiday list in hand, whether you’re gifting others, yourself or both. Know which products you want (and which specs you need). Look at the item’s price history on a tool like Camelcamelcamel, so that you know in advance whether a deal is commonplace, subpar or impressive. 

Amazon’s app can also help guide you. It allows you to “subscribe” to products you’re interested in and get alerted if the item falls in price on Prime Day. Or prep ahead of time and add items you want to your cart so that you can buy them if they go on sale without letting yourself become distracted by impulse buys.

5. Other retailers will crash Prime Day

If you don’t have a Prime membership, Prime Day can still help you save. Major retailers price-match each other aggressively. That means, during Prime Day, many products that drop in price on Amazon will also drop in price on the sites of other retailers.

In fact, some retailers take Amazon head-on during Prime Day, deliberately throwing their own sales on the same days. This year, for example, Walmart and Target are holding sales that overlap with Prime Day’s dates — and Best Buy is going a step further by dropping some of its Black Friday deals early on Prime Day.

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