If the lazy days of summer make you want to set up shop next to your A/C and max out your credit cards during various “Christmas in July” sales, Amazon is likely to oblige you once again with its annual Prime Day sales event. We don’t yet have confirmation on Prime Day 2023, but it’s a solid bet that you’ll be able to score a discount robot vacuum or air fryer at some point in the next few months. Here are your most pressing questions about Prime Day; we’ll update this story as more information becomes available.
What Is Prime Day?
Prime Day is a savings bonanza available to members of Amazon's Prime service. It started in 2015 as a celebration of Amazon's 20th anniversary, billed as a "one-day only event filled with more deals than Black Friday, exclusively for Prime members around the globe." That first Prime Day wasn't exactly a huge success. The company's stock of sale items quickly sold out and wait lists filled up immediately, leaving people with few options. The following year, Amazon seemed to get its act together a little more, and fellow retailers like Walmart stepped in with rival sales.
When Is Prime Day 2023?
Amazon hasn’t made any announcements yet, but we usually get confirmation a few weeks out. In recent years, it’s been a 48-hour, two-day event. In 2022, Prime Day was held on July 12-13, followed by a second Prime Day “Early Access” sale in October.
How Often Is Prime Day Each Year?
For years, Prime Day was a once-a-year chance for Amazon to drum up Prime subscriptions, as well as sales, during the usually slow summer months. In 2020, it was delayed until the fall due to COVID, but in 2021, it returned to the summer, albeit slightly earlier than usual in June. Last year, however, Amazon decided to go all out with two events: Prime Day in July and an Early Access Sale on Oct. 11-12. It stands to reason that’ll be the case again this year, as Amazon looks to take advantage of those looking to get a jumpstart on holiday shopping.
Is Prime Day Only for Prime Members?
This being Prime Day, you'll need to be a Prime member to get the best bargains. If you're not, it's free to join for 30 days, after which it's $139 per year (or $14.99 per month). Once you're signed up for Prime and signed into your account, the Amazon website and apps will display Prime Day prices, and you can add to your cart and check out like you normally would. (You can always sign up for a monthly account and cancel later, if that's your thing.)
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Beyond that 30-day free trial, Amazon will demand some of your cash for the privilege of joining the Prime crew. There are ways to pay less than $139 for Prime, though, including student accounts and discounts for EBT and Medicaid recipients.
What's on Sale During Prime Day?
Discounts on Amazon's own products are a sure thing. Look for deals on Kindles, Echo smart speakers, Fire TV devices and smart TVs, eero routers, Ring and Blink security cameras, and more. Amazon will likely have some pre-sales in the lead-up to Prime Day, in addition to discounts on the actual sale days, so stay alert this summer if you're looking to upgrade your smart home devices with the latest and greatest from Alexa.
It's not all Amazon, though. After the first Prime Day last year, Amazon said "customers spent over $3 billion on more than 100 million small business items." People also picked up the Apple Watch Series 7 and VTech and LeapFrog toys, buying more than 100,000 items per minute.
Ahead of a formal Amazon announcement, here are some pre-Prime Day sales you can shop now:
